My SOA... so many outgoings

Paragon

ms_london - you must have a had a sizeable budget for an 18mth trip! I came home after 12 months £6k in debt, but it was worth it!

So are you saying I could maybe tighten my spending and get debt free even sooner rather than continue spending as I am and get debt free slightly slower? I'd like to do that but everything seems to be a once off... just cost me £204 to get my car through its MOT - I hoped it wouldn't have been that much.

I'm not moving back into a shared property - I did that in 2006 and it wasn't good for our relationship although it was cheaper - but some things are worth paying for.

Shelley84, the £50 travel money is a monthly average of the ammount I have spent on flights going to 3 weddings down south , home for Christmas, and to visit family (I live in the far far north) when it would have either been more expensive or far too time consuming to drive the 5/600 miles each way. (so in that sense I do have hols but not exotic beach hols) My fault for moving so far away but I had to do it to get this job... Again because girlfriend doesn't earn I have to buy 2 tickets... I'm starting to see where my money goes... Just realised I spent a few bob getting new tyres on her car too beacuse we used it instead of flying once or twice.... I'm in trouble now aren;t I?!! She's got to go and earn some dosh.

floss2

Paragon wrote: »

it is warped by hotel food which I buy when away with work (2/3 days some months - but I get paid a bit extra that easily covers it).

My DF travels with work, and when he doesn't have to eat with colleagues or other employees, he buys sandwiches / pasta salad / sushi etc from the nearest supermarket, along with a little bottle of wine.....then just takes his carrier bag into the hotel & watches TV while he eats his meal! That way there is less outlay, and work are happy as he is not extracting the urine & ordering expensive stuff just because they have to pay for it.

floss2

Also, do you really expect to go to 3 weddings this year, and home for Christmas, and visit the family as well? Or will it be no weddings etc...that would cut down your travel budget.

Re buying petrol twice in a 7-day period, I have a monthly amount for petrol in my monthly budget....along with all the bills that have to be paid out, support for my DS's at uni & my share of the household bills. What is left is divided up into a weekly amount, which I take out on a Friday/Saturday.

What can your OH do? Does she have any earning-skills? She really needs to be chipping into the household income, rather than draining it out. Does she have any money or do you buy her toiletries / knickers / tampax? Is she happy being "kept" while you have debts that need to be addressed?

boredofbeingathome

Would it be possible to find a second income somewhere? by having another job? Or even asking for a wage rise? This would be in addition to what your girlfriend might earn. You would be able to clear debts off quicker and save a deposit for a house if thats the way you want to go.

ms_london

Paragon wrote: »

ms_london - you must have a had a sizeable budget for an 18mth trip! I came home after 12 months £6k in debt, but it was worth it!

So are you saying I could maybe tighten my spending and get debt free even sooner rather than continue spending as I am and get debt free slightly slower? I'd like to do that but everything seems to be a once off... just cost me £204 to get my car through its MOT - I hoped it wouldn't have been that much.

I'm not moving back into a shared property - I did that in 2006 and it wasn't good for our relationship although it was cheaper - but some things are worth paying for.

Shelley84, the £50 travel money is a monthly average of the ammount I have spent on flights going to 3 weddings down south , home for Christmas, and to visit family (I live in the far far north) when it would have either been more expensive or far too time consuming to drive the 5/600 miles each way. (so in that sense I do have hols but not exotic beach hols) My fault for moving so far away but I had to do it to get this job... Again because girlfriend doesn't earn I have to buy 2 tickets... I'm starting to see where my money goes... Just realised I spent a few bob getting new tyres on her car too beacuse we used it instead of flying once or twice.... I'm in trouble now aren;t I?!! She's got to go and earn some dosh.

Hiya.

I'm still away & willl be back in Nov (possibly!) - have worked for most of it - but taken months off at a time to travel! Couldnt have done it any other way really! I was putting $1000 (ignore dollar sign, meant to be pounds!) a month towards my debts (had 2 jobs!), so once they were clear I continued to save at the same rate... Even here I try and save $1000 (this time dollars) a month out of my wages for trips and stuff, but can still enjoy myself at the same time. If I'd never got into debt I dont think I would be here - know that sounds strange but its true!

Yes precisely - you can be debt free a lot sooner - and you may not even have to cut your belt too tightly! Its personal choice at the end of the day! For me, the longer I was in debt, the longer I had to wait to travel, so it was my decision to clear it as quickly as I could. It almost killed me, and it was hard work, but SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it!

I appreciate there are "one offs" that crop up, thats why you need to put money away each month for this kind of stuff, an emergency fund - you may not need it, but it is there if you do.

What are your thoughts since you first posted here? Have you found out where your money is going?xx

taxi73

I was just wondering the same thing...your GF needs to get a job if even only to buy the food each month and that will free up another £200 nper month towards debt ideally she could do with earning more than that and helping out with all the billls