BigEars' debt diary - please help v silly person become more sensible

chevalier

Can you get another job to boost your earnings? Or do mystery shopping, click through/survey sites?
chev

BigEars_2

Hi Chev
Thanks for dropping in. I'm doing mystery shopping (and the £10 a day challenge) but I work full time (leave the house before 8 and get in after 8) so there's no part time jobs I can do really.
I keep meaning to get some cards in newsagent windows for English tutoring but again it's finding the time. I know, it's no excuse! :rolleyes:
I would quite like to get a Saturday job in the run up to Christmas but I have family obligations in the North some weekends and I've never found anywhere that flexible.
Also I've been ebaying all my stuff but no one wants it!
However, I am going to ring up my old promo agencies and see what casual work they have on - you've inspired me thanks
BE x

Valentine_x

Hi BigEars,

Your situation sounds fairly similar to mine was a year and a half ago - except now I have a baby, want more babies and have no desire to go out and earn any money - if I was to give you any advice, it would be to please get yourself sorted out, then think about babies and marriage (if thats on the cards for you) - I don't regret the situation I am in for a SECOND, but I so wish I was in a better position financially as I often feel like an irresponsible parent now - anyway - enough about me!

Anyway - I don't post much, but your diary struck a chord with me as we are similar ages and I was hoping I could offer some support.

In terms of your mystery shopping - I have always found it really useful to keep a eBay/Amazon/Quidco Bingo sites etc float - which is what you could really use here. To do this, you really need to open an account you can easily access and transfer money too - would you consider putting £100/£200 (what you think you'll need - I put in £50) in this account from your first £10 a day earnings and using this to pay for mystery shopping expenses/eBay postage/any other expenses occured when trying to make money etc - then when you get paid by mystery shopping sites/Paypal etc, you top up this balance first, then pay off some debt. Then that means your 'salary' is not being touched - particularly if you you use your £10 a day money to start with. This really works for me.

The other thing which jumped out for me, was your spending on presents. I know, I know - I am terrible for this too - I will go without, so I can buy someone a present when they couldn't tell you for the life of them when my birthday is! I have at least 2 or 3 birthdays a month I buy for. Cards, presents etc, it all adds up. You need to cut this spending down (as do I). What about using tokens for cooking a meal for your mum (or whoever), cleaning their house (good present for when someone has had a baby!) or utilising some of the ideas on the Christmas presents board for cheaper gifts - you can be really inventive with £5. It is so hard, I know. OH and I said months ago that we are not buying Christmas presents for anyone this year, told our families then, and now everyone is saying - oh, we'll just get you something small - I'm like NO - arrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh! My December budget is not pretty, so we just don't have the cash to even buy small gifts for anyone.

I think you are actually in a good situation - your debts might seem scary, but they are actually not bad (that's not to say you shouldn't repay them :rotfl: ). I roughly worked out that if you payed £400 a month (you already pay £300+ and have £300 to spare), cutting back in some other areas and continuing with the £10 a month challenge into December and next year to be able to afford this - then you could be debt free by February 2009 and to be able to afford a lovely holiday in maybe summer 2009 - how does that sound? If you are feeling ambitious, you could even set yourself a deadline of 31 December 2008 to get everything payed off?

Congratualations on giving up smoking - that's fantastic!

Anyway, I've rambled on for ages and the baby has just woken up so gotta go - let me know what you think.

