Time to banish the debt.

LzzyIsGod

I think one thing I've realised from reading back over my own diary (excruciating at times) and others, is how similar the up and down emotions we all feel are. Some.days we feel exhilarated as we inch another pound towards the target, some days we feel utterly wallowed in despair 🤣 But yes sometimes I do berate myself for all the money that goes towards my debt that coulda, woulda, shoulda be alllll mine. But one day it will be and I cling on to that thought. 

New York sounds a good dream to have for DDs 18th though!

flamingo22

rachmac3 said:

Hi @flamingo22 !
I also have the uni debts, it's sickening isn't it? I did something similar, was doing a role I loved for a long time but was always a bit stuck because I wasn't properly qualified. I had to put up with some horrible companies and horrible bosses, so I decided to go back to uni in 2019 and finish it all off. I only lasted 2 years in the NHS though, then left to do the lovely (though not well paying) job I have now. 
I started tackling my debts just before Christmas and it's certainly been an emotional rollercoaster. Having somewhere to write it all out and not feel judged really helps. I've stopped counting my student loan in with my debt figures because it was too demoralising seeing it go up every month instead of down. 
Anyway, welcome to DFW! Good luck with it all!

Eurgh uni debts, I've not even added mine on my total, they're just 'there'. I was expecting a refund of about £3000, and have been for two years to be told a few weeks this isn't right 😡 annoyed was not the word. Anyway I'm not even thinking about overpaying those, they can wait for their money 😂 and it is demoralising. 

I've read your diary, you are doing so good and give me inspiration.

flamingo22

Middle_Aged_Guy said:

flamingo22 said:

Well we've had a lovely long weekend, inset day today, so we popped to the seaside for some fun and it was great, not as spendy as I thought either, yesterday was a NSD so the budget hasn't been hit too hard.

Today I feel positive, probably because we've had such a good day, but then on Friday (payday) I felt so down, I hate seeing all the money go to my different debts and I can't help but think what I could do with that money 😢. Years ago me and my daughter decided that we would go to New York in 2026, for her 16th and my 40th, well that definitely won't be happening anymore, so I'm going to do my hardest to make this happen for her 18th. I feel positive about the future (well the future after Dec 2027) but it's these next years I'm dreading, it's like walking through treacle to get to payday and get these numbers down. Anyway I'm rambling, probably due to the heat and dehydration, sleep time. 

What an amazing goal to have for your Daughters 18th! You can do this 🎉

I know what you mean by dreading the years ahead. Its such a shame that we feel this way as its our lives we are wishing away. Just want it done!

Someone mentioned it being like trying to empty a lake with a spoon, feels like you are getting nowhere, then suddenly you are emptying a pond and then a puddle.. 

I have recently set up a Monzo account and various pots for " Holiday " , " Christmas , " Emergency fund " that i send various amounts into each payday, its really helping staying within a budget & dare i say it, but i am actually beginning to enjoy the challenge / grind of it all... Did i just say that ?  

M.A.G.

I've set up the pots, those pesky survey finds are going in those and not much else at the minute, but we'll get there 🙃

flamingo22

leonard_455 said:

Debt is like that toxic friend who’s always around, overstays their welcome, and eats all your snacks. But hey, you’re finally showing them the door. You’ve got this

leonard_455 said:

Debt is like that toxic friend who’s always around, overstays their welcome, and eats all your snacks. But hey, you’re finally showing them the door. You’ve got this

leonard_455 said:

Debt is like that toxic friend who’s always around, overstays their welcome, and eats all your snacks. But hey, you’re finally showing them the door. You’ve got this

