Please Help me get debt free

nh

Hi Finnerty

Can't you get rid of your mobile phone? People coped without them 20 years ago - could you cope without yours? Get a pay as you go - they are great these days with credits that don't expire after a certain amount of time.

I'd agree also about the driving lessons - if you feel you are a competent driver, don't be afraid to put yourself in for your test and borrow a friend's car to do it in.

Good luck

competitionscafe

re the smoking - I gave up 10 years ago after several attempts and I found the Alan Carr stop smoking book very helpful - there are some reviews here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140277633/

(But don't buy it there, get it from the library or ebay as hopefully you will only need it for a few weeks)

If you need an incentive, I never worked out how much money I saved from giving up, but at a rough guess I would say £10,000? (14 cigarettes a day at current prices is £1,050 every year, while a 40-a-day smoker would spend £3,000 in a year)

youngandreckless

Hi Finnerty,

My situation is different to yours, but we share that we're in debt and that we smoke (sorry to all but I'm still at it).
However, I've just been referred to a smoking cessation counsellor on the NHS who is sorting me a prescription for patches (all free, I only have to pay the precription cost). I've had one session and I'm scheduled to start giving up on tuesday (eek), but I really like the lady I've seen and she will see me every week for support for the next four weeks - all free. You also get a pack of info and the emphasis is on supporting you not lecturing you - or at least it has been so far.
I have no idea if this will work for me, but if it does I'll let you know and it may be something you'd consider - nothing ventured and all that is how I'm viewing it!
Good luck with everything, there will be a way out of it, you just need to hang in there. I now only part with every penny if I have to or really, really want to and it has made a difference x

Callisto

Hi Finnerty, just wanted to comment on your driving lessons as I am also learning to drive (passed my theory test last week, yay!). I think that one hour driving once a fortnight is not enough... by the time your next lesson comes around, surely you will have forgotten some of what you learned last time and have to go over it again...

It takes me at least 20 minutes to get settled down and comfortable with driving again before attempting to learn anything new... and I would guess that this time increases the longer you have to wait for your next lesson. This is why I have a 2 hour lesson at least once a week (more if I can afford it). Once I am more confident, my boyfriend will let me drive his car to get more road experience. Is there any way a family member/friend would let you drive their car in the weeks you don't have a professional lesson as a minimum (more often if possible)? It just seems to me that you will end up paying out more money in the long term for driving lessons as you will be slower at learning, purely because you're not driving every week...