The long haul supporters thread...

flumpkin

recurrent-ostrich wrote: »

And to you too. I see you have a honking OD too, ours is £3.5K. Is that on your main account? Ours is, and it's our entire monthly budget, meaning we are in the red 365 days a year. I think that's the most miserable of our debts, although not the most expensive by any means, and the one I'm looking forward to slaying the most.

The OD total is a combination of 4 ODs, 3 are on our main accounts. One is on mine, one on husband's and one on joint totals £3600. There is also £830 on a closed TSB account. We currently pay £30 off this a month but get about £18 back in charges so this is one of my priorities for 2014.

I know what you mean about the being in the red almost immediately after pay day. I need to stop looking at my account (with 1300 OD limit) and thinking I have £100 left when I get to 1200 OD. Really I have nothing left and everything I don't spend will help! Although I need to do some real budgeting before then... we don't have much left after paying debts (and the mandatory stuff, tv, gas, council tax etc) and what is left goes on food. Meal planning may be an answer... if I can stick with it. Supermarket and then a ridiculous number of top up shops in the week account for all of the spare cash.

As I say though small moves... starting with not having to put petrol or food on CC by end of month!

Love flump x

andydgg

hi all, just checking in,,,,looks like I'll hit the magic 5k this month...:) hoping to report debt free in about 6 months...:) I got to watch the 2 cards I still have. Both on 0% but I have to watch for the time limits, one might charge me something this month, the other starts charging me in April.

It's a game I lost years ago, but at least now I'm playing!

feel like shouting COOOMMMEEE OOONNNN...

andydgg

I'll have a look through all the posts soon, but a quick heads up...
LBM is the most important thing you'll do...after that every month you can report a reduction, even 1p, is a moment to make you feel proud... we're addicts, and like all addicts we have a problem, and, we can make a full recovery. little steps.

poorbabe

Hi everyone!

I haven't been here in a very long time. My debt reduction plans worked for a time, then they didn't, then overall debt went higher partially due to my reaction to my mother's poor health. With her recent death, I'm now debt-free. Only took 27 years!

To be honest I'd much rather she was still here, but she deliberately left me more than enough to clear my debts and start my old-age fund (I'm single and childless so she was concerned I'd have no help as I get older whereas all my siblings have children). So, thanks mum, I won't let you, or myself, down.

It's a funny feeling being debt-free. It's not sunk in as yet as I'm still grieving, but I'm going to salt away 2/3 of my monthly total debt payments into long and short-term savings and the final third will be my 'play' money.

Anyway, I want to encourage everyone still on their journey to stick with it. Don't beat yourself up if you take your eye off the ball for a bit, just keep it in view and mark the successes as they happen :T

Happytogetdebtfree

Well done on paying everything off poor babe, its nice that your mum was able to do that. I am sorry about her passing and I know time will be a healer ((Hugs)) enjoy your new life xx


I will be clearing the overdraft in full this month that's one less negative wealth and a little more to the snowball pot. This year is extra important for paying as much as I can off, firstly im 30 this year and we are expecting our first baby in the summer I know it will not all have been paid but I would like to see a decent chunk paid. Keep up the good work x

littleskintdragon

Congratulations on being debt free poorbabe, sorry about your mother x

Happytogetdebtfree - congratulations on the baby! And eek i'm also 30 this year!!

I'm still here trying to pay off slowly. Im currently on mayernity leave and getting smp, so im just trying to get by most of the time!
We'll get there!

recurrent-ostrich

Sorry to hear about your mum poorbabe.

Things plodding along here, still plugging away and debt at about £37K now, down from £51K at LBM.

looking_forward_not_back

Hi all newbie here

Would dearly love to join this challenge
Embarrassed to say we ow £20,000 OMG
Gonna be around a while I guess.

So inspired by peoples achievements that I cant wait to get started.

Good luck all and me

Pickle29

Welcome LFNB
We all owe different amounts and it's all relative when it becomes to much to manage by yourself any more. Mines double yours and some! I am embarrassed and only told 2 people, but by dealing with it I feel so much better. I'm with stepchange and they are fantastic, as are these boards. Ask any questions here and someone will have a sensible answer and be able to help. They are great.

sashanut

Hi all :j


Just out of interest (!) I went on to the snowball calc which I filled out in 2009. Just thought I would post this to tell you how bad it was - I think that was an updated version because I first came on here in despair in 2006, but the figures were approx. the same tbh. as no payment other than minimums made in the next 3 years. We have our own business which was doing well initially - hence the stupid spending - but then in 2006 our income dried up completely :eek: to not even enough to pay the mortgage, let alone any debts.


Total cc debt in 2009 was £93K+ - which was made up of various credit cards for us both, all at huge interest rates. In addition to this we had a £5.5K and a £2K overdraft that was maxed out every month. Plus we have a mortgage which allows you to draw cash on the 'unused' portion of your debt - fatal for people like us!!! So the actual mortgage was £70K but the additional overdraft facility that was used - was another £65K.

I had hoped to be DF last year but all the debt we have now is just one cc - at 0% till July - of approx. £6K. We also have a M&S cc which I pay everything on & pay off in full every month - the vouchers we get from this we use to buy all our food in December for Christmas. Yesterday the huge payment was to finally pay off the overdraft on the mortgage - £42,650.00. That then leaves a mortgage of £37,500 on this house...plus the £6k cc

That wouldn't have been possible without the help from MSE & this great thread, keeping me focused!! So Thank You everyone, I am not DF yet but getting there :T