Adventures of the Boy & Me..

Chandelier.

Hello.

I've decided to start a fresh diary on here as I felt my last one was becoming confusing for myself to read back on and it was becoming a bit of a negative place for me to vent. I hope for this one to be more upbeat and a place I can share all the wonderful things that happen daily and any ways that I am able to save money/pay off debt.

A quick recap about myself.. Its just me and the boy who live at home with my mum. I work in quite a high pressured environment full time and juggle this along with everything else. I also have bipolar disorder- this is where things begin to get difficult at times but I need to remain positive and accept the diagnosis. It's time to move on from my past, focus on the present and not worry about the future ahead.

The boy is a wonderful child who is bright, enthusiastic and keen to learn. He has three hobbies and would do more if he could. I couldn't ask for a more laid back, loving and caring little individual- he's my best friend and the reason I smile and carry on. We do a lot together hence the title of this diary. It's the two of us and we're a team.

About myself? I've always been high functioning and I always strive for more with everything I do- which isn't always a good thing. I'm still trying to find the right balance. Aside from that, I'm your pretty average plain Jane. I'm quirky in my own ways, procrastinate lots but get things done, have a cracking sense of humour and overall a nice person to be around. I have a small circle of friends, a supportive family, a roof over my head and food in my stomach. So I'm rich in many ways.

In regards to the debt that I'll be focusing on, I had a car on PCP deal but last September decided to get a low interest loan to pay it outright which saved me thousands in interest. I paid off some lump sums and a few months later managed to move the remaining balance to 0% deals, which saved me further interest. Since then I've been overpaying as much as possible.

Although I'd like to pay off this debt as soon as possible, I also want to enjoy things in life and grab every opportunity available whilst I can. That's another reason for the title of this diary- Adventures of the Boy and Me. We do lots of things together and I do keep costs to the bare minimum and find ways to save money and still enjoy ourselves.

I'll update afterwards with a plan and realistic goals I'd like to achieve for the rest of the year ahead. For whoever reads this, feel free to comment and add your own little adventures if you'd like .

Chandelier.

It's going to be a busy weekend here as we have lots to do before we go on holiday on Monday. We are going with my best friend and her family- seven of us in total, three adults and four kids. The boy has no idea we are even going anywhere, I'll just tell him on monday morning that we are going on a day trip. I honestly can't wait, even if I am dreading the packing lol. I've bought most things now it's the last minute bits you realise you've forgotten. I think I'll just wing it and if I forget anything then it's tough luck.

At the moment I'm at the hairdressers having my hair cut and coloured. I've not had it coloured for coming up to six months so it needed doing.. The boy had his wig chopped this morning and he doesn't look as mammoth like .

I've also to get my eyebrows waxed later.. I did wonder whether I should get my legs done too but then thought it would be cheaper for me just to buy some new razors which will last longer then one leg wax lol. So I'm being a bit MSE there :money: :rotfl:

I've made a plan regarding how to best tackle my debt and will update with this later. I've also got a few goals I'd like to post and really work on.

I hope everyone has a good afternoon

Hiddenidenity

Following x

Hope you have a lovely holiday and have some adventures

Chandelier.

So it's been a bit of a spendy day so far today with all that I've had to do..

- £45 at the hairdressers on a colour/cut and blow-dry.
- £7 for the boy to have his hair cut.
- £6.30 on lunch whilst we were out.
- £6 for my eyebrows to be done.

Total spends so far today- £64.30. It was all worth it though. I've had alot cut off and feel better for it and I no longer look homeless. It will be easier to manage too- short enough to not have to spend much time on it but long enough to stick in a bobble up.

I'm just sat in our garden now trying to catch a bit of sun. I don't feel I get enough Vit D. When it seems to be warm and sunshine, I always seem to be working or have to be inside for whatever reason. Our garden is a small sun trap and I love feeling the heat on my face. The boy is sat happily inside watching television for half an hour as we've just finished playing badminton. I think he'll want to go out and play later. I may use that time to see what I need to pack and what else I'll have to get from the shops tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a busy day as the boy has auditions to be in the local Christmas ice skating show. He's absolutely desperate to be in it. I hope he gets through or else he'll be one sad boy. He's doing really well at ice skating though and goes a few times a week and has lessons.

I hope everyone's having a nice day!

Chandelier.

Morning:),

I can't believe how warm it is outside already- the sky is clear blue and the sun is shining. I love this sort of weather as for some reason it makes me feel so much more relaxed and happier. I much prefer the spring/summer season with the earlier sunrises and later sunsets. They can be so beautiful. I really struggle with the dullness and wetness of the winter months.

