Pulling up the proverbial Big Girl Panties and getting Debt free & Financially Secure

Businessgirl

Hiya!

Well - the last few weeks I've pulled up my big, singlegirl panties and faced the fact that:

a. I'm further into debt than I like the thought of
b. I live month to month and only scrape through
c. I have to reduce my working hours for my health - so really need to get this sorted
d. I'm a spend-a-holic
e. I have dreams that are going to need me to be financially secure in order to achieve them...so...

I'm pulling up those knickers (to near on over-the-chest height I tell ya!) and I'm a-dancin' on the grave of my debt whilst singing 'You're not dead yet, but I'm digging a hole and putting you in it piece by piece'.

So the thing is, I owe around £2000 and whilst that is not HUGE in the big scale of things, it is huge when you are having to come out on £900 a month and pay it off. Do-able...yes. Little steps, I have decided are the key.

So...what I have done is reduce some of my spending...
1. I've reduced my phone and mobile internet bill from £46 to £21 (realistically this will actually look like £25-ish)
2. Started batch cooking and freezing
3. Meal planning and reduced my food bill to about £10 a week.
4. Started a budget...a work in progress

To be done in the next 7 days:
1. Sit down and balance the books - how much do I owe, make a plan to pay it off
2. Start an emergency £500 baby saving fund with the Credit Union
3. Write to my non-emergency debtors...and figure out how to do that.
4. Organise to pay into my pension as the new company has a fantastic scheme where they will match my contribution up to 5%...and I have no pension savings at 32....I need to get started pronto.

One step at a time...I'm going to eat this elephant and get some savings under my belt. Of course it doesn't help that I've had to buy a brand new bed today (which I got for less than half price) due to the fact that my current one gives my back so much hell I'm starting to be in constant pain. But if I'm in chronic pain, I can't work...if I can't work, I can pay off my debt!