Hi Michael,
I have been reading your diary. I just wanted to say congratulations on paying off your first cc. You are doing amazingly well. I just wanted to say stay strong as life will just get better and letter as the debts get less and less. I have also decided not to tell my wife this time. I can't face telling her as I know what it would do to her. I know that people have different opinions about this but I want to sort this out for myself and pay my debts without her knowing.
Take care and stay strong.
Best wishes
Dave
Day 70 & 71
Worked out the cash - enough to get me through Christmas. Wish I could forget about debts, just for a few weeks over the festive period but my mind always wanders back. Not wanting to sound like I'm wishing my life away, but I'm actually feeling more excited about Xmas 2012 than Xmas 2011 ! A sorry state of affairs . No gambling urges at all.
Hi Michael,
Not long until that elusive century, keep it going fella! Don't run yourself out on 99 this time!
All the best, Jim
Forget about the past, there is nothing that you can do about it. The debts will be there and as long as you don't gamble, they WILL go down.
Like you, I can't wait until Xmas 2012!
GT
Day 71 & 72
Jim, GT - Inching ever closer to the 100days mark - no way am I going back to Day 1. Since I embarked on this journey, which I'd have to say was on 14th Feb 2009 and I've had a few slips along the way. But in terms of money, I really am struggling to understand what I did in the months and years leading up to Gambling because since then, I've managed to cobble together an extra £800+/month in CC card repayments without taking any major lifestyle hit. So when this debt is paid, I will make a point of visiting the bank the day after pay day every month, withdrawing £800, and spending it on whatever I like. I'm imagining how that will feel, and amazingly great feeling it will be ! I'd love this day to be in 2012 - a massive challenge I know, but I amazing reward at the end.
keep going to that 100 days michael, keep going,
today has been 365 for me and please trust me when I say how rewarding it is to reach this point
I remember hitting the 100 day mark and feeling like I had smashed down a huge barrier, I think you and I share several similarities and whilst I havent posted on your diary much recently I do always look out for your posts and I'm always willing you on in the background,
keep up the good work, I can't wait to read your diary when you break the 100 and then 365 day barriers....
take care buddy
dan
Day 73 & 74
Not posting as much as I previously had - keeping my head down and focussed. Chipping away at that debt, bit by bit, those payments still coming down. Still nervous about the OH finding out, and in some ways it's working for me. The last time I told the OH, and got over that hurdle, I became comfortable and ultimately complacent. But this time, I'm not in the comfort zone and it's making me more focussed than ever. I have to be sure that if that day ever came again when my OH found out I need to be 100% sure that I was gamble free and with manageable debts and this is driving me on.
Just checked the finances - my OH is spending like crazy at the moment. In fact, we've overspent by £2500 in the last 2 months !!!! We have some big big bills coming up in January - it's like a runaway train, which I can't halt. Suddenly my good mood has changed dramatically. I have to stop this dead in it's tracks - a mixture of extreme worry, anger, frustration. All of the work I'm doing is being eroded by careless spending. I know it's Xmas, but come on, this is ridiculous ! For the first time in months, I sit here with head in hands.
its a good job you arent still gambling then.......cos that wont help one bit.
i know its hard but stay focused on your 100day target
stay strong michael35
Your wife is clearly addicted to shopping. Can you not tell her to rein in spending? Does she spend on your credit cards or do you have a joint bank account?
Day 75
I find myself under enormous financial pressure on a monthly basis, and this is not just since Gambling started, it's happened for years. This may sound rich coming from me, but I can't have a joint account with my OH as she will spend the lot (and she will admit it). Constant financial pressure may have been one of the contributory factors to me starting to Gamble - although I admit I wasn't forced into doing it. I admit that this is a hugely HUGELY frustrating time as my extra income streams are drying up, and overall debts are simply not decreasing. In fact, they are at the same levels they were about 4 months ago. It's very worrying, and it's not helped by overspending (a £150 weekly food shop today - for a family of 4 !!). My Credit Card debts have been largely reduced by moving money around, cashing in on some of survey sites, moving savings in and taking advantage of Mortgage Offset surplus.
But, I have over £20K of credit on old Credit Cards. I could techinically move credit around every month for the next 10 years at least, without having to put my own money into them. Could even take the option of 0% BT, getting everything on 0%, withdrawing £100/month on each card, and paying it back in as a min payment. Could even string this out for 15years, and pay a lump sum against them then when I will hopefully be able to afford it.
But anyway, we have total debts which are about 4-5 * our combined income and they are dangerously high.
Once again, I guess it's head down and I need to keep chipping away.
Just remember that as long you are not gambling as you have managed not to do in the past 75 days then...
...you are doing all you can!
You ARE doing well, keep it up!
GT
Have you considered taking financial advice? An IVA or bankruptcy may seem extreme and has a stogma attached but ultimately if your debts are not payable then maybe you should get help. An anonymous call couldnt do any harm?
Don't declare yourself bankrupt - that is a last resort if you are desperate and your credit score is in tatters. I don't think you are at that stage yet. Bankruptcy stains your credit file for six years. If you can pay off your debts yourself within six years without missing a payment, then do that instead. Good luck for the next few weeks - Christmas is a difficult time for us all as the pressure is there to spend, spend, spend. However, think ahead to 2012 and the pressure will start to ease. I read in the news the other day that millions of people will be taking out pay day loans to fund Christmas and some people will be going without heating to afford their presents. I don't think you're in that position at least. Good luck with it all!
Day 76
As I've spoken about in previous posts, we've taken on huge mortgage, being swept along by the credit boom. Added to my gambling, our debts are sky high (I can't even bring myself to say how much). Anyway - I have a good credit rating, and I've managed to take out 2 0% BT Credit Cards this month, so in spite of the huge debt, which shows on my Credit Report, it's some comfort too know that a Credit Card company still trusts me enough with their money. Deep down, I know that the 2nd half of the year i.e. Holidays and Xmas is always ALWAYS more expensive than the first half by at least 4K. So I can't panic, I need to press on and continue to tackle these debts head on in the New Year.
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
