Urgh! The car service came to E200 and then I had to spend E100 on my medication. Will have to dip into my savings this fortnight.

But on good news....... I asked the garage I bought the car from to check how much I have left on the car loan. Just have 7 months of paying E180 left!!!!! So excited. That money will make a huge difference to clearing my other debts.

Back to bad stuff.....one week into the new month of my phone bill and I have already used up all my call minutes. Have alot of family issues going on so been on the phone alot and will probably need to use it alot more. So nice high phone bill for me next month.

Im trying to cut my debts too this year. have been reading your little updates. I am going to get a ticker to help motivate me. I have just started a new job which is going to help loads in paying things off. Plus we have to move so we will be staying with in-laws for couple of months so will save loads on rent etc to pay off bills

1st rule of being debt free... PAY OF THE HIGHEST INTEREST FIRST

xxx

Can I be a debt slasher too?!

I have just realised how bad things are especially going back to work again.

Right here goes - credit cards £5,500, car loan £3,000. I kept transferring balances on the cards to "0% for so long" then realised I was getting nowhere so now have 2 cards with balance rate for life of the balance so am paying them at minimum payments and another card with a small amount of £800 (well compared to the other two it's small)!

Car loan got 3 years left!! Be lucky if the car is still on the road in 3 years.

Got a mortgage on the house and we are overcrowded and can't afford to move because I am only one working, can't even borrow to build an extension!

So hope is maybe taking on 2nd job working from home to reduce the debts as not much left off of salary to reduce debts further and also being alot more careful about what I am spending from now on. I have to get ride of these debts because I feel like I am working just to pay debts.

I have been doing rubbish as per usual! bought some new stuff for our hols in May so managed to once again get myself into the red in my current account, I get paid on Wednesday though so will sort myself out then, MUST NOT SPEND ANY MONEY ON NON-ESSENTIAL ITEMS THIS MONTH !!!

Try and give yourself a weekly allowance in cash, and dont take your card out, that is what i plan to do once i get paid this month. That way i see how much i have each week, and if i want something i have to save for a few weeks before i can buy it

I am that bad with money i have no choice but to do this. My mum has also locked my credit cards in her safe

xx

That is a great idea I only have one cc and i don't know the pin!

Urgh! I seem to be extra broke lately. Had to delve into my savings this fortnight.

So I just applied online to my bank for a loan so I could pay off my credit card and cancel it. I don't know it will be approved because I didn't get an option for debt consolidation. I will find out Monday whether it will get the go ahead. If that is approved then that will cut my expenses by €50 a month. When I know what way that is I will apply to have my other credit card transferred to a 0% credit card and try get that paid off this year.

Only 5 payments left on my car loan now! yay!

So nervous. I find out tomorrow if I got approved for the loan. I don't think I will get it somehow. Banks are being so tight with loans it is ridiculous.

Good luck with the bank hun

Good luck with the loan hun. I did the same and paid of my credit card with a loan, and it's such a weight of my shoulders knowing that it's gone and I'm actually paying it off as before I was more of less just paying off the interest everymonth.

I havn't sorted out much more of my debt really. Been so skint.
I had a cheque from work for £270 at the beginning of the month, and £200 went stiraght to pay off some of a catalogue bill and the other £70 to pay off a different catalogue.

Waiting until the end of september now, where I'll get about £1500 from my shares with work, then I get to pay off my catalogues completely which is one less thing to worry about. If I'm catalogue bill free by the end of the year, then i'll be a happy bunny!
Get another set of shares in march then for about the same amount, which will be going on my store cards. By end of next year, Ideally all I want to be paying is my loan which is £200 a month, and I have about 3.5years left on it.

Debt Update -
Debt Breakdown

Debenhams Card - £400
Mothercare Card - £450
Next Account - £500
Great Universal Catalogue - £350
Very Catalogue - £700
Marshall Ward Catalogue - £700
PC World Credit Loan - £250
Currys Credit Loan - £300
Lloyds TSB Loan - £6500

Total - £10150 Jan 2010

April 2010
Debenhams Card - £480 - Used it again
Mothercare Card - £380
Next - £500 (Used this one again too)
Great universal account - £290
Very - £600
MW - £600
Lloyds Loan - £6300
Rest of them I'm not sure what the balance is, just what my minimum payment have come to.
Total now is approx - £9700 - Coming down slowly but surely!