***The Best is Yet to Come***

Popstess

Hello! :wave:
Old diary/thread is here if you want a read:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5343219

I have decided it was time to start a brand spanking new debt free diary my last diary kinda happened accidentally when I started a thread saying how alone I felt, after hundreds of lovely caring supportive replies I received it has made me realise I am not alone in this so thank you :grouphug:
The title of the thread was very negative and alot of my posts have been too.
It's time for me to start a fresh I can't promise there won't be anything negative on this diary because I know there most definitely will be lol but I want it to be my diary and my journey to busting this debt once and for all!!!!!
Let's do this!!!!! :j:j:j

Popstess

So..... I have joined the Make £10 a day in March challenge (but I've only nominated myself for £5 to start with)
And the grocery challenge which I have said I want to try and spend no more than £100 on shopping for the month of March. I usually spend way over £200 so this is going to be a REAL challenge for me.
I also have no idea how I'll make £5 a day lol but here's to trying :beer:
I've been way too negative for far too long so my plan is to try and make this debt free journey a fun one by setting myself these challenges along the way
Any money saved from usually spending on food can go to my debt and if I managed to make £5 a day for the whole of March that's a whopping £155 to throw at my debt that I wouldn't of had originally.
Another of my goals is to build up my emergency fund so far I only have a measly £82.18 I currently put 20p a day into it via a monthly standing order and also round down my main account by putting any extra pennies into my EF but that's not really boosting it very fast. So not sure how I cab build that one up at the moment anyway.

kerri_gt

Morning Popstess I've subscribed to your shiny new diary. Well done for subscribing to the March challenges (how is it nearly March already, seems only yesterday it was new year) I used to do the No Spend Day challenge because I worked in the town centre - it really helped me adjust my mindset to spending every lunchtime, I didn't actually 'need' XYZ, it was just habit / something to do. It was always great hitting targets and encouraging each other along the way but the best part was challenging your own thought processes and habits and better still, doing it with a group of friends along the way.

Talking of food shopping, you've just reminded me I forgot to get anything out of the freezer for dinner tonight before going to bed last night, doh!

12_month_challenge

Popstess wrote: »

Let's do this!!!!! :j:j:j

:j Hey we have a new Popstess :j

OK What have you done with the old one. The one that said "I dont know how I am going to do this"
(she's been abducted by aliens and replaced by a new positive one) :eek:

Only joking love Its great to see you so positive and motivated now and ready to take this on.

Great idea about the new positive diary too.
Remember small steps. Forget the overall total and tackle one at a time.

Get debt busting Popstess were right behind ya!

Love the title too.

xx

LannieDuck

I like the idea of leaving behind the thread with a negative title and starting a fresh one You're doing great!

catriona79

Have just caught up on your old diary and can see a real change in you!

Good luck with your new positive diary!

KxMx

Mine was not debt as such but money I borrowed from savings for bigger items and then was rubbish at not paying back.

To make it less daunting I split it per item and tomorrow I finish paying back item No.2. Then only No.3. left, which is as much in £ as 1+2, but I felt a real sense of achievement as I paid the others off even if the figure for no.3 is a little bit daunting!

Popstess

kerri_gt wrote: »

Morning Popstess I've subscribed to your shiny new diary. Well done for subscribing to the March challenges (how is it nearly March already, seems only yesterday it was new year) I used to do the No Spend Day challenge because I worked in the town centre - it really helped me adjust my mindset to spending every lunchtime, I didn't actually 'need' XYZ, it was just habit / something to do. It was always great hitting targets and encouraging each other along the way but the best part was challenging your own thought processes and habits and better still, doing it with a group of friends along the way.

Talking of food shopping, you've just reminded me I forgot to get anything out of the freezer for dinner tonight before going to bed last night, doh!

Hi Kerri
Thanks for subbing. Love the idea of NSD's too!
Ah no, I have to set my self reminders on my phone to take food out of the freezer or I'd never remember lol.

Popstess

12_month_challenge wrote: »

:j Hey we have a new Popstess :j

OK What have you done with the old one. The one that said "I dont know how I am going to do this"
(she's been abducted by aliens and replaced by a new positive one) :eek:

Only joking love Its great to see you so positive and motivated now and ready to take this on.

Great idea about the new positive diary too.
Remember small steps. Forget the overall total and tackle one at a time.

Get debt busting Popstess were right behind ya!

Love the title too.

xx

Thanks 12month!!!
I got rid of her with the help of all you lovely lot! I figured I couldn't get any more negative and it really wasn't helping me so maybe I should try being positive lol. I will still have a moan on here (sorry guys) but from now on I'm going to try the "fake it till you make it" and from now on will only be negative on here (sorry again) and talking to my counsellor, anyone else like friends, family and work colleagues I'm going to try and be positive, I feel as though lately there has been A LOT of negative in my life and at times it's almost been like trying out do the misery with each other lol and it's depressing!!!!
So that's my plan but not sure how well I'll stick to when day to day life gets in the way lol.

I'm going to try my best not to focus on the whole amount of my debt because it's too big and daunting. So the plan is to keep paying my minimum payments to all my cards and loan and keep chipping away at Very BNPL's so I don't get hit with the interest. Once Verys paid off ill move onto concentrating on overpaying a card. :T:T

Popstess

LannieDuck wrote: »

I like the idea of leaving behind the thread with a negative title and starting a fresh one You're doing great!

Thanks Lannie,
The old thread helped me lots but the depressing title I had chose was getting me down.

Popstess

catriona79 wrote: »

Have just caught up on your old diary and can see a real change in you

!!!- it sooargains. Whoop whoop!!

Good luck with your new positive diary!

Thanks Catriona, I agree with the all or nothing approach and the little treats. I have opened a second current account with a different bank that I put £50 "fun money" into each month. It's not much but I have budgeted for it and I can spend it on whatever I want whether it be the cinema, a meal out or some junk food or even some treat clothing or make up whatever doesnt fit into my usual budget and not to feel guilty about it anything that dies t get spent in the month (yea right lol) can get carried over to next month which also means if I know I've got an event coming up next month I can say to myself I won't have X this month so I can have Y next month if that makes sense. There is one tiny problem what about fun money for my son currently it'll come out of the same pot but he's probably having more fun than me and the budgets getting used up lol. He does get £5 a week pocket money from his Granda so at least he can use that for spends or to save if he wants something and he is very good. Maybe I should have a sepetate £10 a month fun budget for him too???

I'm definitely going to try and put the entire total of my debt out of my mind as focusing on it was dragging me down and depressing me.

So like you say my current challenges are much smaller spending less on my shopping and trying to make £5 a day on surveys and who knows what else lol sell a kidney perhaps???