What a good analogy, they better stock up now as they won't be getting anymore once this lot is done 🤨

flamingo22

So this week I have had 3 NSD's and one of them has been in work, with a T@sco around the corner and I resisted 🤲 
I've been doing KIT days to bump up my wage in July as my mat leave has nearly finished and my wage will be awful, anyway just found out today that some of the hours I've done have not been sent to payroll 🥺 but I will get paid for them in August, not really the point.
some of my debts have been paid and the others are due to go out next week, I may change the direct debit date on them as it's annoying waiting for them to go out and change my figures 😅
have a good evening everyone 

flamingo22

Side hustle ideas, still doing the surveys, although unsure how much more I can take of these, they are definitely frying my brain and taking up too much time for very little reward. Still on Vinted, signed up to be a mystery shopper and they've sent me a take to complete a free trial at the gym, and here's me thinking I'd be browsing the shops. Going to do a bank switch later in the month once I've transferred a couple of direct debits to my dummy account.
Had to buy a new tyre today, somehow managed to get the tip of a Stanley knife embedded into it 🙄 so now my pitiful emergency fund is looking even more pitiful. 

flamingo22

Thought I'd update my figures whilst I have money on the brain and it'll be good to see it coming down (slightly) every month.

May (end)
Total balance was £52658.53


                     May                        June     

PayPal          £406.15.                 £343.15
overdraft.      £1000.                    £980
HSBC CC.    £2786.13.              £2717.13    
NatWest CC. £4265.00.  

Abound loan. £4962.92.             ££4751.44
Zopa loan.     £5998.41.             £5804.91
Admiral loan. £14069.56.           £13457.84
Tandem loan. £18686.18.           £18269.18        

Total still owing £51014.03 (🤮) and this will go down even further once I paid the NatWest CC, it's a new card 0% balance transfer so unsure what the exact payment is yet. So then I'll be down to less than £51000, small wins. The HSBC is also 0% balance transfer for 33 months too. 

That Tandem loan is like a bad smell, it was my first consolidation loan (obviously not the last, as you can see), it's been with me for 4 years now and the amount has not even halved yet 😡 cannot wait to see the back of that one especially.
  

flamingo22

Struggling to get on this tonight, asking me to verify that I'm a human whenever I press a button 😅
NSD yesterday, bought myself a Costa panini today after baby group and the guilt I felt, well I don't think I'll be doing that again. 

So today I have withdrawn £5 from surveys, probably took me 60 hours for this (exaggeration but not much), £5 on Vinted and signed up for a focus next group next week - £60 in vouchers, which will go towards the kids Xmas pressies. Need to get life insurance for the OH and then I can put those vouchers towards Xmas too. Figured out tonight why I am skint, my daughter, she is such a money sucker, in the past three weeks she has had two holidays with school (parents helped me with these) she's off to camp at the weekend, she's off on holiday with her friend and her parents next week and the week she comes back she's off on another camp 🥴 so for the next week she's told me that she needs a new pair of jeans, to pay for two camps and she would like acrylic nails for her hols, I wouldn't mind any of this but the cheeky !!!!!! expects it all for free, she can't even keep her room clean 🤣 she's also asked me if she can get a helix?? Piercing (whatever that is) said no, she then proceeds to say that she will pay for it with her birthday money 🤣🤣🤣 think she's had her birthday money for the next three years. Thank goodness I only have one daughter, think I would actually be bankrupt by now with anymore 🤨

wishus

Following your journey, @flamingo22. 
You've done so well already!

Thank goodness I only have one daughter, think I would actually be bankrupt by now with anymore. 

Bless her! She sounds so excited by life! I remember being the older middle child and growing up my parents were either going through boom or bust. It could be a nice holiday one month, then begging the neighbours for a bit of cash to buy food the next. My younger sister found this very hard to understand for a while. She has a great relationship with money now though but it's a hard time when friends all seem to be able to do this, that and the other and you can't. Peer pressure, eh?

LzzyIsGod

Schools and their trips are like vacuums for money.

I have taken to checking the school calendar and FB parents group to make a mental note of what the year above has done this year as they are often quite similar year after year. Forewarned is forearmed and budgeted for!!