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Original poster

Feeling a bit sick at 0 to £3k cc debt within 3 months

121 replies

Liesmorelies · 27/10/2025 17:50

No debt other than mortgage and separate car loan (cheap car - £95 per month over 5 years, ends next year) for a few years now and suddenly it's gone up to £3k just like that. It's due to £1k leftover from big holiday (USA) spending in the summer - I knew this would have happened and thought it would be paid by now, which it would have had the following not happened:

  • car repair at £500 just before we went away in July. Paid not on CC but obviously meant had less money in current account.
  • Car service + minor repair when we got back - £400
  • Cat having to be pts following some tests. After insurance still left with £400 to pay. Some of the claim was settled separately so I actually only pay £400 but didn't allocate the other money when it came in so total of £600 to pay now.
  • New laptop for ds going to uni - £800
  • Other cat needed dental work not covered on insurance - £700
  • Adopted two kittens- £200
  • Band ds2 loves announced long-awaited tour dates - been promised to ds for about 2 years - £350
  • Other expenses for ds starting uni and travel - around £500. Not all put on CC but has meant less money at the end of every month to throw at the cc.

Ds starting uni means I have to give more money to him each month and have also had to raise ds2's allowance to match what ds1 had at his age - it's not huge but all adds up. I do have it all on interest free cards and should be able to spend around £500 on it each month, maybe more. In addition I have a £20k isa maturing at the end of the year, but wanted that to be a buffer for dc in uni so don't really want to touch it.

I know a lot of this was avoidable but it's scary how quickly it has all piled on.

OP posts:
verycloakanddaggers · 27/10/2025 17:54

Maybe it's time to review your budget with a critical eye. Pets, holidays and concerts are all discretionary spending.

Can you find extra savings in your main budget to get this all paid back faster?

AquaLeja · 27/10/2025 17:55

👆This.

LIZS · 27/10/2025 18:06

There are lots of “have to”s in your post. You really should not feel obligated to spend so much if you do not have it available. Holidays, cats, concert tickets, expensive laptops, allowances etc. dc can get pt work and use student loans. There may also be uni discretionary funds if things are that tight.

Pepperedpickles · 27/10/2025 18:11

If you can’t afford this there’s no way you should have done a lot of those things - dental work for existing cat, yep fair enough but why on earth are you getting 2 new kittens when you can’t afford the dental work for the cat you have without using a credit card? 😳

A laptop for university doesn’t have to be £££- we got dd one for around £280, she’s 22 now and still using it.

The band tickets - you should have said you can’t afford it. It’s okay to say you can’t afford things. It’s a good lesson for dc.

rubyslippers · 27/10/2025 18:14

You have quite a lot in that budget which you didn’t need to spend
the kittens (and this is an ongoing cost now)
Concert tickets
£800 laptop - really couldn’t have had a cheaper model?
and if you can’t afford to give more money to your kids now then don’t

its done now but I would not use the cards again and pay it all back
you need to reinvest the Isa when it matures and if necessary use some of it to pay of any remaining debts

Geneticsbunny · 27/10/2025 18:15

Sounds like you couldn't afford the holiday or to adopt the two kittens? It's done now though. What is in your budget going forwards that you can cut out? Any TV packages you can drop? Future holidays you can cancel? Can you switch to cheaper phone packages? Less eating out/take aways? Just till you clear the debt obviously.

TardisDweller · 27/10/2025 18:16

It's really tough, but I think you need to change your mindset a little as it's very easy to fall into the trap of thinking spending on certain things is necessary when it isn't.

Glittertwins · 27/10/2025 18:22

You’ve got a lot of things on there that are either unnecessary or should have ideally budgeted for. Car service is a known thing. Two additional cats - not really necessary (cat owner too), laptop at £800 is quite high end - is that spec really necessary as all the uni open days we’ve been to say it’s not, band tickets- annoying but sadly a luxury these days. Can you get a better deal and transfer to minimise interest before it really spirals?

Original poster
Liesmorelies · 27/10/2025 19:06

Surprised by some of these replies really. Completely agree I should have waited until after Christmas to get the kittens, but the rest was unavoidable and, had it not all happened within a couple of months, would have been fine and wouldn't have needed to involve credit and I would also have been able to pay off the holiday. I do think I underestimated the cost of getting ds off to uni and upfront costs of that too, even things like visiting family and meals out for that on the way, but that's done now.

Ds isn't allowed to work at his uni but did have a part-time job before going. We researched the laptop and I don't think you get all that much for much less than that. They all seemed to be Chromebooks, which wouldn't have worked for him. Yes, you can get lucky with something cheap being great, but if not you're stuck having to buy again.

I don't really think it's unaffordable either - as I said, I'd rather not have it, but I can spend at least £500 per month in it so it should all be gone in 6 months and the interest free period is 20 months. Before the summer I generally had around £800 -900 left at the end of the month, but now that will be less - I'm thinking £500-600. August-September were expensive but that should settle down now so I should be fine.

