* Breaking The Habit.... Hopefully.

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Comments

  • Hiya Stewby,

    Don't forget you can buy Alton towers tickets with your tesco club points, I did it in the summer saved a fortune :-) xxx

    Loads of days out are covered xx

    Keep up the hard work xx
    3rd LBM July 2014: Debt [STRIKE]£31,416.68[/STRIKE] Down To: [STRIKE] £23,403.43[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]15th July: £25,709.83[/STRIKE] 26th March: £31,229.68
    CC £0 :j WFTC £1660, SLC £6600, Car £18,654, Emergency Fund £1,000 :T
  • Hi Stewby, looks like things are still going well!

    Can't believe it's taken me this long to find the new diary though - can I claim stupidity due to summer weather and new jobs stealing my brain cell?
    It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it.
    Sir Terry Pratchett
    Find my diary here

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5135113
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    Hi Trixabelle and Scuby.

    Thanks for the tip about the tescimo clubcard vouchers. Unfortunately, we no longer shop in tescimos due to morries being so much cheaper. I do use it for fuel but not enough now that I only work two miles from home.
    :o

    Ah scuby!! Good to hear about the new job. I imagine it is going well as you sound cheerful about it.
    :)

    Yeah, my other diary was full of doom and gloom and I thought about my debt problems and decided to creat a new, more positive diary.
    It's going pretty well. I think.
    :D

    So... BoS have screwed me over and taken £50 in interest off me despite me only having £9 in my account. Their reasoning was that they would put the unused interest back to the credit card... but we had closed the account.
    :huh:

    Anyways... it meant that I couldn't pay my money to my new credit card to put it below £3000. I was really gutted about it as I have been trying extremely hard to save money.
    :(

    My dad has offered to give me the extra that I need so that I can still get below £3000. I am so excited!!
    Heading down to the bank tomorrow to sort it all out. Can't wait to go on my new internet credit card account to see it below £3000. It's going to be an amazing feeling.
    :o

    Sorry to bore everyone with my financial stories but I am just so excited.
    :j
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • Nope hating the new job but it's a job and they're paying me so I'm doing my best to enjoy what I can of it until I can find something else. On the other hand I had a staff member resign a few days ago - they were the one of the team who caused me the most issues so there is a possibility that it might start improving again when I get someone new in their place.

    Grrr to BOS but massive Yay to your awesome Dad and getting the debt down a number.
    It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it.
    Sir Terry Pratchett
    Find my diary here

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5135113
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    So.... my good news.

    My Credit Card Repayment

    * my dad didn't need to lend me my £100 after all. I am extremely close to the wire so to speak but it means I am now below £3000.

    * NEW TOTAL = £2980!!!!!!!

    * Percentage paid off is 20.62%

    :j

    I wanted to go to london to see the poppies but we needed to do it as a budget trip. So.... ready for this, it is quite brilliant (if i do say so myself)...

    * I have a membership with the wee red airline and they fly to london from us... so using our points, we paid a grand total of £130 for our flights which should have been £330. Great saving!!

    * We are staying with OH's sister so it is free accomodation although we might take them out for a meal as a thank you.

    :D

    Budgets:

    By October, I will have £150 in my savings account so going to use it to get euros for my holiday in December.

    The budget for London is £200... no credit card to fall back on. Should be heaps as that is just for me (OH will take his own money).

    We have AT... which I am planning on taking £100 with me for the weekend.
    Everything else has been budgetted for (hoping to get a BOGOF deal for the theme park tickets).

    OH has a weekend experience doing archaeology which allows him to have fun digging in mud... and it is free!!

    I am going away for a few days in October (yep, it's all happening in October) with my mum, auntie and cousin. I am in charge of driving but they do chip in for petrol. The accomodation is free and mum/auntie combo pay for the food.
    So... I just need spending money so I have £100 put aside for that. (do not intend spending all of it).


    So... it will be a very expensive month but I have kept £100 from this months budget account then add on the £400 from my actual budget account. This gives me a total of £500.
    I should be spending £400 in total. It's going to be a tight month but it is going to be amazingly good fun.
    :eek:

    Don't panic about my self-control... I plan on giving £300 of my budget account to my mum before I leave for london which guarentees me not to overspend.
    :o

    I am so sad that you are hating your new job. I did go and have a nosey at your diary so can understand some of your frustrations. I can imagine you are still hunting for the right job and I hope you find it soon.
    :)

    Hugs to everyone.
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • scubaangel
    scubaangel Posts: 6,600
    First Anniversary
    Forumite
    Looks like you've got the plans coming together there Stewby, I'm hoping to get down to London again before November to see the Poppies again, but suspect that I won't get chance - and thanks to work forcing me on courses I won't get to go down for Rememberance weekend this year. :(
    It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it.
    Sir Terry Pratchett
    Find my diary here

    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5135113
  • Well done with the money situation, Stewby! It's frustrating when THEY throw you a curveball, but you did well to quickly get a plan of action.

