Tinka's Debt diary

Tinka21

Just like everyone else with a diary, i want to keep track of what i am doing with my debt!

I have been lurking for many months and thanks to this site have joined Quidco and Topcashback. I have always been an avid ebayer and carbooter but think i may have sold everything now!

My debts have accrued for many reasons being young and foolish was the first one, then moving quickly into a flat with my boyfriend and then kitting it out. Buying a house came next quickly followed by getting pregnant then splitting up with partner and being left to fend for myself.

Anyway enough of my life story! I have had a go at my SOA...

Wages: 770
Benefits: 370 – This will be going down after Xmas as my Partner will be back in.

Total – 1140

Mortgage: 238
Council Tax: 85
Water: 49
Elec: 29
B&C Ins: 14
Internet: 18
Mobile: 15
TV Licence: 12
Food: 60
Child Trust Fund: 25
Bus Fare: 60

Total – 605

Debts

Egg Loan - £1994 7.9% £99.60 pm Ends June 09
Barclay Loan - £1300 14.9% £41.00 pm Ends December 2010
Barclaycard – 5.9% LOB £2800 OS £65.00pm
Egg Money Card – 16.9% £1900 OS £35.00pm
American Express – 14.9% £170 OS £5.00 pm
Dell Finance – APR? £800 OS £10.00 pm – going up to about £35.00 in January 08
Comet Finance – APR? £250 OS £8.65pm Ends March 2010

Total Debt - £264.25

Total Outgoings – £869.25

Leaving (at the moment) – £270.75

I know i have got money left over and i have been overpaying as much as i can.

My Son's dad and i are getting back together and he has been giving me some money towards the mortgage payment (which is why my payment is quite low for a mortgage in this day and age!) and he also pays a loan which we got jointly that i haven't listed.

The water bill is expensive as i missed 2 payments when i was on maternity leave and am now catching up but i'm not sure when the payment will come down.

My mum has my son everyday while i am at work so i don't pay for childcare, she is an absolute saint:A .

Thanks for reading if you got this far

Shineyhappy

Hiya,

I hope your diary keeps you on the straight and narrow! What a lovely mum you have! Free childcare and with someone you can trust 100% to look after your child and give him lots of love.

Are you on single persons council tax discount whilst you are on your own?

Tinka21

Yes i already get the discount on my council tax, looking at my SOA i can't really see where i can save anymore money, but maybe someone else can?

Tinka21

Just realised (im a bit slow on the uptake) that i have been unwittingly saving money on my bus fare!

I already buy a bulk buy ticket because it gives you 3 free journeys when you do this, so buy 10 journeys get 3 free type of thing, but, i had noticed my ticket had been lasting longer than i was expecting although i wasn't complaining just thought maybe the bus driver hadn't stamped my ticket hard enough to make a hole or something.

Well today the bus driver that drives my morning bus about 3 times a week was on and i gave him my ticket to stamp and he gave it me back with a note....his phone number! lol

So i suppose thats why he has been giving me free rides! ha ha ha:p

Lucy1982_2

Well that does make for an easier life!

Keep up the good work! Question is do you want his phone number?

Tinka21

Well he is quite hunky for a bus driver! lol

But no i don't think i will be phoning him, not now that me and my Partner are making a go of things again i don't think that would be a good move.

Lucy1982_2

Probably not.... Not even for free bus trips!

Your SoA looks good by the way, have you worked out which debt you want to clear first or are you going to try and hit them all hard at the same time?

Tinka21

i don't really know i have been chipping bits of all of them that i can, but i think i might start just concentrating on the Egg card now. My snowball gives me a debt free date of about Nov 2010 but i want to try for the end of 2009 instead, so that is my personal challenge!

Lucy1982_2

I want to bring mine forward a year to.

It'll be hard work, but worth it in the end.

chloebelle

Good luck I will be following your journey x :beer:

Tinka21

Well nothing much to report from over the weekend went to some friends house for a BBQ so it was quite cheap and cheerful.

Got on the bus for free again today so that means i have spent nothing at all yet! and probably won't for the rest of the day, i love these days!

Need to save all my pennies as we are going to cornwall for the week next week. It was a free holiday though that i won on a game of bingo! so it is very DFW! and i have managed to save the holiday spending money already so it won't be a shock to the old bank balance.