clearmydebts

I am a 30something father and husband. My wife and I both work and have respectable incomes, yet as a direct result of our own excesses and borderline stupidity - we barely earn enough to get by. This is my diary, my journey to becoming debt free.

[clearmydebts-blog]

Quite often (and certainly in our case) if you are saddled with debt then it is because you have spent more than you should on things you enjoy. For us it is primarily food - takeaway teas, buying lunch at work, treats while watching TV - all bad for our bodies aswell as our pocket. This sudden severance from what was keeping your spirits up despite the debt (and yes, the irony that the thing causing the debt gives comfort needed to feel better about the debt is not lost on me) means that you can easily drop into a bad mood that will ruin your chances of becoming debt free. Staying (or getting) happy is vital for success. It is to this end that we started applying to see BBC shows filmed / recorded. Tickets are not gauranteed and most shows are in London, but they are increasingly recording more and more at venues around the country. Sure you have to pay to get there, and maybe parking too - but the cost can be pretty low and give you a damned good night out. Sign up for the newsletters and keep on top of the latest shows in your area, keep your spirits up, and get debt free more quickly.

[clearmydebts-blog]

Money Saving Expert is one of the best resources on the net for those wanting to save money, and this section of their forum is one of the most helpful resources on the internet for people who want to get debt free, whether you have a plan or not. Within 5 minutes it is clear you are not alone and the community rallies around to help and offer advice to anyone who wants to rid themselves of the burden of debt. If you are worried about the debt you currently owe, whether you are in immediate trouble or you think it may be right around the corner - visit this site. I promise it will be worth it.

[clearmydebts-blog]

Swamped

I am a 30something father and husband. My wife and I both work and have respectable incomes, yet as a direct result of our own excesses and borderline stupidity - we barely earn enough to get by. I don't mean that have to make do with only one holiday a year, we have not bought a holiday in 3 years. I don't mean that we can no loner afford to shop at Waitrose, we have been buying Asda own brand and smart price for as long as I can remember. We don't smoke, rarely drink and have no expensive hobbies. We have just wasted thousands of pounds over the years with next to nothing to show for it.

Now please do not misunderstand me, I am not looking for sympathy. For years I have been telling people of a Monday morning that their hang over is entirely self inflicted so not to expect any sympathy from me, and this is no different so how could I expect people to treat my problems differently? I can't, and I don't.

Now has come the time when we can ignore our predicament no longer. For too long we have known there is a problem but done little about it. We have maxed out all credit and have no choice but do something about it all, and that we will. We have listed all of our income and outgoings, cut back where we can, planned to cut back further as contractual obligations allow, budgeted for regular costs and discovered that we have about £200 per month left over - if we have no family outings and no social life. We have really screwed ourselves over here!

So what is the point of this post? To provide background on the off chance that anyone reads my diary. We need to get debt free, and I think that if I can write honestly and openly about it all here then it will help me stay on track. If we plough our spare £200 into clearing debts, then between that and the other money we currently already pay towards debts as part of our obligations - we should be debt free by September 2014. That is our goal. That is what we want to achieve.