Small Steps Out Of Massive Debt!

GeorgianaCavendish

Really quick update. A little while ago there was some discussion about whether cash transfers showed up on credit file, and it seems that the answer is that it depends on the provider. 

My credit file has now updated with the latest Tesco balance (I did a cash transfer back in April to pay off the PayPal debt) and I do NOT have a cash advance marker in respect of this transaction - it is just showing as a regular balance.  As I said above, this might depend on provider as others have reported differently, but in case anyone is specifically wondering about Tesco it hasn’t been recorded as a cash advance. 

Kakiste

Hiya. Subscribed to your diary. Congrats on being so close to the £10k barrier! 

GeorgianaCavendish

Kakiste said:

Hiya. Subscribed to your diary. Congrats on being so close to the £10k barrier! 

Thank you so much for posting and subscribing I'm really excited to get onto the other side of the £10K barrier! 

GeorgianaCavendish

Homegrown0 said:

I haven't done done the 30 day challenge with Adrienne, but I've done quite a few of her yoga videos from home and I really like her. I get on well with her yoga practice. Definitely a nice goal to be setting for yourself! 

I also like the idea of setting some tasks/ goals for the coming few months while you're at home. It can be daunting combining the uncertainty with so many life restrictions. 

I've now done 4 of the videos from one of the 30 Day Challenges, and I've done her Yoga for Women and Yoga For When You're Sick videos a couple of times each - I'm going to try the Bedtime Yoga tonight and should be resuming the 30 Day Challenge tomorrow   I'm really loving the videos and Adriene's energy, a really great introduction to at home yoga!  

GeorgianaCavendish

Naomim said:

GeorgianaCavendish said:

I’ve been doing YouGov surveys for about 3 years and this will be my first cash out, so I that one I think the key is persistence. 

I really like Prolific Academic for higher paying rewards, but I don’t like how quickly the surveys disappear from there. I have to keep the tab open on my computer all the time I’m online and pounce when I see a good one. But it is luck a lot of the time, I can go for weeks without anything and then suddenly get a really well paid one. 

Ipsos I-say is probably the best for me in terms of balance between reward, effort and frequency but they don’t do cash payouts (I usually get amazon vouchers but I think they might do Mastercard as well?) 

It is a bit of a grind to be honest, but I do them on breaks from work or when I’m watching TV or listening to a podcast to keep myself entertained. 

As you know I'm a prolific lover but like you said, I have to keep the tab open. I told my boss when I started that I was doing it and had the tab open (it's an open plan office) and only chose the 5 minute surveys if I was at work.   I haven't looked at Ipsos I-say.   I'd be happy with Amazon vouchers.    Well done with YouGov. I did start years ago but gave up.

Naomim

That's a good idea about telling your boss about Prolific, I agree that it is important to keep an eye on the time limit on the surveys before entering! I like the Amazon vouchers as I do buy quite a lot from there including gifts for other people and food etc. There have been a lot of high reward surveys this week, so I'm close to another £10 cash out. 
I will be SO pleased when I finally get to cash out on YouGov (still working towards it ... hopefully another 2 surveys should do it!) 

GeorgianaCavendish

GeorgianaCavendish said:

Non-Financial June Goals 

1. Edit CV (In the current climate, I would feel a lot more comfortable knowing that my CV is up-to-date and tailored towards certain roles) 
2. Do an Excel course (free courses only!)
3. Daily Yoga
4. 10K+ Steps per day 

Week One Update! 
1. CV editing is well underway! I'm doing some more research on jobs I might like to apply for so that I can tailor my CV towards those. 
2. I've had a look at some available Excel courses but have not started anything yet. 
3. 6/7 done! I've been following Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and really enjoying it 
4. 5/7 at 10K+ 

I'm adding an extra goal 
5. Find some new 'personal development' podcasts  - I discovered The Femails by Career Contessa last week and have been listening to their episodes on finance (there is a good one on 'Recession-Proofing Your Finances' that I really liked) 

Naomim

I like the idea of updating your CV I should do this too. Not that I'm planning to leave and can't until a year after my course is finished as the company are funding, but it's always worth keeping it upto date.

enthusiasticsaver

I have not checked out your diary for a while and congrats on almost breaking the £10k barrier.  You have done brilliantly from where you started.  

A tip for saving when the debt is gone if you are the type of person if you have to spend your balance if it is sat in your account is pay yourself first into a savings  account when you get paid and set yourself savings targets. This could be  a house deposit, new  car, home improvement project or holiday or early retirement/mortgage overpayment. These were always on top of emergency savings and annual pots for xmas/gifts/insurances/car and house maintenance etc. 

We never had an issue doing this and that is why we  saved constantly, not to acquire money but for particular goals. I think I would struggle saving too without these goals.  I know some people save just for the sake of it but we always had a reason to save. 

GeorgianaCavendish

Naomim said:

I like the idea of updating your CV I should do this too. Not that I'm planning to leave and can't until a year after my course is finished as the company are funding, but it's always worth keeping it upto date.

I am in a similar situation, I'm not planning to leave my current job but I have been feeling a lot of generalised anxiety about the economic situation and the possibility of a recession etc, especially as some friends and family members have been or are facing redundancy at the moment. I feel like I need to channel this towards doing something productive (like the CV update and enhancing skills where I can) is better than quietly stressing myself out over future unknowns. It is one small thing that is within my control, compared to a whole world of uncertainty!  

GeorgianaCavendish

enthusiasticsaver said:

I have not checked out your diary for a while and congrats on almost breaking the £10k barrier.  You have done brilliantly from where you started.  

A tip for saving when the debt is gone if you are the type of person if you have to spend your balance if it is sat in your account is pay yourself first into a savings  account when you get paid and set yourself savings targets. This could be  a house deposit, new  car, home improvement project or holiday or early retirement/mortgage overpayment. These were always on top of emergency savings and annual pots for xmas/gifts/insurances/car and house maintenance etc. 

We never had an issue doing this and that is why we  saved constantly, not to acquire money but for particular goals. I think I would struggle saving too without these goals.  I know some people save just for the sake of it but we always had a reason to save. 

Thank you enthusiasticsaver ! I think the savings approach that you outlined is one that would work for me as well, I find it easier to work towards a tangible goal (like an overpayment, house deposit or holiday) than just keeping money on hand. Maybe with more practice at saving for goals it will become easier to save to acquire money? Or maybe I'll always need a goal in mind!