ugly debty

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T15:02:00.001+11:00

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas & a debt free New Year.

Ugly People!

2011-08-22T14:44:00.002+10:00

I hate bullies.

Don't you love stories like this?

Go, Jen!

Daily Deals

2011-08-18T10:06:00.000+10:00

There are a number of daily deal sites up and around at the moment. Typically they work by buying a deal and getting all your friends to buy into the deal as well. Once the minimum amount of people take up the deal, you get your coupon.

I've actually bought one of these coupons - it was a $59.00 deal for 4 people for tapas. I'm using it as my christmas party for my office. It was valued at $120.00. I'll let you know whether it was worth it once I use it.

Here is a great article (although 8 months old) on how daily deal sites actually work.

There are many here in Australia, if you type in daily deals into Google you get 141,000 matches. However, this site will list all daily deals in one place so you don't have to search each page individually or sign up for those annoying emails.

I think these deals are good if you use them for things you actually need. I know that I am going to have to have a Christmas dinner/lunch with staff so that's why I chose that daily deal. I will also be looking at them with christmas presents in mind.

Suicide is NEVER the answer

2011-08-17T12:19:00.000+10:00

If you soak up reality TV like I do, you'll have heard the sad, sad news about Russell Armstrong.

While I have absolutely no idea about what's true and what's not, there are rumours about his suicide being connected to financial difficulties.

Again, I have no idea what these financial difficulties were, but I do know the feeling of absolute despair when you have no idea how you're going to get out of the mess you've put yourself in. If Russell did have financial problems, I'm sure they were much bigger than mine, but I can assure that I totally understand and empathise with the feelings of complete devastation.

Suicide is NEVER the answer. I will admit to a fleeting thought that it would solve a lot of problems, but it was fleeting - a one second fleet - I would never actually do anything like that. When I hit my rock bottom, I started this blog and look where I am now. While I'm still in debt, I am nowhere near as distraught as I was when I first started.

If you're having difficulties, contact Suicide Prevention Australia or your local equivalent.

Suicide is NEVER the answer.

Step it up

2011-08-16T12:10:00.000+10:00

What a terrible time I've had the last few months with this debt paying off caper. I've paid $475.21 off my debt since the last time I posted - over 6 weeks ago! That's a disgrace.

Ugh, I don't know what to do. Something has to happen because I just cannot keep this debt going any longer. I'm so over it. I want it GONE. GONE. GONE.

I'm looking at all my statements today and seeing what I can do to get the ball rolling quicker again.

Dirty Thirties

2011-06-01T13:00:00.000+10:00

Well, I made it to the thirties.

Really, I should be a bit further ahead than this, but my level of work is decreasing so I'm currently paying only slightly over minimum payments per month. This is not good enough to get the debt down, but at least I don't create any more debt.

Stocktake: Project 10 Pan

2011-04-18T13:27:00.001+10:00

I've come across something that seems to be taking YouTube by storm.

Project 10 Pan

There are hundreds of videos on YouTube with people taking part in Project 10 Pan. The premise is that you take 10 items and use them down to the pan - hence the name.

While I didn't realise it was a movement, this is something I regularly do. I take stocktake of what items I have - usually in the beauty department. I'm attracted to any small, shiny, pretty bottle and, consequently, can end up with quite a cupboard full of stuff.

About every six weeks, I take everything I have out of cupboards, drawers and shelves and have a look. Anything that's gone icky gets thrown away. Anything I used once or twice, and didn't like, gets sold on ebay. The rest of the stuff gets put out on the bathroom shelf to be used.

There are a number of benefits to this. Not only do you not need to spend money on something new, you use the things you have so they don't go to waste. You can also recoup some money on the things you didn't like. I also find that I look after myself better in the following weeks after a stocktake - I moisturise daily, I take more care with makeup and my nails, I use treatments in my hair and wear perfume every day.

I currently have 3 bottles of moisturiser, 4 bottles of hair detangler, 3 bottles of hair product and 2 bottles of perfume that I am using up - until they're gone, I don't buy any more items of the same nature.

