Flo's Debt Free Diary

Florence_J

Well, a no spend day. On a usual day I would buy a coffee and sandwich at the station, then buy a canteen jacket potato and a coffee for lunch, then because I was usually hungry after work another coffee and sandwich at that station.

Today I took a packed lunch, bringing extra fruit for if I was hungry after work, and bought no coffees!

However It's not totally a no spend day as I checked ebay and my bill is coming out soon for my purchase fees. I'm going to have to find the money from somewhere so tonight I'm going to round up old records, dvds and cds to sell on saturday.

I had a bit of a gutting moment when there was a collection at work for someone who is leaving, with a suggested donation of 2 quid. I didn't have the money on me. The truth is I won't have the money till the 21st of December when I next get paid. I want to support my colleague, and I can't.

So something has to give. I'm going to cancel my graze box orders. I keep pushing them back as it is and then get sprung when I've forgotten to postpone the order and suddenly I have lovely, but unnecessary, boxes of nuts, seeds and dried fruit that I could probably make myself. I got a box on saturday that I forgot to delay. That's 3 quid I could have given to my colleague.

So it's been a mixed day. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I'm finding it harder to get into the Christmas spirit this year and I absolutely love Christmas.

Still, I'm going to do some admin chores then go for a jog and really release the stress of the day.

Thanks for all the support so far everyone!

Florence_J

Just read a blog post comparing the best DVD/CD buying sites and decided to go with Ziffit, this was due to discovering the place I thought I could sell my DVDs to in town, doesn't actually buy DVDs. I have made 10.80, which is being transferred into Paypal automatically, so I am more than half way there with the Paypal bill. I will have to buy a box though, unless I can rustle one up from somewhere in the house, and I can take the box to my local spar which is the nearest collection point.

It is gutting to see that a DVD boxset my friend lovingly bought me is worth 79p, and that I am so desperate for money that I have to do it. I have to sell presents I am given. This is why Christmas and birthdays have been so bad the last few years because I usually have to ask for things I desperately need so that I won't have to sell them.

One birthday I asked my family, pleaded with them, to get me money. My dad hates giving people money as a gift though, and bought me a kindle. I cried when I opened the packet. I needed money, not a lovingly thought out gift, that due to my love of actual books, was unnecessary to me.

A Christmas before this, me and my brothers were all given 20 quid vouchers for a gig ticket site. I sold mine on ebay for 6 quid. My brothers used theirs to go on a night out together to a gig in London.

My debt, and my getting into debt, has caused this. I have no one to blame but myself. It doesn't matter about the past though, what matters is what I do next.

If this is the price I pay for being stupid and reckless with money, this is what I have to do. I don't blame anyone else for my debt, I did this to myself. What matters is what I do next, and how I get out of it.

I am worried about Christmas and what I will get as presents. I am worried I will not get the expected money I usually get. I am worried I will sell the presents my family have bought me, the presents they have put thought into.

I have asked my boyfriend for a new wallet for Christmas. One with only a few card sockets, so I have no space for excess credit cards. One that is grown up and adult (I've spent the last few years only buying Bettie Page wallets, It's time to grow up). One to reflect my new maturity with money.

Florence_J

Praying for a NSD tomorrow. It kinda has to be otherwise I'll be borrowing money off my boyfriend. Which I want to do as little as possible now! Did everything on my to do list, only 4 items but I can't usually manage that. One of the things to do was a jog. It was raining, it was 9pm, but I was with my boyfriend and we went past so many houses decorated for christmas, we purposefully went up one street that has a house that always puts on a good display. Feel a little more Christmassy. Still stressed that I'll be using money that has to last me till January's pay day to buy the rest of the Christmas presents! Sigh. I must manage. This is the start of a new me. I want to be good about this.

rainbowskies

Congratulations on taking the first step! I've just had a read through and I can't believe how similar we are in some aspects.

