Debt free by 40

jokono

Hey @GinoOhGinoGinelli , thanks, the ankle is much better after doing the recommended strenghtening exercises, thanks! 

I am definitely spending less on food, but I get quite a bit of veg from Ol!o as well, soemtimes fruit and there's always a lot of bread. I aslo subscribe to a local community larder where I can get 14 items for £3.50 weekly and there's good options of fruit veg and some store cupboard basics. I cook a lot more and I have to get creative sometimes, depending on what's in the fridge and needs using. I used to hate cooking, I still think it's taking too much of my time, but I don't dislike it so much anymore.

@[Deleted User] I like that there's no seller fees. The buyer pays shipping and an 'insurance' fee but the seller gets the full amount they sell the item for. There are people who try to get stuff for as little as possible, I normally start an item with a higher price and then after a few days I offer lower prices to people who have saved my items as favourite.

jokono

3 more days until payday. I don't have anythign coming in before that but I might have a tenner or so left on Thursday night, I will pay it on the loan.  

Actually, I have ~£12 in prolific, but less than £5 is payable, so can't use any of it. I also had 2 ylive surveys today, haven't had one in ages. I am now on 44 points, need 6 more to get £50, it might be a while until I get more surveys but it's nice I'm so close to it.

I havent run this week yet, I spent my mornings at the allotment. There's not a lot we can do this time of year, I want to plant some fruit bushes but I need to tidy the bed I'm planning to use for them.

jokono

I forgot I won £4.90 from lotto land, it landed in my account this morning and I sent it to the loan. I don't normally buy lottery tickets but this one was offering 50 free spins when buying 1 ticket. So I spent about £2.50, the free spins made me some small change and I got a winning ticket! Not much, but still

I tried to register to the barclays app, apparently I can get the mortgage switch offers 180 days before the fix ends in the app, but only 90 days before in online banking. The registration didn't work but while looking at the app I decided to open a current blue rewards account, the 5% rainy day saver look good and I will soon have money to throw at it. When I say soon I mean 4-5 months. 😆 Anyway, they couldn't verify my details so I couldn't open the account in the app, I have to go in a branch. They suggested calling to make an appt, I will just go in my local branch and see if they can help, otherwise I can book an appt when I'm there.

I might pop in a few charity shops to get a large salad bowl, the new ones in supermarkets/wilko are £7 or more. Not willing to pay that, I'd rather have my salad in two bowls. 🤣 

jokono

I went to the bank but the advisors were busy, the first available appointment was mid November! 😲 I'll go back one morning just as they open.

I didn't go into any charity shops but I was parked at Sainz so went in and bought some crisps 😬

Revolut is offering £12 worth of crypto, exchanged to £11.50 cash after fees and sent to the loan. 💲

jokono

Payday tomorrow!

I cashed out from prolific and sweeped all my current accounts (I have 3) and made another loan payment, total left now £4,477.
5 more payments!!! ♥ One of them is tomorrow, last one should be when I get paid at the end of Feb.

This month I have managed to pay £1,411 of debt, more than usual. I've been very frugal, eating as much as possible from olio and community larder. Also spent almost £100 for the allotment - some timber and compost. I will need more of both and then some seeds, but not until the new year.

I will focus now on getting 50% of the debt I started the year with paid. I need to find £540 more in addition to budgeted payments in the next 2 months. December has less days as I get paid earlier and I like to do my numbers the day before payday, but I am confident I can do it. 

Tomorrw I'm doing a mystery shop with 4mber 4rch, I've signed up after seeing it mentioned in another diary here. Looks quite intense but the pay is good.

I signed in an old paypal acount this mornign and they gave me £5, to come in the next 10 days. Not sure what the deal is, maybe because I don't use it very often, I didnt get the same offer on my other account.

jokono

Blippin Barlcays offered me only a basic account as I didn't pass their credit check for a standard current account. I didn't ask for an overdraft or anything, I only wanted that 5% saving account which you can't get with the basic. 😠

I know the credit score doesn't mean much, mine are good or very good, and I never missed a payment or ever been late. So frustrating!

At least now I can log into the app and check my mortgage.

jokono

In money news, my Debt Payoff Planner app says I paid £24,000.95 since May last year, 60.8% total prgress. It might be a bit confused with the BT I've done since but I think it's very close to reality.

Imagine saving that money 🤯

Someone at work just announced they're leaving, I'm very annoyed it's them and not me.

I have two interviews next week, one in my industry, one in a very different one with a potentially substantial pay cut. I'm trying not to get too exicted, not difficult on a half term Friday. 

GinoOhGinoGinelli

Hi @jokono,

Hope the job interviews went well? Or if they haven't happened yet - wishing you lots of good luck! 

That's really annoying about the basic Barclays account, but your paid-off debt totals are super impressive!

jokono

Thank you @GinoOhGinoGinelli ! One happened and I got some good feedback but it was a no, the other one is tomorrow. 🤞

Barclays can sod off, I am switching the account and hopefully get a reward.

jokono

I was looking at my numbers and I need £400 more before the end of the year to get to the 50% target. I signed up to the 'make £10 extra a day' challenge and that would be £300 this month only. I never added up my small extra payments every month but I think they are around there. Although my over payments also come from what's left over in the weekly budget and other savings as well, not only extra money.

Now that this end of year goal is close to being met, I am setting up a new one. If I were to make only the regular payments to the loan, the last payment would be on May 1st. I normally pay somethign extra on the 1st along with the regular pay, for a total of £900-1k every month. I have £3,456 left to pay at the moment - I just noticed the numbers are consecutive 🤩 - which means I would have 4 payments left, last one being on March 1st. My new goal is to make enough overpayments over the next (almost) 4 months so that there is nothing left to pay on March 1st. There might be a little amount to pay as a fee for early repayment, but I don't expect it to be much and I will try and cover it with survey/ mystery shopping money. 

This means that my salary at the end of February will not include any loan payments! 🥳 I should get a bonus in that pay as well, I might just send it all to PB, or maybe a good savings account. Lots of time to decide 😆