And so it begins ....

cado1

So since the age of 18 when Barclays very kindly gave me my first credit card with a limit of £2k (more than I earned in a month) I have steadily accumulated debt after debt mainly credit cards & loans , always planning to budget and pay them off but instead I just consolidated into another loan and as at today I owe c£17k.

After many attempts I finally signed up with Stepchange and the first payment to them was made last month. I have since had a few notice of defaults from CC's but no phone calls or harassment.

I think the main reasons it took me so long to face to up to it was
1) I am rubbish at expressing myself verbally or other wise I keep it to myself.
2) I was living in Jersey in the Channel Islands, Where most people are pretty well off and those that aren't are just racking up more debt like me
3) I work in banking and any CCJ's etc would have put an end to my career

So I moved back to London 2 years ago with great plans to tackle my debt...... but well there are no excuses really I just didn't. Luckily I started a job with a different bank in May and there attitude to staff is refreshing and they appreciate we all fall on hard times be it through bad luck or bad judgement.

So the first month has been hard and even with the best planning in the world my execution fell far short of what was needed!! But I have made it through and I am starting to enjoy the simpler things in life that don't cost me anything and my stress levels have dropped big time. I have also found as I am walking a hell of a lot more places to save money on transport I am knackered when I get in at night so fall asleep rather than sit pondering about how rubbish I am. I am 40 in 2 years time and hope to be debt free and on the way to becoming a home owner FINALLY !

That's it really I saw the diary thread and thought what a great idea as there is nowhere else I can write down or talk about my situation, but being on here makes me realise I am far from alone!

Have a great weekend everyone xx:j

cado1

So nearly made it through another month to payday!! :j

Things that have helped me this month

1) Taking lunch to work - massive savings and healthier
2) Vaping more and smoking less - again savings and smoking less & less
3) Getting a Monzo bank account - this has been brilliant - can keep an eye on what I am spending each day which has been a real eye opener - transactions going through straight away so I'm always on top of everything and don't worry about the dreaded "pending transactions" hitting my account I know exactly where I am and I have managed to put away £100 into an emergency fund it's not much but my aim is to get to £1,000

doingitanyway

Well done on your achievements this month.
I have just completed my emergency £1,000 and feel better for it. Less anxious.
I agree with food/drinks on the go, a massive drain and nothing to show and as you say your own food will be nicer and healthier

Keep going