Debt Free 2007.....

[charliecat]

Following on from this thread there are a fair few mumsnetter trying to get out of and stay out of debt....chatting about it and moaning about skint
We are a friendly bunch please come in

A round up of a lot of the tips/links so far:

• Decent food budgetting/planning - Email Flamesparrow at gmail dot com for a copy of Capp?s spreadsheet! (Didn?t want to tell everyone to CAT you Capp unless you wanted them to )
• uswitch
• s/o for savings AND a s/o for treats
• Work out the birthdays that will be coming across the year and make sure I put aside enough each month to cover the hell months.

BUDGET
Work out a spreadsheet for your monthly/weekly spending. Spend a couple of months tracking every penny you spend ? you will be able to see where your money trickles away to!!!

SHOPPING
*Shop online if you make a comprehensive list (it will cost more if you miss lots off)
*Menu plan ? easier to make a stickable to shopping list

• Use Quidco to get money back on shopping
• If you can be trusted to pay it all off before the end of the month, do your shopping on a Tesco credit card to get the points to use elsewhere
• Eat before you shop
• Buy extras like milk and bread at the corner shop ? what slight extra you pay for the milk, you save on not seeing tempting offers!! (4 pts of milk is actually CHEAPER at my corner shop than Tesco Express)
• Sign up for anything that will send you free vouchers
• Pay at the self service machines in Tesco as they accept all vouchers regardless of purchases
• Avoid gift/cleaning aisle in shops ? you buy things you don?t need FOOD ? Menu plan! It can be a 2 or 3 week mix n match type thing, but have some plan to help you shop ? Work out which foods can be economised on, and which are just not worth it ? value mushrooms are just an odd shape, value mince is more fatty, but if you strain it it is fine, but frozen mince tastes like disintergrated cardboard ? Cook bulk meals and freeze ? 2 packs of mince can often make 3 meals, where as 1 pack makes 1 n a bit ? Bulk meals out with lots of veg ? again, a Bolognese sauce goes a lot further if its filled with peppers, grated carrots etc ? Take drinks out with you so you are not forced to buy ? Get Fruit and Veg at markets (have discovered that DH works next to the people who supply the organic veg box people ? we are now getting organic veg for less than basic tesco veg prices

GIFTS
? Keep a list of birthdays with you so you can buy presents as you spot bargains
? Save for Christmas NOW ? Use a club or a separate savings account with a standing order - don?t wait and see what you can afford at the end of the month ? you won?t be able to

GENERAL
? Save up spare £1 coins and coppers etc ? You can get it changed at most Sainsbury?s in a machine ? it does take some of your money in a charge, but I never get it changed if I have to take it to a bank, so it makes more sense.
? Claim back you bank charges if you have them
? Cut up credit cards ? If it is not a matter of starvation or eviction, it is NOT an emergency
ITS NOT A BARGAIN IF YOU DIDN?T NEED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!

mine

I have a flex account...I will look for the e-saver things later. Thanks.

hello. I'm back thanks to a link on the other thread... I haven't read the thread yet but wanted to get it back on my 'threads I'm on list'

So I paid off my overdraft which was my first goal and it looks like I will stay out of it again this month so I have set myself a new goal...

Next June I will be half way through a 7yr loan, I can pay it off at that point for £5k.. my new goal is to make & save £5k but next June and then use that to pay off my loan. I think it's going to be relly hard, I'm going to get eBaying again.

I've got my shopping bill to under £50 a week.

Hope everyone else is still going strong, will catch up with the thread tonight

Hello MOH Doing gooooooooooodddddddd.
I find keeping the shopping bill low with food is leaving the prepacked stuff on the shelf...oh and economy loo roll LOL
Jelley, its on the left hand side, it says activate e-savings, you say you want to put £10 in there or whatever, it vanishes from your account and about 3 days later it appears in its own section under your original bank and you can name it what you want...christmas, phone bill whatever. Now its visable you can transfer to and from it instantly...HTH

We doing OK this month and so like MOH setting myself a bigger target than managing tostay in black ecah month. have a £10000 loan over 4 years but want to double our monthly payments and pay it off at end 2008. My DH thinks I totally crazy and its impossible. I just feel like we doing much better and if the money was commiteed to that it be better than just saving a bit and probably wasting some each month. My ulteruior motive is wanting a 2nd baby next year but DH keeps saying no way we can afford it.
You all doing well ladies
40p toilet roll sucks but I buy it for the cause!!

