The long haul supporters thread...

flumpkin

I did wonder about focussing on clearing 0% ones MIT, but my new 0% ones still go back to a lower APR (19.9%) than other cards I currently have @ 24.9, 22.9 and 21.9 which is probably why my snowball differs :-)

babyplum

Hi all! Haven't posted in here for ages, but things have been ticking along, as they do.

I'm now 30 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child and will start maternity leave in 6 weeks, so we will have to go back to paying a very small amount to the CCCS every month and will have to cut back even further even though we will have another child to provide for.

It will be hard, but i know we can do it.

Hope everyone is doing well and hope the new long haulers find it helpful here. x

flumpkin

Hello nice to 'meet' you and Congratulations BabyPlum

Baby #2 ... how exciting. Baby 'Plum' will be here before you know it. Do you know what you are having? Looking at your signature you are a seasoned long hauler and have done so well already.

It is so daunting starting out ... from the point when you really face it and know you have to deal with your debts. I've only been posting for a few days but it is so friendly here and good to know you I am not alone, and I love the signatures. For me, seeing people who are really getting there and have cleared such a lot already are inspiring... shows it can be done

Wellyboots6

Hi all,

Could I join please?

According to my calculations, which are usually waaaay out (hence being in so much debt!) I have 8 years until my DFD if I continue to pay off my debts at the rate I am doing at the moment.

Could someone tell me how I could go about working it out properly? Maths is my nemesis!

I am likely to appear and disappear at random as I really struggle to stay motivated. I do well for a couple of weeks or a month and then lose it.

I am hoping something like this will keep me motivated, as the rate I am going with my regular 'blips', my DFD is getting further and further away

babyplum

flumpkin wrote: »

Hello nice to 'meet' you and Congratulations BabyPlum

Baby #2 ... how exciting. Baby 'Plum' will be here before you know it. Do you know what you are having? Looking at your signature you are a seasoned long hauler and have done so well already.

It is so daunting starting out ... from the point when you really face it and know you have to deal with your debts. I've only been posting for a few days but it is so friendly here and good to know you I am not alone, and I love the signatures. For me, seeing people who are really getting there and have cleared such a lot already are inspiring... shows it can be done

Hello flumpkin! Yes, baby will be here before i know it. Scary! lol. I'm having a little girl this time which I am absolutely over the moon about. I have a little boy who is 3 and i'm sure he will be a fab big brother!

So yeah, we have been chipping away at our debts slowly but surely for 6 years now. We originally thought it would take us 5 years to pay off all the debt but it has taken longer than expected due to a number of reasons. One being the the issues we had with Natwest for years for kept adding more interest than we were paying off each month, despite being in a DMP, but we kept fighting and got there in the end. Also, we had our little boy and i went from being in a full time job to being on maternity leave and then going back to work part time, so we couldn't keep up with the original £600 per month payment to CCCS. But hey, that's life and i wouldn't change it!

It is VERY daunting when you start out, it feels never ending and can be very scary (not to mention embarrassing) and to be honest it can be very difficult at times, but you just get used to it. You really do.

So many people have told me we should have just gone bankrupt, but to us that was a very extreme option and in a very stubborn way we wanted to pay it all back ourselves. And it is a good feeling to see how far we have come now.

These forums have been invaluable to me. I might not post 'that' much but i certainly use the site for information on a regular basis so i hope it's as helpful to you as it has been for me. x

millionaire_in_training

Katy use the snowball @ whats the cost site. Put all the details of your debts into that and it will advise you of the best course to take. You will need interest rates and percentage you pay each month. Fabulous tool to use and I spend hours playing about on it .

Flumpkin, shame about the other card but as you say you now have 7k on 0% and then on a lower than original % so it's all good. You'r eprobably right re snowball as my 2 cards not on 0% are 6.9% and 4% so much lower than the 17% that the other ones will go onto if I don't pay them off. Ok that makes sense in my head but not sure if it makes sense on this page :rotfl:.

Wellyboots6

Thanks Millionaire

Feb 2021 is my DFD apparently. I wish I hadn't looked!!

millionaire_in_training

Ah but Katy that is the wonderful thing about the snowball. You set it up with paying your minimums and then you play. If you can afford say another £20 per month above minimums then edit your monthly amount and see your DFD come down. I am a total snowball geek but hey it spurs me on:D

Wellyboots6

Feb 2021 was the best I could get, being really optimistic about what I could pay back if I didn't bother eating until then!

Ah well, better get stuck in I guess! I thought I had my LBM last year when I first signed up on here, but I think today may be another flickering LBM!

millionaire_in_training

I've had loads of light bulb moments and I change my mind all the time about how I am going to tackle things. Then I get all motivated for a while and then get complacent. I reckon when you are in for the long haul that's just the way it goes. One thing though is that I don't spend on my cards any more and fingers crossed I stay like that