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!!!

Had my bill in for virgin media, Grrrrrr. I was told it was free installation and they've charged me and a service charge!! Which i knew nothing about. So i've emailed them complaining and hope that they take it off the bill also phone was out of action for aobut a month and they've charged me that too. GRRR after they said it would be refunded. i am sooo annoyed.

Just found this which might be some interest to someone.

here

And another one

this on too

sorry i was not able to reply last night, dd has chickenpox and needed a mummy night so we snuggled down to a dvd and popcorn as shes now 12 i have to make the most of these moments as i never know when it may become uncool. cc i have managed to get the interest frozen on my debt i think i will up payments to £100 a month. i also have more potential income from my soap bussiness on hold because im stuck for finding new moulds my brain just dosn`t work that way. the thing is i have interest in some national stores and im paralised ridiculas i know.

Hope your dd feels better soon.

thank you, im off to open dd another bank account as she is going to be doing some work for a friend in the holidays and she wants to have an account seperate from her savings. she wants to save a minimum of 10% of anything she earns i guess this is how she has over £700 so the new account will be for her to buy cds and pay for treats etc i dont know where she gets it from it certainly is not me.

Souind like your dd is very sensible
What this soap business?

as well as working in a radical thinking crisis house for adults experiancing mental distress i make natural soaps,i trained as an aromatherapist liked making the blends but not the massage so soap making is perfect i must say when i have the motivation it does ok i have had intrest but im not bussiness minded really and as i said im stuck re finding new moulds and packaging but hey ho.

Ohhh whats the working with adults in mental distress like? (My brother is schizophrenic and lives in a halfway sort of house, not sure he will ever get out of it into a normal tenancy tho the stay was mean to be an inbetween one)
Is there not a bog standard mold you can use and tartit up with fancy packaging? Could you get business minded, your local business link will hold FREE womens business meetings to inspire you and get your on your way.

cc i love my work, we are the first place in the country to work in the way we do it is based on a psychosynthesis model and we treat clients as guests in our home discarding their label and seeing them for the humanbeing that they are. re soap moulds i am trying to rope friend into making one.
has your brother been to a hearing voices workshop they can be great. where do you live?

I've just been charged £20.80 for late payment on my Adams card. The total balance on the card was £16.50 and I paid it in full(5 days late)

I don't know if I'm more cross with them or myself for making such a silly mistake.

The card is going in the bin

Hi guys!! seems everyone is doing good.

It was my aim this month to not go overdrawn.. so far so good which is a much better position than you saw I was in last month, I have 500 to last me another 11days - there will be some bills in that time but hopefully not 500 worth! it's a short month which has helped. I don't have to pay childminder for a large chunk of next month so I think I can save about £400 that my CM would normally have cost me. Should hopefully help me stay out of my O/D.

It feels like a real slog at times but I feel good knowing I'm not O/D already and I know if I can make it through this month without going into my overdraft I will be really pleased with myself.

Everyone should be feeling good about the effort they're making! [

Oh Jelley Cut it up[angry
MOh, you came to this thread quite dispairing but have totally taken control
B2B, my brother wont take his pills, he wont got to anything the staff arrange, bluffs and wastes poeples time then vanishes when the day comes

I still feel out of control with it though, lol

really must go and get dressed today

me too It sounds like you are really getting to grips with it.
Well Done

just linked to my dd's out grown cica trainers/cruisers on the for sale board.. they are in perfect condition as dd didn't walk til she'd outgrown them and v cheap

CC, nikkie, jelley et al. you are all so supportive on this thread.. it really is something to be proud of.

I noticed the trainers To small for my dds By a whole foot or so lol

You've made me MOH
Thankyou

moh you sound as though you're on your way!!! well done.

Apart from my digital camera, cc. I haven't been to town much to kerb my spending. so apart from that expense i haven't brought anything else for a while. I do seriously think i am addicted to spending hope to turn it around to saving!

you should!

I just dip in and out, lurk a bit, post my progress.. nothing really constructive but you guys are just fabulous.. really construstive/supportive/understanding just what everyone needs on a thread like this

and on that nbote I really must go.. only logged on to settle an arguement about sticky back plastic and that was hours ago. I am not dressed and dd is bored senseless

Superior shop today, £12 The freezers full and im going to use the stuff that we have, cupboards are heaving and so I just got bread milk spuds stuff for sarnies and sugar oh....and booked some tickets to go and see James Morrison at £51, which is the rest of the shopping budget Prioritys lol

£12?!?!??!!!!! blimey you deserve those tickets!!!! a little reward will keep you motivated

I have been spending about £60 these past few weeks and the freezer and cupboards are so full that things are falling out of them when you go into get something, so it wont do us any harm at all.
Is anyone else saving £2 coins?
I had a wee stash of about 32 but spent some last week, about 12 left now.
Nice to be able to spend money thats MINE and not the car insurance, or the gas or the eleccy or whatever!

I spent £40 today on clothes for work needed fleece and waterproofs and they were in the sale so thought it was better to get them now as I need them after easter hols (we are canoeing and camping !)