Drifting in a Sea of Debt

Verbatim

Well done! I love your writing style, cheerfulness and positivity.

BettyBones

Awww... thanks Verbatim. That's really sweet of you to say To be honest, my cheerfulness and positivity stem from the fact that I don't really have anything to complain about in the grand scheme of things. I read some of the stories on these forums as to how people have ended up in debt and they're just horrific. I really feel for some of the people on here whose debt has just spiralled out of control, for whatever reason, and it's really brought home to me the fact that although my debt was super high at one point (over £20k and probably more had I been accounting for the interest back when I was paying it) I really have been extremely fortunate that it's always been totally manageable.

And as I come to the end of my debt free journey I really do hope that every other DFW on here gets to the end of theirs too

lcc86

Good luck BB, it's so excruciating when you're so close to being debt free, but when the day comes it's like a weight off your shoulders! Can't wait to see your debt free post!

BettyBones

OMG! You're 100% correct lcc... these last few weeks are killing me!!! :rotfl:
2 more pay days and I'm there. And it's payday tomorrow so I've actually taken the day off work so that I can sit and make this month's debt repayments in peace and ponder my debt free future. Well that and it's bank holiday on Monday so I thought I'd have a long(er) weekend off
How are you finding your new debt free life? What did you do with your first debt free paycheck? Spend it or save it? I can't make up my mind whether I want to blow my first debt free one whilst on holiday or save it for when I get back... will be nice to actually have options for a change though :j

BettyBones

Am back on track now and have even managed to pay my car insurance without sticking it on the credit card. :j Got paid my £66.60 mileage expenses but I'm due to be away with work from Friday to Tuesday next week (please don't let this trip be cancelled) and have estimated that my next mileage claim will net me a minimum of £163.35. So I've paid the balance of the car insurance (£81.40) out of this month's pay and will be in a position to pay it back to myself a week on Friday (fingers crossed). So:

Debt totals last month:
Tax Credits: £0.00
Capital One CC: £0.00
Santander CC: £0.00
Halifax CC1: £0.00
Halifax CC2: £1,030.00
Tesco CC: £340.00
Total Debt: £1,370.00

Debt totals this month:
Tax Credits: £0.00
Capital One CC: £0.00
Santander CC: £0.00
Halifax CC1: £0.00
Halifax CC2: £515.00
Tesco CC: £110.00
Total Debt: £625.00

:j Under £1,000 for the first time in many, many, many years! :j

I discovered this month that where I thought the 0% on my Halif@x CC ends on 12th June... it doesn't! It ends on 12th July. Der! So I could actually split the final amount owing and pay £260 at the end of May and £255 at the end of June thus giving myself some money to go get my hair cut before my holiday (haven't had my hair cut since Oct 2015 :eek:). So tempting...but no! I shall stick to the plan to be debt free before I set sail and settle the whole balance on 26th May. I'll just have to go on my cruise looking like a scarecrow :rotfl:

Verbatim

Oh no! You'd feel so much more self confident and would enjoy yourself more with a good haircut. You could set up the last payment to leave before you go but have it leave your account after payday at the end of June. You've been looking forward to this so much it seems a shame not to make the most of your holiday!
Vx

BettyBones

Hi V :wave: I did ponder doing that (or I could raid my Xmas fund which has £114.76?) but no... I feel that if I do that then I won't really have learnt anything and will still be spending money that I don't currently have/haven't budgeted for. So I need to be firm with myself. I have plenty of time to get some car boot sales in to get the money together for a mop chop and maybe even a new (cheap) frock for me holibobs. Just need to give myself a good talking to and get off my bum and actually go do some! But if it doesn't happen then I'm not overly fussed. I can always just wear me hair up

The thing I'm actually looking forward to most about my holiday is getting to spend time with my DS. Now that he's 16 I don't really get a look in any more. He's always busy with his friends or girlfriend these days and I've been relegated to the role of taxi driver So it will be lovely to get to hang out with him for 2 whole weeks and it just be the two of us, without the distraction of friends, girlfriends, mobile phones, snapchat and playstation etc Although I suspect he won't be thinking the same :rotfl:

UncannyScot

BettyBones wrote: »

Awww... thanks Verbatim I am literally paying my bills, paying my debts and living on the bones of my bum from payday to payday to get this done. Nothing like doing it the hard way :rotfl:

I like this, can I pinch it for a quote?

Reading your diary and you are such an inspiration, thank you!

I'm fairly new here, please feel free to have a wee nosy at my ramblings...

Wishing you all the very best You Are Getting There

Disco_Dolly

Great update Betty, so close to your debt free day and also to your cruise. You must be so excited! I'm in awe of your progress and your journey, you really are an inspiration. I'm literally dying to read the debt free post, not long now :beer:

BettyBones

Decided to check my tyre pressures today ahead of my work trip on Friday. The petrol station where I usually go provides free air to check pressures but it's currently closed, so I used the one at Tesc0 instead. Cost me 50p. Really?! 50p for air?!! Last time I paid for air it was 10p (Well that's inflation for you... Boom boom!) According to my car manual, my tyre pressures should be 32 all round. So I checked and three were bang on 32 and one was 31. So I basically paid 50p for the smallest squirt of air ever and probably could have done it myself just by bending down and blowing in it :rotfl: