Doing it for myself....

Dreambig_2

Hello,
Total newbie here... well newbie to subscribe before I joined I had been reading everyones fantastic diaries and thought id do my own for a few reasons.
Firstly I am in debt, been one of those people who liked to enjoy life by winging it sort off..... what I mean is being a minimum type of payment girl, not budgeting and by living over my means with no thought to the future.
I have a number of silly small debts :mad:... and stupidly get by paying minimums instalments....I could kick myself for not having my "lightbulb" moment sooner... I could have cleared these debts over by now... but just let them roll on as they didn't really impact my lift at the time.
Now however is a different story.. Over the past 3 years my circumstances and life turned on its head leaving me stretched and all these smallish payments added up leaving me living paycheck to paycheck.
I am up to date with my instalments not in arrears with any but paying 10 pound her and 20 there is getting so annoyed with myself up to my biggest which is 146 a month for a personal loan. I so admire you all for tackling debt head on I just wonder why I let it go on for me but hey ho whats done is done... I will get myself out of this and since January I have made some progress. Today I paid my last payment of 100 to a small £335 outstanding amount... go me.....:j:j. This was a small triumph but I honestly felt fantastic. 1 less thing scored off the list.
I have now made a budget... weekly as I get paid weekly at the moment and aim to keep to this, I want to build up and emergency budget so if the washing machine etc goes on the blink I wont need to take out finance as would normally have done. I have accounted now for every penny from my wages to cover and overpay to get rid of these one at a time to snowball these with smallest balance first.... I know I should tackle Apr first but going to stick to the balances for now to get rid of the fiddly ones.:mad::mad: and take it from there.....I am started to be really motivated and going to list my debts below and heres hoping I'm projecting at the moment to be totally debt free within the next 3 years whoop whoop if not sooner so Id love you all to join in my journey to me say focused and movitated

L/M.....£335........Cleared Today
NPower - start £362 Jan.........today £68 will be clear on the 15th
SAS- £360........20 p/m
Vodafone - £265........33.14 p/m (DD phone broke still paying contract til Oct no insurance)
Over Draft---£560 .......10 p/m
Very........£1168........20p/m
Next ----£2200..........120 p/m
Hitachi---£8140........146 p/m
Shawbrook --- £approx. 6000..... 119 p/m

The NPower will be cleared on the 15th then my aim to pay £300 to Very at the beginning of April as my interest free period ends.
So all going to plan 3 years or before they should all be wiped off:T:T:T:T

Dreambig_2

Today feeling positive. Found 5.80 in my quidco that I have now transferred over to my account and will transfer to very once it is in my account.

Contacted Vodafone they owe me £14.86 as I gave 30 day notice at the end of my contract in January. Its funny how quickly they are to take money and if I never contacted them would they have just kept the money.. The advisor told me because the direct debit was cancelled they have no way to returning it.......mmmmm maybe should have sent me a letter... anyway £14.86 up and £ 2 from Shopium. That makes approx £23 that I hadnt bargained for to be transferred over once it hits my account. Its funny now I'm actually looking forward to making these payments, this time last year I would never have dreamed of making a £2 transfer, but moneys money. The quicker its out my account the better, less temptation to spend it.

Anyway got a job interview today will see how that goes. Car needs a service , mot 2 new tyres and a rear window wiper....ouch. I knew it was coming so have £300 put aside I'm praying through its not as much, got a family member who runs the garage so I know the price he gives will be the actual price.

Got some dresses on ebay and depop, not one watcher , makes me think my fashion sense needs an overhaul as well as my finances but will let it run and see what happens.

Itching to pay off this silly N Power, it stands at £68 and will pay it off on the 15th, it was for a final bill they never sent out from 2017. The total was 362 and after frequent calls etc they apologised and let me make a payment arrangement for £50 per month from January. I paid they majority just the £68 left so it will be whoop whoop adios N Power on the 15th then going to battle the Very as I had some things on 6 month interest free which ends in April ....breath breath

After my interview need to pop into Morrisons for some bagettes, only putting 1.50 in my purse so I wont be swayed into purchasing anything else.

I love Morrissons I collect those stamps at the checkout and stick them into the Christmas saver book for far £33 for Christmas and £5.00 in the promotions "get 3000 extra points till ticket things" will redeem the £5s at crimbo time, Had nearly £150 in stamps plus 2 x £5 last year so it nearly paid for my crimbo shop which helped a lot.

Anyway best get some tiding up done and get ready for my interview.....Fingers Crossed

EsmeWeatherwax

Congratulations on the diary!

