Sparkling New Day 17 September 2019 at 6:27PM edited 25 November 2019 at 11:41AM in Debt free diaries 18 replies 1K views

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ceb1995

Atypi_Gal wrote: »

Hi all :hello: I've lurked for a while and wasn't sure about whether I wanted to post. But, well, the not-great not-boyfriend finally broke things off with me tonight, and even though I shouldn't have been in any way surprised, it is still kinda devastating

Anyway, I am not someone who's easily defeated, so clearly I need something to focus on so that I don't go nuts. I vaguely had it in mind to eventually buy a flat, but I guess I need to address the elephant in the room first, and that's my debt.

I owe
£6,000 to my parents
£2,000 on a personal loan
£500 to the DWP from a Universal Credit advance when I was out of work

and I essentially live hand-to-mouth as I don't have an emergency fund :eek:

My parents haven't really asked for it to be repaid and my mum even suggested it might end up being a gift, but I kind of feel as if it should be repaid. In any case, the personal loan is the top of my to-do list. The UC loan is interest free and on a £20/month arrangement.

I have a static caravan I'm trying to sell, which is well-priced but very difficult to shift. That should clear out the debts, but in the meantime I chip away at them and if it takes a long time then I guess it will start my flat deposit fund.

Thank you for reading!

sorry to hear about your relationship breakdown. would you be comfortable sharing what some of your expenses are then people could suggest where you might have some wiggle room?

System

Thank you, ceb1995. I live very frugally and am fortunate that I barely even need to buy groceries (work feeds me five days a week and sometimes sends me home with food). I live in this town's cheapest flat, I drive a Little Tykes car. I don't go out, because I don't really have friends here.

Mostly I catch up with friends and entertainment on my laptop. A friend lets me use their Netflix and I don't own a tv.

So realistically I'm spending about 50/month on groceries, 40/month on fuel, 60/month on the loan, 65/month on power and water, 25/month on my internet and phone. Everything else goes onto a credit card, which I repay in full 90% of the time. Really, it was 6 months of underemployment that got me down to the no-emergency-fund situation. I do have quite high credit availability, if something bad happened, but that's obviously not ideal.

I'm reasonably sure I can't get my spending down much lower, I suppose I was just hoping to get to know some others who live very cheaply and can empathise

ceb1995

Atypi_Gal wrote: »

Thank you, ceb1995. I live very frugally and am fortunate that I barely even need to buy groceries (work feeds me five days a week and sometimes sends me home with food). I live in this town's cheapest flat, I drive a Little Tykes car. I don't go out, because I don't really have friends here.

Mostly I catch up with friends and entertainment on my laptop. A friend lets me use their Netflix and I don't own a tv.

So realistically I'm spending about 50/month on groceries, 40/month on fuel, 60/month on the loan, 65/month on power and water, 25/month on my internet and phone. Everything else goes onto a credit card, which I repay in full 90% of the time. Really, it was 6 months of underemployment that got me down to the no-emergency-fund situation. I do have quite high credit availability, if something bad happened, but that's obviously not ideal.

I'm reasonably sure I can't get my spending down much lower, I suppose I was just hoping to get to know some others who live very cheaply and can empathise

seems like you're doing everything right on the expenses side, just got to keep yourself motivated and you'll get there.

BabySteps234

Hope life picks up for you again soon. Keep posting- lots of people on here to help support you.

System

Thanks all

I have felt absolutely pathetic and miserable for the past few days, but this shall pass. Today was at least better than yesterday, and that has to count for something!

I have found a buyer for my caravan and will be exchanging on Monday, which is fantastic. It means I could theoretically wipe out my personal loan and repay my parents. But because I don't have an emergency fund, I've decided instead to transfer my 20% interest personal loan :eek: onto a 0% credit card . I called the loan people and the amount owing is only £1200 if I close the account this month. That amount is easily repayable on my CC. I will put the money from the caravan into my savings account as my emergency fund.

Then I suppose it's time to look at other goals. I would like to visit my parents around Easter (they live in Australia). And at some point after that, save a deposit for a flat.

Baby steps! :j

Buffythedebtslayer

Hey Atpi- girl XXX

I found your diary! Brilliant news to have sold the caravan! and v sensible to have emergency fund. All progress XX

This is all looking very good, I know other stuff doesn't feel good but it will do soon. Financial security is important.

Big hugs XXX

beanielou

Baby steps are always good.
Happy shiny new diary
Keep plodding!

System

Good evening everybody I hope today has been kind to you.

I am managing to get slightly better sleep and feel far less down in the dumps, so that's a definite plus. It's really not the romance part I miss, it's kind of like I lost a friend? Anyway. I went to bingo this evening with a work colleague - this is only the second social thing I have done since new year! Really tells you something doesn't it... anyway, I spent too much, but I really and truly do need to start being less of a hermit, so I will excuse myself just this once.

Work sent me home with three portions of chili con carne, eight bread rolls (all into my freezer) and an enormous carvery lunch (half went into my fridge for tomorrow). I am off tomorrow morning to finally sign the caravan over to its new owner. Wednesday is payday when I can finally do the maths on which amounts I move where.

Hope you all had a lovely Sunday xx

System

Hello lovely people

I paid out the personal loan with a 0% card. It saved me more than £400 in interest!

I also sold my caravan (happydance). In about ten days I will have the money in my account and then I can decide what my next step is. So I suppose right now I owe

£6,000 to my parents
£1,200 on 0%
£500 to the DWP

with £8k coming to me shortly.

Fingers crossed you see rainbows and butterflies tomorrow if we have to keep having this abysmal weather!

Purplesocks

Thanks for your kind words on my diary.

Moving the loan to a 0% card and keeping the cash as an emergency fund is a fab idea :T:T
Having family so far away must really make an emergency fund a necessity, so one less thing to worry about, hopefully this will help you sleep better. Have you thought of putting it into an interest paying account? Ikeep our house repair money in N/wide and T*B.

Reading through different diaries, struggling to sleep seems to be a thing lots of us suffer from, hopefully have a diary as an outlet and a plan in place will go along way to help us all sleep better.