From broke to better ..a journey

Emmel

Things seem to take a while dont they, almost 6 months in and I am still waiting for a default, have had numerous default notices for 1 creditor but thats it 

lillypoo

It's been a while!

Have not written in my diary as honestly nothing has happened of note. Well ...not on the surface anyway.

Messrs m and sparks defaulted me. Asked wescot to manage my debt ..wescot phoned texted and wrote a few sort of threatening letters then got tired and said they are handing it back. Thst was before Christmas, since then there's been  silence.

The other 3 debts I have are all with the black horse bank. They don't seem to be bothered at all. But finally last month sent a default notice letter.  So I'm just waiting to see how quickly they follow up and default me then I will start my dmp.

I genuinely thought I'd had my light bulb moment last April when I started to realise I couldn't go on as I had been. But it wasn't a very bright bulb. Yes I took action. Changed my budget and started to try and save etc. But it was a bit half hearted . 

I have learned so much from this forum and especially from some diaries. Reading that others have and still do, make the same mistakes as me has been a comfort but, at the same time, the real wake up call. So that has put a few extra watts in my bulb.

But the real illumination has come as a shock ...the buzz I now get from seeing my savings pots go up. Its a thrill. 

Several years ago I received a very large chunk of money back from Ppi claims. ( Since stupidly frittered away)  But I didn't get as much joy from depositing that big cheque as I now do from seeing an extra fiver in my bank balance.

So I'm now firmly in money saving dfw mode. Three light bulbs later.

Mornings and evenings are just a little lighter so mood is lifting. I know it's only Feb but spring cleaning is under way and I've sorted out stuff to go on vinted and ziffit.  I'm now doing the giving up /cutting down alcohol challenge . Life is good and I'm motivated. So decided to resurrect my diary as hopefully I'll now have more of interest to say.

Have a lovely Sunday x

foxgloves

Good to hear you are back in the zone, @Lilypoo. I agree that it can be really motivating seeing savings pots totals, etc, creeping up. I now get the same buzz from attaining greater financial security as I used to get from spending.
Keep up the good work!
F

lillypoo

Quick entry before work.

Still in the zone. Have had a couple of good weeks where surveys are concerned. Other than essential direct debits I've had a few no spend days abd I've stuck to wine and vape only once a week . Its early days but I swear I feel better and I'm enjoying a cocoa at night as a treat instead of wine. 

The black horse CCs have officially defaulted on my credit reports but there's been no contact from them so I'll wait a while before setting up the dmp and see what they do with the debts eg hand them over to a collections agency etc

I've decided to save hard till September when my pcp on my car runs out. I will then get rid of the car.  With the equity I have in it and some of the savings I will be able to get a second hand fiesta or similar and being without the finance payments will mean I'm 250 a month better off. Will definitely be putting a chunk of that into a car maintenance pot.

Given up prime and n*tflix. There's loads of good stuff on the tele at the mo and lighter nights are on their way so I'm going to tackle the garden. Not having free delivery with prime also means I'll be less tempted to make impulse purchases too. They've never actually delivered a package straight to me anyway ( I'm quite hard to find) I always have to retrieve parcels from nearest neighbour.

Away from money ..I've got a realky lovely veggie curry in the slowcooker. Its a slimming world recipe abd much cheaper than take aways. I'll get about five meals from it. I even make my own onion salad. But I will splash out on a jar of mango chutney.  

Yellow weather warning fir heavy rain fir most of the weekend ...roll on spring 

Emmel

Glad to hear you are doing well!! it has now been 10 months of missed payments for me. All accounts have now defaulted and only tonight I have set up 4 payment plans with 2 creditors who have bought over my accounts. I have offered a lower payment so I can still allow myself to save for f&f further down the line and continue to work on an emergency fund, but yes like yourself not much happening

savingmore

Found your diary and will subscribe.  I want to encourage you to keep posting even if you feel nothing has happened.  I do believe regular posting supports our journeys and you will be an encouragement to others.  Looking forward to following along.  What decision did you make about the pet insurance in the end?  It’s so sad it’s so expensive as pets bring so much joy into our lives…

lillypoo

Hi @savingmore

I've kept the pet insurance. Friend of mine has recently had to resort to crowd funding to keep her dog alive. I'd hate to be in that situation.  Instead I've dropped Netflix and prime, gone sim only and cut down on spending on wine . I'm using survey money for pet insurance pot as well. Get me! Lol

Had a bit of (sad) excitement earlier when I found £15 in a jacket pocket. £10 will go into EF and the other five of small change into my odd change bottle which I will save coins in till the end of the year.

Thanks for popping by and subscribing.

Willowtree222

That must have been an awful position for your friend. Glad you found that pocket money though.. it feels like you've won jt even when it was yours in the first place! 

lillypoo

Bloody fed up today. Water bill has gone up from £350 a year to £412. That's for one person in a one bed bungalow. Think it's time to look into getting a meter but at the same time I am not sure I'd save with a meter. I dont have a shower only a bath and I have a fish pond that needs topping up during dry weather ...but yo be honest a rain water butt would actually be better for that.

Got a few extra hours at work this week but that means I am forced to take unpaid breaks so the monetary bonus isn't huge ...but every penny counts.

Surveys haven't been so great this week but the £15 I found in a pocket makes up for that.

Looking forward to wine night tomorrow and pay day next week. Also hoping the weather forecast is right and we have a few days of dry weather coming up. Fed up with the damp. 

foxgloves

You did well finding £15 in a pocket. I was tragically excited to find £1 in an old coat earlier today!
F