Debt mutual support thread number 6 ....... start the new year with a clear purpose and keep moving forwards even by tiny steps

[TalkinPeace]

This thread follows on from the last five threads in the series, the most recent of which is here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2193736-Debt-mutual-support-thread-number-5-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-is-NOT-an-oncoming-train?

We live in a society that makes it horribly easy to get into debt but makes it incredibly hard to admit you have a problem and even harder to get out of debt.
The posters on threads, new and experienced, are here to help people get to where they want to be.

I am not in debt, any more.
Here is a link to some spreadsheets that might help
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/1987219-SPREADSHEETS-for-Debt-Control-Budgeting-Mortgages-etc

and lots of people use this
YouNeedABudget

The important things to remember are

• yesterday is as past as the Crimean War

( we will not judge how you got into debt, but we will support you on the way out )

• this is an anonymous forum

( we will not tell your employer, family or friends of the reality of your numbers and we are here day and night )

• this thread is about supporting people through the huge mindset changes needed to come out of debt

( feel free to offload all of the feelings that drive you to want to spend, that make it hard to save and that generally make life crap at times, including getting those closest to you to recognise the changes needed )

Join in, bare your soul and come out the other end.
Its worth it.
You are worth it
The long term results for you, your partner, your children, and your friends and family are worth it.

Thats me placed marked for now.

And me!

For newbies, two things I do to reduce debt even further without really noticing it:

Coin sweep - if you bank online, every morning, move your coins into a savings account or straight onto your debt, i.e. if your balance is £54.76 for example, move 76p into your savings/onto debt. It adds up over the month and you don't really notice it.

Get a tin and save every £2 you get. I do this yearly, one tin for £2 and one tin for 50ps. I opened the £2 in August and had £145 in there, whereas the 50p tin yielded £127 when I opened it last week.

Oooh - think I could manage the coin sweep online - never have cash so less likely to do that. Thanks for the tip x

Marking place

FairyUnless its the heating over the next few months, which would be bad you will be ok. If your washing machine goes, you can still hand wash. If your oven goes (like mine has momths ago) you can cook good food still on stove or in slow cooker. I know the last two are a bit grim but they are doable. Have you got boiler cover - would this help reduce your anxiety over - even just for a few months while you pay down a chunk. You could always cancel after this?

If DH lost his job we would a be fucked in a way. But we have talked about this and have a plan - we would hand back car (on finance) or swap for a v much cheaper one (more likely) strip back sky, gym, broadband etc. Initially have to make a claim of some sort for benefit. The I would do some supply teaching. - This is our loosely formed back up plan. Could you think through so you know what you would do in such circumstances? - We are starting an emergency fund in the new year.

On the right path and moving forward. - porridge, beans and 'all!

Old thread full
fergus good to see you.

May I ask as a semi vanity and semi reassurance point ....
could all the long standing lurkers who were on earlier threads
and who have benefited from this amazing support network to log in?
just that then we hit "most active thread"
and that in itself assures scared newcomers that there is a better way

as many of you know I'm on thread 48 on 5:2 - DH loathes bits of MN but he reads over my shoulder and KNOWS that this a good place

and I'm so, so pleased to see that we are, slowly making a difference.

Marking place and doing a little dance for the new thread.

Oh! Hello!

Ok I have a big announcement and this shiny new thread seems like a good time to announce it... DH and I are debt-free!

This is in part to a family member giving us a sum of money in the last week to put towards a house (Grip for Kinky

December is probably the spendiest month so it should be uphill from here!which we will be doing), but we have paid off DH's overdraft which was our last debt. We have paid back £7k since September alone and had been in debt for all our married life.

This family member realised we were serious about our finances and that we would not fritter this money so has given it to us. I would love, with everyone's blessing, to stay on this thread as even though we have got out of debt in part due to a relative's generosity, we have scrimped and saved and gone without to change our finances. I hope I can pass on some of what I have learned in the last six months. We need to keep living like this as we're hoping to get a mortgage in 2015 and need to save.

Oh trainers that is FAB
and not something to be ashamed of.
look at the numbers of threads of family members tearing their hair out
Being very mean : aim to pay it back, maybe in ten years, but remember that the money was a bonus.
They will not accept it back - BUT if you can prove total control you'll make them feel even better than you do now.
xx

Well done trainers.

