My debt busting diary 2015

debtfreeoneday

Hello, first time I've read your diary and will subscribe!

I too am trying to get back on the diet train, my motivation just disappeared in December..

Swagged - do you mean swagbucks? I did try that and didn't seem to get anywhere - any tips as you seem to be doing so well on them!

ScattySkewbald

Hi debtfreeoneday :hello: thanks for reading. Yep I am referring to swagbucks. There's no secret with it unfortunately, I just try and hit target everyday (which sometimes is practically impossible!). I mainly stick to the surveys and just spend a big of time on it each day - usually while I'm watching the soaps! There is a thread on the upping your income board which can be useful - some people on there make loads out of it!

Well, Monday morning again! Popped food shopping yesterday and spent £30 and a few pennies. Have enough for pack up for the week and evening meals.

Two of my three listed ebay items sold last night making £90.10 - pleased with that and have already withdrawn and paid if off card 1.

Not a lot planned for today, other than walk the woofs, ponies and work so should hopefully be a low / no spend day.

Jobs for this week:
1. Ring student loans and arrange payment plan so I don't end up over paying.
2. Sort the big lads insurance (annual saving £80)
3. Post ebay parcels
4. List a few more items on eBay
5. Swag another £5 GC since I didn't manage it ths weekend
6. Make list of birthday / Christmas pressies needed this year in notebook for handbag.

DebtFree2012

Good Morning hun

Sounds like you survived the winds despite the fence loss - looking at other areas, it's been so much worse. Still very windy here today but hopefully due to die down today. About time too!

What soup did you make? Goodness, I've only just realised the times on your posts lol - what time do you get up??!! I stuggle to get up at 6. Esp today. Mind you I've been burning the candle at both ends.

When is your SLC due? Mine's October this year so I need to call and start paying myself too instead of through the wages option.

Good luck on making it through to pay day with few spends

ScattySkewbald

Morning chuck! I'm usually up by 4:15, to walk the woofs and get myself sorted and to the yard for 6. The flip side is I very rarely see 10pm lol! Soup wise, it's either carrot and corriander, mixed veg or mushroom - vaguely following the slimming world recipes but chucked in the slow cooker so I can forget about it all day- did I mention I lurve my slow cooker

Think my student loan will also be due to finish about October. At a a rough calculation I will have about £700 left on it at the end of the financial year - ideally would like to clear it ASAP - I've been paying it off for the last 12 years!!!

Yesterday was a relatively uneventful NSD. Need to get the parcels sent today as work was so busy I didn't get the chance. Managed to swag the £5 giftcard, so pressie fund is getting off the ground. Will try and phone SLC if I get 2 minutes to myself - need to work out how many instalments I want to pay the excess over first tho as want it gone ASAP but at the same time don't want it to impact too much on my other debt busting.

Have a good day x

DebtFree2012

Goodness me - I am in awe at you getting up at 4 but good on you - that's commitment. I used to go to the yard on a lunch time before I had the help I do now (looking after each others around working hours) and I used to get some really funny looks going into work after being at the yard - I happen to really like the smell LOL - you just reminded me saying you go down first thing. Impressed!

I love my SC too - today is comfort food of sausage casserole - I can't wait. Great soup ideas there - will google some.

I have the same amount left in April too for the Student Loan and have also been paying it off for 12 years lol.

Hope you get sorted - I hate calling them. x

ScattySkewbald

Lol I always have a bottle of perfume handy in my handbag - altho after 12 years I think they've just come to accept the lingering eau de hoss!

No progress on the debt busting, but did have a mini light bulb moment on the horse insurance. Realised that not only was he still insured as ridden but was also insured at his ridden value. Reading the small print they won't pay out if he is pts as a result of existing condition. Morbid I know and I've upset myself thinking about it, but chances are I will lose him to something existing and therefore it won't matter if I insure him for £2k or 2p I'll get diddly squat. They also stated any payment would be market value and not necessarily sum insured and given that the market for good, rideable horses is so bad at the mo, my wonderful lad isn't worth a great deal in monetary terms. So after all that waffle I've insured him for £500 cutting my premium from £322.84 to £203.17. The new company will also insure for illness upto 25 years of age where as if I'd stayed with who he's with it'll finish next year. Think I've done the right thing :cool:

Just had a quick browse on the boots website 70% sale and got a few bargains to put away in my pressie stash. £48 worth for £15

Right best get cracking x

DebtFree2012

Good decision on the horse - it's hard, I know, but we need to be sensible and realistic.

Have a great day x

cazmanian_minx

Insurance is always a tricky one, isn't it? I think you've done the right thing too.

Mine aren't actually insured at all, but that's more down to location. The nearest vet premises that has specialist equine equipment and the facilities for, say, emergency colic surgery, is over three hours away in a trailer and if one of mine was suffering badly enough to require emergency surgery, I'm afraid I wouldn't put him through the journey. As they're 15 and 20 now and my total vet bill spend on them over the past three or four years has been under £500, I'm winning at the moment (watch one of them go and do something expensive now I've written that!)

Cwtchie

I only have 3rd party other than those that compete. I pay my vet bills and last year had to pay for Ks surgery for one, it was still cheaper than if id paid insurance for the last 16 years or so. Usually you only get a year to continue a claim and then they exclude the whole related area e.g. hock injury = whole leg excluded.
Anyway (touch wood) I take my chances and dont pay to insure vet bills x

mfmaybe

I've claimed a heck of a lot in the last 4 years - I think about £16k over 2 years and 2 horses :eek: so I'm a big believer in insurance generally. However I lost the mare that the main claim was for; and decided to cancel insurance on the other one. I've already had a big colic claim on her, and a lameness one. The reality is she's a pet these days and I wouldn't put her through surgery/box rest etc. So I took the decision to cancel her insurance. I put the equivalent premium aside and am trying to build up a small emergency fund for her. Meanwhile the young rideable expensive one is fully insured. It sounds like in your circumstances you made the right decision, to keep a level of vets cover still going.

I think people panic about being uninsured but don't always think through various scenarios that might occur, and what decisions they'd take at the time.