Working Hard Debt Diary - Here goes

WorkingHardDFW

Just moving your DFD forward a couple of months will be a fab achievement. Its something to know that your DFD will be in 2009 instead of 2010 even if its only moved a couple of paydays forward.

You've already achieved a massive amount of Debt clearance already - such an achievement.

WorkingHardDFW

Ok I year in and still £31k of debt to our names so still plenty of work left to do to get DF.

So the aims:
To clear by the end of the year the MBNA card - Balance £2262
To clear by the end of March one other credit card - I was going to say it doesn't matter which one but of course it does. Assuming that I BT the IF Balance (£8627 @ 16.9%:eek: ) to the MBNA card at 2.9%. Then the target card will be the Halifax one at 7.6% - Balance £4749.

I do like to have a plan

My capacity for extra earning like I've been doing recently will be reduced since I will be working more from January all the time. Therefore any extra income will have to come from ebay/mystery shopping and matched betting when/if I get up the courage to give it a go.

I would like to get to May 09 with only a couple of CC's left and the loan....

Apologies if I bore people but this blog really helps me focus on what needs to be done and keeps me going when it all gets too much.

Thanks for the continued support of you all :T

lucielle

You keep planning away........I do like a good plan.
L

firesidemaid

you're doing so well and you're so focused, which is why i always pop into your thread - it's very inspiring.

i don't know about you, but i now can't remember life before mse and everything that i've learnt and continue to learn.

i too need some focus as i am about to have a mammoth listing week of some of my childhood toys - i have spent a bit of time cleaning and preparing the items and have done a little research to see how best to sell it all;). once i'm in the 'zone' i'm ok, it's just the getting down to it:rolleyes:.

WorkingHardDFW

Thanks Lucille and Firesidemaid - your comments are always appreciated and helpful. I wouldn't say that I am inspiring or focused but I guess thats about how I feel not about how I appear to others - :rotfl: a bit like having loads of debt

I know what you mean about listing. I love seeing the things I've listed selling but at times it can take me days (i'm being generous there!) to get them listed in the first place.....

Just checked my ebay and 3 of my items have bids on :T and I've picked up a mystery shop for next week....lovely:D

WorkingHardDFW

Ok it feels like ages since I've posted on here. Its not been that long but its felt like ages.

Things are ticking over on the Debt front.

I've paid off the Cahoot loan and transferred the balance to one of the CC's on a much lower rate - even allowing for the BT fee. So one step down which is great.

For the last week or so of last month our spending seemed to be a little and I do mean little out of control. Mainly due to budgets being stretched quite a lot. Using my spending diary I ID'd that food and petrol were the main culprits and therefore I've had to adjust the budgets accordingly. I've been in denial about it but with the food budget particularly we were constantly struggling with it and lets face it we need to feed the family. So this has been increased to £350 pm (prev £300) and the petrol to £340 (prev £300). I've also had to allow £40 pm for the kids school trips. This all said we're left with £665 to throw at the target debt pm. This is all curtesy of the spending diary which is showing us exactly where the money is going - 11 months on and its still working.

Nothing much to add to that apart from I'm still listing on ebay and selling bits and pieces - which is all good.

firesidemaid

evening!

i'm sitting here flipping between mse and ebay watching my listings - it's stuff i knew would make a decent bit of money, but just had to get round to listing it. it'll all go off the mortgage......

waiting to see if i've won anything on the PBs (i know i haven't won a big prize, checked the main list:rolleyes:), waiting for quidco payout and my monthly stoozepot interest too.....all going to.....

i bet you can't wait till you're sub 30k and your sig reads 29....., likewise should be under 90k on the mortgage around xmas-time.

back to ebay......x

WorkingHardDFW

Thanks firesidemaid I certainly am looking forward to being sub £30k - time for a little celebration. By my calculations it should be next month (just) if my extra money comes through.

I've got nothing selling on ebay at present so I am planning to get that changed tonight and get a few more bits listed. I get fed up at times with listing, wrapping up etc but it does all help clearing the debt.

i've got a mystery shop today and another on saturday which will be a few more £'s into the debt fund.

I''ve worked/working 3 extra days this month which is all extra funds for the debt pot.

After Christmas when the MBNA card is clear again I'm going to need to shift the debt around to reduce interest payments. Our IF card is at 16.9% (mad pre DFW BT!?!) so the plan is too shift some if not all the whateven deal MBNA have at the time. We're paying nearly £100 in interest on this pm which is horrid therefore if I can get this down to perhaps half the rate that £50 a month extra off the debt....

When this little shift is done is really down to making the monthly payments off the debts and keeping within budget on the spending. Should be easy....

I need to get my head in gear about Christmas since the budget is tight and therefore all pressies will need to be carefully thought through. I do like a challenege.

I wrote a load of cheques out on Sunday night including £100 to my DD school for school trips payments. From next month I've budgeted £40 pm for these so therefore I need to find the extra £100 this month. I've £50 sitting in my paypal account and some monies due from Quidco etc so hopefully most of its covered. I must get listing on ebay...............TONIGHT

hypno06

extra shifts & mystery shopping - grab 'em while you can!

Things still seem to be moving in the right direction, don't they - I am almost in the 30's and you are almost in the 20's - we are definitely getting there!!

:T :T :T

lucielle

The debt that used to be like an iceberg has shrunk to an ice cube!!!! Just wish I was £1 behind you!!! I know how you feel regarding the school trips, just managed to pay the final installment for DD1 to go skiing when DS2 comes home with a letter for a trip next year for £280.00 thank you very much. Have written a few cheques and watching the bank like a hawk because some money jiggling is going to be needed.
L