Sunken's attempt to float...

Sunkencosts

Right, anyone who thinks they have a lot of unsecured debt on their SOA prepare to be stunned, amazed and horrified at this bad boy!



Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of children in household......... 2
Number of cars owned.................... 1

Monthly Income Details[/b]
Monthly income after tax................ 1300
Partners monthly income after tax....... 2328
Benefits................................ 137
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 3765

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 671
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 0
Management charge (leasehold property) 0
Council tax............................. 133
Electricity............................. 77
Gas..................................... 77
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 45.75
Telephone (land line) 24
Mobile phone............................ 10
TV Licence.............................. 12
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 0
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 400
Clothing................................ 30
Petrol/diesel........................... 120
Road tax................................ 16.62
Car Insurance........................... 25
Car maintenance (including MOT) 50
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 160
Other child related expenses............ 88
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc) 10
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 25
Buildings insurance..................... 18.45
Contents insurance...................... 0
Life assurance ......................... 50
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 30
Haircuts................................ 20
Entertainment........................... 150
Holiday................................. 50
Emergency fund.......................... 50
christmas saving........................ 50
grading fees............................ 30
Total monthly expenses.................. 2422.82


Assets
Cash.................................... 0
House value (Gross)..................... 200000
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 400
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 200400

Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 149588...(671)......2.89
Total secured & HP debts...... 149588

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mum loan 1.....................11585.....331.......0
mum loan 2.....................12852.....252.......0
shawbrook loan.................15001.....231.......7.6
credit card....................12000.....450.......0
ikano..........................2500......69.45.....0
Total unsecured debts..........53938.....1333.45

Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 3,765
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 2,422.82
Available for debt repayments........... 1,342.18
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 1,333.45
Amount left after debt repayments....... 8.73

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 200,400
Total HP & Secured debt................. -149,588
Total Unsecured debt.................... -53,938
Net Assets.............................. -3,126


This is not a SOA of how things actually are at the moment, but how I'd like them to be from next month onwards. I could give you a picture of how things are at the moment, but it would be more akin to an internet meme showing a car falling off a pier or something.

We have LOADS of debt, but do you know what? I'm not actually that disheartened. A lot of that debt was accrued through buying our house (had to borrow deposit) and then doing it up.

For that debt we have a house with a new bathroom, new double glazing, new kitchen and redecorated, including installing a log burner.
But now we have to sit in that house and never go out :rotfl:

Very irresponsible.

I have started and chopped and changed jobs recently, so my pay is a bit of a mystery and my tax code is so mangled even the bloke at HMRC sounded depressed when he tried to explain it to me, at one point he said I seemed to owe 11k in tax, which as I only earned 13k last year seemed a little unlikely, so I'm sitting tight til April when it will be one job, one tax code and potentially a small rebate due.

I really really really want to build up car/emergency/christmas funds. So bored of the December disaster and post christmas blues, which is where I am currently sitting. Doesn't help that my current car is MOTd in December!

We're lucky in that my OH has a company car and fuel card, naturally we pay highly in tax for it, but it does mean that on family trips/holidays we don't have to factor petrol into the equation.

My own car is a tiny rustbucket and kind on fuel, but liable to break at any moment.

Trying to decide what budget software to use. I got on quite well with YNAB last year when I had a free trial, but then it seemed to be costing over a fiver a month and it seems a bit daft to pay for that, so I'm looking around for something else.

Any thoughts and questions welcome. I think my fuel seems a little high, so am going to submit up to date meter reading and then potentially switch suppliers.

Phone and internet together are 25 - seems ok.

I've set the intended cc repayment high because I'd like to pay it off in 2 years. Of course the actual minimum will be much lower, but I figure if we pay it off asap then suddenly we have another 450 a month to snowball with.

Life insurance is high because my OH is not the slimmest chap and only a few companies will offer him insurance. Only 9.76 of that figure is mine.

Buildings and contents are included together.

I genuinely think that's not an unrealistic budget but more experienced people can give me their thoughts?

System

Welcome to the diaries, there are other people on here with pretty similar debt .

Look at Treading on playmobil diary.

Experienced folk will come along and look at your soa .

Good luck .

Mumoffourkids

Everything on your budget looks ok to me. However I think you could probably bring your food budget down a little. In my house it is me and six kids, two of which are in nappies and my budget for a month is £433. That is realistic as well as I set myself a weekly budget of £100 and I stick to it. The main thing is to meal plan and then only buy stuff that you need. I do an online shop at the beginning of the week and then top ups of bread, milk, fruit and vegetables during the week.

Good luck with your journey, I'm sure you will do well.

redofromstart

Good luck with your journey!

Sunkencosts

thanks.

Trying to work out how to multi-quote.

Failing.

I will check out that diary - I love a good inspirational diary, and for me they are the ones that come back and post for several years. It means they are staying focused on the task even when life is getting in the way.

Also,I think you're absolutely right re food shop. I'm an Aldi convert, but our biggest problems have always been being disorganized, running out of food and then spending at our local convenience shop - big bucks for little food.

I've decided that rather than doing 1 "big shop" a week - I will aim to get to Aldi 2 or 3 times as I pass by. I dread the big shop so much I tend to put it off until the cupboards are bare and by then it's too late (see above behaviour).

We have an Echo thing now, so it should be easy every time I finish a packet of something to shout "Alexa, add cheese" and it gets put on the list, then both me and my husband have the list to hand if we pass by Aldi or Lidl. That's my plan anyway........

Spends today
£10.13 on petrol
£2 on biscuits and cakes for lunches and after school snacks for the week (apparently my husband hasn't got the hang of letting Alexa know when he finishes a packet of something)
£10 babysitting while OH and I do our activity.

