How much? A wake up call

Turningacorner_2

Hi, well done on coming to realise the scale of your debts and an even bigger well done for looking to deal with them. I know the joint account are separate, but as your wife now knows some of the information, it would make sense to review your joint expenditure too. The advice on here is awesome and it could help to pay your joint overdraft off quicker, which then might give yout more money to throw at your own debts.

Good luck on your journey and look forward to seeing your progress.

triple_choc_chip

I've been a member of this forum for long enough to recognise an achiever! Some continue to make endless excuses for their situation while others accept advice, forensically appraise everything and then knuckle down and become debt free and I believe you are one of these.

You have been honest about the debt and realistic about changing the habits that increase debt. Once you turn this around you will be amazed how it snowballs. In the meantime, get those coins paid to the debt with the highest interest rate.

Good luck with your journey.:)

chester81

HI!

Our situations are very similar! I was also really stressed when I sat down with the calculator but a month down the line and I am feeling positive that every month the balance is coming down. I wish you well

ALIBOBSY

Regarding cinema it can be done quite cheaply, lots of offers around and even places you can pick up free tickets for advance showings. Also most cinemas do a cheapy kids showing. Our local vue does a kids am offer where a kids/family film is shown on sat and sun mornings at around 10am and is only around £2 per person-kids and adults. You are allowed to take food in to most cinemas, not hot food or smelly food or alcohol.

Or alot now do offers, so as a treat we let the kids have the cheapy "box/tray" offer that vue do which is some popcorn some kind of chocolate bar and a drink for under £3. Anyway last time I took the girls it was about £18 for the 4 of us, film and the little treats for them. Not bad compared to full price.

Or do a film night at home, popcorn is dirt cheap to make yourself and dead easy can pop in any pan with a lid, and can buy bags of dry popping corn for pennies. Download a film or in our case check out netflix (we see netflix as MSE as we have slashed our tv package and got rid of the extra boxes upstairs because of it and use it for films and tv).

Kids want your attention and time more than anything else. Our kids love a ride to the coast and walk along the beach even in winter, and chips out of the paper are pretty cheap. Countryside walks etc are also great, healthy and cheap fun as well as being a great chance to spend time as a family and really talk to each other-no phones allowed lol.

Ali x

Rosylee

You're making a good start, well done. keep at it