I WILL be Debt Free but need help

ani*fan

Hi there :hello:

I have just read your diary and wanted to say a massive well done on your excellent progress. You really have taken this situation in hand and that is half the battle.

I've subscribed and will follow your progress.

AF x

Hiraeth

Thanks ani*fan - I have to say that it is reading posts like yours with your comments, and showing amounts that over time have gone down, that have shown me it can be done. Without seeing that, and without the response I have had from people - well who knows...........


On a 'sort of' lighter note - do you know how many surveys you need to complete to earn the equivalent of AD10? - well I haven't actually counted but its a lot, and they are not actually enthralling! However, stick with it I will because I am determined that I will earn enough for birthday presents for my two grandsons in February. Thank goodness I can multi-task, so I can if I want to watch television at the same time as completing them.




October 20 - Owe $12,500,
October 27 - $12,400
November 2, Paid $200 - Balance $12,200
November 4, Paid $200 - Balance $12,000

Drawingaline

Hi

You are doing fab! I do surveys and yes they are mind numbingly boring and it takes an age to get any 'money' from them, but I have learnt enough over the past few months to get my three nieces gifts at Xmas with Amazon vouchers. This is money that hasn't come from my wages so I see that as a win.

You sound like a lovely supportive mum and grandma/nanny (so many different ways of naming!) However I will say my mum goes overboard with my kids at Xmas and it can be rather overwhelming for both them and us parents. I hope I never seem ungrateful, but sometimes I just wish she would reign it in a bit rather than buying things I know they don't necessarily want or need. Now you may be nothing like this at all, but I think you may find that the family may really appreciate the gifts you do spend your time and money on if there are less if that makes sense? You mentioned you are crafty, I am incredibly blessed with my mums sewing skills and the best things she has ever given myself and my children are the items she has made.

Anyway you are making a fantastic start to this debt free journey, onwards and upwards!!!:T

Hiraeth

Thanks for your comments Drawingaling. Yes, boring as surveys are, knowing the money for presents is coming out of that rather than my pension means I will put up with it. I'm an Aa Maa by the way. Although English my husband is Chinese and we keep to Chinese names. I think I have tried to over compensate with my grandchildren because of what I couldn't do for my children - this is probably a big fault of many grandparents - both male and female.

Hiraeth

I was thinking last night about my posts and I hope that they don't come across as being too light(!) as though it is all easy and I am not finding it hard.


It's quite the opposite really. It frightens me to death knowing I owe so much and knowing that if just one emergency happens - then I don't know what I will do.


I have to keep dwelling on the little positives as this will motivate me to keep going, if I concentrate all the time on the big picture then it will be overwhelming and I may drop the bucket! And as I write that I realise that that is one of the things that contributed to my debt - being overwhelmed by owing such an amount that I would go and buy another magazine or book or ? just to stop me thinking about how much I owed.


So while the big picture is there at the back of my mind - I OWE AD12,000 - to keep going I must think of my next pension day and how I should be able to pay off another AD100 or AD150.


And instead of (even at this early date) starting to worry about what (however small) I can give to my grandchildren for their birthdays, which occur just 4 weeks after the expenses of Christmas, I know I can persevere with these mind numbing surveys and do enough to get them both a gift card.


So to keep going I know I have to keep concentrating on the little achievements and TRY and not worry all the time about the bigger picture. Which is not to say that I succeed all the time!

Hiraeth

An update - In the middle of October I had purchased an item through the internet (don't know why as I didn't need it - just thought it would be nice to have!) and it had a delivery date of mid November. Really happy today when I got a message that they had run out of the item and had refunded the $23. Checked my account and there it is sitting there. So very happy with that.


Every little helps.




October 20 - Owe $12,500,
October 27 - $12,400
November 2, Paid $200 - Balance $12,200
November 4, Paid $200 - Balance $12,000
November 8, Paid $23 - Balance $11,977

Hiraeth

Well I've been back and checking in on a couple of other people's diaries to see how people are doing and if there are any other hints etc.