That's great news trainers
Congrats x

trainers very pleased for you! Super news. Thanks for my grip .

Well done Trainers that's great news!

Marking my place in this new shiny thread, just in time for flying solo (ish) in the New Year......I have accepted one last cheque from my Dad, from next month DH and I are on our own. I'm half hoping this will give him the shove (DH, not my Dad!) to get a job, any job as we simply won't have enough money to pay for everything. We can cover the mortgage and all direct debits, but not food or credit card repayments. Oh crap!!!

poppers I can sympathise with your position, especially having three hungry mouths to feed! If my three stopped eating we'd be much better off!!

I will post some actual figures soon, maybe that will help to focus the mind a bit more. My MBNA card has come through so at least I can absorb one of DHs cards into a 0% deal, just need to cover the minimum repayment! Plus the one for the other 0% card, plus the remaining card which isn't 0%!!!! I have raided the last of the kids account money and can clear the NW one, so that's something at least. Christmas is covered, I have enough to buy cat flea meds to see us through till about May time, if push comes to shove we can sell the runaround car, and we are in credit for both gas and electric and due our annual review end of Jan so I shall be getting that back then and it will go straight to a card!

Plus, the extra I will get in my wages for working the fri afternoons will also head to a card, I won't add it to the general pot, but we will need to see quite how bad it is once it happens.

But, mentally we are in a better place than this time last year, even if our situation hasn't improved and the figures are not much better!!!

Here for the duration.......anyone got any munchies?????

ooh, and kinky, I was thinking about you earlier and guessing your name might mean you like doritos......have you tried the BBQ ones????? Yummy!!!

You didn't think it meant I was kinky then?! I'm not, btw, I'm very boring! I always remember googling my username for a thread on here to see what image came up. This is the little beauty! Japanese Doritos...

I used to be abbymeg eons ago, but that was a bit boring. I think I've been on MN about 8 years now.

Ahh thanks guys (weird cut and paste fail halfway through my post about December being spendy!).

I will definitely aim to pay the family member back TiP, that is a great idea.

DH and I are like little churchmice at the minute but it's quite nice really.
I haven't got a 'Christmas party' outfit this year but am going to wear nice hair and make up with plainer clothes rather than get a new dress.

Marking place- 2014 has been a good year for making headway into our debt.Onwards and upwards for 2015. My credit card is at 0. My Next account is at 0.i have 2 grand in savings. Christmas is paid for upfront. My clothes buying habit has been well and truly kicked. It's all thanks to this thread.

Hello all, trainers that is amazing news! That is how we got debt free too (family gift) and we still couldn't be more grateful.
Celebrating our first debt free Christmas and hoping for a much healthier and happier 2015 in Annersley Towers.

well done trainers thats brilliant

ive been reading the last thread but really not doing well on the debt front.... due to circumstances ive totaly lost control of the budget, had to resort to credit cards and overdraft. part of me is tempted to think 'fuck it I will deal in January' I know logically that the sensible thing to do is stop spending and try and get back on the budget but I am feeling down that I cant have the Christmas I envisualised. its all costing more than I budgetted and unexpected expenses keep popping up

I dont know what to do...

nocuts just leap right back on the wagon! Honestly don't do the "fuck it until January" thing, if you rein it in now it will be so much easier to deal with in Jan. Damage control from now until payday! Back on the budget, don't stress about Christmas we had a pretty shit one last year but we lived to tell the tale and we are hoping for a much nicer one this year

Thanks MissA, I remember you getting debt free a while ago and thought you really deserved it with everything you'd had go on.

NoCuts if you can take control now it will be so much easier in the new year to get back on track - I'm thinking of it as being like dieting!

Excellent a new thread! I've found that joining this and the frugal thread has given me so much motivation to not spend money, I am trying to check in every day so that I know what I've done each day to take those steps in the right direction and equally I've also found support if I've fallen off the wagon!

So by mid Jan we will be down to around less than half the debt we had previously, our savings will be back to where they were and we will be on track to get ourselves back into the black entirely by Christmas 2015, or maybe sooner.

My plan is to use banking app religiously, budget and know where every penny goes and more importantly I can go into a shop and come out of it without buying ANYTHING AT ALL!!

Trainers MissA your stories are the inspiration we all need to know that we can do it! Well done to you and have a wonderful debt free Christmas.