Fallen off the wagon (so to speak!)

iwanttobreakfree

Ok guys here goes

Managed Loan = £1223.93 (7 months left) £185 p/m
Personal Loan = £3363.84 (ages left!) £105.12 p/m
Car Loan = around £9687.50 (50 months left) £193.75 p/m (this is not in my name)

Halifax OD = currently £109.24 but don't get paid until 25th so could go up!
Halifax Visa = £695.95
HSBC Visa = £478.57 (is on 0% however)
Capital 1 Visa = £76.23
Barclaycard = £638.60 (509.48 on 0%)
Argos card = £427.10
Choice catalogue = £207 on a buy now pay next July
Littlewoods catalogue = £96.13 but in credit by about £90.27 quid so £5.86 really

Other outgoings I have are (all per month)

£200 for rent and bills
£100 travel to work and diesel for car
£50 for mobile
£65 for car insurance
£18 gym membership

I'm pretty sure there is nothing else because I cancelled my magazines. I haven't allowed for food because to be honest anything decent to eat is a luxury for me at the moment.

I have £20 per week (theoretically though never stick to it) to get something to munch at work and buy any unnecessaries! I have my brekkie at work by the way because its so cheap but filling and its about the one treat I have to look forward to lately!

So what do you reckon?

beverleyhills

iwanttobreakfree wrote: »

Ok guys here goes

Managed Loan = £1223.93 (7 months left) £185 p/m
Personal Loan = £3363.84 (ages left!) £105.12 p/m check out how many months/years you have left to pay. If you want to control spending you can't be vague; scarey I know.
Car Loan = around £9687.50 (50 months left) £193.75 p/m (this is not in my name)

Halifax OD = currently £109.24 but don't get paid until 25th so could go up!
Halifax Visa = £695.95
HSBC Visa = £478.57 (is on 0% however)
Capital 1 Visa = £76.23
Barclaycard = £638.60 (509.48 on 0%)
Argos card = £427.10
Choice catalogue = £207 on a buy now pay next July
Littlewoods catalogue = £96.13 but in credit by about £90.27 quid so £5.86 really

Other outgoings I have are (all per month)

£200 for rent and bills It would help you to list all the bills?
£100 travel to work and diesel for car What about other bills for the car. Road tax, servicing etc?
£50 for mobile Do you need to spend this much?
£65 for car insurance This seems very high. What do you drive?
£18 gym membership

What is your income? You need to know what you are trying to balance.


I'm pretty sure there is nothing else because I cancelled my magazines. I haven't allowed for food because to be honest anything decent to eat is a luxury for me at the moment. Budget for food

I have £20 per week (theoretically though never stick to it)to get something to munch at work and buy any unnecessaries! I have my brekkie at work by the way because its so cheap but filling and its about the one treat I have to look forward to lately! Keep a spending diary.

So what do you reckon?

I think you need help to find out why/what is making you unhappy.

cat4772

iwanttobreakfree wrote: »

Ok guys here goes

Managed Loan = £1223.93 (7 months left) £185 p/m
Personal Loan = £3363.84 (ages left!) £105.12 p/m
Car Loan = around £9687.50 (50 months left) £193.75 p/m (this is not in my name)

Halifax OD = currently £109.24 but don't get paid until 25th so could go up!
Halifax Visa = £695.95
HSBC Visa = £478.57 (is on 0% however)
Capital 1 Visa = £76.23
Barclaycard = £638.60 (509.48 on 0%)
Argos card = £427.10
Choice catalogue = £207 on a buy now pay next July
Littlewoods catalogue = £96.13 but in credit by about £90.27 quid so £5.86 really
what are the minimum payments each month?
Other outgoings I have are (all per month)

£200 for rent and bills
£100 travel to work and diesel for car
£50 for mobile this is quite high (IMHO),
£65 for car insurance
£18 gym membership - do you really need gym membership? might it be better to get rid of it and throw an extra £18 towards your debt each month.

I'm pretty sure there is nothing else because I cancelled my magazines. I haven't allowed for food because to be honest anything decent to eat is a luxury for me at the moment.

I have £20 per week (theoretically though never stick to it) to get something to munch at work and buy any unnecessaries! I have my brekkie at work by the way because its so cheap but filling and its about the one treat I have to look forward to lately! how about taking HM lunch to work (one day a week to start and build it up so that you have either 1 day a week you buy lunch or 1 day month;))

So what do you reckon?

