My SOA

msmicawber

Yep - I'm with you there. You strive for all sorts, then occasionally find yourself doing something quite modest and, dare I say it, completely happy and content - wonderful.

And we thought you were high maintenance when you first popped in ... :rotfl:

winkle1

hi lynz

i buy lunch if the other girls are going out for a birthday or something, otherwise I bring it in from home. actually really annoyed because they have taken away the microwave from work so its cold food or cup a soups for lunch, or eat from the canteen :O( any tips on cold, nice and healthy lunches would be gratefully received!

im def gonna sort out the cab situ - either get my mate to come to mine or leave earlier and get the train/bus. I have an oyster pre pay card which I can use.

boyf and I try and go out for dinner once a month. last month we went to TGI's with pigsback vouchers. so maybe I could check out mystery shopping - another thing to add to my list!

mates bday are usually out for drinks, suppose i just have to say yes less, and only go to the ones who are really good mates.

the eyebrows thing i will get sorted too. im in south east london so will start looking around at some cheap options.

thanks

winkle1

just spoke to my boyf on the phone and told him I was sorting out my money issues. he told me to use my savings to pay the debt, set myself a budget - but make sure i have money to enjoy myself and not put so much pressure on myself. told him that if he had more money towards a deposit then i did (he recently inherited some money), then would he mind if i didnt have the same. he said NO and told me not to be so silly. he said he would wait till we were both ready.

feeling much better already, so thanks everyone

winkle1

actually you guys are right, i could be debt free in a couple of months rather than having to think about this for another year!!

Snaggles

Hey winkle - one thing I do is get my SIL to come round and we 'do each other' in a manner of speaking ! Eyebrows, nails, hair styling/dyeing etc....we get a bottle of wine (for consumption AFTERWARDS....,otherwise hello patchy hair colour...lol), have a girly gossip, put the world to rights, and our hubbies find us several hours later, rather merry but lookin' good!

Jacks_xxx

See that's why I'm not an expert - I don't read posts properly! :rolleyes:

Right...So now your situation looks not too bad at all cherub! I was thinking it was Morgan Stanley PLUS Egg and HSBC!

Conventional logic says pay off the highest interest rates first honey - but sometimes I have gone against this slightly to clear as many as possible as fast as possible. (I find clearing the decks very motivational - and it makes you a better prospect for another 0% card for the debt that's left -or so I've been told.)

Are you withdrawing your savings or just using the amount you usually save as debt repayment instead?

(I recommend throwing everything you've got at it and starting your savings with a clean slate in a couple of months but I don't know how tied in you are to your savings and if you have that choice.)

By my reckoning... if you throw everything you've got at it you'll be debt free in under 3 months. Then you can crack on with the savings with no interest payments slowing you down. :j (OMIGOD! How cool is that?!)

Ooh, and on the eyebrows front if you have an indian community near you it might be worth having a look to see how much eyebrow threading costs locally. (I bet it's under a fiver!)

AND can you stay the night with your friend and have a girly pyjama party rather than lashing out for the cab home?

Keep us informed honey!

Love Jacks xxx

winkle1

Hi guys, sorry for the radio silence, but I have been away sorting things
I tried to reverse the balance transfers and just pay them off, but it was too late so I will get charged the 2.5% fee - grrrrrr. Never mind, my fault for not asking you guys (the experts!) before I did anything! So I'm planning on using my savings and paying off the £704 + BT fee as soon as it appears on my card.
I'm also going to pay the HSBC overdraft off as well - planning on doing this all tonight so I will let you know when this has been done!
Then I will look at the £1900 credit card and the £500 first direct overdraft and see how quickly I can pay them off. I get paid next Tuesday so that's another £600 i would have saved that I can put towards the debt.
I will keep you updated with how I am getting on!

winkle1

Thanks for the tips re the eyebrows, I have yet to look into this BUT I am due a get together with my old housemate (who used to pluck them for me!!) so I'll email her about getting together.
Re staying at my mates rather than getting a cab home, not really possible as she lives with her Oh and they have a baby so I think the best thing here is to get her to come round mine once in a while rather than me always going to hers - then she pay to get home LOL!

msmicawber

Nicely done, winkle, you're well on the way now and adjusting your thinking, which is most of the battle.

Best wishes.

angelfairy

Hi winkle1,

I used to see you on another board also but I haven't been back there since I got back from my holidays (oops).

Seems you have got everything in order, but could I make one suggestion re friends' birthdays? What about the traditional girly sleep over. Sometimes it seems we can't do those anymore due to our age, but its the best fun.

Food, wine, dvds, all in the comfort of yours/or your friends homes.