Side Bars Update

2011-03-31T10:34:00.000+11:00

I've updated my sidebars to reflect my debt as at today. It's all very calm and controlled. Nothing to report.

Four Years!

2011-01-31T11:07:00.000+11:00

Good Grief. Four Years. I've had this blog and been repaying my debt for four years.

Side bars are all accurate as at today. I have $41,138.61 to pay. I really would like to have this gone by the end of the next year. Not going to happen, of course, but I love to have at least that goal in my head.

I'm currently chugging away at the top two credit cards. I will definately have at least one of them gone by the end of the year.

All in all, I think maybe two more years and it might all be gone.

I need to get a second wind though. Instead of throwing everything I have at these debts, I've been letting them linger and paying only a bit more than the minimum. I really need to get back on track and start throwing all I can at these debts. I'm in a position now where I have a little bit of savings, and I have every material possession I could ever want, so it's time to get back on board and throw all that I have towards my debt.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T16:31:00.000+11:00

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that you don't overspend this festive season and that in the new year you can take control of your finances and become debt free!

My Favourite Things

2010-12-02T13:55:00.000+11:00

In the very, very near future Oprah Winfrey will touch down on Australian soil. And none of us can wait.

In honour of Oprah, and the fact that Christmas is now 23 days away, I though I'd do a post on My Favourite Things. This is for those aussie people who are in debt and have no idea how they're going to get through this festive season without drowning. I hope these things make your journey a little easier.

Borders

This website sells books, cds, dvds and other things like kindles and gift cards. If you buy something with a little Christmas bauble, attached to the description, before 1.00pm on 15 December it's guaranteed for pre-Christmas delivery. They have FREE SHIPPING.

JB Hifi

This website sells cds and dvds along with other more expensive electrical items. Order online and they will give you FREE SHIPPING.

iTunes Gift Cards

I would LOVE an iTunes gift card. Who doesn't have iTunes on their computer or phone? I never download applications, music or movies because I just can't justify the expense at the moment, not even for the $1.19 songs. But if I had an iTunes gift card I could. The best thing about them is that they come in so many different amounts - even $15 ones. If you order them online, it's FREE SHIPPING. For other gift cards that are just as good, but for many, many other stores, you can buy them from Australia Post outlets.

Magazine Subscription

If I'm buying a magazine subscription for someone, I usually buy the December issue of the magazine and staple the subscription prinout to the front. Again, FREE SHIPPING.

Kris Kringle/Secret Santa

There are many ways to organise a Kris Kringle, but the easiest way is to put the name of everyone involved in a hat. Each person draws a name. Set a limit and buy for that person. Simple, easy, cheap and fair. We do Kris Kringle for both sides of our family. Anyone under 18 is not included and, honestly, it's so much more fun.

Gift Fund

2010-11-30T11:43:00.001+11:00

(this is not a paid post, just my personal opinion)

Christmas is 25 days away. It's this time of year that is the hardest for people in debt. Especially the people who are at rock bottom and haven't yet started their climb back. I remember the Christmas before I started this blog. I was in debt over $100,000, I had no savings and no income.

Things were really, really bleak.

I think I managed to get some credit from somewhere or a client paid their bill early, but somehow I managed to scrape through.

This was my rock bottom. After Christmas, back at work, I started this blog and am so glad that I did.

This year, things are wonderful and I'm really looking forward to Christmas.

Over the past year I opened my ING accounts and have paid $20.00 a week towards my gift fund. I worked out how many gifts I buy a year (Christmas & Birthdays) and set a limit of $30.00 per gift. The Husband gets $250.00 for Christmas and $250.00 for his birthday. This worked out at about $1,000.00 per year, hence the $20.00 per week.

This year, every time I've bought a Christmas present, I just transfer the money from ING to my day-to-day account and voila, no debt and no struggle to find the money.

I cannot stress how valuable these accounts are for people in debt. I KNOW that when things are bleak and you have no idea where the money is coming from, it's hard to justify putting money away each week - BUT START with $1.00 or $5.00 .. anything to get you started. You can always increase the weekly amount at a later date.