Good luck hun

Valentine X

BigEars_2

Hi Valentine
Lovely to hear from you (I think I saw you on the tenner challenge too?) Anyway yes that’s part of my motivation to get sorted, as marriage/babies are on the cards in the next 5 years which sounds like a nice long time but oh how time flies when you’ve got to get something done!:p
So congrats on your baby, and thanks for coming to offer support :A
I think your float idea sounds good – I was telling Squirrel that I have set up a ‘spending’ account for day to day but maybe I could set up another for mystery shopping, this sounds like it would make life SO much easier! :beer:
You’re spot on with the pressie thing too – I’m defo not buying for OH’s family this year as they just aren’t that into gift giving yet I feel cos I have started it would look mean to stop. But I think they might not even notice if I don’t draw attention to it! :rolleyes:
My oldest friends are cool with not doing gifts and we’ve agreed to have a night out instead (we would prob do this over Christmas anyway so that’s fine by me) but I am living in dread of the ‘oh, we'll just get you something small’ as well!
At least with a baby you have an excuse!
I looked at the Christmas board but it’s all hampers and stuff. I love the idea of being creative though and stretching my cash as far as it will go – I made a start by signing up for quidco and doing price comparisons and stuff – I think the trick is to be more organised and think about it in advance (rather than my usual – :eek: oh s**t it’s X’s birthday better run out and get a card and a pressie in my lunch hour aka spend a tenner on a book they will prob never read!!)
I know my debts aren’t ‘that’ bad (they were terrible, I’m coming to the end of the line and somehow my motivation seems to drop even though my goal is in sight now – sigh.:rolleyes: ) but you’re right, I DO need to focus on paying them off. Ideally I’d like to find the goblin who is stealing my £300 spare and throw it all at the debt! :eek:
I’d defo like to keep up the tenner challenge in December – do you think you’ll be having a go too?
I LOVE the sound of a holiday, do you promise me I’ll get one if I’m a good girl all this year?;)
Anyway now I think I have rambled on even longer, he he, but thanks again for coming along, I really appreciate all the advice you get on here and I’m going to set up my MS account today.
Let me know how you’re getting on too

Squirrel and Chev, how are you today? :wave:


I have been quite good, spent £3 on swimming last night and that’s it. Actually that’s a lie – just remembered – Curly Wurly on way home = 50p. Gah, drat those sugar cravings.

BE x

HBFS

Hello and welcome!! I have nothing to add because my small pool of suggestions have already been covered by the rest of these fine people!

I can only add my support and say "Good luck, we're with you all the way!"

BigEars_2

Hi HBFS - thanks and it's nice to see you

BigEars_2

Good morning
Done a bit more mystery shopping but was v naughty and bought jelly babies to share at work today
Will update some totals later
BE x

BigEars_2

Boo hoo, no-one has the magic key to fix my finances!

Well, I’m going to keep posting anyway and hopefully it’ll do some good.:p

I’ve decided to take on the problem of my debts proactively instead of seeing it as a long boring slog to the DFD set by the bank. I was just trying to get by until the loans come to their natural end but have now decided to try and pay off the 12.9 per cent one asap by throwing as much cash at it as I can. :eek:

There’s a challenge on here to do it by April and I’ve signed up but I’m not putting myself under too much pressure – even if I don’t pay it off by then, to just reduce it significantly would do me.:D

So, onwards and upwards – have only paid full price for 2 out of the 5 Christmas pressies I’ve bought so far :T

BE x

floss2

Hi BigEars,

Have you got many more pressies to buy for the festive season? Did you decide what to give your OH? My DF's birthday is on 14/12....so he's getting a smallish pressie of some cufflinks, lunch out in Manchester & then a few smallish pressies for Chrimbo - t-shirt for a gig he went to earlier this year, unusual beer, book, etc.

BigEars_2

Hi Floss
Thanks for dropping by!:hello:
Sounds like a lovely pressie for your OH :xmassmile
We are being very boring this year and getting each other 1 sensible thing that we need, plus we have to get 1 silly surprise for under a tenner which isn’t too bad.
Your poor OH having his birthday so close to Christmas though – nothing to look forward to the rest of the year!:(
I only have 4 presents left to get, three for my closest girly friends so hopefully will be able to do something thoughtful rather than massively expensive. :think:
I used to love Christmas, choosing the perfect gifts for people and spending ages wrapping them up, but this year it seems more of a chore and I feel resentful that I have to buy things I can guarantee will be reduced massively before the New Year sales. Bah humbug!! :snow_laug
By the way I am V impressed with your signature – how on earth did you kill all that debt so quickly?
BE x