OP posts:
Yamamm · 27/10/2025 19:12

I wouldn’t worry. The fact you’re worrying about it at this point is a good sign. You’re making plans to deal with it while it’s manageable.
You spent £2k on cats and £1k on car
and £1k on holiday. Next year will be cheaper if you stay focussed.

pinkbackground · 27/10/2025 19:12

Worth looking at the Dave Ramsey method. We’ve followed it and are now debt free.

Higglea · 27/10/2025 19:12

You’ve had a hard time on here OP. You have 20k coming soon, so it’s not as if you have no means of paying this debt off. It’s a cash flow issue - you’d be better reinvesting the 20k and paying down the debt but equally what does it matter if you have 3k on cards for a year (interest free)? Just stop using them now.

Original poster
Liesmorelies · 27/10/2025 19:16

I haven't spent £2k on cats! More like 1k. Last holiday was a big one as both boys had big exams. This year will be a fraction of that cost (but concert is abroad so will be going there for 3 days as well!).

OP posts:
DoubleDuvet · 27/10/2025 19:21

We've bought teens laptops on BackMarket for wayyyyy less than thay. Good spec as advised by their v tech savvy uncle.

Completely understand a lot of it. We've been in similar situations in the past. Life can be very expensive and timing can be off.

Notmyreality · 27/10/2025 19:22

There’s a whole lot of non-essential essential spending there.

Original poster
Liesmorelies · 27/10/2025 19:23

I think if my take home pay is £3900 and my mortgage £700 and no other big expenses I shouldn't be limited to 'essentials only' spending?

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 27/10/2025 19:27

I’m sorry to say but you’re living well beyond your means, plus you’re not being completely honest with yourself.
Spending money on concert tickets is a totally non essential expense. Increasing a DCs spending money is non essential.
Buying more pets is non essential.
Going on an expensive holiday funded by a credit card because ‘exams’ is non essential.
Id sit down and do a proper budget that takes into account the true cost of all your pets, funding for your Dc at Uni, ongoing costs for car repairs etc. you should aim to have 6 months salary equivalent in savings to cover these things.

CoastalCalm · 27/10/2025 19:32

From your responses it seems you don’t feel sick about the debt at all infact you seem entitled so why post a thread ?

DriveboyDogboy · 27/10/2025 19:35

Liesmorelies · 27/10/2025 19:23

I think if my take home pay is £3900 and my mortgage £700 and no other big expenses I shouldn't be limited to 'essentials only' spending?

No-one is saying you should limit yourself to essentials only but you have just admitted to having to put all of these expenses on a credit card so you are spending beyond your means. What is it that you wanted from the thread?

Original poster
Liesmorelies · 27/10/2025 19:35

Well sometimes the replies you get make you rethink I suppose @CoastalCalm . I'm definitely not thrilled about it but I do think people saying it was all unnecessary are wrong. I also don't think I'm living well beyond my means. I actually think that's nonsense in fact.

OP posts:
NotMeNoNo · 27/10/2025 19:38

It's easy to take your eye off the ball and before you know it a few big expenses add up quickly. We had a similar thing this year after an unexpected situation.
Edit (posted too soon) you just have to go back to basics with your budgeting. I've downloaded YNAB app which is good for everyday decisions not derailing the bigger picture

Roselily123 · 27/10/2025 19:43

Soontobe60 · 27/10/2025 19:27

I’m sorry to say but you’re living well beyond your means, plus you’re not being completely honest with yourself.
Spending money on concert tickets is a totally non essential expense. Increasing a DCs spending money is non essential.
Buying more pets is non essential.
Going on an expensive holiday funded by a credit card because ‘exams’ is non essential.
Id sit down and do a proper budget that takes into account the true cost of all your pets, funding for your Dc at Uni, ongoing costs for car repairs etc. you should aim to have 6 months salary equivalent in savings to cover these things.

This
my dad used to say , if you haven’t got the money, don’t spend it…..

TheFlis · 27/10/2025 19:43

Given you say you usually have a decent amount of disposable income each month OP and claim to not be living beyond your means, why didn’t you have a decent emergency fund to cover most of this rather than using a credit card?

TalulahJP · 27/10/2025 19:44

0% balance transfer. They are great.

jonnybriggswasgreat · 27/10/2025 19:46

I think your high-ish net monthly pay and low mortgage repayment has caused a “I deserve a lot and so do my boys so I don’t need to budget” mindset. It doesn’t matter how much you earn and how little it costs to put a roof over your head, if you don’t live within your means you’re heading for disaster.

For at least six months I would strip everything back to basics and be as frugal as possible to pay as much of the debt off asap. Learn to budget - there are plenty of online resources that can help you.

Personally I wouldn’t touch the £20k and would move it to another cash ISA at the end of the year because the chancellor is likely going to half the limit to £10k from April.