I have ING accounts for my holiday, gifts, clothing & health/beauty. With ING, you can label the accounts anything you like.

I've found that although I put $20.00 in a week towards my gift fund, it builds quite quickly and before you know it you've got quite the next egg in there. I currently have $449.04 in my gift fund and only have $100.00 more to spend on presents and I'm done for Christmas. This means I'm going into next year with $350.00 in my gift fund .. which, in turn, means that the presents can get a little bit more expensive. I can afford that better present for that someone special.

I can imagine all of you out there feeling so desperate right now. A month from Christmas with no idea how you're going to pay for it. I'm really feeling for you.

Open an account. Now. Put in $1.00 and leave it there until after Christmas and then as from 3 January start putting in $1.00 per week. Just a small start. If nothing else, by next Christmas you'll have $52.00 in your account which would at least buy one or two presents.

But I can honestly tell you, that once you start to organise yourself with different accounts for different things you will be grateful for them.

It doesn't have to be ING Bank, but it was the easiest way for me to do it all over the internet and I have no cards. It's all arranged via my computer.

My accounts have evolved over the year. I used to have summer clothes and winter clothes, but that got all wishywashy and I couldn't decide whether a cardigan was summer or winter, so I just transferred the winter money to summer and changed the label of the account to clothing.

I changed the winter clothing account to health/beauty because I started to get my hair and nails done regularly again. I worked out what it cost me for the year including yearly doctor check-ups. I then averaged it out and put $20.00 a week into this account.

If you're currently in tears because you just don't know how to survive at this time of the year, take my advice above. You'll get through this year. We all do. Just know that next year will be so much better.

Scraping In

2010-11-11T12:41:00.001+11:00

Whoah! I just scraped in under the $45,000 mark this month.

I'm "big picture" happy about my progress. I can get a little downhearted over it, pretty much, every day, but overall, I am happy about my progress and my level of debt. I can see that it will be gone sooner, rather than later and that's a pretty good feeling.

Come on 45!

2010-10-08T12:05:00.004+11:00

Only $1,800 more and I'm down to $45K debt.

One foot in front of the other.

I really want to get rid of the C Credit Card because this one is showing on my credit report. I get a copy of my credit report every few years so I can see the credit applications drop off and make sure that nothing nasty shows up. In Australia, the less credit you have, the better off your applications are. If I can show I have no credit, no debt and savings, then I won't have any issues trying to get a home loan when I'm debt free.

The goal is to be debt free and use the money I've been paying off debt (together with my rent) to use to pay off a home loan.

Until the C Credit Card is paid off, I can't get a home loan as this is the debt that shows on my credit report and no-one will lend me money until that debt is gone!

Under Fifty

2010-08-12T11:40:00.002+10:00

I've done it!!

Under FIFTY THOUSAND.

It's taken forever, but I've cracked the fifty.

Man, does that feel good.

End Not In Sight

2010-08-02T11:03:00.000+10:00

I've updated my debt owing today and should be under $50,000 by the end of this month. I've been annoyed that the total amount owing did not seem to be reducing as fast as I would have liked, but this is because I have only been paying the amounts due instead of paying more than the amount due.

It's a vicious circle, but work hasn't been all that busy, the bank balance is not overflowing and therefore, I've taken the easy route and just paid the minimal payments.

Looking at my debt and the monthly payments it would take to get rid of it, it's so overwhelming. To pay it off in 6 months, I'd need to pay more than $8,000 off it a month. Paying $750 off each debt per month would get me paid off in about another two years. It just seems so far away.

Spotlight On: Changes in Direction

2010-06-08T14:20:00.001+10:00

So ... this debt paying down caper is mildly boring to say the least and I'm well aware that my readership is down now that I've settled into a groove and don't have to post about how woeful it is all the time. I blogged about my journey from the start when I was a complete mess and had no direction whatsoever. Now that I am organised and my journey just plods along, I don't have a lot of debt related stuff to blog about.