    Exciting plans afoot for next month!
    NST March lion #8; NSD ; MFW9/3/23 Whoop Whoop!!!
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    So.... October is looking awesome!!!!!!
    :j

    We have a weekend away to London (well, it's one day in London).

    * Flight is £130 for both of us from the wee red people (used their rewards scheme).
    * Accomodation is free!! (staying with OH's sister).

    * Found this great website where we can get 2-4-1 offers with any valid railcard (which we need to get into london).
    Train trip is £28 for us both.
    So.... Tower of London = £22 for us both.
    HMS Belfast = £15.50 for us both.
    Walk of Tower Bridge = free.
    Hamleys = free.
    Harrods = free.

    So.... excluding our food, our entire weekend will cost less than £200!!!!!

    :j


    We have a trip away with our niece to Alton Towers (need to find a deal thing that is on the go).

    * Campsite is paid for.
    * AT (hoping 2-4-1 deal).
    * Food will be a bbq!!

    Weekend will cost less than £150 (hopefully).

    :j


    Heading up to Lossiemouth with my auntie, mum and cousin.

    * Fuel is mainly paid for by other people so roughly £40 in total.
    * Accomodation is free.
    * Food is paid for by mum and auntie.
    * Will need spending money though...

    Total at present is £40 but hoping to have £140 in total.

    :D

    Erm... got to go to work now.
    But will post this better tomorrow.
    Hugs to everyone.
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    So... just checked out my tescimo account and I am now at £2980!!!!!!!!!!!!
    :j :j

    Unbelievably excited.
    :D


    So... have bought some pizzas from tescimos today. £1.00 each so bought two with an ulterior motive, they have a 2-4-1 deal for Alton Towers.
    Which means if one of my friends agrees to join us on buying them, we can pay a hell of a lot less for the four of us.
    :)

    Spent today doing wonderful stuff. We went round a castle which was amazing. Full of history.
    We then drove around trying to find OH's computer game.
    Finally, after watching him play the game, we had a roast chicken dinner (managed to keep half of it for fajitas).
    :D

    Whilst I was watching OH play, I was also noseying around london a bit more and I think we are going to go hang out in Kensington Palace Gardens which is a park beside Hyde Park. It has a heap of statues and an Italian Garden and things like that. Hopefully it won't rain.
    :p

    Aw, scuby. It is such a shame you won't get to see them. Can you not request a day off or something?? It is probably really difficult to do when you are the new person in the door.
    I have been staring at photos of the poppies and they look so amazing, I just have to go and see them in real life.
    :o

    Hey apple muncher. A work colleague has explained that I probably won't see that money again. But at least I have gotten rid of them and will save 4 times that much in interest costs.
    So it was worth it in the end.
    It was a good lesson to learn that credit cards and not there to help you, they are there to make money off you.
    :(

    Hope everyone is keeping well.
    Hugs.
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    S - Erm... I love xmas. However, due to having a xmas pot this year, I have been able to buy everyone I wanted to a present. It has all been budgetted for and we should have enough left over for a fantastic xmas meal plus some pressies for us (little ones).

    W - Goal this month is to explore the world I live in. We have a weekend down south (including a day in London), a weekend at Alton Towers, a few days up north and some spare time to go exploring. OH also has an archaeology weekend (which was free!!).

    I - I don't think this one will work for me. I am permanently anxious and stressed about everything from work to walking into a room of people or shopping. But I am used to it now.

    M - Find something every day that makes you smile. I can do that.
    :D


    B - Budget... see the next post.

    I - Money saving muscles. Exploring the internet for good deals on london. Got 2-4-1 on entry to attractions for no extra cost. Also getting 2-4-1 for Alton Tow3rz.

    K - Debt Free Date - Officially the 12/4/15 but I am hoping to complete it by the end of March.

    E - Going to have to be extremely strict with my spending as we are doing so much in October. Going to be a massive challenge to do it all without the credit card (but going to have to as it has gone on ice).
    ;)


    R - £5 to the food bank. Getting into a routine with this and am really enjoying thinking about the people I am helping.

    U - Toiletries - no problem. I am a complete hoarder so have no need to buy any this month. OH might be a different kettle of fish though.

    N - Spend-free days = 16. I am hoping this doesn't include budgetted spends like going to London or I might not manage this.
    :undecided
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
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