A new debt free journey

lcc86

Still in Southampton. The training course is really heavy going but also incredibly good. I'm putting my food expenses on my credit card as work will reimburse. So far I've spent £15 and I shouldn't need to spend anything tomorrow so I'm more than happy.

Being here has given me a chance to chill out, relax in the evenings with no chores, take long bubble baths etc. It's been almost like a mini break lol :rotfl:

It's also given me a chance to look at February's budget and targets which is good. Spends throughout January have also been under control as well.

lcc86

Been having a bit of a "digital detox" over the last few days so have been avoiding all forums and social media. I find I can spend too much time reading stuff on here (and elsewhere) and not enough time actually DOING stuff I either want/need to do, so I want to cut down my internet usage.

Finances have been fine, everything is ticking over and I have a nice surplus of about £120 in my current account after all direct debits have been accounted for. I also have a surplus in my food account for what must be the first time ever! :rotfl:

Made an overpayment to my Very account this morning so my debt total stands at £135! :eek: SO close now. I think I get paid on the 30th so I'm just gonna clear the lot on payday and be debt free a month earlier than planned :j

Disco_Dolly

Wow, you are so close, I'm so excited for you :j
I could really do with a digital detox myself, fair play to you!

lcc86

Been a while since I've been on here, been trying to consciously spend less time on my phone and online etc. Been doing more reading and trying to get out more, even if it's just for a walk.

Payday on Monday, slightly less than I'd calculated as I forgot I get taxed on my expenses grrr. Bit cheeky really as you get less back when you've paid out for something but hey ho, least I get most of it back.

I'll clear the rest of my Very debt on Monday and then I'm officially able to join the debt free roll of honour! Been a long time coming :j that'll probably be the end of my diary too as I won't have any more debt free goals! I'm currently subscribed to the 365 day challenge so will post there every so often an keep up with other peoples diaries too where I can. But it'll be the end of an era really! I need to discuss January's targets so will do that in my next post.

lcc86

1. Have 15 NSD's - I'm currently on 14, I have spends I need to make today and tomorrow so I might fail by one here, but nevertheless it's not looking bad. Missing one NSD isn't the end of the world.

2. Overpay Very account - managed this and got a refund for a blouse I didn't like in the end so I'm on track.

3. Start decorating - I painted the kitchen so have achieved the target. February's target is the hallway! These are the easiest (and cheapest) rooms as they're just white and need a fresh coat. The other rooms I want to change,and the shades I like are made by a relatively expensive company so we'll wait to do those until later this year.

4. Meditate once a week - I more than achieved this, I started listening to a youtube meditation for sleep, so meditated a lot more than planned!

5. Apply for my Irish citizenship - again didn't manage this as I was waiting for the certificate! But it arrived a few days ago so should be able to apply soon!

6. Don't spend more than £67 of my 'spare fund' - I spent £56.45 so did well here. The rest of that money went towards my holiday and overpaying my Very account.

I'm not going to put my February targets up. Needless to say I have some but as I won't really be posting any more it's a bit pointless!

crazy_cat_lady

Ah, it'll be a shame for you not to be posting any more lcc. But great that it's because you're DF :j

lcc86

Well the day is finally here!! I woke up this morning, checked I'd been paid, and cleared the last of my debt! I thought I had £135 to pay but it was actually £125, so I must've forgotten I'd paid an extra £10 somewhere along the line. A pleasant little surprise and I am officially DEBT FREE!!!

To be honest, this morning I was a little underwhelmed as OH is currently away and I don't really talk to people at work about my finances, and my family have never known about the extent of my debt. It's only now that I'm here writing this that the reality - and the enormity - has really started to sink in... It's been almost 10 years (I first got into debt in May or June 2007 if I remember correctly) and I have to say there have been SO many times when I never thought this day would come and I just wanted to say f**k it, I'll never be debt free so might as well carry on.

I'm not sure if I'll post here again, I'll still lurk on people's diaries and maybe even start a MFW thread one day - although not this year lol. My emergency fund is still my weakness so I must focus on that at some point, that should keep me on track too. And most of all, if I do end up back in debt some time, I really can't beat myself up over it as long as it's for the right reasons i.e. not because credit cards are 'free money' as I thought 10 years ago...

Right, I'm off to see if I have any ice cubes in the freezer so that I can treat myself to a baileys for finally getting to this day.

All the best everybody, I wish you well on your journeys xx

crazy_cat_lady

Huge congratulations :j :j :j

Florence_J

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s ! ! !

boxofpaws

I saw your signature on another thread so had to find you to say congratulations! :j :T :j :T:j :T:j