Right, after a couple of months off I am back on it... Quite a bit has changed in that time - my dad now knows I'm in debt (as I 'fessed up) and was somewhat unexpectedly understanding and lovely about it; and I'm no longer with the boy.
Although I'm quite happy to be single, with getting older I do want to meet someone to settle down with, so have cracked on with some internet dating... but this creates a problem... going on dates costs money. Even if they offer to pay for everything (which most modern men don't, in my experience), I still have to find the money for petrol to drive somewhere fairly equi-distant to meet up with them. How can an impoverished person develop a love life??! Not only that, but I just can't afford to do any fun activities... I feel I am doomed to have to wait another two years until I'm out of debt to properly take the dating scene by storm! We'll see, I guess, we'll see...
About Me
- The Debt Girl
- I'm single, broke, and in my early 30s... but thankfully decided a while ago to sort my life out once and for all; in particular to sort out my finances, and to move forward into a debt free life. I'm hoping writing a blog will help spur me on through my social life cutbacks, my successful and not-so-successful attempts at dating, my new addiction to the Sainsbury's Basics range, and the general insanity caused by the stress of money troubles.
Sunday 20 November 2011
Tuesday 30 August 2011
Every day I'm shufflin'
So it's back to job numero 1 after a bank holiday weekend. Didn't really feel like one though, considering I worked Friday night, Saturday morning, Sunday night, and Monday night at job numero 2! Still, I did get to go to a 30th birthday party on Saturday night... theme was the 90s. I found my old pair of crimpers and went with crimped hair, a denim skirt and leggings, a baggy jumper and some neon accessories. One of my best friends said 'that was completely you in the 90s!, you always wore your hair like that'. 90s look success then! ; ) First 30th birthday party I've been to this year... this September onwards is the year all of us from my year at school hit the magic 3-0 and become 'proper adults'. Scary stuff. That said, the boy is only turning 29 this year... How dare he?! ; p
Monday 29 August 2011
That's just pathetic
Remember the bank I said I wrote to about charges? I requested over £2000 of charges back, claimed they had treated me unfairly because they had grossly added to my financial hardship and what happens? First, a letter saying that they are 'looking in to it'... then today I look online at my accounts with them (that I still keep running until this is sorted out) and they have put £100 in one account with the title 'charges refund'... 1/20th of what they charged me?! That's all they're going to give back?!! I'll await a letter from them and see what they have to say for themselves...
Treating myself
Ok, so my petrol made it to pay day. I have two pay days... one on the 25th of every month from my main job, enough only to cover all my bills, debt payments and a tank of petrol. And another, every fortnight on a Friday from my second job. This I use to live off. I work a minimum of 8 hours a week giving me after tax, £37.50ish a week for food, going out, clothes, cat food, shampoo etc. Not much! Anything I earn over 8 hours a week, (for example I worked 21.5 hours last week), I put aside as a buffer.
This buffer gets used for anything from shoes for work, presents for friends and family, to food if necessary. The intention is that whenever I've built up a big enough buffer, say over £100, I use some of it to pay down my debt. However, I'm finding it increasingly hard to stick to my £37.50 weekly budget. Life, and trying to have a little fun just gets in the way. Needing a new tyre, or running out of eyeliner, or using the last of my toothpaste... I often don't have room in the budget for these and it all comes out of the buffer.
Lately, I've been trying to have a little more fun, as being in debt is far from fun, and I'm finding the buffer almost back to zero every month. This week for example is so far a bad one... I got paid from my second job on Friday; already I've treated myself to reflexology (£15) as it was on offer and I'm a stressed bunny at the moment. I've also bought some make up as I was running out, and we all know how excessively expensive make up is. I also spent around a tenner on a nice dinner for me and the boy. Oh and 'treated myself' to a Subway lunch on payday itself, because it was payday. So pretty much £37.50+ blown right there.
I should make a budget and stick to it. Somehow I prefer to think in my head, 'ooooh just been paid £75' (for the fortnight) and spend the vast majority of it having fun the first week, then live in poverty for the second week. Would it be better to limit myself strictly to the weekly budget? Or would I just be miserable the whole two weeks instead of just one?
This buffer gets used for anything from shoes for work, presents for friends and family, to food if necessary. The intention is that whenever I've built up a big enough buffer, say over £100, I use some of it to pay down my debt. However, I'm finding it increasingly hard to stick to my £37.50 weekly budget. Life, and trying to have a little fun just gets in the way. Needing a new tyre, or running out of eyeliner, or using the last of my toothpaste... I often don't have room in the budget for these and it all comes out of the buffer.
Lately, I've been trying to have a little more fun, as being in debt is far from fun, and I'm finding the buffer almost back to zero every month. This week for example is so far a bad one... I got paid from my second job on Friday; already I've treated myself to reflexology (£15) as it was on offer and I'm a stressed bunny at the moment. I've also bought some make up as I was running out, and we all know how excessively expensive make up is. I also spent around a tenner on a nice dinner for me and the boy. Oh and 'treated myself' to a Subway lunch on payday itself, because it was payday. So pretty much £37.50+ blown right there.
I should make a budget and stick to it. Somehow I prefer to think in my head, 'ooooh just been paid £75' (for the fortnight) and spend the vast majority of it having fun the first week, then live in poverty for the second week. Would it be better to limit myself strictly to the weekly budget? Or would I just be miserable the whole two weeks instead of just one?
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Monday 22 August 2011
Whoop!
