Paying off £37065 unsecured debt by July 2027 while continuing to travel this amazing world

twiggy86

Sounds like you're having a lovely time! I'd love to travel more and will be seeing how I can work it into the budget next year whilst still trying to get rid of my debts!

I just wanted to question why you're making mortgage over-payments rather than throwing at one of your CCs? 

backinbusiness

Interesting diary - we're of a similar age and I also enjoy travelling. Subscribed with interest, and good luck! BiB x 

Nintud

twiggy86 said:

Sounds like you're having a lovely time! I'd love to travel more and will be seeing how I can work it into the budget next year whilst still trying to get rid of my debts!

I just wanted to question why you're making mortgage over-payments rather than throwing at one of your CCs? 

My mortgage is up for renewal in April so I’m trying to get into the 40% equity bracket. I’m not too far off it, so my token payment per day should get me there.  I’ve paid an extra £245 in the past month, but it will usually be around the £50 mark as I’m now directed my Vinted sales to my over the limit credit cards.

MBNA is now within its limit and stands at £13951.53.  Santander remains the same and will be getting my Vinted payments until I have reduced it below the limit. I should be able to pay off £50 soon.

i travel with a group to reduce hotel costs. I share a twin room with a stranger each trip! £50 deposit on short trips and £100 on longer trips, then three payments to cover the remainder of the hotel.  I book my own flights, local transport, and excursions.  We usually meet up for dinner, but are free to do our own thing during the day.  Last weekend was my most expensive weekend so far, coming in at £780 with flights, hotels, transport, food, souvenirs and duty free.  Switzerland is expensive!

im away again in ten days time. That trip will be cheaper. The flights cost less than half my flights to Switzerland, and the hotels are much cheaper too. Food will be less expensive too.

I paid for flights, internal transport, hotels and excursions for my next trip several months ago.  I just need to take money with me for food, taxis, souvenirs and duty free.  I’m working on a £200 budget for the weekend. £50 per day should be doable.,

Nintud

backinbusiness said:

Interesting diary - we're of a similar age and I also enjoy travelling. Subscribed with interest, and good luck! BiB x 

Thanks for subscribing BIB.

Travel is my weakness. I’m lucky enough to have a parent living abroad, so I visit him 3-4 times a year, and now that I’ve joined a travel group, I’ve been able to widen my horizons.  There will be fewer short weekends next year as I’m saving for a trip to India in the summer, and New Zealand the following year. I’m dining on lots of beans on toast for the foreseeable!

I don’t spend on a regular social life, and I buy 90% second hand. I shop Aldi price match in Sainsbury’s to collect Nectar points that I exchange for Avios that help keep flights costs down. If I need something that isn’t Aldi price matched or loaded with bonus nectar points I buy that item from Lidl or go without.  I’m currently selling everything I can to make a minimum of £10 per day (I am on target for October). I have way too much stuff.

i have a reasonable income (SOA coming), but high outgoings as I’m paying off loans for a car and surgery. Both loans will be gone before my trip to New Zealand.  My debt is high, but about £10k less than it was four years ago, and that is without debt being a focus. Now that I’m actively debt busting, the debt shoukd start going down faster.  Fingers crossed that no big bills flop onto my doormat!

Nintud

Plan for this week:

Ten items on Vinted per day. Sales revenue to go to my Santander card.

Keep the central heating off.

Eat out of the fridge, freezer and cupboards. I predict a lot of pasta and mystery, unlabelled frozen left overs over the next few days.

Minimal top up shop. I’m almost out of toilet paper, laundry detergent, and milk, and there is no bread in the apartment.

Groom the dogs myself.

Go car shopping with my daughter (all funded by her) so that I can take her off my car insurance.

Use the airers for drying unless freezing cold. I will tumble dry in that case, and work from home in the warm kitchen, instead of at my desk in the living room.

Complete my expenses form for work and actually send it in.

Call child maintenance. Ex has asked for a review of his payments and I received a letter today stating that I have not had care of our children since August 2023.  Total rubbish, and a spherical ache to sort out, but he plays this game a couple of times per year, and I no longer give him headspace.  I predict an hour or so on the phone to a lovely lady in Ireland.

Do the pre-reading for work meetings, update my work diary, and send approximately one hundred emails (copy and paste jobs with a little personalisation).

Find phone for second job and have a minor meltdown at the meetings I have not attended while it has been missing for a week. Send grovelling apology emails, chase anything I have missed.

Vacuum and clean carpets after teenager has been ‘alone’ in the apartment for the weekend (the place stank like a brewery when I got back, and there were telltale clinks from the recycling bag when I took it down to the bin cupboard. I did not look in it. This is the price I pay for having him dog sit. He did not burn the apartment down, and I’m good with that).

Watch an episode or two of The Resident on Netflix.

