How old are you?

slowlyfading

I'm 21, got into debt at uni in first year with a credit card. Came on here, saw how stupid i was being, and then worked really hard in the summer to pay it off - had 3 jobs. Now, I just come on here because I love all the support people get, and I'm learning a HELL of a lot about finance.

suz7

I'm 34. My first debt was when I was 20 - £1000 bank loan for a car. This was quickly followed by 2 credit cards, some catalogues, then another bank loan to consolidate the first bank loan and the credit cards. The £1000 is now £17000 (wow first time I've admitted that on here!)

Purpleroses

im 24. got into debt in 3rd year of uni. determined to be debt free by the end of this year

Lula-Hula

Hi everyone,

I 'm thirty ten (oh alright then, 40 :eek: but dont tell anyone, it happened in ja
nuary & i'm still trying to come to terms with it !)

Had my first daughter aged 20 & planned to buy a red MGB GT when I was 35, then travel round the world when daughter grown up & left home .

She's currently on holiday in Jamaica & i'm still living in rented accommodation now accompanied by second daughter aged 8 & credit card debts of £6,500 & "webuyanycar.com" recently offered me £149 in return for my beloved old clio .

I did think that was one of my 'assets' but now realise all i really have going for me is my health & sense of humour :rotfl:.

Wannabefree_2

I got into debt the minute i brought my 1st house when i was 20 I`m now 34! I was stupid enough to buy a Subaru Impreza & that drank petrol like theres no tomorrow. I sold that in January this year & that went to pay off a tiny bit of my debt. Now i`ve started to tey & claer it, gonna take me some time but i`m determined to do it!

Little_Chicken

I first got into debt at 16 - with catalogues - and have had varying degrees ever since. My debts are now at their highest - and going in the wrong direction as I'm currently unemployed :0( I am totally confident that they'll be gone pretty quickly once I get a new job tho as I've learnt so much from this site. ;0)

immoral_angeluk

I'm 22 and feel like a baby. lol. Got into debt at 18 thanks to dorothy perkins and their ever so wonderful store card.. :rolleyes:

piglet6

I'm 34 (well, at least I am still for the next week and a half! :eek: ).

Left university with minimal student loans of £1500 back in the day when they were new and you could only get £750/year! "Real" debt arrived when we moved to London for work - rent deposits, work clothes, etc, and then got sucked into the more extravagant lifestyle which can be so much fun when you're living in the capital in your 20s(!!). Not helped by redundancy (mine) and long term illness (OH)...:o

LBM arrived about 5 years ago, and battle to beat the debt commenced. This website helped, as did getting a second job, and tightening the purse-strings. In a much better position now (small amount of cc debt still but its on 0% with equivalent in a savings account earning interest, so "get-able" in case of emergency). Still have to hang around here, though, as I think its a bit like having an addiction - I'm "in recovery" and need the support of other DFWs to keep me on the straight and narrow, because I could all too easily go back to my old ways if I don't keep it in check!

Piglet

shopaholic2008

oooh i think i am the youngest so far at 20, got into debt with store cards and an overdraft at 18 then went on to get car finance and a credit card. Aiming to be debt free by 21st bday (well at least the cards and overdraft) its going to take more effort than i have been putting in though!!!

cat4772

I'm 35, going on 36 (had to work it out cos when I hit 30 I stopped counting).

I first got into personal debt at 17 (I was working so the bank gave me an overdraft ). Paid that off and after that I had 'managed debt'. I'd borrow £1K each year for holidays, took out a visa card and apart from a wobble at 22 I've never defaulted (apart from through lack of organisation i.e. forgot to post cheque to visa co a couple of times).

At 27 I took out a 2 year reduced rate mortgage and then used the two years to do LOTS of reading about mortgages. Signed up for a 10 year fixed rate deal at 5% (ISA account was 5.5%). I reduced mortgage term from 23 years to 12 years and put aside money into savings account to pay mortgage off at the end of the 10 year fixed rate deal.

My husband on the other hand... I have 'dipped' into the money to pay Wayne's visa twice (£800 and £1500) and to pay off a loan with Associates {loan sharks} £750. He managed to run up a visa bill of £3600 and borrowed £2500 from Welcome Finance at 48% interest and an interest free loan from a family member for £4000! (that was last year)... now I'm in charge of the finance and we'll be debt free in December 2009.

I've learnt lots of things here.
*you don't have to be 'in debt' to be useless with money. I thought signing up for a good deal mortgage was all I had to do.
*discussions about money don't have to end in a massive argument
*you don't have to be an expert to learn how to manage money, advice is freely given (usually with an amusing anecdote)...

Cat.x