Really need to clear my debts but debt charity cant help. What next?

[Deleted User]

BeingMe wrote: »

They both have similar balances but the minimum payment for next is much higher so if I focused on that first I would clear it about twice as fast than if I focused on the argos debt despite it having higher interest.

Always concentrate on the debt with the highest APR.

Anything else is wasting money.

eyeopener2

Clearing a small debt can give a big phsycological boost to debt clearing though.

BeingMe

Thank you both. I think I might focus on next then as it will be really good to clear it quite quickly.

More good news:
I got my gas and electricity bill through today which has been amended to reflect my meter readings. This months bill is £18.84, £40 less than I had budgeted for based on my usual bills.

Also, despite forgetting to budget in my car insurance this month (it came out today), I still have an underspend of £60 so far (and only been doing this 8 days)

Dobbibill

That's brilliant news. It's surprising how much of a difference you can see in a small amount of time.
your doing so well, keep up the good work :T

BeingMe

Hi everyone, not sure if anyone is interested or if it's ok to keep updating this thread but it's keeping me motivated so let me know if I should start a new thread or if it's ok to keep posting here.

I'm back from a brilliant weekend in London. I set a budget of £100 for the weekend. Accommodation was free as I stayed with my relative. I spent around £30 on travel and another £55 on food but that was sandwiches for the train Friday, lunch at McDonalds Saturday and I bought the ingredients to cook tea on the Saturday, and prepacked sandwiches for the train journey home on Sunday. All the activities we did were free, excluding the cost of the Oyster card to get around. So I came in just under budget for the weekend.

I set a budget of £20 for Father's Day for my own dad and husband. I spent £12 on an iTunes voucher which was on offer for 20% off but still £2 more than I wanted to spend. I bought my husband a £2.50 pint glass. It was also his birthday but as I hadn't budgeted for this I made him a word art picture for free and put it in a £3 frame. So I was under budget again.

I think I was around £100 under budget so far so used some of it to pay for my daughters birthday party in a couple of months. I've also done my food shop online to come on Wednesday and again I'm a couple of quid under budget. I'm so surprised at how I can shave £s off my budget by being a bit more careful and I'm not massively noticing a difference to the way we live. We just have less !!!! to snack on I'm quite addicted to the challenge of finding cheaper ways to do things.

I was telling a colleague today about wanting to become debt free and some of the tools I'm using (especially this forum) and she told me that if she could be debt free she would leave her high pressure job to spend more time with her family. It really brought it home to me just how much people are controlled by their debt and has motivated me even more to become debt free.

Some of my credit statements have come through to show new reduced balances but I will wait until the end of the month to update my signatures etc as I might be able to pay some extra off if I continue to come under budget significantly.

eyeopener2

Keep updating us please.

asparagus1968

hiya, carry on on this thread, then people can subscribe and follow your progress if they like.
you are doing so well!
I had a weekend away too , had budget of £150, only spent £70 so that's going towards savings.
keep posting, it's great to hear how you are doing:)

BeingMe

Thank you both - I wasn't sure about the board etiquette but I'm glad I can keep posting here. I keep visualising a point at which I'm able to post that I'm debt free

Forgot to add that after sky failed to send me the code thing to switch, I contacted them again and they've offered to beat plus net's quote so I've saved even more and don't have the hassle of switching suppliers.

I do have a bit of a dilemma though. Someone has recommended a book to me that will help with some issues I'm having. The cheapest I can get the book is £8 but I feel guilty for wanting to buy it as I haven't budgeted for it. How do you know when to allow yourself to spend a bit of money when it is beneficial but strictly speaking unnecessary?

LannieDuck

Hi BeingMe Do keep updating - I've mostly been lurking, but very much wish you well.

Have you tried Amazon second hand sellers for your book?

BlushingRose

I'm going to subscribe too..

How about eBay for the book?