Changing for good...a new start!

Baldybear

Good morning

Bcard min payment gone out so another £125 of the debt, another small signature update, helps keep me motivated Didnt do ebay last night, will do later to take full advantage of listings. Lunch brought in and dinner from leftover roast on sunday and yesterday.

Counting down the days until I finish for Xmas only - 23 left including today, not long

bsms1147

Baldybear wrote: »

£114 council tax (single person discount) Is this over 10 months or 12, if the former change to the latter
£53 tv, broadband, landline This is high. Get out as soon as you're out of contract. Aim to spend no more than £10 (to £20) a month on phone, internet (and TV).
£15 bank a/c charges (use for phone insurance, car breakdown, travel insurance etc) Consider switching to Nationwide FlexPlus for £10 a month
£33 mobile phone This is high. Reduce this to SIM only (~£10/mo) as soon as you're out of contract

Excluding any savings in council tax you could save around £800 a year through these changes.

DebtFree2012

Hellllloooooo

I didn't know you'd "moved" - was just thinking about you the other day. How the heck are you?

Baldybear

bsms1147 wrote: »

Excluding any savings in council tax you could save around £800 a year through these changes.

Thanks for your comments BSMS. My notes. Council tax is over 10 months (was paying £162 so a saving already as single person. Will leave for now as my 2 months "free" tie in with when car is serviced/mot/tax and seen as I have no savings at the moment will help with these. Save getting into more debt.

Will look at other bank accounts.

Unfortunately tied in with other contracts phone/landline etc so cant change these at the moment. Personally I think the deal of £53 for phone/tv/broadband is ok - I do use this a lot (i dont have sports/movies just a medium package). I dont do much socially so believe I get my moneys worth.

But again thanks for your thoughts and all comments are appreciated and is food for thought

Baldybear

DebtFree2012 wrote: »

Hellllloooooo

I didn't know you'd "moved" - was just thinking about you the other day. How the heck are you?

Good morning

Sorry didnt realise to tell anyone I had moved I do follow your diary but mostly lurk

I am good thanks, house still a wreck but work in progress, way too much work still but counting down the days till Christmas Hossie is doing really well, must put up a pic soon, she is still growing but is so sweet and well behaved most of the time

Was meant to do some ebaying yesterday but went with my mum to A&E to take my nephew as he has been very poorly last few days and had a horrible temperature last night (his mum was in parent evenings as a teacher so couldnt get out of easily!) Luckily little man is good just nasty viral infection, seems a lot brighter this am Luckily no spends just a few pence on fuel.

NoOneAround

Hello BB,
Just had a catch up with your pages - sorry that you have been poorly with chicken pox since my last visit - glad you are feeling a bit better now.
Am impressed that you have persistently made payments to debts every time you get some money through - Keep going - you are winning slowly but surely :T
NOA
xx

bsms1147

Baldybear wrote: »

Personally I think the deal of £53 for phone/tv/broadband is ok - I do use this a lot (i dont have sports/movies just a medium package). I dont do much socially so believe I get my moneys worth.

Fair enough. When you're in the red by a few hundred a month though it is worth looking into. Most would consider £53 a month a lot.

Just as a comparison, TalkTalk (if available to you) has TV, broadband and calls from £25.20 a month, with 12 months half price on an 18 month contract and a £100 Love2Shop voucher (or up to £131.25 cashback via TCB).

So as an example, paying value line rental and using the speedy payment discount each month, it works out less than £10 a month for the first twelve months or less than £15 a month over the 18 months. That's all included, for TV, broadband and calls.

All the best.

Baldybear

bsms1147 wrote: »

Fair enough. When you're in the red by a few hundred a month though it is worth looking into. Most would consider £53 a month a lot.

Just as a comparison, TalkTalk (if available to you) has TV, broadband and calls from £25.20 a month, with 12 months half price on an 18 month contract and a £100 Love2Shop voucher (or up to £131.25 cashback via TCB).

So as an example, paying value line rental and using the speedy payment discount each month, it works out less than £10 a month for the first twelve months or less than £15 a month over the 18 months. That's all included, for TV, broadband and calls.

All the best.

Thanks for your comments again, wouldnt touch TalkTalk with a barge pole, after a family member having horrendous experience, would rather suck up the £53. At the moment in contract and service is good so will have to monitor when contract up.

Baldybear

NoOneAround wrote: »

Hello BB,
Just had a catch up with your pages - sorry that you have been poorly with chicken pox since my last visit - glad you are feeling a bit better now.
Am impressed that you have persistently made payments to debts every time you get some money through - Keep going - you are winning slowly but surely :T
NOA
xx

Hello NOA thanks for dropping by I do lurk on your diary too but always tend to be a few days behind

Your comment re paying money to debt as soon as it comes through, I have to do this or would just get swallowed up in miscellaneous spending. After I have worked so hard for some like surveys etc need to be able to see my money pay

Spendy day yesterday bought some emergency choc for work and filled up with fuel.

So payday is tomorrow but money already in the bank today. Done a new budget for the month. Have dropped by fuel down to £60 as not using more than this, usually a wee bit less so saves a few more pennies. Have sorted out my bills etc and I have £115 spare this month. This needs to pay for Christmas and possibly extra fuel driving down to work xmas do (reclaimable but not till jan :cool:). I also have my £50 misc spending and £75 in the horse food budget. I have a rough idea what to buy some people but need to check out best prices etc. In an ideal world would put the £75 hoss food budget to the CC as that paid for that last month but I dont want to use any credit this xmas. I will use as per normal any extras to go straight to the debt and any surplus at the end of the month to go straight to the debt.

I am due another payday before Xmas so my goal of paying of the Sains CC by Xmas is still achievable. I will do it somehow and be even better if I can start attacking the Bcard too before the new year.

DebtFree2012

Hey there BB

I know exactly what you mean re seeing you hard earned money pay the debt off straight away. It's far too easy for it to be soaked up into the bigger picture. I'm going to try and bear that in mind for when I am DF!