Just got home from job number 2 to find £150 paid into my bank account from a compensation claim from almost 2 years ago! I used to have a storage unit and it leaked, ruining a table I owned. Been hassling them about it for ages, and finally on Friday they said they would put it straight into my bank if I gave them my card details. True to their word, it has now appeared.
Alas, it has left me straight away - transfer to the boy for our holiday LAST YEAR which I still hadn't paid him back for... bad girlfriend! Still, happy days that the money has been put to good use : )
Alas, it has left me straight away - transfer to the boy for our holiday LAST YEAR which I still hadn't paid him back for... bad girlfriend! Still, happy days that the money has been put to good use : )
Back to work
So I've had two weeks' off and today it's back to work. I really don't feel like it! Especially as I have two jobs to up my cash flow and I'm back to both. Minimum of 57 hours across both this week... it's going to be a heavy one.
Biggest financial issue for job number 1 - will I find parking or have to pay £5 for a half day's parking and then find a space at lunch? Some weeks I've ended up forking out £15-20 on parking, which is ludicrous. I do at least get a tonne of shopping - the car park is a supermarket's, which is why the obligatory fiver has to be spent for the privilege of using their spaces. Thank god our office is moving soon and there will be plentiful parking : ) In fact, with the office move, I'm going to be allowed to work from home also, which will be great. No more office politics! I can't see me having an arguement with my cat...
Biggest financial issue for job number 1 - will I find parking or have to pay £5 for a half day's parking and then find a space at lunch? Some weeks I've ended up forking out £15-20 on parking, which is ludicrous. I do at least get a tonne of shopping - the car park is a supermarket's, which is why the obligatory fiver has to be spent for the privilege of using their spaces. Thank god our office is moving soon and there will be plentiful parking : ) In fact, with the office move, I'm going to be allowed to work from home also, which will be great. No more office politics! I can't see me having an arguement with my cat...
Sunday 21 August 2011
So I've created a blog
This seems like a good idea today. Not sure how I'll feel about it tomorrow. I am trying to get out of the mess called debt.
My boyfriend is helping. My friends are aware and no doubt bored by me talking about it. My parents do not know. There would be 'disappointment', as there was last time I was in a cycle of debt and admitted it. And if there's one thing no-one can stand it's parental disappointment.
So far it's going fairly well. I have paid off about £5k since I started. I have this week been successful in gaining a 0% credit card for 21 months, which will make things significantly easier, and have also written to my previous bank to contest bank charges. If that is successful (fingers crossed, fingers crossed) I should get about £2k back. I can dream... : )
However, despite things going in the right direction, it does feel like debt is taking over my life. Yes, it's no-one's fault but my own, but like weight, it is easier to put on those pounds (onto your credit card) than it is to lose them.
It's easy for people to say 'money doesn't make the world go round', but the only people I've ever heard say this are those for whom finance isn't a constant stress and struggle. When you are in debt, whether making a concerted effort to get out of it or not, the one thing you can't stop thinking about is MONEY.
The sector I work in appears to be going belly up, and in a few months I may not have a job. But I'm not worried about losing my job role, only the loss of money, and the inevitable pay cut I'll have to take to get another job out of a sector I am trained in. Well, I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.
Current debt stats so you can see the damage:
Card A - £2056.70 (credit card)
Card B - £2717.24 (credit card)
Card C - £1732.70 (credit card)
Loan A - £4231.36 (bank loan)
Loan B - £2700.00 (car loan from family)
Total: £13,438
See, it's a little bit scary! And that's not everything... there's a few small debts here and there to other things and people, but for the purpose of this blog I'll try and keep it simple by only including the large debts.
Cards A-C are being transfered onto my new super 0% deal... if all goes according to plan I'll be out of debt in around 2 years 9 months. But the road to debt free life is never an easy one...
My boyfriend is helping. My friends are aware and no doubt bored by me talking about it. My parents do not know. There would be 'disappointment', as there was last time I was in a cycle of debt and admitted it. And if there's one thing no-one can stand it's parental disappointment.
So far it's going fairly well. I have paid off about £5k since I started. I have this week been successful in gaining a 0% credit card for 21 months, which will make things significantly easier, and have also written to my previous bank to contest bank charges. If that is successful (fingers crossed, fingers crossed) I should get about £2k back. I can dream... : )
However, despite things going in the right direction, it does feel like debt is taking over my life. Yes, it's no-one's fault but my own, but like weight, it is easier to put on those pounds (onto your credit card) than it is to lose them.
It's easy for people to say 'money doesn't make the world go round', but the only people I've ever heard say this are those for whom finance isn't a constant stress and struggle. When you are in debt, whether making a concerted effort to get out of it or not, the one thing you can't stop thinking about is MONEY.
The sector I work in appears to be going belly up, and in a few months I may not have a job. But I'm not worried about losing my job role, only the loss of money, and the inevitable pay cut I'll have to take to get another job out of a sector I am trained in. Well, I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.
Current debt stats so you can see the damage:
Card A - £2056.70 (credit card)
Card B - £2717.24 (credit card)
Card C - £1732.70 (credit card)
Loan A - £4231.36 (bank loan)
Loan B - £2700.00 (car loan from family)
Total: £13,438
See, it's a little bit scary! And that's not everything... there's a few small debts here and there to other things and people, but for the purpose of this blog I'll try and keep it simple by only including the large debts.
Cards A-C are being transfered onto my new super 0% deal... if all goes according to plan I'll be out of debt in around 2 years 9 months. But the road to debt free life is never an easy one...
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