Soa

Prudent

Try www.starfall.com for free resources for your son. If you let me know how old he is, I could propbably suggest some more. My own dd is very dyslexic and I am a special needs teacher. I get most of my resources really cheaply from car boot sales.

Shopping bill is very high. I can do £90/100 a month for two plus two cats.
The OS board is brilliant

Use freeview and save £20.

Bismarck

" OH has finally seen the light too (is this a lightbulb moment), and realises we are in the ***ts."

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!! You've only got a chance when this happens! Re the booze and the fags, point out that the price paid is not just the price on the label but every penny of interest that is attaching to the bit of debt that could have been paid of with that spend....

If you have a pint of beer at £2 and a simple interest rate of 10%/year....assuming it takes 10 years to clear your debts, that pint would cost : 2 x (1.1)power 10...£5.19.

That is an example of the real cost of the £2 spent now...

That should give him a real view of the price of a pint!!

Yes the figures are assumed but hopefully it makes the point. Tea and coffee are far cheaper!

dancingfairy

Hi. No one has mentioned a spending diary - deceivingly simple but deadly effective. Basically record every day what you spend down to the last penny - every choc bar/sandwich out/coke/magazine/bus ticket etc. You will soon see where you area of weakness is - everyone has one. Mine is choc/coke etc from shops and vending machines- costs a fortune.

Bismarck

dancingfairy wrote: »

- every choc bar/sandwich out/coke/magazine/bus ticket etc. .

Prepare to be amazed at how much you fritter away without anything to really show for it....I don't carry cash any more and everything we spend goes on my card which is analysed every month.

It's not pleasant but the alternatives are far worse!!

Sarahx

Hi Pinky,

Just wanted to pop by and see how you're doing. Just remember you won't see any big changes instantly, but they will happen for the good if you stick with it and keep cutting back wherever, whenever you can and chip away at your debt.

Reading some diaries where people have been doing this for a while and you'll see how they've made great progress. Hopefully it will keep you motivated.

Keep going!! :T

Sarah x