Keren29- how did you pay you debt off in 1 year? Amazing!

Lalala_3

Hi Keren29

Just seen your post on the Debt Free Roll of Honour, congratulations on getting rid of all your debt in just one year. It must be such a lovely feeling!

How on earth did you do it? I have a similar amount and would be really grateful of any tips you could share, especially about how to keep focused as at the moment even if I do something big (like claiming back £300 expenses I'd left languishing for 6 months) it doesn't really seem to make a dent.
Lalala x

Lalala_3

Bump

Has anyone else paid off a similar sum in just one year?

Burlesque_Babe

Oh, hiya!!! That was a shock to see my name on a thread!

I worked bl00dy hard, I guess. And everything counted, even if it was changing a supplier to save £1 a month.

Everyday I did something to become debt free. I managed every single penny (literally) and changed every single aspect of my life and kept on changing.

I was blessed with a large sum of refunded bank charges (about 6k all in) and 4k of back pay, which put a huge dent in it.

I took on a second job and worked all hours. As well as that I ebayed, did mystery shopping, surveys, greasypalm (all the 50p for signing up for x,y,z), quidco, pigsback. Managed to get a fair payout for greasypalm each month for about 4 or 5 months really.

I phoned the CC companies and asked them all to reduce the interest rate - 3 did,which saved me loads in interest.

I downgraded my cable pack to the £5.50 a month, swapped to PAYG as soon as the contract was up and cancelled everything I could that wasn't relevant.

I got my shopping down from £300 a month to £120 a month (now so ashamed that I spent £300 a month!) and I meal planned each week - every single meal was accounted for , an exact list made and stuck to. I did a little chart of breakfast/lunch/dinner each week and tried to use up what I had in the house as much as I could. The O/s board is great for that, although I love cooking anyway.

I didn't go out - at all. Actually, I did, once, last August and I spent £15.

I used Tesco and Asda delivery codes wherever I could and discount codes for everything else.

I saved 1p, 2p, 5p in a jar and when I changed them up I had £35 which was a week's shopping.

I used money off vouchers wherever I could.

I planned for Christmas for months and used the freebies board and the voucher board wherever I could and saved a fortune.

I only had a cheap runaround car which I only ever had £10 of petrol in, which was a bit scary a couple of times urging it to get to the petrol station without konking out!!!

I guess, all in, I 'did' everything said on the DFW board. All the mantras, I added in to my life.

It was a daily military operation really. Every single day I did something and it was draining, but I got there!!!


I'm still quite shocked to see my ID up there in lights, but anyway, in a (big) nutshell, that's what I did.

angelavdavis

Good to see your post, congratulations Keren.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Wow, you are brilliant! Well done!

smileitconfusespeople_2

:j :beer: An inspiration to everyone.....well done:T

piptom&AndyPandy

Sorry am I being dense? How much did you owe Keren and what's pigsback and greasypalm>?

Thanks

racer256

Well Done Keren how does it feel? I am still in shock I've paid off mine!

Margaret54

Well done Keren Fantastic results

Lalala_3

:beer:

That's so inspiring! I don't feel quite so despondent now. If someone else can do it, I blimmin well can

Is it just you or do you have an oh/children? Curious to know as I do and despite my best intentions I can't always control my expenditure because of them!

Have you kept to some of these habits now you're debt free?