The penny has finally dropped.

DD265

Congratulations on your uni place

I only have two debts now, but I always focused on the most expensive (or if equal, the smallest) and then paid minimums on the other.

Right now I have £400 on one card, which becomes chargeable in March, and £5000 on another card which is interest free until 2016, so it's a bit of a no brainer which I should pay off first.

I would say that seeing that balance go down quickly - i.e. paying larger chunks off a smaller debt - definitely motivates me because I can see the progress. The £5000 is going to be harder to concentrate on just because £150 isn't going to make the same huge dent that it does in the smaller debt.

Pidge_jen

Well done for realising and starting out! I am just recovering from viral meningitis - it really knocks you out, I'm staggered by how ill I felt. Small steps at a time, great to declutter but accept help from your friends and do it at a pace that suits you, given all your health problems. Hope you are well on the road to recovery.

chevalier

have a look at the snowball calculator, that will tell the correct way to pay off your debt. Then you can do a mixture of that, but maybe pay off a small debt for motivation. Ref the clutter,I frrl your pain. Where I am living is about 1room too small. If I try and have a big clear up it seems too large a job and I don't start, so I have just Ben doing a little. So finding a couple of things in the linen cupboard and putting ythem up or sale straight away. That way it doesn't get too overwhelming. And things get slowly better.
chev

svb53

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

The sensible approach is to go with paying off the highest interest rate one first. If however there is a smallish debt, I'd probably aim for that first to motivate myself.

Thank you. I know that's logical, I just think if I can have a couple of months clearing smaller debts ( 1 has got only £80 left on it for example ), then then I can start really hitting the higher interest ones. I think you nailed it about motivation and seeing some progress.
Thanks again.

svb53

DD265 wrote: »

Congratulations on your uni place

I only have two debts now, but I always focused on the most expensive (or if equal, the smallest) and then paid minimums on the other.

Right now I have £400 on one card, which becomes chargeable in March, and £5000 on another card which is interest free until 2016, so it's a bit of a no brainer which I should pay off first.

I would say that seeing that balance go down quickly - i.e. paying larger chunks off a smaller debt - definitely motivates me because I can see the progress. The £5000 is going to be harder to concentrate on just because £150 isn't going to make the same huge dent that it does in the smaller debt.

Thank you! I'm so excited, but also very aware that I will also need to pay for text books, governing body student membership etc, so it's not all just one cost. That said though, I'm finding a way to do this if it kills me.


RE which order to pay cards off in, you're right. For me it is about motivation. And as I know that I've been here before, full of good intentions, then real life gets in the way, I know that this time I need to do something different and at least see that I'm getting somewhere.


Thanks again for the congratulations.

svb53

Pidge_jen wrote: »

Well done for realising and starting out! I am just recovering from viral meningitis - it really knocks you out, I'm staggered by how ill I felt. Small steps at a time, great to declutter but accept help from your friends and do it at a pace that suits you, given all your health problems. Hope you are well on the road to recovery.

Thank you. How're you feeling now? I've been really surprised by how much it's floored me. Probably more than the initial surgery actually has thinking about it. I've definitely had to learn to let friends in, instead of just saying i'm fine then struggling to do it.
If you don't mind me asking, how long has it taken you to get to this point of recovery? Have you been warned about your immune system being low too?

svb53

chevalier wrote: »

have a look at the snowball calculator, that will tell the correct way to pay off your debt. Then you can do a mixture of that, but maybe pay off a small debt for motivation. Ref the clutter,I frrl your pain. Where I am living is about 1room too small. If I try and have a big clear up it seems too large a job and I don't start, so I have just Ben doing a little. So finding a couple of things in the linen cupboard and putting ythem up or sale straight away. That way it doesn't get too overwhelming. And things get slowly better.
chev

Hi Chev,


Thank you, I hope things do get better. I don't think this is the usual new year, new me stuff. This feels different, like it's time to make proper changes.
I'll head over and look at the snowball calculator in a minute, I haven't looked at it yet. I know that one of my debts only has £80 left outstanding, as I paid the majority of it in December. It's not the highest interest, but it's one that I can clear straightaway and be done with.
RE decluttering, I don't quite know where to start. I have a large old house that needs fully renovating, but it can't be done without space. My ex hasn't cleared all of his stuff out yet either which isn't helping. I'm trying to deal with just one box full at a time, rather than getting loads out, then getting tired quickly and needing to sleep before putting things away again.
Onwards and upwards. One day at a time, but hopefully going in the right direction too.

svb53

Evening / Morning all,


Thanks for the comments. The encouragement really does help. I've not done loads as I'm still sleeping the majority of the time, but I've done bits. I listed an armful of stuff on ebay which is all selling really well, and I've had two buy it nows on some of the expensive make up. I'll get those wrapped tomorrow.
I've had another NSD, and have made dinner from bits in the store cupboards to use some of those up too.
I said to someone in passing that I'm doing this, and they replied about how everyone says they want to change the world this time of year, and it's full of "new year, new me" promises that then get broken. And I just thought that actually that's not what I'm doing. I've known I need to do this for at least the last six months, and have watched my health deteriorate, knowing that I'd need major surgery. With all of the change in my life in the last 12 months, from leaving my corporate job that was killing me for self employment, the stresses that working for yourself brings, then my husband leaving. In an odd way it feels like it's a period of clearing to make way for the new.
I did my PAD, only £1 today, but at least I still did it. Tomorrow /later today can list more on ebay. I know I've got some uni textbooks to buy in January so am trying to build a little fund for that.
Off to bed shortly, trying to get back into a normal routine so that I can start managing more in the days.


SVB

gallygirl

Well done on what you've achieved do far :j. I'll point someone from the mortgage free board in your direction as she can natter to you about your course. Are there any grants you can apply for to get help with books etc?

As you like writing lists you'd probably like doing a statement of affairs. Can someone on here supply a link please, I don't know where it is . If you list the interest rates as well as outstanding balances we can give better advice. I'm all for keeping it simple and keeping your motivation going at first so I'd probably advise killing off any I could that have low balances.

Have you listened to any of your phone messages yet (or have you solved that by selling the phone ). Personally I'd just delete them all without listening to them - if it's important they'll ring again and if it was time sensitive then it's already too late .

Make a to do list (including doing an SOA, getting your SNOWBALL debt date (which you can then work at reducing) and deleting the phone messages) then you can cross them off and get a sense of achievement :T. You are doing remarkably well with what you've been through so take pride in yourself :j. In fact, write that on the list as well :rotfl:.

in_need_of_direction

I agree with gg. I would add though that you should give your ex a date to clear out his stuff or advise him you will be putting it into storage. Otherwise, like me, ten years later you'll still be finding it in the loft!