Winds of change

savingholmes

Hope things settle down work wise soon. Good that you are tackling the debt together.

WildflowerWind

So i'm back, with more debt... Things were going well - DH and i were paying off one CC and I had reduced my other CC down to about £750. But i've been very spendy recently and everything has snowballed! 

I contemplated starting a new diary, but i've decided to come back to to this one after reading through and reflecting on the past couple of years. I'd like to get back on track (I need to!) and i think seeing the ebb and flow of debt busting will remind me that i can do this.

I need to check expiry dates on 0% deals etc so will update properly then, but roughly we're at:

CC 1 - £2233 - My old card
CC 2 - £4000 - need to check exact figure, this one DH and I pay off together
CC 3 - £1376 
CC 4 - £440 - Expenses for DH's upcoming work trip abroad, will be recovered from his employer

I need curb spending and focus, once again, on paying off the cards. 

WildflowerWind

I'm not going to list everything that has contributed to the debt, but i have had a look back through account and CC statements today - just to figure it out. On several occasions i had budgeted or been given money for something - that ended up costing far more. I also overspent on things i did need, such as new work clothes when mine had worn out, or items for DD i could have found cheaper. 

Things should be a bit easier in around a years time - CC2 will be paid off in 13 months (together we pay £300 a month) and we'll be eligible for some funded hours childcare for DD (Possibly April, we may be able to apply in January). 

It all feels a bit hard at the moment, DH has been quite stressed at work and i know he worries about money. Its awful this time of year, feeling like we can't afford to get gifts for friends and family. I remind myself that we're doing ok really and we can get to where we want to be.

Yesterday i made some xmas gifts for family, i like to cook and make preserves etc. We will be going to MIL for a few nights over xmas and my parents for new years - i think we really need a nice break and some good family time! 

CreditCardJunkie

Welcome back! It took me a few attempts to finally kick the debt for good. What worked for me was logging every single transaction in a spreadsheet for a few months, this allowed me to see where it was all going wrong. For me it was lots of little things - £10 here and there, buying lunches at work (most days), generally lots of little things that weren't budgeted for that added up to quite a lot at the end of the month.

I then went on SMP and had to live by a very strict budget. We allocated a very small amount of "fun money" each month and stuck to it. Anything I wanted above this was from money earned on Prolific or marketforce mystery shopping.

Christmas is such a stressful time of year, we save £25 each per month from Jan to cover the costs and it really takes the stress away. It also means the money is there if you find bargains throughout the year so I tend to spend less that way too.

Use the break as a reset!