Help me reach JFK!!!

newyorkcitybride

First post of my membership so please forgive any mistakes I make!

I'm a bride to be, marrying the man of my dreams, in March 2008 in New York City!
Couldn't be happier about that choice and every day brings me closer to it :j

Now here's where I'm hoping I'll get some much needed and valuable advice. I've read through quite a few posts and the "sticky" at the top of Page 1, about newbies, first posts etc.

So what else do I need to tell you... right well ym debts are faily manageable. I've been overpaying for a little while, but done some spending too, not over what I'm paying back but that will have to stop!

I work in retail and I take home £1143, with no room for overtime, because it's simply not available.

I have to spend:
Rent £450
This includes all my utilities, and broadband, and council tax.
Mobile Phone £28
Tied into contract but is a very good deal for me and I got it via Quidco.

My variable costs are :
Food : £80- £100 I dont really do one large food shop since the fridge and freezer are shared with my landlady, and I have a habit of buying bits and pieces!
Spends Money : £100 I pay this into a seperate account as my me money so entertainment, haircuts, make up, clothes etc
Emergency Fund : £50 I've only done this for one month into another spare c/account but am open to suggestions about that.

Debts:
At the moment I am paying back
Loan from sister £100, borrowed £4.5k, have paid back £1k so far, 0% interest
Credit Card from Abbey, I've just paid off £300, and it has £1366 outstanding, £3450 of which is at 0% till March 08, the rest is at 19.95%
Credit Card from I.F, paying off £25 a month, has £300 outstanding at 4.95% life of balance deal.
Dorothy Perkins Card has £266 outstanding at 12.9%, paying off minimum payments at the moment, which is £5.

So far thats, in my head, incoming of £1143, and outgoings of £1108...

Any advice gladly received.....tips, suggestions etc.
I'd really like to get at least my credit cards paid off before the wedding which is all paid for (not on my credit cards I add! :rotfl: )

Thank you in advance!

D&DD

Congratulations ooh I'm jealous I'd love to go to the States but would probably end up in more debt than I started off with..that and having to hire a container to get my shopping home with:whistle:
Well done on getting the wedding paid for without using credit that in itself is a great achievement!!

newyorkcitybride

We've actually been really cheap with the wedding. We're eloping!

The actual ceremony and license is only cost something like $70 dollars, and thats us done. To save on the stress, the cost and the inevitable family rows, we've decided not to invite anyone!

So its just getting to NY, accomodation and fun while we're there which is paid for by Husband to be's bonus

nearlyrich

newyorkcitybride wrote: »

We've actually been really cheap with the wedding. We're eloping!

The actual ceremony and license is only cost something like $70 dollars, and thats us done. To save on the stress, the cost and the inevitable family rows, we've decided not to invite anyone!

So its just getting to NY, accomodation and fun while we're there which is paid for by Husband to be's bonus

Can't fault it we did the same except we got on a second plane and went to New Orleans to get married, welcome to MSE and good luck with getting debt free.;)

jo_b_2

Just posting a welcome to the site :wave: and congrats on your wedding! Sounds really exciting! :cool:

One of the best places to start is Martin's article HERE, as it goes step-by-step through all the ways you might be able to save money!

Sorry it's a bit late in the day for me to offer any more advice at the minute.

izzybusy23

newyorkcitybride wrote: »

We've actually been really cheap with the wedding. We're eloping!

The actual ceremony and license is only cost something like $70 dollars, and thats us done. To save on the stress, the cost and the inevitable family rows, we've decided not to invite anyone!

So its just getting to NY, accomodation and fun while we're there which is paid for by Husband to be's bonus

Ahhh another USA bride to be!

I am getting married on 18th December in Tennessee in a little log wedding chapel. That is costing £200 with a cake, dvd and 20 photographs plus unity candle (not sure what that is mind) and the licence is £20 so our wedding is also a bargain basement! My folks live in Kentucky so we are staying with them for christmas etc and rolling the whole wedding/honeymoon/christmas trip into one.

Lucky for us we booked our flights in July, cost £1030 for 3 of us, to book now would cost in excess of £3k so that was our little bit of moneysaving! Plus with the dollar being so weak against the pound we have quite a bit of spends.

What I would suggest is get your dollars now!!! Just buy some as you have the spare cash because they are currently 2.06 to the pound.. this is the weakest I've known the dollar to be for some time.

Good luck and have a ball... I would love to go to NY.. somewhere I just long to go to, to pay my respects to ground zero really. :A

xx

newyorkcitybride

Thankyou all for the welcomes.

I'm really looking forward to learning as much as I can on this site, and putting as much of it into practice as possible.

Have read a few posts mentionning a spend diary, do people find these really useful? How do you all work yours? do you keep receipts, fill it in at the till etc?

angelflower_2

newyorkcitybride wrote: »

Debts:

Credit Card from Abbey, I've just paid off £300, and it has £1366 outstanding, £3450 of which is at 0% till March 08, the rest is at 19.95% eh? Figures seem wrong here?

congratulations!

tealady

Hello and congrats. I would use the snowballer at "whats the cost" (cant think of its full correct title) as if you are only making minimum payments off some debts you will never clear them,
If you have money to throw at your debts make min payments to all except the highest APR one and pay as much as you can off that. When you have cleared that one go to the one with the next highest APR and pay the max you can off that.
Hope this makes sense!

jo_b_2

newyorkcitybride wrote: »

Thankyou all for the welcomes.

I'm really looking forward to learning as much as I can on this site, and putting as much of it into practice as possible.

Have read a few posts mentionning a spend diary, do people find these really useful? How do you all work yours? do you keep receipts, fill it in at the till etc?

Spending diaries are really useful if you get to the end of the week and wonder where all your money has gone! It also acts as a deterrant for buying little luxuries as it makes you think twice before spending!

When I do one, I add up my spends at the end of each day using receipts etc. There is normally a thread posted on this board every day about 'How Much Have You Spent Today' so you can have group therapy at the same time!

newyorkcitybride

angelflower wrote: »

newyorkcitybride wrote: »

Debts:

Credit Card from Abbey, I've just paid off £300, and it has £1366 outstanding, £3450 of which is at 0% till March 08, the rest is at 19.95% eh? Figures seem wrong here?

congratulations!

Sorry typo on my part there, £450 is at 0%