This really is the end

cheerio14

Thanks Lincs and Diamonds, nice to know someone is reading my ramblings!

I have a confession - I've been spending on my cc and now am a bit scared to look at it. A lot of what I spent is going back (I ordered a load of dresses for a party and have picked one so need to return the rest) so I'm hoping the damage isn't too bad. I also had to fix my wing mirror so that was £53 but I can pay that back using the joint account. I think it just highlights to me that once I start spending I don't stop and how easy it is to fall back into old habits.

So the plan is (not necessarily in order):
1 - take £50 cash out and put it in my purse for an emergency fund.
2 - take the credit card out of my purse
3 - check my credit card balances and update my spreadsheet
4 - sort out my cards for the joint food account and my spending account and tell DH to set up a SO to put money in the food account
5 - close my £10k limit credit card
6 - return everything I bought (bar the dress I wore)
7 - stop spending

In reality there isn't much I need to buy for christmas now - maybe £20 worth of bits that my mum asked me to get and then fuel to get home and then I shouldn't need anything until closer to the new year so if I put a spending freeze on it'll make me feel more in control. I'm going to check all of my balances now and then will update.

cheerio14

As of mid August:
CC1: 5543.46
CC2: 2686.33
CC3: 3136.28
Total: £11,366.07

End of Oct:
CC1: 4963
CC2: 953
CC3: 3045.67
Total: 8961.67

Mid December:
CC1: 5297.07
CC2: 830
CC3: 3005.87
OD: -60
Total: 9192.94
Difference: +161.07

That makes me feel awful, I'v worked so hard to get under £9k to have just had a mad 2 weeks and spent. But I should be getting back:
£69.30
£27
£21
£44.45
Total: 161.75

So if that is the case then I'll be 74p down on where I started the month so will be a neutral month which is better than an increase. I think the key is to take my credit card out and leave it at home.

The debt just seems endless and I think when I can see and make big progress I feel good about it but then I feel like I'm stalling and have a bit of a what's the point moment and start spending.

cheerio14

Not a huge amount to report. Don't think I spent anything this weekend which is good (and needed!) and the returns are starting to be sent back today so Christmas will delay them but should be getting some money back in the early part of the new year. I've also been paid my December wage early so that's been moved out of my main account and is sat waiting until the end of December to move around.

I want to start thinking about new years resolutions and money aims soon. I know I want to be sub £4k by September but that's as far as I've got so far and I think I need a bit more structure than just one big goal!

I've filled up the car with fuel and need to buy some nappies tonight but then that should be all that's needed in terms of spends for about a week. I'm very much looking forward to time off. it's a really short week for me (and hoping to make it shorter!) and then a week and a half of family time.

cheerio14

So I've taken my eye off the ball massively. For a few reasons there were a couple of expensive purchases which I bought knowing that in all likelihood they'd be refunded but my card was in a permanent state of flux so I never knew where I was. This then didn't help that I haven't allocated my pay yet, despite it being in my bank for 2 weeks. So my mission for today is to actually open my bank account and check my card balances and see where I am and then chase money that I'm owed. This is the year it's all sorted but to do that I need to be honest about what state I'm in. So here goes, will post back later to report findings.....

cheerio14

OK so it's bad but not as bad as I thought:
CC1 CC2 CC3 Totals
953 3055.87 4963.00 £8,971.87
830 3005.87 5412.14 £9,248.01

So there's an increase but not a huge one, and I should be able to repair the damage pretty quickly. At least I know what the starting point is.

cheerio14

So this month is turning out to be really hard financially. I've got 3 dresses I need to return which totals probably around £150 so that will help! But I've got the car in the garage on Friday and I'm dreading that bill plus I need to go food shopping as the cupboards are almost bare plus I need fuel.

Things have just not gone to plan financially this month, I think it completely comes down to 2 things 1) not checking my bank accounts regularly 2) using my main current account to buy things so not knowing how much I have oh and a third reason 3) keeping my credit card in my purse. I've gone back to having fear about going to pay for something and not having the money to do so but I just need to put £50 in my purse and then take the credit card out.

I need to get a hold of this situation and stop doing 2 steps forward 1 step back. It's just over a week until payday and then I will start being good and taking control.

1974nicola

Determined14 wrote: »

Hi all

I've been a chronic lurker on the DFD for years now and have been beavering away trying to get rid of my pile of debt but I don't seem to be able to make it over the final hurdle.

It all started a few years ago when I had my first LBM and realised I had about £7k CC debt alongside a £3k family loan. I worked really hard and managed to halve it. Then we moved house and the debt piled on again, managed to pay it down once more to about £4k for both debt. Then we had a baby and maternity leave caused me to double it. Then we bought a second hand car which needed a few bits doing on it and now I'm up to about £11k (exact figure to come).

I feel like it's an endless loop of getting so close and then letting things slip. I budget every month but then still spend regardless. I think my 2 areas that cause real damage (well maybe 3), are 1) Food shopping - I meal plan, and bulk cook but then slip into little top up shops so I overspend 2) overambitious debt repayments which then mean I don't have enough to last the month 3) doing the bulk of "family" spending i.e. christmas presents etc

I'm always inspired by the DFD board so I'm hoping that having my own diary will help me beat it once and for all!

My aim is to be DF by Sept 2016, I've said it now so it's got to be done. It's really ambitious and does also depend on if another baby pops into the equation but I feel I need to be ambitious as I'm fed up of living under a cloud of debt and every time we want to do something saying "can we afford that?" "where's the money coming from?"

So my mid May resolution is to tackle the debt for the last time.

That pretty much sums up how I'm feeling re debt. Just fed up of the whole thing! I'm going to sort it this year. Defo!

cheerio14

So a slightly more upbeat post today, I've had £145 of refunds in the past 2 days plus some extra money from the OH so I actually have a positive balance in my account which is crazy, especially 2 days before pay day! I'm trying not to go crazy and spend it, I know that I should pay anything extra to the debt on pay day but I'm also aware that I've got a wedding next week which could be spendy so I think the sensible thing would be to keep the money for that.

Bobarella

That's great!

cheerio14

So most of the usual activity has gone out of my bank and I'm still looking ok, I've got a few bits and bobs to come back to me so this month isn't looking too bad overall which is good. I haven't made as big a payments to my debts as I have been but I feel I need a bit of a savings buffer so I've paid just over the minimum payments and will try and chuck a few extra smaller payments over the month. Debt has crept up a little bit but I've had some unexpected bigger spends. I've also finally fully cleared one card that just had a smaller balance on it so I'm going to ring up on Friday and close it.