How was 2015 for you?

nonnatus

2015 was undoubtedly the worst and most stressful year of my life, and I've had 43 other years to choose from...

Thankfully things are finally sorting themselves out and I'm looking forward to 2016 being full of positivity and enjoyment.

Puzzcat

For me 2015 has had its ups and downs but debt wise only down...

I have repaid just under £10k to my dmp and my 'mother loan'. :T

Still a long way to go with the dmp but hopefully my 'mother loan' will end this time next year which will free up £200 per month, no doubt this will immediately get swallowed up assisting dd for uni.

2016 should see me hit the 33% paid off mark on my dmp but a few job challenges first so I shall embrace the NY and just get on with it..

Wishing all fellow MSE'ers a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year...

:xmastree:

Love Puzz. x

another_casualty

2015 has been my worst year ever, both financially and personal.
Trying to be as brief as possible ;
Personal stuff- 2014 wrongly diagnosed with partial 3 palsy for most of the year , until October when I found out I have myasthenia gravis .
This led to me being put on steroids and various tablets etc.
Being admitted to hospital twice , and having 3 months off work.

Having huge row with my boss( who is also personnel). This escalated into a final written warning for 2 years.i never had any problems with my work / personality wherever I was previous.
Mum died in October , not entirely surprised except for the time limit of within 6 -8 weeks due to fast spreading cancer.
Put on a huge amount of weight due to steroids and lack of excercise.
Once I packed in the gym in June , the weight increased dramatically.

Financial : despite being in a dmp( 2 years& 2 months to go ), I almost borrowed more ( remortgage) to stay in my flat in twickenham which I love .affordability questions mean I'm better off moving out of London to clear debt and buy somewhere mortgage free, with cash in the bank.
I'm scared of upheaval .
I had to go into overdraft and it will take a few months to clear that.
Funeral expenses etc meant I had to borrow off family also.
Not good

2016..will probably mean I move to Poole ( see my other thread )and change my life around if I'm brave enough.
I just purchased excercise bike which should mean I lose weight , starting on Boxing Day .
I am in fact rock bottom, but feel remarkably mellow about this year.
Others have had a worse year than me. Hope next year is better for all

Ben75

Been a pretty good year for.

Quit smoking at the end of 2014, gained a few pounds, have managed to lose them again now and haven't looked back.

Paid off £2k of debt.

Defaults set to drop off credit file by June 2017.

Secured a better paid job. Should be able to clear a lot more debt this year. Debt free date is now end 2021 but could be sooner if I can agree full and final settlements on some of my accounts.

Ellieseleven

2015 financially has been a good year for me but personally quite traumatic.


My mum was diagnosed with Cancer which has been very hard for all our family and really does put any money worries into perspective:(


Now into my sixth year of a DMP, I have dipped under 10k and paid the final payment on a 10k loan. 2016 should see my debts tumble and my defaults start to disappear from my credit file.


I have taken part in several challenges which have seen me keep to a budget for the whole year of £200 for clothes (in the past I would have spent that and more on one outfit:eek:), saved £2 a day which is now financing my Christmas spending and I'm making an effort to reach £1000 in my emergency fund;)


I go into 2016 armed with my spreadsheets, many milestones and targets ready to slay the reminder of my debt:D


I wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year


Take care all


Ellie xx
:xmastree:

LJB290

2015 saw us have our Light Bulb Moment which drastically changed the way we use our money and forced our heads out of the sand.
Things have slipped a little over the past 3 months due to Christmas etc but we haven't spent as much as we have in previous years.
We will absolutely get back on track in January and re-tighten our belts again.

So, in summary, it has been the worst year in terms of debt realisation but the best in terms of money management realisation! We are definitely feeling more in control of our situation now!

Ken68

2015 has been good...made about £800 on bank incentives and can see another £200+ to go for, maybe £400. Moved savings to earning at least 3%, still some more to place. Plus gaining from the weekly newsletter and info from the forum.
Has been a good year.

MERFE

well at the beginning of 2015 things looked bleak, my husband had to leave a poorly paid job and return to agency work as he couldn't have afforded to take holiday. Then he found something with decent pay that was permanent but it was a good 45 min drive away at least. The cost of our increased rent and bills plus commuting meant that we were just covering the bills. In Oct a house came up to rent in the village where his work is, we grabbed it and so our rents gone down, our council tax is £50 a month less, practically no commuting costs and so we head into 2016 looking at being able to breathe a little and hopefully be debt free in 22 months.

Edited to add - I am really proud of myself for when we moved we had no washing machine and I could have just got one on credit but I waited the 6 weeks it took for our deposit to come back and used the laundrette. I haven't touched any credit at all for Christmas, a time I have struggled not to at least order some bits from the catalogue but I think a real corners been turned as I realised the 3-4 months I spend paying that off are 3-4 months of lower repayments for the credit cards and I really want those credit cards gone. Can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Maximum_Saving

I have had a great time in 2015 to paying off around £12,000 of my mortgage. My mortgage is now around £25,300. I am so pleased that I managed to clear all of my credit card debt on the end of 2014. I have still got some credit cards though I haven't used them.

12_month_challenge

For me 2015 started on quite a bleak note. spiralling CC debt.

However after joining this wonderful site and receiving some invaluable advice and tips I had my LBM in the summer and have not looked back.

Not touched CCs for months now and vow to leave them well alone.

I am so much more positive now for the year ahead and will smash a huge hole in my overall target by this time next year. :T

Merry Christmas all :santa2: