I hope I can do this

ftbwannabe

God, even with all the repayments & willpower I'm planning, best case scenario is being 8k in debt this time next year. Wow. How did my debt get this big? Thank god I'm addressing it now. Jeez. Exhausting.

pidge04

Oh ftbwannabe! Please describe to me the feeling of clearing one credit card! I am hoping it will happen to me one day!

Sorry for your recent gloom. I can honestly say you are doing amazingly well.

When I am in a slump, I like to come and read your diary to lift me up - always busy, proactive, determined!

ftbwannabe

Thank you, Pidge! That's sweet to remind me about that one card. It felt BRILLIANT, gave me a big grin & showed me I could reverse this cycle (instead of just spending more). Hope you get to clear one soon, too. And you'll be under 10k soon!
I wanted to be honest about how post LBM sucks sometimes, even though we're on the right track. I don't know how on earth I was so comfortable having 16k in debt a month ago (tho tbh I thought it was about 12k) whereas now even half that sounds massive. I love reading the diaries here, too, it really keeps me going.
Onwards...

Made another ebay sale today & took some stuff to the post office. I've listed everything now, there wasn't much as I'm fairly good about clutter, but I had a few brand names that should shift & when I do eventually get a mortgage, it'll be less stuff to carry :-)

All my direct debits & standing orders can be set to snowball CC2 now & if my plan works I'll have cleared it in November. Wow. Just gotta stay focussed (& away from snacks & treats)

pidge04

Oh yes, I do feel exactly the same way. Yes, we are on the right track but still I find it all consuming. I think about my debt all the time. I feel like I am being very frugal so I feel like I should have some money in my purse. Absolutely nothing!
I do not know what I would do without these diaries.
I will feel restless for the rest of the day because I am not doing anything proactive to reduce my debt. I suppose I am not doing anything to add to it though!
Yes, strange to think of a time when we just carried the debt without doing anything to reduce it.
How are you? Feeling focussed?
Take care.

ftbwannabe

You absolutely are doing something, and you've hit the nail on the head - not adding to the debt.
I just had a tiny slip up & bought a chocolate dessert from sainsburys, but I'm happy it was a £1.50 treat that I enjoyed, not a mindless tenner gone without me noticing or caring.
A snuggled up day with books & telly for me today, I've done my budget & got all the groceries I need in the house so I just have to stick to the plan. Hope you manage to settle & enjoy a Sunday, too. If you must do something, how about planning & costing some tasty meals? Heh, my appetite!' always up for thinking about food. Do you have anything nice planned for the next week of school hols?

ftbwannabe

Today I:
-Couldn't resist Sainsburys but wasn't too unhinged with my spending. Spent £2.80, def could have survived without it. But the garlic bread & profiteroles were worth it :-)
-Tried & swiftly deleted YNAB, again. Third time now. I hate it! That was it's last chance. I'll stick to Monzo + excel.
-Arranged a sale through gumtree, so if they turn up tomorrow that'll be £20 for the debt fund
-set a goal for my emergency fund: 1 month's essential outgoings. 1 month's wages felt too high a number, this is what i'd need to cover rent, billls, minimum payments & some savvy cupboard scrabbling. Nice to have a fixed figure to aim for rather than something arbitrary.

pidge04

I really wish I had got an emergency fund together. Perhaps I could try and get a little buffer together of a few hundred for now.
Great news about the £20 sale!
A good start to the new week!

ftbwannabe

Heh, well I don't have one yet, either. Imaginary me in the future has one. I calculated it'll take me 2.5 years to save it if I prioritise card repayments first! :rotfl:

pidge04

Do not fear! I am sure no emergencies will crop up at all in two and a half years! :rotfl:

ftbwannabe

Lucky ol' Future Me, hasn't had an emergency in 2.5 years, is entirely debt free, has found & bought the house of her dreams, I bet she's lost loads of weight too :rotfl:

Stuff Today Me did:
-Had £30 in ebay & gumtree sales, paid that into the debt pot
-Took a load of stuff to the charity shop
-£100 dd to CC. Last dd of the month so I:
-Swapped my credit card direct debits to standing orders so they all come out on pay day & are set up to snowball one card & pay just-above-the-minimum to the rest. Always been scared of standing orders in case my monthly payments change & I don't notice, but since I'm not using the cards, they're all 0% & I'm logging in to my accounts regularly, this shouldn't happen (fingers crossed)
-NSD. Also a no smoking day, haven't lit up since Aug 3rd
-Cleaned kitchen & sorted recycling. That last bit was 100% procrastination because I'm putting something off ;-)

Time for biscuits.