Does it get easier??????

skibadee

We've been in a DMP with PayPlan since february this year,,,,total debt £54,444......finding it really difficult to keep within budget without credit facilities.....which I know was one of the things that got us into this mess.....how have others managed? what do you do when birthdays come along? panicing about xmas already too!!!......really trying to cut back on everything....just don't know what else to do????

RAS

Hi

have you joined www.freecycle.org? A useful source of clothes, household stuff and emergency repalacements when stuff breaks down.

Explored http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/protect/make-money

been over to Money Saving Old style and frightened your self witless putting up your supermarket bills for scrutiny?

There are a couple of really good threads here on presents - I like the miniature herb garden for a £5. You can do bulbs in pots (from LIDL or Wilkos), home made preserves, pomanders, home made cards - my favourite of all time had a page from an old hymn book and the gold paper out of a ciggie packet, embellished with hand drawn holly and ivy leaves.

churchrat

hi
well done!!! you have done the hardest bit. Keeping up with the budget at first is REALLY tricky, but after a while it becomes second nature.
have you done a soa on here??
do you keep a spending diary?? I found this really useful, made me think about every penny.
Do you write a weekly budget?
How about withdrawing all your money for the month in one go?? I divide it up in seperate envelops, I know other people use jars or savings accaounts in Building Societies.
Christmas and birthdays need a complete change of attitude.You cannot afford to spend what you have been spending. Freecycle, e-bay and charity shops are all good places to buy and recycle your own unwanted stuff.
Above all DON'T PANIC
easier said than done, but you will get there. We owed £61k, now less than £5k and we have run our own dmp. Really wish I had found this site earlier, would have been sooooooooo much easier!!
After a while I started to enjoy looking for the cheapest way to do things, and now I can't believe the way I viewed money in the past.
good luck, and don't forget to let us all know how you are getting on
churchrat

Broken_hearted

Yes it gets easier in time. The first few months are the hardest.Well done on making a start.

doodah

it does get slightly better as time goes on, especially when you start to see results!

hypno06

Why not join in one of the challenges here - there is one specifically for "free Christmas 2008" where we are aiming to "pay" for Christmas with things like vouchers we get from survey sites etc.

It may seem like a bit of a pain, but they all add up - we did last Christmas for next to nothing, and will be able to do the same again this year!!

Freebies are another one to look at - even getting samples can be gathered together and go into a hamper for presents!