Dreambig_2

Spend yesterday licking my wounds, never got the job in fact I'm hardly surprised was a gibbering wreck by the time I got there, I never seem to come across very well in interviews, must work on my nerves I would have actually questioned the sanity of the employers if they did employ me I was that awful. Having the right qualifications and experience goes for Nadda If you cant string two words together in a sentence, oh well onwards and upwards I suppose must make a mental note to buy some rescue remedy incase I get another interview elsewhere.
So the 15th cannot come soon enough to clear the dregs of the N Power, transferred over £7 from saving account so down to £57 outstanding whoop whoop, must have miscalculated by roughly a fiver so less than I though )). Car goes in for service and Mot tomorrow so will see how it gets on bought 3 new tyres and a window wiper as well thought only needed 2 tyres but 3 was needed. Still no luck on my dresses from ebay or depop, really surprised as one is from Debenhams I paid over £70 for (granted a few years ago and never wore due my increasing waist line and bust will not allow the zipper to get anyway near closing (blaming my thyroid for this) starting bid £5 plus £4 packaging absolute bargain if you ask me but will let it run again maybe it will tickle someones fancy and make a wee bid on it.

Dreambig_2

Car sailed through Mot and Service so for tyres windscreen wiper service and Mot came in at just under £300 budget with a couple of Pound to spare which I bought my DD a new school Skirt with as she has taken a growth spurt in the last few weeks and her old skirt this morning was at an eyewatering thigh lengh.... I actually nearly never let her out the door just aswell as got a test today, but her new one is more convent style so I'm sure there will be a battle tonight when she sees it ha. Anyway pay day tomorrow. Not much except utilities to be paid then I can get rid Npower on the 15th, Might squeeze a few more pound out of tomorrows wage to pay something.

I have now unsubscribed to a lot of emails of where I used to shop to stop the temptation...Can only help if I don't see the sale or discount emails I wont be tempted to open for a look, which would result in a purchase ....so as they say every little helps

Dreambig_2

What I wanted to achieve in March so Still got some time left:

1) L/M.....£335........Cleared Today - to be 0 - achieved
2) NPower - start £362 Jan.........today £68 will be clear on the 15th - to be 0
3) SAS- £360........20 p/m .......to be £340
4) Vodafone - £265........33.14 p/m (DD phone broke still paying contract til Oct no insurance)...on target
5) Over Draft---£560 .......10 p/m On target
6) Very........£1168........20p/m...........on target
7) Next ----£2200..........120 p/m.........on target
8) Hitachi---£8140........146 p/m..........on target
9) Shawbrook --- £approx. 6000..... 119 p/m.........on target

Will update end of March.... Got a couple of Hundred pound due in the next couple of weeks don't have exact figure and will start hitting Very and Next Just want these gone,

Dreambig_2

Just checked my credit score on here. Its 999, I'm delighted however the affordability bit was v weak which is the lowest until some of the credit drops off. Overall chuffed with that.

pidge04

Great stuff!

How good does it feel to see one debt paid off?

Which one is next?

It sounds like you are changing your spending habits and all those small changes will amount to a lot.

Brilliant! Well done and good luck smashing through this!

Dreambig_2

Thank you Pidge04 and Esmewetherwax your kind words are so encouraging....I can do this. I can do this.
The Credit Score has given me a wee boost just want to keep it at a high level. Got paid today really tight budget this week paying utilities and its DS birthday on Monday so we will be celebrating this weekend. Ive allocated £50 for him, it may sound miserable but ......ive managed to score some things for him at a good wee price. Hes on the spectrum where is focus is on one thng only so his particular taste is so one dimentional. Hes been desperate for the Thomas the tank Ashima train on trackmaster so managed to get plus a glow track for £20, I cant believe it its second hand but still in the box and mint condition - if new could have to have paid £40 plus, so its a steal. Got enough put away from my budget then for a cake £3.00 (already seen the one he wants albeit its not a birthday cake but a small chocolate cake (his choice) Morri55ons, some balloons 2 for £5 helium ones (a3da) and Inflatables at the local swimming and a mccds for him afterwards. So the £50 is stretching further than I thought. Last year, I wouldn't have budgeted and paid for his birthday pressies through very and blew my wage with no thought to the rest of the week. So I'm giving myself a pat on the back and proud of myself for not adding to my debt pile.

Once if paid the N Power my focus is on very. Being very optimistic but I aim to clear this with 3-4 months. I hope to pay approx 250 - 300 per month and any other little I can squeeze out so aiming by October to have Next, Very and the Vodafone will drop off in Oct as well, big deep breath. I am due a couple of hundred pound from my mum but tbh I cant really count on that til I see it so wont include it but it would be lovely to add to clear the pile faster.

Been off on annual leave this week cant believe its Friday already and paid a wee sneaky £3 to N Power so brings it down to £54 woohoo, time for the school run best get dressed.




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in_need_of_direction

You sound very determined and are making great inroads already. Well done

EsmeWeatherwax

:)Birthdays are always tricky, well done for giving DS a special day without going over budget!