Flo's Debt Free Diary

Florence_J

2017 Budgets

Hello all, as you know by now I am planning on not buying anything that is non essential, or goes against my principles.

Instead I will be focusing on only a few categories for spending

Here are my categories of spending, and also the budgets.

Gifts £25 a month/£300 a year (I am hoping to heavily subsidise this with survey vouchers)
Health £5 a month/£60 a year
Postage and Packaging £5 a month/£60 a year
Travel (Visiting friends and family) £15 a month/ £180 a year
Travel (Day to Day) £10 a month/£120 a year
Work Expenses £7.50 a month/£90 a year
Social £27.50 a month/ £330 a year
Clothing Maintenance £5 a month/£60 a year.

I am very much hoping I will get a job local to where I live so that I don't have as high travel costs so that I can have more money to throw at my debts, save and of course spend.

So these budgets are my emergency 'If nothing changes' budgets. Hoping they will change in which case I will readjust.

Florence_J

I am going to have to update the budget over a panic about buying printer paper, so here is a quick update:

Social £25 a month/£300 a year
Home £2.50 a month/£30 a year

So I have just taken £2.50 from the Social budget and created a Home category. As long as I use the Home category for essential purchases and not things like mugs which are definitely banned then all should be fine.

Florence_J

Just totalled up my NSDs and I had 5 in December, bringing my 2016 total to 71.

Do you know how many I want to achieve this year?

At least 142.

Florence_J

Achieved my first NSD of the year today. Just 141 more to go.

Just plodding along. Booked a dentist appointment as my left side bottom teeth have been playing up. I think it is more the gums. They are completely fine now but there was a moment a few days ago when eating something as soft as a grape on that side was very painful!

Eagerly awaiting my credit card statements so that I can calculate my total debt, pay my first Tesco credit card bill and close the Vanquis credit card for good.

First day back at work and although I survived and had a good time I did almost immediately book off next Monday as annual leave.

I am already desperately awaiting payday.

snozberry

Florence_J wrote: »

I am already desperately awaiting payday.

Same here. Three weeks tomorrow

Franalamadingdong

Hi Flo! Guess who just read your entire diary!? I'm used to seeing you on the grocery challenge and didn't know about these diaries until I stumbled on them a few days ago. I just want to say a massive well done. Also, I know you weren't happy at 2016 resulting in being £1k in debt, but early on in your diary you were over spending each month by £350 if I remember correctly. So if you see the progress, and recognise the under employment factor, I'd be really proud of myself. I also get a lot of the family situation and mental health issues you mention. You're not alone.

Florence_J

Franalamadingdong wrote: »

Hi Flo! Guess who just read your entire diary!? I'm used to seeing you on the grocery challenge and didn't know about these diaries until I stumbled on them a few days ago. I just want to say a massive well done. Also, I know you weren't happy at 2016 resulting in being £1k in debt, but early on in your diary you were over spending each month by £350 if I remember correctly. So if you see the progress, and recognise the under employment factor, I'd be really proud of myself. I also get a lot of the family situation and mental health issues you mention. You're not alone.

Awww, thank you

Yeah, I had completely forgotten that my 2015 debt rate was £350 a month on average. Shocking!

I'm just disappointed with the increase in debt as there were things I should not have bought on a credit card during the summer of the great unemployment. I could have been a bit more disciplined. But yes it could have been worse.

reality_check

I am amazed at how you can account for every penny and know what you spent, I am utterly hopeless at this kind of thing. I can barely remember when my annual car tax or home insurance runs out each year let alone keep track of all that. Wish I could!

Great start to 2017, you'll be glad to see the back of Vanquis, I had one of them years ago so know how bad they are!!

Good luck for 2017, I'm sure you will smash all your goals xx

Florence_J

Thank you Reality_Check, it is only because I am really sad and love spreadsheets and data.

Florence_J

Hi everybody,

It's taken most of the day but I am finally caught up with MSE forums. Phew!

On January 1st I 'relaunched' an old blog of mine-removing all the rubbish posts and clearing it of clutter-and have been posting everyday on there since with my tales of getting out of debt and having a spend free year. It is essentially this, but with less readers!

Today I have cleared my C@pital card, I paid the final payment on my v@nquis card (£1 when I had budgeted for it being £85!) and I have applied to transfer the balance from my n@twest card to my 0% balance transfer Ll0yds card. Soon I may just have 3 or even 2 credit cards. I expect my credit rating will temporarily go down as my credit 'utilisation' rate will be high, but that will be the end of my applying for credit so I don't mind too much.

I feel like 2017 is being pretty kind to me already. I say bring it on.