Thanks CC. I have done it

My target for this week is to do dps tax return and find out just how much we owe, and if there is enough in the bank to pay it, then sort out the tax credits, which we are also being overpayed (I think)

Hmm...well Ive just done the hour in front of the PC shuffling money into the right bank and double and triple checking its right so I dont get charged by a random direct debit....and got to the end an realised I hadnt allocated the rent money...and there wasnt enough left
Feckity Feck...so ive worked out theres £208.33 left...and I need £420.
So child benefit and some ebay selling to be done then...what a feck up.

scratch head>>>>>

Hopefully(can everyone cross their fingers) my tax credits should now be straightened out as my annual declaration arrived today and I have phoned in the details.

Do you think you have been overpaid MrsWho? I have been hassling dp for his p60 for days....turns out it was wrapped in his wallet in his wage slip
And its 300 quid less than I estimated...woohoo...another payment due maybe?
I have banked this years money so far, it CANNOT be right.
And I sent off the annual wotsit today, with written confirmation of his new job and hours and wages as they didnt mention it...
But they did last week.
Oh they are mixed up...

They said I was overpaid for April last year BUT then I earnt 2.5K less than I expected so I was actually underpaid and have been so far this year ('cos I was paying back money from last April -which I don't actually owe!)

Confused yet?

PITBA

i hope you haven't charliecat because that means we have too! similar circumstances except dh was off sick for 6mths.
We also got free nhs treatment eyes and teeth till june yippee.
Shame they didn't help when we really needed it.
Anyway has anyone got a code for tesco groceries please as im still eco shopping and using my 16p sanitary towels

Ill go look for a code now, yes, we have an exemption card until ...July I think. But at some point last year the kids got worms and I went to the doctor to get a prescription because we had 30 for food that week as DD1 had had a school trip and a prescription from that money meant there wasnt enought for food and I was made to feel a right scummy shit for not just going and buying it.
Didnt have the card then when we needed it BRB

XX-KPTV £15 off 50 quid, theres been some issues witht he points codes, not sure about money off so yu mihgt need to ring if it doesnt come off your bill. Hope that helps

Mrswho I somehow jumped from owing £500 to them needing to pay me £2000 with an overpayment of £18 No idea how they cook the figures at all.

YeahI had that a couple of years ago , but mine was they had overpaid the wtc but under paid the ctc and they couldn't just combine them, I had to repay one then they paid me the other and I ended up with more than I started with [rolls eyes]

thanks charliecat just tried that one and it refused it for groceries.
Used XXDFG7 £5 off £50 till 13/5/07 for anyone esle who might like to use it.

Tesco got triple club card points on all baby and beauty products at moment if anyone needs to stock up on nappies etc.
Should I have received a pack through about Tax credits. No idea whether ours is correct or not. I started back to work in January this year so dont know how that affects things, although i did phone and tell then that. I could handle getting little less each month but not getting told have a big chunk to pay back.

They will get to you eventually the TCs, they sent a form with your details for last year and another form where you put your P60 details etc and that will finalise last years claim
A woman in front of mein the q in tescos didnt have a clubcard so i offered mine and got 153 points Thats £6 in deals

Got 4 letters from the TC people today all were the same though and appear to be right now I have to wait and see if they actually pay me them !

no wonder our taxes are high!
they send out loads we always get two or more one for me and one for dh, why?

My record was 9 in a week and they were all different

Hi guys. I'm still paying back 3k thaty I supposedly was overpaid by WFTC I think though my payments will go back to normal now? as it's the end of the tax year?? I'm waiting for my P60 and my assessment form later in the year.

I wanted to do a car boot tomorrow but nobody to help me so I'm going to list a few things on eBay tonight I think.. Just not sure what yet.

I'm so moptivated to get my loan paid off next year now.

I'm thinking about selling my car and buying a little 1l run around - less tax, less petrol and money back from selling my car... although can't make up my mind about that.

Oh and I've made yet another complaint to the CSA. So eventually might get a little something from them

MOH- If you don't need a big car go for it.I have a 1.3 and its quite cheap to run.

I have a 1.1 and is cheap enough to run, but keeps needing work on it at the garage