I'm thinking about adding some new direction to the blog. I love to shop and really miss it. I don't go to the local Westfield that much anymore - I can't spend any money, so what's the point? When I do go, I just cannot bring myself to spend $80 on a top. I know it's all made in China and the local SES has exactly the same sort of clothing for a fraction of the price. With Sex and the City 2 coming out, I know I will covet everything they wear in the movie but not be able to afford a single thing.

I have spent the last few days trying to find fashion blogs which show you where to buy the latest looks for less. I haven't really been able to find anything. I can find lots and lots for US or UK fashion, but none for Australia. These blogs are not all that great for the Aussie fashionista who lives in a totally different location and weather pattern.

To satisfy my shopping urge, I was thinking about writing some blogs with a spotlight on different items showing the designer and cost with a comparison to the lower end of the market. A kind of "here is the designer version, here is the local Westfield version".

I'm going to give it a go. I have no fashion experience or contacts whatsoever, so feel free to email or comment pointing out mistakes or things you'd like to see. I will be focusing on the items that you can buy at your local Westfield and eBay.

Looks for Less?

2010-06-07T14:08:00.000+10:00

Does anyone have any blogs they subscribe to that show you looks for less in Australia? I can find a million for the UK or USA, but none for Australia. I don't want to online shop from America. I want to go into a store and try something on. I want to know where I can buy the latest runway/designer looks for less.

Anyone?

Plod, plod, plod

2010-05-04T14:16:00.000+10:00

Paying off debt would have to be the most boring thing in the world. I suppose it's so much fun to spend, spend, spend that getting out of debt has to counterbalance the fun, right.

I have been doing nuttin'.

Nothing fun, nothing good .. just working and paying bills.

I think I might have to spend some time looking at my debts and hopefully they will motivate me into some action. I think plodding along is becoming very counterproductive.

Upcoming Clothing Exchange Event

2010-04-12T13:27:00.001+10:00

The Clothing Exchange is having a swapping event.

Admission is $25.00 including a complimentary drink.

6.30pm for 7.30pm swap. Tuesday 18th May 2010.

Level One Bar, The Marlborough Hotel, 145 King Street, Newtown.

Tides of March

2010-03-30T13:58:00.001+11:00

March was not a good month. Work should have been way busier than it was and so I was left with a few unpaid bills. I'm a bit scared to look at the balances of what I owe, but it's the end of the month, so I must. Ignoring the balances was what got me into this debt in the first place.

This month has also been a put your hand in my pocket month! Two people have asked me to get them things on the internet and not collected or paid me for the things I got them. What's up with that?

No-one wants to admit they don't have any money, especially me, but how do you say NO or PAY ME NOW without looking like a desperate no-hoper who can't afford to spot someone a couple of hundred bucks for a week or two. One person owes me $215.00 and another owes me $75.00. They've owed it to me since March 26. Insert sad face here.

They will pay me back, probably in the next week, but that's my whole pay for the week! If I wanted someone to get me something, I would pay them upfront. It's left me a bit in the lurch.

So Long, Anon

2010-02-26T10:39:00.000+11:00

I've decided to turn off anon comments. While I liked getting them from people if they actually had something to say (people who hide behind anon comments are so interesting), I tired of the viagra salesmen and chinese comments I couldn't read.

So I've turned off the anon comments.

In other news, I'm looking forward to Monday - new day of the new month - where I update my debt amount. I've taken to updating once a month now. I used to sit and sit and watch and watch and stress and stress over the amounts of my debts, but now that they just smoothly travel along, I make the payments and update the amounts once a month.

I also updated to the newer version of blog editor. So now I can do ~~this~~. Which is really going to come in handly when I talk about how ~~old~~ young I am.

Happy Something

2010-02-02T13:29:00.002+11:00

I started this blog on 31 January 2007. Just over 3 years ago.

In that time I've reduced my debts by $75,887.97.

I have $55,485.90 left to go. Ugh, I wish this was all over. I'm so tired and fed up with it.