Take the dogs to feed the ducks. This is my naughty indulgence. A bag of meal worms per week 😆

satchmo1

Check first before you remove daughter from car insurance - it can be more cost effective for her to stay covered, and insurers often make you pay a hefty "admin fee" for even the most minor change. It might be worth waiting until your renewal is due.

Nintud

satchmo1 said:

Check first before you remove daughter from car insurance - it can be more cost effective for her to stay covered, and insurers often make you pay a hefty "admin fee" for even the most minor change. It might be worth waiting until your renewal is due.

Adding my daughter pushed the insurance up by £80 per month, I probably should have just insured her for a few days at a time as she’s hardly driven my car this year.  The renewal date is just before Christmas. I’ll have to work out whether the monthly saving until then is worth the admin fee. Thank you for pointing that out!

Nintud

£10 Vinted payment due any minute. I will put that straight onto the Santander cc. Another £39 due in the next few days.  

£82.68 spent on food. Aldi price match and bonus Nectar point shop at Sainsbury’s and a few bits from Lidl. The Nectar points have been commuted to Avios.  I’m not too far from having enough Avios to pay for my flight to India. I could mix Avios and cash now, but I’d much prefer a totally ‘free’ flight.  I need to decide whether I can handle a long haul economy flight as I developed a pulmonary embolism from a DVT last year, and that has made me very wary of cramped seats.  I also suffer from restless leg syndrome when I’m tired, so that’s another factor in considering economy plus and more leg room.

I have a weekend in France on the horizon (10 days time), and I’ve already packed most of my carry on bag for it.  I travel in worn out or unloved clothes and discard them at my destination. I sleep in old T shirts and dump them too. The space in my luggage from my going home clothes is then available for souvenirs. I don’t bring a lot home, mainly sweets and biscuits for my children, and post cards and pin badges from each town/country I stay in, for me.

I need to work out which debt is best to tackle first once the Santander cc is within its limit. Should I focus on the MBNA cc or Very?

£2.28 round up mortgage overpayment.  6 days until payday.

MFWannabe

Nintud said:

twiggy86 said:

Sounds like you're having a lovely time! I'd love to travel more and will be seeing how I can work it into the budget next year whilst still trying to get rid of my debts!

I just wanted to question why you're making mortgage over-payments rather than throwing at one of your CCs? 

My mortgage is up for renewal in April so I’m trying to get into the 40% equity bracket. I’m not too far off it, so my token payment per day should get me there.  I’ve paid an extra £245 in the past month, but it will usually be around the £50 mark as I’m now directed my Vinted sales to my over the limit credit cards.

MBNA is now within its limit and stands at £13951.53.  Santander remains the same and will be getting my Vinted payments until I have reduced it below the limit. I should be able to pay off £50 soon.

i travel with a group to reduce hotel costs. I share a twin room with a stranger each trip! £50 deposit on short trips and £100 on longer trips, then three payments to cover the remainder of the hotel.  I book my own flights, local transport, and excursions.  We usually meet up for dinner, but are free to do our own thing during the day.  Last weekend was my most expensive weekend so far, coming in at £780 with flights, hotels, transport, food, souvenirs and duty free.  Switzerland is expensive!

im away again in ten days time. That trip will be cheaper. The flights cost less than half my flights to Switzerland, and the hotels are much cheaper too. Food will be less expensive too.

I paid for flights, internal transport, hotels and excursions for my next trip several months ago.  I just need to take money with me for food, taxis, souvenirs and duty free.  I’m working on a £200 budget for the weekend. £50 per day should be doable.,

The £245 overpayment on mortgage would have been better being paid off debts. Getting to 40% equity won’t make any difference to what interest rate you get 

MFWannabe

Nintud said:

£10 Vinted payment due any minute. I will put that straight onto the Santander cc. Another £39 due in the next few days.  

£82.68 spent on food. Aldi price match and bonus Nectar point shop at Sainsbury’s and a few bits from Lidl. The Nectar points have been commuted to Avios.  I’m not too far from having enough Avios to pay for my flight to India. I could mix Avios and cash now, but I’d much prefer a totally ‘free’ flight.  I need to decide whether I can handle a long haul economy flight as I developed a pulmonary embolism from a DVT last year, and that has made me very wary of cramped seats.  I also suffer from restless leg syndrome when I’m tired, so that’s another factor in considering economy plus and more leg room.

I have a weekend in France on the horizon (10 days time), and I’ve already packed most of my carry on bag for it.  I travel in worn out or unloved clothes and discard them at my destination. I sleep in old T shirts and dump them too. The space in my luggage from my going home clothes is then available for souvenirs. I don’t bring a lot home, mainly sweets and biscuits for my children, and post cards and pin badges from each town/country I stay in, for me.

I need to work out which debt is best to tackle first once the Santander cc is within its limit. Should I focus on the MBNA cc or Very?

£2.28 round up mortgage overpayment.  6 days until payday.

I would focus on Very, that interest rate is crippling, I’d throw everything at that
id also stop mortgage overpayments and throw everything at Very