79p for a BOXSET? It's absolutely ridiculous. It's so awful when you need to sell things that mean so much only to find out they're worth so very little to someone else. I tend to ask for money too as I have no guilt in using it for what I need to. I can't bear the thought of receiving a lovingly, thought out gift as it makes selling it so much harder and it leaves such a bad after taste. You do it because you have to and at the same time you resent every moment of it. I had to do this a few years back and it was so incredibly difficult. I hope you get cash this year.

I also did the exact same thing with my wallet. I used to have an absurdly expensive, glitzy designer wallet. I suppose I could have kept it but pulling it out each time was like a joke as I was well into my overdraft and so horribly in debt. I ended up selling it on Ebay (£190 - whooo!) I then used £180 to pay my highest interest credit card and spent £9.99 on a plain, black leather wallet from Amazon. Like you, I purposely choose something with very few card slots. I have six - driver's license, RAC membership, debit card, boots card and tesco clubcard and ONE credit card. However, I recently cut that up. I don't want to use it while I'm paying it off!

Also well done for taking in packed lunches! I have been looking at lunch box ideas on the internet. Variety is key. The last thing I want to do is take a sad little cheese sandwich each day. I'd definitely get bored for sure!

Good luck! xx

Fizzy11

Hi Flo,

I just wanted to pop in to say well done for facing up to debt. That's the hardest thing.
Thankfully I have no debts now but the lessons I've learnt along the way have helped me have savings. When I first started to get out of debt there was no where to sell stuff. However I soon realised that actually a lot of people were in the same situation & we got a child's clothes swap shop going. I made little truffles for teachers as couldn't afford much else. The lightbulb moment is when we all realise that if we save small amounts it will grow. Music magpie is another cd/DVDs website for selling.

Not buying those coffees & snacks is a great start. Don't be afraid to be the first person to spot the person in the shop reducing stuff. Cash cash cash is the way to go & leave the cards at home. It really helps.
Good luck.

Florence_J

Thank you for the continuing support guys, It's been another NSD, though I feel a bit bad because although I bought in my lunch today, because I work at the same place as my partners dad, if we're having lunch at the same time he arranges to meet me and buys me lunch. So I felt bad about taking his money, but he enjoys the time together. It means I have a spare lunch for tomorrow.

Decided for a quiet night in rather than a Jog as I went for a jog in the rain last night and now I think I have a cold. I had a bit of good news today which meant I wanted to celebrate with a pizza (shop bought-not takeaway) and although my boyfriend was up for the idea he would have been lending me the money to buy it, so instead which are having a store cupboard dinner of slimming world macaroni cheese, which is a much better idea.

Actually when I was walking home, I felt free, I felt like I've faced up to my problems and I can solve this, it will take time, but it will be worth it.

Bobarella

Glad to hear you had a bit of good news today, & well done on not giving into a takeaway.

Florence_J

I don't want to get too excited just yet, as I want to play it safe, but since I've shared my bad news it might be nice to share some good news.

I have applied for a job recently and today received news that I've been called to an interview. It is a short term contract but is on such a high wage, that if I was successful, I'd be able to pay off my debts within the contract time (provided there are no unexpected expenses, and that i stick to my very, very strict budget I've laid out for 2016)

Let's wait and see

Florence_J

Not a NSD today. Even worse I used my boyfriends money. I got breakfast and a coffee at the station this morning. I'm not sure why I get the coffee, I guess I get it because I'm scared I'll fall asleep otherwise, but I usually do anyway and therefore don't have time to drink the coffee so throw away a half full drink! I won't be doing that again today.

Me and my boyfriend then shared chips, and he had a pie and I had a potato fritter from our local chippie as a treat for the job interview. We only spent 3.85 so not too bad.

I got a 10 pound voucher in the work secret santa today, i may give it to my boyfriend in exchange for 10 quid to help me pay next weeks ebay bill.

Bobarella

Oh well you will get days like that. It's ok to slip up so long as you try not to next time