I want to buy a house, but until I have absolutely no debt whatsoever, I am not going anywhere near borrowing money.

Swinging

2010-01-22T15:05:00.002+11:00

Ugh. I'm swinging between motivated and not motivated. It's so freaking hot that I can't concentrate. Although I have work to do (and invoices to get out!) I just can't be bothered. Times like this you wish for winter. And then it gets here and you hate it.

40 degree days are. not. fun.

So I updated my blogroll which is kinda depressing. There were some blogs that I really like reading (debt dieter, Martini - I'm talking about you!) but they stopped blogging and I don't know where they went. I'm hoping they resurface one day soon. Some blogs just run their course and get stale and boring. So I had a clean out.

I also updated the assets and liabilities of my debts. I read all the comments on my jiggly juggly post and the majority of you said to keep my emergency fund as it was, so that's what I'm doing. I just decided to leave everything as it was. Why meddle with something that is currently working, especially when I'm not so good at money managing.

To answer some of the points in that post:

1) I work for myself so there is no chance I will get fired, but there is a chance the economy goes kaput and my business collapses. Luckily, we're not experiencing an economy nearly as bad as other countries. My industry is still going along quite nicely and I'm comfortable in my workload and income. The more debt I pay off, the more comfortable my income will be;

2) My emergency fund goal is $6,500.00 - three months worth of wages. To save this amount, I put all my silver change into a jar and when the jar gets full I take it to the bank and put it in my emergency fund. Because I concentrate on my $80.00 a week worth of forced savings and my debt reduction, I don't put a set amount into the emergency fund. It's just whatever is in the jar when it gets full;

3) I'm not doing any more balance transfers. At the moment, I haven't applied for credit in 5 years and that means my credit rating is GOOD. In Australia, we're quite the opposite with the US. The less credit debt, and the less applications for credit you have, the better off you are. If your "Credit Record" has lots of loan applications on it, you're not going to get a loan. I think the records last for 5 years and I'm trying to get my credit list down to zero, just in case I want to buy property once my debts are gone.

New With Tag

2010-01-14T11:30:00.002+11:00

I've started winter clothes shopping. I save $10.00 per week towards autumn/winter clothing and $10.00 per week towards spring/summer. I try to have 10 outfits per season. 7 for work and 3 for casual.

The problem with clothes is that they don't wear as well as I'd like them to. Hems unravel or I get stains or marks on them. It's just not worth spending a fortune on clothes when I wear them so much and so roughly. There's a quote ... something about wear 80% of your wardrobe 20% of the time ... or something like that??

These days I wear 100% of my wardrobe 100% of the time. At the start of winter, I will go through my summer clothes and dispose of the clothes I won't wear the next summer. The ones out of shape, stained, marked, torn, etc. The ones that are in good condition will stay in the wardrobe to resurface next summer.

Last winter I had 10 outfits and I wore all the clothes all the time. Work clothes all mixed and matched and I decided no more uncomfortable clothes. I made sure I bought clothes I would wear and would actually be comfortable in and would suit my work lifestyle. No scratchy shirts I had to keep adjusting. No pants that needed belts or other fussy things. No bulky coats or jumpers.

Casual clothes, again, all mixed and matched and could be either dressed up with heels and accessories or dressed down with flats and a pony tail.

At the start of summer, I went through winter clothes and disposed of the items that wouldn't get a look in this year.

Last year, the salvation army was my friend. This year, due to a concerted effort to save, ebay will be my friend.

I will get out all my winter clothes and lay them on my bed. Then I make sure I have a full outfit for every day. 10 outfits in total. Then I make sure work and casual all mix and match.

I ebayed today and am looking for items only with a tag attached - people sell the greatest bargains. I only bid, including postage, $10.00 per top/skirt and $15.00 jeans/pants. So far I am the highest bidder on some great labels - Country Road, Esprit, Tsubi. I put my max bid in and leave it. If I get emails saying I'm outbid I just ignore them. That way I'm not tempted to go higher.

Once I've received everything I won, I will go through and make sure I'm set for winter. It's a great way to shop!