The Debt Free Roll Of Honour

DEBT FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :j

a. The date of your lightbulb moment

There were a few flickerings, but the light came on and stayed on 27/02/2017 - when I joined MSE!

b. Debts at their highest

£30,000 :eek::eek:, although my bright LBM wasn't until later, when we were round about the £21,000 mark

c. Debt-Free Date

12/02/2018 :bdaycake:

d. Your one pearl of wisdom.

Budget for everything REALISTICALLY. There is no point drawing up a really tight budget cutting out on things that you are going to spend on anyway - if you spend £50 a month on going out, but kid yourself on you won't go out and end up blowing your budget anyway then you will feel like you have failed and are more likely to fall back into bad habits.Use the Statement Of Affairs, ask for help on the Debt Free Wannabe page (although don't be disheartened when others poke holes in your budget - the hole poker might not think budgeting for a night out is something you should be doing but if it's something you know you won't do without then it's justified, you might not agree with them budgeting for a 20-a-day habit, but it's something they know they are going to spend on.

However, becoming debt free does require will power - we stopped taking finance out on cars, we each bought a car for under £1000 - was it annoying seeing other people tool about in flash cars? Yes. But I told myself and still tell myself every day, I OWN my car outright - if something seriously went wrong with my car tomorrow, I would be less worried than someone who still owes £7k on theirs. Remember why you are making the sacrifice!

Shop about - if you buy something regularly then shop about for it - I regularly go online to find where I can buy my e-liquid cheaper. If I'm making a big purchase like white goods, I google the model number and look in google shopping to see who has it cheaper. When it comes to make up I always ask for boots vouchers for Christmas and Birthdays so I can get the stuff I really want for less. My husband uses stick deodorants - so I googled them and now instead of spending £3.49 each on them in tesco, I get them in bulk for £1.10 each.

I always ask for the prescription from my vets then order pet medications on line for at least 60% discount.

I love Farmfoods, Poundshops (be careful though, sometimes it's cheaper elsewhere (£1 for bleach in the pound shop V 0.39p in Home Bargains), B&M, Aldi, Homebargains etc., I literally grudge paying Tesco/ASDA etc.

f. Which forum threads helped you

Reading the Debt Free Wannabe forum always helped, along with the Old School Money Saving.

g. And if you had a debt diary on the Debt-Free Wannabe board (DFW), a link to it

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5626473

Face up, take action, allow setbacks and keep at it!!!!!!!!! Good luck everyone, and well done all those in the DF Club!!! :T:T:T

a. The date of your lightbulb moment: March 2015
b. Debts at their highest: £25,000
c. Debt-Free Date: Mar 2018
d. Pearl of wisdom: Leave some money in your budget to do enjoyable things if you can. Whilst it may add on a couple of months to your DFD it doesn't then feel such a hassle for years whilst you are paying it down.

First time I have been debt free since 1999, although I only recently started to deal with it. I have set up a new account with a standing order of £350 going straight into it for savings. This is less than what I have been paying on my debt payments so its a win-win, I have an instant savings pot of £350 a month, and I also have a spare £100 or so each month than I had before to be frivolous with.

I had my lightbulb moment in 2011 when I joined the forum. My light was on but I could not work out a way to repay my debt as I was self employed, not earning enough and I could not find work. At that time my debt was £12,000. I came back with a new diary in January 2016 and the lightbulb was even brighter and my debt was £24,822. I began F/T work in March 2016 and stepped up my repayments. That was the highest debt figure I had ever had in my life (apart from my mortgage) and I was scared but also highly motivated.

I began paying £1,000 a month on average. It was a lot but I knew i would run out of steam if I took the scenic route. There was just me to please so I decided to tough it out and do it fast.

My debt free date was December 2017. I reset this date to March 2018 and became debt free on 23/03/2018

My advice is to get a second job (if you are able to) this helped immensely and it does not have to be forever. I got miserable because I was cutting expenses too much and in the end I changed that by increasing income instead.

The biggest drain on my spending was food! If that is you, especially if you work, take packup lunches and get a flask. Organise your food shop. Don't run into a stupidmarket after work it will cost you dear. To get debt free you have to get organised. Disorganisation costs you money. Always.

I would also say be honest with yourself. Know who you are and what you need to succeed. Be prepared to set targets but be flexible especially if you are in for the foreseeable. I was a bit too hardcore and the journey was tougher than it needed to be sometimes. It helped that people posted to remind me to have a treat or pay less to debt for a month or two.

I loved the debt free and mortgage free diaries. I got so much support and guidance and advice. I will be forever grateful to the community there.

I am now debt and mortgage free and looking forward to making new positive changes in my life.

My diary is in the debt free diaries and is called Dancing in the Rain. I am DIA and I am debt and mortgage free