Drowning in debt and cannot talk to people in Real Life? A problem shared is a problem brought into perspective - come and join the lens.

[Ta1kinPeace]

This thread is loosely linked to several previous ones on the same topic.

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.
Everybody is welcome to share problems, ideas, solutions, but not be judgemental please

I am not in debt, any more.
Here is a link to some spreadsheets that might help explain how
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.

Arkenstone
Welcome to the gang.
Is the house clean even if its tatty ?
Also, what sort of decorating is needed - could you ask on freecycle if anybody has paint / decorating kit they you could use ?
Ditto different curtains ?
Carpets are best covered with fun rugs (freecycle / ebay)

but the main thing is to keep the place clean and tidy and call it shabby/chic and then its not a source of stress any more.

Have you got all of your debts on fixed payments ?

A year will fly by.

Whereabouts do you live? There's a fired earth outlet near Oxford, the paint is a few quid a can.

Homebase & wickes quite often have marked down paint by the entrance.

As Fluffy said, a year goes by very quickly. You'll find yourselves less depressed as you approach that finishing line.

Oh - and you're by no means defeated. Heck - you're doing something about it.

Thanks So looking forward to not owning anyone a single dime! #

Yes, I've already acquired a few bits for free. I'm onto the fun looking rug/ shabby-chic look - getting a (hopefully free, preloved) colourful rug is next on my list. Might purchase a tin of value paint this week end. Our house is clean and uncluttered.

I strive to not bring anymore junk into our home; thinking carefully about every purchase and of all essential annual costs.

Loan is a fixed payment. Credit card is not, we pay more than double the monthly minimum/whatever we can according to how ever much overtime we earn on a particular month.

Looking positively, I suppose at least it's - the debt - is reducing. Even if ever so slowly.

I am gradually starting to accept that part of this process, of paying off debt and ultimately living a debt free life, is having to accept that the debt is here and that it won't go away if we don't follow through with our plan.

Well done.

You sound as if you're not doing that badly, in spirit,

Do you have any thoughts yet on how you'll spend/manage your funds once the debt is paid off?

Arken
You are already doing all the right things.
THe weather will warm up soon and then it will all feel better.
If you pop your credit card numbers into my spreadsheet you'll be able to work out exactly how many months you have to go.

TIP - a huge thank you to you. I posted on this thread a year ago. I've just received a 6k bonus (after tax) and have received a pay rise of £250 (after tax). (I worked really hard last year).

I've used all 6k to put towards my highest interest loan. So I now have 5k left on that plus 7k on a 0%credit card.

With my pay rise I now have 750 per month to put towards the debts so this time next year I will be debt free!

A big thank you to you

but also WELL DONE for staying focused.

And once the debts are gone you have £300 a month extra to spend and £450 a month to throw at savings / pensions / forward planning.

Well done, Weeble.

Weebles.

Well done!!

Well, January was a nightmare money wise! 😖

Washing machine broke - new one £295
Car repairs - £350 - hopefully this will mean the car will last me another couple of years (it's 11 years old now)
Roof repairs - £60
New glasses for me -£500 - varifocals!!!!! 😳
Boiler repair - £50

I could weep. I really could.
However I shan't. I shall carry on trying to be frugal and hope for better days 😊

Sadly my mum is not well and has had another heart attack and is quite frail now
Dh is also away a lot more
So I'm giving up my job and doing cover instead
I'm so very tired all the time 😞 something has to give...

I know it's the right thing to do for now but I'm sad about it

We are still plugging away at the cc and now have no store cards/accounts as we paid them all off and closed them

We have our £1k emergency fund too a la save Ramsey so it could be worse!!

Hope everyone is ok x

Badders
THats a rough collection
but the fact that you are still stamping on debt through it shows that you have the right mindset to be resilient now.
Well done.

I forgot bathroom repairs!!

That's another £50!
Thanks tip
I know how easy it is for me to slide
Into "what the hell" thinking so I'm glad that hasn't happened

Hi, posted a while back & slowly managing debt but need to cut monthly expenses. I've just changed Gas & electric provider, pet insurance, car & home insurance but can't think what else I can do. I pay the following:

£19.91 boiler cover
£22.15 cover for 5 appliances
£7.04 redundancy/sickness cover
£28 critical illness

Any thoughts or advice on those or anything for that matter?

Thanks x

Is your boiler very old? You can always compare prices for appliance and boiler cover. The cashback sites will most likely have something.

One of my relatives paid over a £100 a year for cover for her cooker. When it broke down after 15 years they gave her £100 to buy a new one.

If she'd saved all that money she could have had the swankiest one in the shop.

Are the boiler and appliance cover per year or per month.
If per month, ditch them. THey are a waste.
"self insure" - as in cancel the policy and put the money into savings

Critical illness - redundancy
does your employer not cover any of those .... do you REALLY need them ?
would life insurance be better

redundancy cover - would it actually pay out ?

I'm DEEPLY cynical about most such insurances and I actually successfully claimed on a PPI years ago

They are per month, I'm just scared the boiler breaks & cant afford to fix, it's only around 3 years old though so could take a chance for a year whilst I find my feet. Appliances also only around 3 years old.

My employer is a tiny private business so no benefits. You are right I need to get advice re cover.

What make is it? We've got an ideal boiler & our service man describes them as fit and forget boilers.

Have you checked the warranty length?.

Dh had insurance on our last tv, he paid out as much in insurance as he did on the telly.

Appliances are very cheap now, you can replace most things for under £200 buying new.

My boiler is a Vaillant. It is 7 years old. Total repairs / servicing so far = £40 a year and one new valve for £60 incl fitting.

Keep the money in a savings account. Do not pay it to the parasites who sell fear.

Redundancy cover - how much would it actually give you against being able to rapidly go and find another job.

It's an ideal boiler. Thanks you are right I'm cancelling the policies.

The redundancy cover I'm keeping for now as it would pay the mortgage.

Hi everyone.

I've seen this thread and really need to speak about my problems!

I'm in around 5k of debt, my partner doesn't know, not because I can't tell him but because I'm so embarrassed and ashamed that I've allowed myself to get into this amount of debt! It's my fault 100%.

I'm just in the process of setting up a step change application but I just needed to get it off my chest!

littlehobbit
Welcome to the thread.
What sort of debts ?
Would the standing order trick deal with them?

Hello... another here drowning. I'm in around 12k of debt and I am going on maternity leave in 3 months time. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I've got to the point where I'm struggling to pay everything each month and will soon only be bringing home SMP. There is no way this will work so I really don't know what I'm meant to do.

I'm also so embarrassed to have got myself in this spiralling situation and feel so panicky about it and what the hell I'm going to do. I don't feel I can talk to anyone about it and I know people will judge me for having a baby when I know I'm not in a position to financially.

The worst thing is I have literally nothing to show for my debt. At all. Nothing. I have no idea what I have spent it on. How have I got myself in this position?

Welcome to the thread positive
are the debts on cards ... if so, move them to standing orders and then enjoy your maternity leave
BUT
from today onwards keep a cashbook and record every penny you spend
BEFORE
you spend it
you'll save with little hassle