I need help!

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

I have been an on and off lurker here for years.

I have had debt before and paid it off but have built up the most I have ever had. I am hoping to buy a home with my OH next year but that is looking like a distant dream! My OH isn't aware how bad the situation is. I am exceptionally ashamed. I can remember the last time the look on their face when I had told them I had run up half as much as this and to be honest I can't face someone else's disappointment as well as my own!

My problem lies in the fact that I have got myself into a horrible vicious circle. Not just with money but with my eating habits too. I decided today that I need to tackle this head on before it gets too much.

I bought a book a few months ago called To Buy or Not to Buy by April Lane Benson. Two pages in and I cannot believe how it resonates with me. I am constantly buying things that I think will make me a better person, but they don't! There is always someone with a bigger bag collection or the lovely designer dress I want! It doesn't make me happy buying these things it makes me miserable and the only way I can get myself out of that misery is by spending or eating!

I am going to try and focus on being healthier and get my weight down hopefully this will help me increase my self worth without resorting to buying silly materialistic items.

This is where my debt stands. This is the order I am going to pay them off in! I appreciate this isn't the way everyone would do it but I feel like I will be able to get the first two off before Christmas then hopefully this may help my credit score a little and give me the momentum to continue! It is tight but if I am strict I can be debt free by 1st April 2016! I want to get into the rhythm of frugal living for when I have real financial responsibilities.

Overdraft £730.00
Very £1202.25
Barclaycard £4495.76
Halifax Card £904.36
TOTAL £7332.37

Wish me luck! x

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

So day one has gone pretty well so far. Not managed a NSD as I had a present to buy but only spent £10 on a lovely gift so I'm happy with that. I opened quidco for the first time in ages and realised there was £2 waiting to be paid so I sent that over. Filled out some surveys and checked YouGov hoping to get these to the totals before Christmas and I can then use the money for Xmas presents.

Off to the Cinema later. We have unlimited cards so it won't cost us anything we go every week and for the £17 a month we find it really good value. Onto the First chapter of my book. I'm loving it so far. Hoping for a NSD tomorrow x

ani*fan

Best of luck with it all. I'm sure you'll get all the help and support you need on here.

daisymac

Welcome! I too have just decided to get a grip and tidy up our debts so am focussing on the small spends that very quickly add up!

I need to get in the swing of NSDs...spent £1.50 today on poppadums..don't even think we needed them particularly!

Good luck! x

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

All the best daisymac! we can do this.

Not managed a NSD either today spent £2.70 on parking for a meeting at work grrrr!

Anyway had a real good look at my account today and done a strict but workable budget for next month and I will be able to pay my Overdraft off on Wednesday when I get paid. I'm really excited about this and it will save me the £30 pcm I am paying in fees!

Going to desperately try for a NSD tomorrow! Off to pamper myself now and do a fake tan it always cheers me up for some reason xx

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

So Ive had a pretty good weekend really cheered myself up with the pamper session. I've managed three NSDs in a row and ive created myself a little notebook/calendar so I can check them off. Cannot wait for pay day for the first time in months I actually have money left from my previous pay. We now have a target for the house. September 2016 x

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

So I paid off my overdraft today!!:beer:

I really do feel like a weight has been lifted.

I know the next month will be tight but I would have never even had the guts to stick to such a tight budget before! I have loads of bits and bobs to eBay and hoping to save a bit extra with any luck I may be able to get my Very paid off by 26th October.

A hard task but I will try!

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

So not posted on here in a while I've just been lurking around.

Things have slipped a little I've been spending on the little bits here and there that add up whereas a few weeks ago I was having a few NSDs. Anyway back on track now. I was saving up quite a bit of my monthly spending money to pay off Very at the end of the month. Actually really glad I didn't now as I discovered at the weekend the camber is completely out on my car and I have two tyres at the front that are bald on the inside! So my £150 that I had saved has been completely swallowed up now I'm pretty penniless until I get paid again on 25th!

I suppose it hasn't gone on the CC like it usually would so it isn't all bad!

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

Had a pretty good weekend. Listed a few bits and bobs on Ebay and had a really good clear out so have plenty more to list when I have a couple of days off next week. On the count down to Friday. I've decided that I'm not going to pay off Very first I am just going to pay the payments and put the rest to my Barclaycard as that is causing me the most annoyance so far. I've not been tempted with Very either. Have a wedding coming up on Saturday and just decided to wear something I already have which is a big step for me.

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

So I haven't been posting on here nearly as much as I should have. Payday has been and gone and I have worked out I have paid £1778.12 off my debt so far, which equates to about 24%. This really should be encouraging but I know I still have a way to go with my spending habits.

This weekend my OH learned about the extent of my debt. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be and although he was understandably upset and hurt that I had lied to him he understood that I had been trying to sort it myself. He keeps saying we will sort it out together but I really feel I need to do this alone otherwise how will I learn. Anyway attempting a NSD today. I didn't manage one yesterday but going to try for a week of them.

moneycantbuyyouhappiness

So I didn't manage a NSD yesterday. Very had a sale on Toys so I managed to get my god daughter and my god son their Christmas presents yesterday. I will pay off Very when I get paid on 26th November. I only have my OH present to buy now. I've already got him a few bits. We did say we weren't doing presents this year but I know he has bought me something so I feel obliged especially considering my current situation. We have a night away in the city this month. I needed two new tyres and continental were offering a free night when you bought two. So we booked this. Wishing we hadn't now but I will try and make it as MSE as possible. I've set a bit of money aside for that but it is worrying me.

Feeling a bit down today. So long to payday and I really expected to feel better about my debt once OH knew but I don't I still feel like a crappy failure.