Still on the surveys. Try to spend at least 2 hours each day to do them. I can get a few points if I stick with this amount of time, and if the surveys are there to do. Worst thing is putting details in and then it pings back and tells you you don't qualify. But not to worry - I'm still finding enough to get a few points towards the birthday gift cards.


Nearly went out shopping today - I didn't need anything, but I know I would have had my coffee and maybe bought a book or something, because the one thing I have found out after nearly a month is that with all the good will in the world, all I want to do is to go out and buy myself something and not worry about the cost.


But luckily for me my husband needed the car so I stayed home and did a couple of piles of washing instead! Then I got an email from my son transferring me another AD30. He tells me his work is picking up so he is trying to pay me back all he owes even if it is small amounts. I'm very proud of him.


But that all meant that my amount owing went down instead of going up which it would if I had gone out. Feel slightly better already!


And good luck everyone else with your challenges.


October 20 - Owe $12,500,
October 27 - $12,400
November 2, Paid $200 - Balance $12,200
November 4, Paid $200 - Balance $12,000
November 8, Paid $23 - Balance $11,977
November 11, Paid $30 - Balance $11,947

Bobarella

Your doing very well. I'm glad you got your item refunded. Your completely right about trying to keep your eyes on the small challenges before you rather than the big picture. We can all find ways to shave a few pounds off but a lot of pounds is scary. One foot in front of the other as they say

Hiraeth

Thanks Bob - I've appreciated seeing your comments ............


Did go out to do some Christmas shopping yesterday but that was using money from my husband which we had planned on through the year.


I had made a list of what I wanted and decided to do the shopping early because its when I leave it to the last minute that I find myself in trouble - I end up not having time to choose carefully and therefore end up spending more than I have planned because I buy something then get home and feel its not quite right so rush out and look for something else.


Haven't finished all the shopping yet but pleased with what I have got - including one game for my grandchildren, which if I had left to the last moment I would have grabbed from the first place I saw it - at the newsagents for $AD54, but I had time to check with other stores and found it in another store for $AD29 so saved $AD25. Felt really pleased with myself.


What I now have to do though is get into the mind set of saying I saved AD25 - without my first reaction which was - Good, I can buy him something else now as I have an extra AD25 (if that makes sense?).


It's a new learning curve. Annoying sometimes - as when I wanted to go and buy something just for the sake of it, but rewarding when a saving is made and money is not wasted.


Thanks to all for what I have learned and continue to learn.

Hiraeth

Here is my latest update - good news and bad!


Pension day today so was able to transfer $200 which was great. But then it was also the day that interest is charged to my account and this was $170 - so only a net loss of $30.


However on looking back on my bank statement I can see that my interest last month was just over $190 so I have to be pleased that that is dropping. And if I keep motivated and up to date on on my repayments then at least the interest will go down each week.


I feel so awful about seeing that much interest on my account - and I know that previously it would have been one of the things that sent me off track - almost a case of 'what's the use'. In fact there is that sort of feeling now .......... But I haven't struggled this far to be derailed so early in my quest for a zero balance!


I think the worst is the feeling of wanting to buy something - I don't mean actually going out with the thought that 'I will buy something' but it's when you see something and think - that would be nice to have/eat/present for children or grandchildren etc . I do continue to have a look but somehow manage to stay on track.


I think what helps me keep on track (and I have to keep reminding myself of this) is that when I have finished paying all these $200 fortnightly payments from my pension - well that will be money I can spend on that little extra thing.


As several of you have mentioned and what I must keep doing is looking at small achievements because looking at the big picture means looking possibly 2 years down the track.


What I have told myself is that when I get down to single figures (ie $9,999) I will allow myself a treat by buying that one thing that might catch my eye - as long as it is under $50 and I will pay for it before I transfer my $200 and then transfer the balance. Doing it that way will mean that I don't have to pull out the card.


October 20 - Owe $12,500,
October 27 - $12,400
November 2, Paid $200 - Balance $12,200
November 4, Paid $200 - Balance $12,000
November 8, Paid $23 - Balance $11,977
November 11, Paid $30 - Balance $11,947
November 16, Interest $170 - Balance $12,117 - Paid $200 - Balance $11,917


November