I want to believe I can do this!

abba1772

Jazee wrote: »

One year on Christmas jumper day, I just safety pinned some tinsel and baubles to a jumper.

Love this idea :j

enthusiasticsaver

You are quite right Pidge in that debt busting starts off usually with a vengeance and then becomes a slog. It may help if you concentrate on budgeting (which you seem to be doing ok with) and just update the debt figures in your signature once a month and revisit in 3 months time. It will be going down even by a small amount. Just concentrate on living in budget, saving what you can and making regular debt payments and not buy on credit.

Christmas can be done really cheaply. It sounds like you have lots of ideas for your mum so just your DD to worry about. Don't bother about all the other bits and pieces. £45 for a tree sounds a lot though. Is that a real Christmas tree?

My preference was always to do something Christmassy with our kids when money was tight but not necessarily everything. So sometimes a family cinema trip although later on we did xmas dvds at home with popcorn. Panto is really good so if you can get cheap tickets that is great. Same goes for local grottos. Our local garden centre has one you can go to for free and don't bother with the santa visit which are always over priced and queues are long especially weekends.

pidge04

Pure genius re baubles on a jumper!

pidge04

Yes it was a real tree bought in a bit of a panic. Will not be happening this year! Yes, good to cut out all the odds and ends because they really add up.

Iron broke today. So this year, we have needed a new iron, a new Hoover, a new washing machine and 2 new beds and mattresses. Surely we are done! I looked at the fridge and the TV today and wondered ‘are you next?’!!

I am starting a regular babysitting job tomorrow and Sunday. I will earn £40. Feel very lucky.

My lovely parents gave me £20 for no reason at the weekend so I was really fortunate to be able to use that money to buy a new iron.

pidge04

I also needed to buy a birthday present for a party DD is going to this weekend. When I was looking for the iron, I saw a really good clearance on stationery- 75% off so I was able to get a very nice present for not much money.

ftbwannabe

Just a quick hello, I see you're still doing brilliantly (& still having wobbles, which is totally allowed but not necessary). You're right, it's harder to keep motivation up in the stagnant middle bit but your attitude towards money now vs money before (like with your party napkins) is transformed. I'm glad you're part of this community so we can come + nudge you out of your doldrums, when you're generous enough to honestly share how you're feeling.
It's a good plan to plan for xmas now, + I reckon you'll have a smasher on account of your forward thinking.

Is this weekend your first babysitting job? good luck!

tipmaster

Congratulations on getting your debt under control. I hope you are also making plans to generate some form of passive income so you can gain financial independence going forward. As a mater of fact, for the same amount of effort it has taken you to maintain this post you could have been generating income online.
Keep up the great work. Really enjoyed reading about your journey

pidge04

Feels fantastic to have started my babysitting job today!

Have made up envelopes for payday for emergency cash, childcare cash, prescription money etc. Really hope that is going to work well for me this month.

Bring it on!

pidge04

This month I will be spending £639 of the £1597 on debt. A horrible thought that I have wasted so much money. A good thought that I am able to pay that much. A happy thought that my debt will be reduced. A positive thought ... in 23 months when this debt is gone, am I going to potentially have £639 a month to save?!

abba1772

you'll find you won't save the full amount but loosen the purse strings a bit to make your life a little easier, not having to say no all the time but it would be a good idea to put some aside for a rainy day

I can't wait to be debt free so we can enjoy the money we make rather than spend it on debt xx