I've stuck well to my diet (low carb high fat), batch cooked some bolognese sauce which will do for at least 4 meals and done my exercise.

All good. Sleepy now though. And still in debt. Obvs.

Sunkencosts

Hoping today will be a NSD

My biggest downfall is always clothes. New clothes, ebay clothes, clothes in our two charity shops in town (We live in a nice rural village and get some really nice stuff in - always lots of Coast, Joules etc).

I justify it a million ways, and my OH NEVER criticises it, he always says I work really hard and deserve it (enabler!).

But for god's sake - I can only wear so much! I need to start getting real with what those purchases mean. Every new top for £6, even if it was £30 new, is a swimming lesson for one of my children. Every new pair of boots for a tenner a trip to the cinema for them.

I have loads of clothes, certainly plenty enough to see me through the year. Furthermore I have many many clothes (some with tags still on) that don't fit me. So if I lose a bit of weight I get a new wardrobe anyway!

I have previously set a goal of not buying any new clothes in a year. I might try it. There will be a couple of exceptions:

Leggings I wear a lot and they wear out quickly. They can be bought v cheaply though.
I may well need a new pair or two of work trousers, as there is some bobbling currently on one pair of my old ones. How about a challenge though, I can only buy those clothes with the money I get from selling some items of old clothes? Seems a bit scary and I'll be heartily sick of my wardrobe by the end of the year - but what an achievement that would be?!?

Working_Mum

Hello Sunkencosts,
Welcome to the Forum and good luck with your debt free journey!

I find myself back in debt after busting a load when my husband left - in 2009 - I am emptying the proverbial lake with a teaspoon again after illness and a (now) ex-husband who didn't pay his bills for a couple of years.I am refocussing all my efforts and getting in the zone to slay my debt which isn't a million miles from yours.

I write all my spending down in a book and have done for years - I balance my purse to my book every day so I know how much cash I have left for my week. I also allocate my spending out (in the same book) so I can see where I spend it and what card payments needs remembering which haven't hit my bank account (which i also check every day). It works for me and I find it a very mindful process and a lovely opportunity to give thanks for all the fab stuff that I have already got. My kids see me doing "my spending book" and therefore they see me setting a good example budgetting etc.

I shop by a list - the analogue "Al3xa" lol but it helps keep me on point.

I think you're right to set yourself some challenges around buying clothes etc - so much of getting out of debt is about learning new habits and then sticking with them. We have to mix it up to learn new approaches etc. I have a "one in one out" policy for anything at home - clothes, shoes, books etc - decluttering my lovely home as been a wonderful by-product of debt busting.

Have a great NSD!!

enjoyyourshoes

If you pay for insurances (car house) monthly -dont , they get you on credit charges all day long.

Save and pay annually

As other contributors have identified the best way to manage finances is to know exactly where your bank balances are every DAY, and accrue for forthcoming costs. Then monthly analyse where to reduce expenditure and increase debt repayments. Its a fluid process and has to be done daily with the analysis and self criticism at every potential purchase.

MeenaM

OMG this is so freaky , your income and outgoings are practically the same as mine when I include my husband in it, he even has a company card like yours and isn't the slimmest either! and I am the one with the rust bucket car ,

i dont think your grocery bill is unrealistic , god knows how any one gets it below that as a family of 4 even with just shopping at Aldi it would be a problem

are you just paying the min on the credit cards?

as to a good budgeting app I like Budget Tracker App

an idea to get some money , switch your bank account to one that gives a cash incentive ,i switched for the first time to the B account in Nov after being with my previous bank for 30 years! but it was so easy and i qualify for £250 for doing so

i am going to subscribe and cheer you along good luck!

Sunkencosts

Working_Mum wrote: »

Hello Sunkencosts,
Welcome to the Forum and good luck with your debt free journey!

I find myself back in debt after busting a load when my husband left - in 2009 - I am emptying the proverbial lake with a teaspoon again after illness and a (now) ex-husband who didn't pay his bills for a couple of years.I am refocussing all my efforts and getting in the zone to slay my debt which isn't a million miles from yours.

I write all my spending down in a book and have done for years - I balance my purse to my book every day so I know how much cash I have left for my week. I also allocate my spending out (in the same book) so I can see where I spend it and what card payments needs remembering which haven't hit my bank account (which i also check every day). It works for me and I find it a very mindful process and a lovely opportunity to give thanks for all the fab stuff that I have already got. My kids see me doing "my spending book" and therefore they see me setting a good example budgetting etc.

I shop by a list - the analogue "Al3xa" lol but it helps keep me on point.

I think you're right to set yourself some challenges around buying clothes etc - so much of getting out of debt is about learning new habits and then sticking with them. We have to mix it up to learn new approaches etc. I have a "one in one out" policy for anything at home - clothes, shoes, books etc - decluttering my lovely home as been a wonderful by-product of debt busting.

Have a great NSD!!

thanks working mum. You're so right about habits.
I'm currently doing dry January (figured it could only help with the debt/weight loss).

I did six weeks alcohol free last autumn after a particularly messy night out and horrific hangover, and whilst I'm not what I would have called a BIG drinker I'm surprised at the amount of times my mind is flicking to a glass of wine in the evenings. It's not exactly a craving, and it soon passes, but it's the habitual "I really fancy a glass of wine/prosecco to help me relax". Hoping this month will really help to break that habit and may lead into a dry February too.
It also kind of made me feel bad to read your post, as you have such better reasons than me for being in debt - illness and betrayal etc, whereas I have, well, greed and impulse-control problems to blame.

MeenaM

Forgot to say , do a budget before the paydays and account for every single penny and stick to it