I have lots to do today in regards to packing and checking I have everything I need. I've wrote a list of what I require and will start packing shortly reading for our jollies tomorrow. We get picked up at 7am by the taxi.. The boy is still unaware of anything and most likely thinks he will be going to school like any other day.

I'm hoping to have minimal spends today, I should have most things covered in regards to items required for our holidays but you never know!

I've sorted out the totals of my debt and I have a plan of action. I will post it in a separate post to keep things much clearer. If I threw all my spare money at the debt I could probably clear a whopping proportion of it by the end of the year. However as stated earlier on, I want to enjoy the things in life.

When I first took out the car PCP deal, I never treated it as a debt, just a monthly outgoing. I'd had one before and just paid the amount each month and then swapped the car after three years to the car I have now. However for some reason a lightbulb moment clicked in September of last year and I realised I didn't want to be stuck in a PCP deal forever. Hence why I got a low interest loan to pay it off. My outstanding balance of September 2016 was £11600. Today it stands much lower as I utilised offers available and transferred the balance of the loan across four 0% credit cards and made over payments where I could.

Originally, my PCP was suppose to end Aug 2019 with a balloon payment of £5500. Then after with the loan, this was spread across four years ending in September 2020. Now I'm looking to clear the remainder of my debt more quickly. I'm yet to decide on a debt free date.

Although this shuffling around worked for me, I'm aware it won't work for everyone. It saved me alot of interest in the long run and made me feel better that I can manage it myself and make over payments wherever possible. The plan is to tackle the smaller balances first and then the bigger ones.

Chandelier.

Total Debt: May 14th 2017

Barclaycard: £730.00 (0% until November 2017)
Virgin: £275.00 (0% until July 2019)
MBNA: £3150.00 (0% until December 2018)
Halifax: £3100.00 (0% until February 2019)

Total: £7255.00

As stated previously I'd like to pay the smaller balances off first- my main priority is the Barclaycard as this is the first 0% deal to run out. Although the Virgin card balance is relatively small, it has the longest 0% offer surprisingly. I think once I've paid the Barclaycard off, I'll up the direct debit to Virgin (let that tick over) and then focus on reducing the MBNA balance.

All of my direct debits have come out so far for this month aside from one to the Barclay card which is due on the 22nd for £30.00. After this whatever funds I have left over at the end of the month I'll throw at the remaining balance.

Chandelier.

Goals to reduce debt.

- Barclaycard: Pay off by August 31st 2017
- Virgin: Pay off by December 31st 2017
- MBNA: Reduce to below £2500 by December 31st 2017
- Halifax: Reduce to below £2500 by December 31st 2017

- END OF YEAR GOAL: Reduce DEBT TO BELOW £5000.

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The top two goals are my main focus right now as once they are paid off I will only have two credit cards to focus on. Ideally I'd like to reduce it further but I do not want to put too much pressure on myself and then feel like a failure. If I manage to overpay more and pay them down quicker then even better.

As well as paying the off debt I also save a set amount each month in a help to buy isa and I have an emergency fund set aside for just in case reasons. My reasoning is that as debts are 0% I'm pretty much neutral and I'm earning interest on other balances.

Hope this all makes sense.

parsniphead

What a lovely, positive diary Chandelier. Have a lovely day in the sun. It's a gorgeous day isn't it.

Chandelier.

Morning,

Its Monday already! The weekend went far too quick. I spent a couple of hours in the sun yesterday and caught the sun. I also nipped into Asda for some last minute bits and came out £82 lighter, woops. This is why I never venture in there because I get things I don't need and there is too much choice. Although what I did buy was needed.

Anyhow today is the day me and the boy go on holiday

We're all packed and ready to go after much panicking and deliberation.. the boy still has no idea we are going anywhere. He thinks he is going to school and just had an extra sleep at mine.. It's going to be a whole two weeks just me, him and our friends. I'm pretty excited right now.

I just need to withdraw some cash this morning to take with us and to pay the transfer to the airport.

So updates may be little and less over the next couple of weeks. I'll try to check in and update where ever possible and share what we've been up to!

My new tablets also seem to be having a good effect and I feel a bit more positive. It's a shame it's a wet morning here, it just makes me even more grateful we are going to be in the sun for two weeks.

Happy Monday everyone

Hiddenidenity

Have a wonderful holiday, make lots of lovely memories x

Bobarella

Have a lovely holiday Chandelier!