Round in circles...

stymied

Great work listing all those items on eBay! 

_Dolly_Rocker_

Hi @blubella it honestly feels like I could have written your diary!

I was exactly the same - became debt free which I was super proud of and had worked really hard to do but cut to the end of an extremely toxic 3 year relationship and I was drowning in debt through financing my ex and his little girl for our whole relationship. 

My aim is to pay all of mine off by December 2024 but it will be difficult. 

I'm still struggling with my mental health and I've been on my own since May 2023, don't think I allowed myself to even realise how bad things had got until I was out of it. 

We can and we will do this and we'll be much happier for it!

Dolly

blubella

Aw, @_Dolly_Rocker_ I don't know if it's the same for you but it has been such a bitter pill to swallow, especially when I put my trust in someone and they walked all over me. I felt totally betrayed but have finally accepted that it wasn't what I thought it was. I was constantly on edge when I was with him and wanted to get out but I felt as though it was always the wrong time (for him, not ME..!!) My mental health was in tatters and I lost 2 stone in weight. All I can say is, hang in there because things will get better and you will be much, much happier.

I spent about a year just being angry and then in September 2022 I quit my job. Early in 2023 I left the country for around 5 weeks. I was invited to house and pet sit in Spain and I went to live in the mountains. I then went to Vietnam and back to Spain for two more visits to house sit for the same family. I think the respite was just what I needed, despite continuing to feel unmotivated I just wanted to find me again. Thankfully a friend moved into my house and paid my bills while I was away and I used the money from remortgaging to help me survive the year. I was doing some freelance work throughout the year but delays with payments put a huge strain on my finances.

2024, finally it feels as though I have turned the corner, my mental health has significantly improved and maybe that's just down to me accepting the way things are and letting it go. My total debt in January was £9626.81 and I'd love to pay it all off by the end of 2024. I will give it my best shot but to be realistic I have set a target of £5,000, I am slowly chipping away at it and that feels frickin' awesome. We ARE awesome  x

Current total DEBT £8,261.82

blubella

Received an unexpected payment of £100 today from freelance work from months ago. Paid it towards the B'card DEBT immediately.. before I even had time to think about what I could spend it on. I've got about £150 to last me for 18 days and I am convinced that I CAN do it!

My CC Debt APRIL 2024
1. S'Bury £44.36 PAID and closed 20/02/24
2. S'andr £1,808.21 currently £1269.82
3. B'Card £3,774.24 currently £2,900.00 woop, woop...so great to get below the £3,000 mark..

I have to pay £708.52 to the B'card before June 1st as the 0% ends on that portion and I'm feeling confident that I can make 2 equal payments to cover it. Although, I have a feeling that my car needs a service and new MOT in May, so I need to check that out.

It's been a bit spendy on the birthday front this month as it was my son's, my son's partner and my brother's birthday. Wish I could make a few more Bay sales but may send out a few offers and see what happens.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday, just home from a 12 hour shift and counting down the days until my hot tub trip to Dartmoor 

Lonelygambler

Keep up the great work. You’re doing very well. 

blubella

Checked on DVLA when MOT is due and it's July which is great. I will need a few tyres before then, so will try and factor that in over the next month. My brother says I have about 2 months in them, but I don't want to risk delaying for too long.

I've been meal planning for my Dartmoor trip this morning which will keep me in control of the purse strings. From previous experiences my friend is more likely to splurge. I said I will do the shop and we can split the bill, so I will then take that off of the remaining £45 I owe her. Looking forward to the challenge, going to set a budget of £50 but sure I can do it for less. We have to travel separately as I'm working a late shift on the day she is travelling down. Will have to factor in fuel too..

blubella

Walked to the town this morning to have a mosey around the charity shops (bit of a weakness for me) wanted to get my steps in before my 9 hour shift sitting on my backside.  Super proud as I did not spend one penny. Another NSD for me taking me to 5 for the month.  Also, sold an item on the Bay which is great, just waiting for the money to hit my account. 

Lonelygambler

Well done! 

blubella

Finally I have 2 days off, so i'm considering what I need to put on my to do list! It's miserable out there right now so that strikes the allotment off, unless it clears a bit later. My parents bought me a couple of metal arches for easter which I want to install, I am planning to grow the squashes and sweetpeas up them. I've also got an abundance of lettuces tomatoes, fennel, courgette, runner beans, peas, herbs and edible flowers to go in. I planted Jerusalem artichokes last week, so I'm really hoping to cut the food costs this year.

My plan for the day is to clear the back bedroom so my son has somewhere to sleep when he returns home for a week. I'm going to get a beef and mushroom stew in the slow cooker and the laundry on the go. I've managed to avoid doing any shopping for a few days but i'm off to do part of the Dartmoor shop (all the non-perishables) and maybe prep a few meals for the freezer to take with us, so that'll save me spending my whole week cooking when I get there. Got to make full use of that hot tub! 

The Bay have paid me £11.84 after their fees and 2 x postage charges. One was for the last item that sold, which apparently did not go out of my account. Also able to withdraw £42.04 from TCB, so that was a bonus that I wasn't expecting. I have £70 cash in my purse and £57.95 in the bank minus the TCB which I'm waiting on. I maybe skating on thin ice if I pay a bit more on the debt but I'll re-assess after the shop! 16 days until payday.

blubella

Off to Bath to visit my friend on his canal boat today...I love Bath so much. Going to do the park and ride as driving and parking in Bath is a nightmare. Looking forward to a meal on the boat and a good catch up but need to leave early as I have an early shift in the morning and need to prep my food for the day.

I spent £12.58 on Dartmoor groceries yesterday and only a few more things to purchase, mainly chicken, fish and veggies but thought I'd leave that until last minute. I've bought a budget planner diary so I'm keeping track of all my spends and I've spent £131.92 on my own grocery spend since the 25th March. Not sure what the average spend of a single person household is these days, but i've been trying to set a budget of £150 for the month, which I may well blow at this rate!

Don't know why I did it but bought a bottle of wine and some munchies yesterday, which was £9.70. I nearly polished off the whole bottle over the afternoon and evening, save some for the stew. It made me feel like crap and I had to go and lie down. I ended up giving myself a bit of a black eye accidentally. Considering going teetotal as I tend to binge when I do drink.