Enjoying the journey to becoming debt free - paying back the credit cards

After thinking it over for a month or so, I knew it was time to start a new diary to focus on the next phase of change. The last one saw me move from a point of low self confidence, end of a relationship, overweight and unfit to where I am now a fabulous 2st lighter, exercising regularly and full of confidence and feeling so much better as a result. I stopped my ridicuous TV shopping addiction, stopped spending ridiculous amounts on skincare and make up. Downbranded on all of this and guess what, no difference - apart from less money. I was looking for a quick fix in beauty products to make me feel better. Guess what? It didn't work. I had to work on myself first.

I buy clothes and shoes in the sales. Now, due to the tremendous weight loss over the last year or so not much fitted me from before so I sold them, and replaced with sale items nothing costing more than £20 and most things costing a lot less. Amazing what you can find for under a tenner that originally cost a lot more - jacket for £9 instead of £45 for example? Tried to get things that weren't overly trendy and would last more than a couple of years.

The focus is on maintaining a healthy weight so these new clothes get worn. I didn't want to keep the bigger clothes just in case either - no chance of returning back to that previous lifestyle. I feel my thinking has changed for good over the last 2yrs. It was a long journey, really hard at times but I'm so glad I'm at this point now.

Here is this particular journey which focused on all of this over the last 2yrs http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2608025

Still the thought of how much debt I owe nibbled away at my mind, knowing how much I owe on a long term loan which has 2yrs to go and the credit cards full of debt. As I faced up to so many parts of my life and changed them for the better I'm now at the point where I know, I need, I want to and will repay these debts to achieve my aim of being debt free from CC and having my money for myself.

This is the focus for this diary - repay the credit cards and improve my credit rating from satisfactory to good.

What's going to help me?

1. Work out a repayment plan
2. Contact the CC companies to ask them to lower the APR and possibilities of a BT - no chance at the moment, doesn't hurt to ask
3. Rejoin NSD challenge - it helped me before
4. Set monthly and weekly budget for food shopping
5. Write a shopping list for each week and stick to it
6. Eat the food I have in the cupboards and freezer
7. Write a list of things I don't need at all and keep it handy to remind me
8. Don't buy any clothes or shoes at all for the rest of Sept and all of October
9. Remember I don't need any skincare, haircare or make up until I have run out
10. Continue low cost exercise - its worked to get me here and remember I did it without joining a gym and paying for that