When it's good, it's fun. When it's bad, it's funny.

Take_a_hike_Elon_and_Jeff

[Deleted User] said:

Compared to satellite and TV subscription sites the TV licence is good value. You need it not access BBC and iplayer and difficult to use independent tv stations (ITV Channel4 etc...) and their catch ups and streaming options without one.

I did mention if prepared to give up BBC and iplayer otherwise it's mandatory to pay if opting to keep them but I never ever had an issue with the independent stations so as long as watched on catchup. By chance I had the tv licensing knocking on my door and explained I wasn't using BBC and player and only watching the independent stations on catch up, they had no issues and left me alone. It certainly was effortless to watch the independent ones on catch up. This has certainly saved me money without feeling the sacrifice.

BrotherUuurgh

Thanks for the comments 😊. 

Yes, sorry, the minimum is 1%, I read it wrong. I reset the DD to £50 earlier which otherwise frees up £75. I wanted to be a good chunk above the minimum. 

The satellite TV is for Sky Glass - the TV itself and channels package - which was taken out around a year ago. My wife knows more about it than I do but I'm happy to pay for it. It must end some time soon so will try to find out from her. TV license again is for my wife who likes to watch some BBC programs. Clothing? I actually haven't spent much on it in a long time but I am in need of a few new items soon so decided to budget for it anyway. This, as with other categories, I wanted to put a number against so that it will be there if/when needed. 

I think I've gone far enough with the planning for payday for now. I'll see where I'm at once all the commitments have gone out and make some more dents. 

BrotherUuurgh

Just dropping in to say that I've nearly reached the £100 mark having been doing studies and surveys on Prolific for around 6 weeks. It's a really great little boost, and some of them are good fun as well! The money goes from Prolific -> PayPal -> Bank Account -> Savings account. I figured this is "free money" so it can go into savings and help build a small emergency fund. It should mean I qualify for the Nationwide Fairer Share payment this year (if there is one). 10 days until payday... Tick, tock  

Sarahwithlove

Doing well with the prolific, wish I had the patience for it more. 

BrotherUuurgh

Here we are at 3am during another uncomfortable, sleepless night, as seems to be usual for me this time of year. I've suffered for years in some kind of way mentally - low mood, anxiety, traits of the whole "spectrum" thing, and it gets particularly bad around the autumn to early spring. On top of this, I think I've started to get a bit overwhelmed by the new knowledge I've gained. A real punch in the face, abrupt, stark realisation (relatively speaking) over the last couple of months that I am NOT in the position I really should be in at my age. 14 years into my working life and I've got no savings, no pension, property a pipe dream, and I'm now in considerable debt for a second time... Just wow. Just feeling pretty low right now so thought I'd use the diary to vent a little.

Anyway, ended up having a conversation with my wife and we've agreed on a budget where I essentially will have an extra £500 a month to put towards paying debts. Running the numbers through the snowball calculator, I will be debt free before Christmas 2025. 100%. It might be even sooner than that, as once the balances on the loans come down, an early settlement figure might be within the total amount I spend on them each month. It will be a huge help which I'm equally hugely grateful for.

Honestly, I need to get the hell out of this once and for all. I really can't do this again. It just sucks giving these companies so much money. I should be giving it to myself in savings or a pension. Why can I just not learn things like normal people? Why can't I just be normal? My mind too's and fro's from one thing to another. Marked interest in one thing for one week, then another interest another week. Hyper focused on one thing for a short time then something else. It's such a challenge to really define the foundations and form a plan. Might be why I'm getting overwhelmed - taking on too much information for a mind like mine to process properly.

One thing I want to try and settle on is my overall, low resolution life map - House or Pension? I don't think I can do both at this point. I've wasted too much time. I would however concentrate on one or the other if I knew one was possible...

Nope, still not tired... 

in_need_of_direction

I wish I’d had my lbm 14 years into my working life.  It would have made things a lot easier.  You can see an end in sight. It’ll be tough but hang in there, you have a plan. You can worry about future options when you’ve sorted the debt.

BrotherUuurgh

Well, that's Christmas and new year done. A very quiet one this year thanks to significant events in the last few months of '24.

Payday came and it was my best one in my working life! The OT has really paid off. Really going to try to stump up a few more hours for the next several months. Due to this I've put away £100 in an emergency fund and so has my wife - it's less towards debt overall per month but knowing there's some money there to use instead of credit is worth the "cost". Going to wait until around 11th Jan to see where I'm at before making overpayments on any loans. Don't want to act too early and stitch myself up. As well as the bills going out, the car needs MOT next week and I have a feeling it might cost a little to get it through. She's an old girl, but with a bit of love she'll give us another year. Hopefully I can take advantage of some good labour rates through staff discount 🤞.

One thing I recently noticed is that the Plata loan, unlike Lendable, is fixed interest. It was added in a lump when taking the loan out, so I can effectively consider that 0% from now on - any and all payments toward that account will be reducing the principal (if I've understood it correctly). 

And finally that time has come - back to work! 

BrotherUuurgh

All regular payments now made, total outstanding is £12,120.87. I hope to get that below £11,800 once the car is done. That's booked in for Monday so hopefully the damage won't be too bad - I want to get an overpayment done already. 

Feels good to see some savings numbers when I log in to banking. Doing my best to really get into the habit. My wife and I are putting in £100/month each into a longer term account with 4.8% interest, the goal to build an emergency fund. Also, each transaction made through my account I'm rounding down to the nearest £10 and putting the difference in a regular saver. That and Prolific are getting things underway. 

BrotherUuurgh

The car was MOT'd monday and failed, unsurprisingly, but not on the things I'd expected. The dealership were looking at a pretty large sum so I politely declined and fetched the car back. I'm looking to have to spend in the region of £200 and a good few of my own hours on getting it pass-worthy, but should be doable enough "on the drive" as it were. I'm just waiting until Monday for a quote for parts through work to see if I can get them any cheaper than the large car factor names, and once I've got that number, I can allocate an appropriately large chunk of my remaining bank balance to an overpayment.

A few months back, I'd have just about been going below the £200 mark, so it's nice to reflect and see that there's four times that still available, £200 (£100 of my own) in a long term saver, and nearly £100 in my own regular saver. Quite the difference, all while debts are being paid and lifestyle has not suffered. Still keen as mustard to make a big overpayment - I could use the psychological boost right now.

BrotherUuurgh

Sunday afternoon. Been mulling everything over all morning and afternoon. Decided it would be best to make an overpayment sooner rather than later, just commit myself to it. The longer I leave it the more I'm paying in interest. Done a few numbers considering the car needs repairing, and made an extra £267 payment toward Lendable. This should come out within the next 5 days, so should see the overall balance come down a bit further. Payday just under two weeks away, let's go again