A little tweaking here and there might generate maybe an extra £30 a month towards debts. How about earning more moeny through cashback sites, and daily clicks etc? Strange but every little does help

Good luck. Cat.x

iwanttobreakfree

I think you are definitely right there -

Income is around £1100 (started a new job and still haven't had a regular wage paid so its difficult to figure out! I dont have the spare cash to budget for my car - my insurance is the lowest I can get it - drive a 207 and have had 1 accident with no other car involved.

50 for 2 mobile contracts and that is line rental only so I have to be really careful with it.

my house bills are a 1/3 share with flatmates - £133.33 for rent I know that much! I'll have to get back to you on the rest.

I can figure out the PL next time I go online and will post back here

iwanttobreakfree

Cat unfortunately I need gym membership as that is what my own business is all about so keeping fit is unfortunately a must!

bathgatebuyer

I'm sure you're not uncommon - I know that part of my spending was largely due to spending money to overcome other issues I had. I was really badly bullied at school because we never had much money. my wonderful Mum brought me up on her own after my parents divorced when I was about 2. My Dad contributed nothing to my upkeep, so my Mum and I made do with what we had. For her, that meant making my clothes and getting by wearing my uncle's old stuff (he's about 10 years older so by the time I got it, it was for a guy and well out of date!). Still, I can't ever remember being unhappy at the time because of the actual money thing. I was always aware that we didn't have much, but it was more the bullies who were in the wrong.

However, aged 21 and armed with a credit card, it's amazing how much I discovered a want, want, want side to me. Even after a stint in counselling a few years ago (which worked wonders for helping a really depressive stage in my life), I still have a want to have all the good things in life, and a part of this is to prevent me from further bullying. It's difficult to explain, but I'm 31 now, and I'm only just realising that a large part of my 20s was spent trying to deal with that.

I got counselling through my GP. I spoke to my previous GP about being generally unhappy and he was no use at all. Took quite an archaic view to depression ("Can't you just snap out of it"), but when I spoke to another GP in his practice she was wonderful. She arranged for me to see a counselor who visits their practice once a week. It was useful to speak to someone completely different, who didn't now me, and listen to their thoughts on the situation. It didn't cost me anything at all. It's not easy and takes more out of you emotionally and physically than any other hour you'll spend in the week. I don't know what happened throughout that course of counselling, but I'm much more content with myself than I was before. It may be worth speaking to your GP to see if they offer something similar if you feel that the unhappiness is causing financial problems. I guess it manifests itself in different ways in different people, but I can totally sympathise with the cause of your spending.

Sorry, for hogging the thread! I'll shut up now!

BizzyBek

As well as saving money - how about looking to bring some extra in. What about leaflet/local paper deliveries - bring a bit extra in and be keeping fit at the same time?

Also what about a big clear out of stuff - ebay or a grage sale - especially before christmas. What items could you let go and advertise free in a local admag/paper? Be brutally honest, go through cupboards and if you haven't used stuff in the last year do you really need it? It's also a very therapautic thing to do.

Also I don't know what you job is but if it's to do with fitness etc - is there any pre-Christmas get fit classes etc you could lead?

Could you just have one mobile?

cat4772

I know what you mean bathgatebuyer. Money was tight when I was growing up but I never felt disadvantaged (my parents were battling high interest rates, supporting their siblings during the miners strike and raising three children in a house that always seemed to need to be fixed). When I left home at 17, everything I owned fit in two bags - not hard really I still remember opening my wardrobe and seeing 2 skirts, 1 jumper, 1 cardigan, 2 blouses, 3 t-shirts, a pair of jeans, pair of trainers and a pair of shoes. 2 years later when I moved back home, I owned at least 63 pairs of shoes (I bought a pair each fortnight I think). I only realised I had a problem 7 years ago when I enquired about a loft conversion just so I could store all my shoes. Now, it averages out that I buy 2 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of sandals and 2 pairs of trainers each YEAR and only when I've thrown something out in the first place. It's hard but otherwise I'd own a 12 bedroom house just to accommodate my shoe collection!

Cat.x

iwanttobreakfree

bathgatebuyer the exact same thing happened to me. I was bullied mercilessly - never beaten but tormented to death for being ugly, not having the right clothes etc etc. I guess I have always felt I dont fit in unless Im "fashionable" or whatever. Sounds pathetic doesn't it.

I cant cut the other mobile off because it's on contract - i wish i could!

I am hoping to have a big ebay, carboot, amazon clear out - I just need a bit of time to get it all sorted. Hopefully we might be moving in with my parents soon if the trial goes well - that will save me loads of money and I'll be a lot happier!

iwanttobreakfree

sadly the moving in with the parents thing is off but I have got £13 cashback on topcashback (not much but still!)