The Mental Debt Struggle...

Sun_Addict

Oh that is just dire about the bloke stealing your son’s DS 😡 There’s no excuse it’s just not on 🤬

Cherryfudge

Well done for getting to 9K! That's a real milestone behind you!

The spreadsheet sounds intriguing, I'm looking forward to being at a level where I can 'play' with things like that!

beanielou

Great news on £9k.

PennysIntoPounds

That man knows what he did. He'll get his karma, including spending the rest of his life knowing that he thieved off a little kid.

Well done on your excellent 9k achievement

badmemory

PennysIntoPounds said:

That man knows what he did. He'll get his karma, including spending the rest of his life knowing that he thieved off a little kid.

I hope you are right.  Unfortunately he has already taught his child that stealing from others is a life choice & that is really sad.

Keedie

From what my son described, that man and his son seemed like a slick operation and even when my son was crying and saying it was his DS, they showed him no mercy. So who knows how that child has grown up, as @badmemory is right, that man has taught his son to steal. Which is really sad. My nephew was really kind to my son as he left him play with his DS on the long drive back to London, but I could see that my son's heart wasn't in it. But he did have his games, as he'd put the DS down separately from the case.

I saw a TikTok around halloween, and two women and their children completely obliterated a basket of sweets outside a home in America and was caught on their camera doorbell. They left absolutely nothing for the other children in the neighbourhood, and the adults were more excited than the children! It happens and those kids will either follow in their footsteps or have a moment of clarity when they have their own children and don't pass on the cycle.

I've decided to do an annual summary as I was in a different position last December in terms of my financial outlook and my debts. I was walking around knocking on my neighbour's doors to see if my Amazon parcel was delivered to them, and I had a realisation: there is only 2 days left of 2023 and although it was a tough year, this time next year, I will be in a much better position. 

Keedie

2023 Spending Summary

Starting Balance = £15,890.76 | Amount Repaid = £6,890.76 (43.36%) | Closing Balance = £9,000
Total Repaid to Date = £13,573.30 (60.13%)

Bank of Mum 3 (school fees)
2023 Starting Balance = £3,250 | Amount Repaid = £1,500 (46.15% repaid) | Closing Balance = £1,750 | Total Repaid to Date = £3,050 (63.54% repaid)
I am very proud of this debt finally being under £2k and this is my main priority debt in 2024. I'm aiming to clear the remaining £1,750 by the end of June 2024, and I will be down to the one creditor. Yippee!

Barclaycard
2023 Starting Balance = £10,833.43 | Amount Repaid = £3,583.43 (33.08% repaid) | Closing Balance = £7,250 | Total Repaid to Date = £4,846.23 (40.06% repaid)
I slowed down on this debt this year and focused on clearing the smaller debts and my mum. But I am happy that in the second half of 2024, I'll be able to attack this debt once and for all. Yay.

Creation
2023 Starting Balance = £699.32  | Amount Repaid = £699.32 (100% repaid) | Closing Balance = £0 | Total Repaid to Date = £1,070 (100% repaid)
I was happy to see the end of this debt and it was cleared in July 2023, 3 months early as it was due in October 2023. I thought I had not done much with my debts in 2023, but I had forgotten about clearing these smaller debts. It's nice to know that I can sleep on my fancy Silentnight mattress and pillows and know that there is no payment required each month. 

MBNA
2023 Starting Balance = £242.48 | Amount Repaid = £242.88 (100% repaid) | Closing Balance = £0 | Total Repaid to Date = £875 (100% repaid)
This debt originally carried a larger balance, but it was balance transferred to Barclaycard and so the amount to repay in 2023 was much lower. I'm glad that this card has been completely cleared as I didn't even initially realise that I had this credit card, and I found the paperwork when I was moving from my old flat in 2010 and it just started a downward spiral 🤦🏾‍♀️. But at least it's gone now. It was my first credit card and I'm glad to see the back of it. 

Sky Mobile
Starting Balance = £857.80 | Amount Repaid = £857.80 (100% repaid) | Closing Balance = £0 | Total Repaid to Date = £1,006.03 (100% repaid)
Initially I was just going to let this debt run its course as part of my monthly direct debit, but through snowballing the debt and making use of surveys and money that people owed me, I was able to clear it in September 2023 instead of March 2025. So that was a big achievement for me, and the motivation to get rid of it asap came after my son was mugged for his phone, and I'd not insured it and was left paying for the handset that he no longer had 🤦🏾‍♀️. So to shave nearly 18 months off the repayment plan felt good and having a lower monthly bill has made a big difference.

Debt Reflection 2022 vs 2023

🤔 this time last year I said, "2022 has been a rollercoaster of a journey, emotionally, mentally and financially, but I'm still standing. This time last year, I was just existing, and whilst I've had one of my toughest years, I can't lie and say that I'm thriving, but I know that it's all going to be okay..." Little did I know how much 2023 was going to give me a run for my money 😂. But the sentiment is the same, I'm still standing and despite being put through the mental and emotional olympics of having a breakdown, and I'm in a better financial position now than I was at the end of 2022.

From 1 April 2022 to 31 July 2022, I had cleared £3,853.65 from my debts. Then the debt journey restarted on 1 August 2022 and I cleared a further £6,682.54 by 31 December 2022.

🎉 So that was £10,536.19 cleared in 2022 🎉. 

In 2023, I realised that my debt was higher than I thought as I had miscalculated one of them that I can't remember and I did a balance transfer and with fees the overall debt increased slightly. But from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023, I have paid £6,890.76.

🎉 So, my total debt cleared since my lightbulb moment on 1 April 2022 to date is £17,426.95!!! 🎉

Looking at those figures, it makes me feel very excited about my ambitious target of clearing the final £9,000 in 2024. It's still a stretch, but it feels like it is something I can definitely do. Go me! 🤪

I feel like I'm at a crossroads in life, and this year has been a lot to recover from. But this quote has unofficially been my mindset/mantra for 2023...

So here's to 2024 and all that we'll achieve over the next 12 months.... 🎉

lellybun

Hi Keedie, I am a long time lurker/subscriber of your diary.

That spending summary brilliantly shows how far you have come financially , but also how you have coped with many curved balls along the way.  I have been amazed by your resilience and hope that 2024 is going to be your year in all areas. 

All the best for 2024 with Health, family, work and happiness .

Lelly xx

Sun_Addict

That’s an amazing amount to clear in such a short timeframe, well done 👏

Here’s to a fabulous 2024 🥳

Makingabobor2

You have done so well. Hope you have a brilliant 2024. X