I am such an idiot! When will I learn?

judi24

Thanks for your great comments - I am impatient and do have a habit of going to the cash machine - lifting £20 when I need £10 just in case and wondering where that £10 has gone!


I do know I need to have that conversation with my DD2 but I am just not looking forward to it! - as for presents my kids also have too much 'stuff' so have told them that that isn't happening this year - my DS was on the phone yesterday asking how much he could have for Christmas - I said we should discuss and if it was too much for me we could ask his dad to combine money and get what he wants between us.


Dktreesea - thank you - some days I think I am doing ok - and to be honest maybe that is why Violalass felt I had not had my light bulb moment - I do have debt but it ins some respects it is affordable - I would just like to be in a position to be able to spend money on what I want rather than servicing the debt and I don't want the debt to rise (which after this summer) is a very real possibility if i don't learn to manage my money in a different way!


I am a bit disspointed that I couldnt get a blanance transfer card - I guess it is related to the amount of borrowing I already have. I don't know whether i should close the MBNA card, transfer the balance on the Nationwide card to Barclaycard and close that. leaving me with just 2 cards. I guess I was keeping them open in the hope they would offer me a balance transfer rate!


My friends birthday was yesterday - i did go and I did spend too much! The problem is that this friend has had cancer and although doing very well like to celebrate her birthday as if it is her last every year! I can fully understand why and would hate to not help her celebrate to save myself a few pounds! so I am now on a mission to spend less than £50 on everything until payday which is still 2 weeks away! I am going to do a menu plan for the next 2 weeks and hopefully need very little (maybe some milk and fruit)!

asparagus1968

Hi, was just wondering if it might be the amount of "available credit" that caused your decline for a balance transfer card? If I have understood that correctly- for example-
on the card with the 8k limit, even though you only have 1k on it, the CC company will take the whole 8k into consideration, as technically you could spend the whole lot.
If you are not using the CCs anymore, could you ask the companies to reduce the limits, and close the account for the empty MBNA card, then try again for a balance transfer in a couple of months?
hope that makes sense...

judi24

Just had a nice surprise - I am doing a course and I need to talk to a service user about thier experinece at my place of work - I have a friend who has been a service user who had volunteered to give me her story - today we were going to meet and I had said I would take her out for coffee ( i cant help myself!!!) - she has just text me and invited me to hers for dinner instead!!! so win win - I get to see a friend, get some data for my assignement and get a lovely home made sunday dinner made by her hubby! - if i get my act together and do a shopping list I can do my shopping on route too!

judi24

Asparagus - that did come to mind - but i guess I was kind of hoping that one of them would come up with a balance transfer offer! If i close them I would have no possibility to move things around if I wanted to - so I guess I would have to just dig in and pay interest until my credit rating improved enough to get another 0% card

asparagus1968

You've lost me there.
Would it still not be better to move 1k to the Barclaycard from Tesco (on the 0% to august 15 offer) so less interest on that, and close the MBNA,and on the other card, say reduce the 8k limit to 2k? that will surely make your credit file look better? MBNA may make an offer if you actually say you want to close the account, at the moment they know you could be tempted to start using that open card so haven't lost your business,yet.

judi24

I will definately ring MBNA and close the card - if they offer a balance transfer great - if not i will carry on and close it - I just wondered if it would be better to move nationwide balance to barclaycard and close nationwide too leaving me with only 2 cards - both at same interest rate - but just pay them as fast as I can and hope that in a few months i will get another card on 0%. I guess it isn't much different than you were sugesting Asparagus - it just means I would be able to close 2 cards all together - would that make me more attractive for a new card after Christmas?

[Deleted User]

Hi Judi24


I just been reading through your thread with interest


**subscribed**


I think you are doing a fantastic job with your finances, it will only get better.


I have been consolidating and moving money around to make interest rates low as possible. We are finally down to two loans. In the past, we have done balance transfers, sometimes when we were declined transfer offers, it took nearly 6 months to get an offer. By constantly asking for credit from companies will result in a higher than normal credit checks which can be more harmful to your credit file. I would personally, transfer any small balances onto the few credit cards, that way you can make higher payments. Leave it six months of no credit checks, then it will be the credit card companies offering BT on the empty cards.

judi24

Thanks MrsBrownBear - I am trying!!! (some people might say very!!!) it just doesn't seem to get any easier! Anyway - I think I have a plan!


I am going to ring MBNA tomorrow and cancel card - if they offer a balance transfer at that point i will take it - but if not it will be closed. At payday I will transfer 1k from nationwide CC to the Barclaycard 5.9% offer and cancel that (need to pay the £50 but that is what I would pay anyway each month!) - that will leave me with 2 cards and the loan which will be easier to keep track of.


As others have said I will attack the CC's first as it might be tempting to use the OD's if I paythem off especially in the run up to Christmas - i accept i am weak in keeping my Christmas spending down!


I have learned the hard way with the social events! Yesterday was nice but the frustrated and sad feeling that the sour end left me with ( 2 'friends' ended up having a fall out that brought the night to an abrupt end!) made me really think about who my real friends are and what is important! and my lovely meal with real friends today cost me nothing and spending time with them made me feel very different from yesterday! I will repay the favour and invite them for dinner next month and will cost a fraction of what I spent yesterday!


Anyway - did a menu plan - posted a couple of ingredients (a leg of lamb and a 20 aberdeen angus beefburgers) on OS board looking for inspiration! got some great ideas and managed to a menu plan that will cost me about £15 for the week - which includes loo roll! so going to have a very low spend week on shopping!


The only challenge might be getting DS off for school trip next sat (3 days at an outward bound place) without spending anything - he has his kit list at his dads so I'm hoping he manages to gather some bits there and the rest here without having to buy anything - it will only get wrecked or lost anyway!

asparagus1968

hi, the plan sounds good
sorry to hear the outing didn't go well though, what a shame. Like you say, good to realise who your real friends are.

judi24

well I made the fatal mistake of going to Al*i afterwork when me and DD3 were hungry and forgot my list!!! Spend £31 instead of £15! I have £28 in my purse and need to make it to a week on Friday without lifting any more money.
If I can manage that and nothing unexpected comes up my Nationwide OD will be -£574 at payday as opposed to -£1049 at payday last month - with no additional spends on any other OD or CC - which is essentially a reduction of debt of almost £500 not including any reductions from normal payments - and it has been quite an expensive month with school trip, uniforms etc


Is it a bit sad to be looking forward to payday so I can reduce this a bit more?