Can we have a support thread for people who are massively in debt?

[Nerfmother]

Because you can't talk about it in real life? We owe 44k, reduced from 60k in a year. Not including mortgage.
It's so depressing.
Dh is determined to pay it off and so bankruptcy or plans isn't an option. I do think its doable, just hard hard hard.

And welcome Jon! In terms of prioritisation I'm hitting debts based on interest rates, highest first, then next highest and so forth. Everything is paid the minimum each month and every other penny goes to repaying the CC with highest interest rate.

Some prefer to hit the lower balances first...it must give a real sense if achievement and unspoken you to keep going.

Do you think either of these would help get you in track?

Slopes off envious of TiP vegetable garden lol

Cannot understand why people are dismissive/snobbish about Aldi and Lidl , they are tremendous shops , the quality is there , bigtime plus the prices are right.
Daft not to go there , we go all the time .

Bluebayou
I have a lovely who is so effing rich that she and her DH have matching mercs with number plates
ABC123 and DEF456
for their wedding they rented the Gary Rhodes restaurant and got him to do a special menu (for 40 on the Oriana)

I see her in Lidl regularly because she trusts the quality : nuff said.

mum2fergus
everybody can grow their own veg ...

go to the supermarket in a month or so, buy one of those 99p trays of lettuce
soak it in water for a day and then spit it into 16 pots and bung them on every windowsill
(pots and compost from your local Household waste)
you'll have free lettuce all summer
same with herbs

rethink your front room : take down the net curtains and treat the front window as a polytunnel
cherry tomatoes, lettuce, fresh herbs, rocket, aubergines, chillies

if you have a garden of any size, try to get hold of "walking onions" that are perpetual spring onions, chives, coriander, parsley
all sorts : use what the supermarket sell to be cut up and grow it on

the red oak lettuce in all those trays is a bugger to germinate (I have a big veg garden) so I've given up [grin}

I've a good sized garden but it's a total swamp but have though about investing in one of this plastic frames with the 3-4 shelves...in fact, I'm putting it in my goals list now and will start budgeting for it in my envelopes now!

My gardens a swamp at the moment too.

We have tried to grow stuff before, but everything got eaten by caterpillars and slugs, so I've given up. I like the thought of growing lettuce inside, would have to cover it to protect it from my cats though. I always seem to end up with those sand flies in the house with indoor plants.

Mum2
I live on top of a gravel hill (geography degree paranoia)
my garden is utterly saturated
I have beds that are 3 months behind on prep because its so wet
BUT
go to the dump and offer them 50p a tub and then pile your own soil into the tubs to drain ...
I used to grow lettuce in hanging baskets because my old house had such a slug problem.

Seriously, I love the dump : I always come away with as much as I took - all of my wine glasses (sets of 8) and side plates (sets of 6) have been 50p an item from there

big planters and troughs are around £2 ....

well there you go Talkinpeace [WINK]

Just remembered I've a pile of planters in the hut...they were left behind by previous owner, will check them out in the morning. TiP,what do you recommend for a total newbie to growing their own?

Mum2fergus
go to your local dump and get some bags of their compost
then got to a garden centre (or B&Q) and get some generic compost (peat free if you possibly can).
MIx them up in a bowl (3 x dump to 1 x posh) and fill the planters .... leave for at least two weeks to settle
then, get the lettuce and divide it and grow it on ... pots of herbs should split into 4 easily, the lettuce 16
see what the garden centre has reduced and be brave : a 50 p plant might produce 50 cherry tomatoes or four aubergines ... quids in

Genius! I'm really keen to get started on this now!!

Mum2fergus
and all others on the thread
growing your own veg may feel like an utter triviality - especially if you are doing so on a balcony or windowsill
but its not
its utterly not
because
growing your own food - even a teeny part of it
sets the focus / feedback / mindfulness / you name it that restarts long term ism that will help reset your "need" factors in your head
that got you into debt in the first place
and help you overcome it for ever

I'm in, with a name change!
We are in about 8.5K debt (we have a spreadsheet with the exact figure), and plan to pay it off in 2014. It's a combination of moving house costs (damn £3K ERC), failed business costs and the last dregs of my student loan.
We should be able to do it, as long as we're careful - yes to Aldi shopping. I'm a convert from Waitrose, and really impressed. I have a shock with every bill as it's SO low. Recommend cheese, ham, greek yog, laundry and dishwasher tablets in particular. We're also meal planning and batch cooking - and waiting until DC1 gets their free nursery hours!!

We have a veg patch!
Dh and the dc grow toms, lettuce, carrots. We ate them all last summer :)
Not sure what they plan to grow this year.
Have tried strawberries but they don't seem to like me.
Do you know what utterly baffles me?
I have so much stuff
If we re do the kitchen I will be getting rid of loads of stuff...it's just sitting there taking up space and attracting dust!
And yet I regularly have clear outs (or culls as dh calls them!:)) and yet I still seem to have bulging cupboards and storage units. Sigh.

Welcome Money...I'm same Badvoc, have stuff coming out my ears! Though oddly enough only room that is totally pared back, spacious and tidy is DSs!! Think because his is the only room I've completely redecorated so it has great storage and is bright and airy (I often find myself having a wee cup if tea in there watching the planes land and takeoff lol)

I do that too! :)

Sooo, Sunday night budget review and I'm on track, even had a princely £29.19 left over from housekeeping budget so have paid that to CC1 tonight! That's 2 extra payments to it this month on top of the fixed sum repayment...they wont know whats hit them (maybe explains why they want to put my limit up lol). Feeling good

I've found a local FB selling page and am selling Buildabears like hot cakes! Thrilled

Brilliant Kazza...well done you!! Now make a plan for the money you have coming in...don't let it go to waste

Think you asked for spreadsheet software before...coincidently just downloading software update for the one I mentioned...will try it on phone and let you know if its any better

Ok, this doesn't look too bad at all...would recommend you do bulk of work upfront on PC though then email to yourself and open in Numbers app (once you download app of course)...just found a meal plan/shopping list template on it too...I'm in heaven lol

Hi money, hi John! Definitely second the idea of one card at a time. I've set low payments where possible (can't with loans obviously) and am trying to pay off a small card.
Badvoc, lidl and aldi are brilliant. I've done half and half and gradually am moving to all the shopping there.
Veg patch is a summer project.
I'm definitely doing better - supercuts not the posh hairdresser, no meals out, no Sunday papers.
Mum you are really helping by posting all the small amounts you are paying off; I am going to be so annoyed if I don't follow suit.