JoKay's journey out of debt!

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  • JoKay_2
    JoKay_2 Posts: 301 Forumite
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    Just done all the banking and - finally!! - have received £60 from Quidco for B&C policy that I took out in December!

    I've also checked the Paypal account - now all the fees have been taken - and transferred £25 profit to the bank account - so all in all, an additional £85 will be paid off the overdraft this month, meaning the debt free date has been brought forward to March 2010 - yay!!! :j
  • Lurker1972
    Lurker1972 Posts: 779 Forumite
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    Thats great news, are you tempted to work out how many weeks? or even sadder, days???
    I do not make mistakes, I learn lessons.
    I work to live, not live to work.
    I love to live & live to love.
    Good enough is exactly that.
  • JoKay_2
    JoKay_2 Posts: 301 Forumite
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    Lurker1972 wrote: »
    Thats great news, are you tempted to work out how many weeks? or even sadder, days???

    :rotfl: Not quite, there's still some variable expenditure which might lengthen the debt free date, but as it stands at the moment, at the March payday we'll be debt free!!! :D
  • JoKay_2
    JoKay_2 Posts: 301 Forumite
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    Well, I'm going in to work this morning to negotiate my phased return to work, which I must admit I am looking forward to.

    I've found that my motivation levels have plummetted since I've nothing to get up for every day, and have been a little limited on what I can do physically, so I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine so I can actually achieve some of the goals I've set myself in my 101 in 1001 challenge!!

    On the financial front - going back is a bit of a double edged sword. Hopefully my spending on snacks (which did get a bit out of control....:o leading to this half stone weight gain) will reduce, but this is then counter balanced by the fact that we have a Costa coffee concession at work (and I love them!!) They are slightly subsidised though, but I do need to curb my 1 or 2 a day habit as its costing between £30 and £40 per month!! :eek:

    I've thought about taking my own milky coffee in in a flask - any other ideas??
  • talisker78
    talisker78 Posts: 213 Forumite
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    Hello JoKay,

    How was your return to work today? Hope everything went well for you.

    Thanks again for the spreadsheet, will wait til next pay day then give it a shot. :D
    Debt Sept 2007 (1st LBM) - £63,000 :embarasse
    Started DMP July 2012 (2nd LBM) - £34,000
    DFD (currently) - 12 years! :o
    "Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up."
  • JoKay_2
    JoKay_2 Posts: 301 Forumite
    edited 6 June 2009 at 11:15AM
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    Thanks Talisker, yesterday went well, only went in for the return to work meeting to agree hours and generally catch up, but everyone was pleased to see me!

    I'm in the office for 5 days in the next two weeks, so am challenging myself not to buy anything from the restauarant / Costa concession in that time, which will save me between £5 and £10.

    OH and I allow ourselves £50pm 'bunce money' as we call it, and I generally have trouble making this last because of my coffee / snack habit, and it doesn't leave anything over for anything else, so I really do need to beat this one, as it will also help on the weight loss front! :o



    Todays plans:
    1. Tidy round house & clean bathrooms - DONE!
    2. Do online banking & update spreadsheet - DONE!
    3. Walk the hound!
  • JoKay_2
    JoKay_2 Posts: 301 Forumite
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    Just thought I'd pop in to update you all!

    Am half way through second week of phased return to work - all okay, will definitely be able to work full time from next week - but boy, what a mess my dept has become in my absence - lots of work ahead needed!

    Have only had one Costa in the time I've been in the office, but can feel its pull at 10am every morning!! As I'm also calorie counting now, I really can't afford them financially or calorie wise!!

    The bank account is looking good - should be able to pay off around £500 off the overdraft this month! :beer: Unfortunately I'll be adding to it in July and August because of holiday spending, but it is all accounted for, so I mustn't get disheartened, and must remember the bigger picture!

    We've got just over £300 left in the monthly spending budget, to pay for petrol, groceries etc, which might be a bit tight - need to think carefully about any other spending from now until the end of the month. Just writing that though makes me feel empowered - before my LBM, we would just keep spending into the overdraft with no idea how much we could / should be spending!! :o

    I've got £800 budgetted for the Christmas period and for my DDs birthday in January but am seriously thinking of taking that money from savings, as it would bring the debt free date to the end of February - still, plenty of time to think about that one!
  • JoKay_2
    JoKay_2 Posts: 301 Forumite
    edited 19 June 2009 at 7:34PM
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    Well we definitely need to revise the grocery budget next month - have massively overspent, partly because of all the fresh fruit and veg we're buying now we're attempting to eat healthily!! Definitely need to find cheaper ways of buying fruit in particular - must have spent £15 last night in tesco!!
  • JoKay_2
    JoKay_2 Posts: 301 Forumite
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    :eek: Have just been to DDs new school for her new uniform - and I'm £380 out of pocket!! That doesn't include the £100 spent in the secondhand shop last week either!! :eek:

    However, its is planned expenditure, and I do have the money sitting in an account waiting to be spent, but I don't think I've ever spent that amount of money in half an hour before!! :o

    Note to self - become very good friends with the secondhand shop volunteer and buy the good stuff when I see it!! ;)
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