So I must leave, Ill have to go, to las vegas or monaco and win a fortune in a game, my life will never be the same…
Yes, I know you should never blog about politics, religion or money, but i’m breaking the taboo today…
In the past I’ve been rather lackadaisical about money; in fact, I lie, I was so, so, so, so bad, you could just call me Rebecca Bloomwood and be done with it. (Except in my case the big bad bank manager who chased me was a faceless automatic telephone system that left threatening daily messages, ok, as threatening as a robot can be) There is a reason why I don’t answer my phone to anonymous calls anymore.
Looking back, i’m ashamed at my statement of financial dishonour; which included regularly ‘forgetting’ credit card and store card payments, ignoring the demands to pay back the student loan and never looking at my bank account each month. Let’s just say I can’t get a credit card even if I wanted one.
The paradigm shift happened when The Ex-Husband, who was far worse with money than me (although I might be protesting a little too much) ‘forgot’ to pay the mortgage for 4 months – without telling me – the first thing I knew about it was the recorded delivery court summons appearing at the front door. I could no longer bury my head in the sand once I asked my parents for that bail out.
So, my life as a f’inancially independent woman’ was hurriedly curtailed – no switch card, no credit card; cash all the way. If I wanted something I would have to walk back out of the shop to go to the cash machine to take out the cold hard cash to pay for it. 9 times out of 10 I wouldn’t go back. It worked, kind of – yes I was finally living within my means but unfortunatley I didn’t have Becky’s designer wardrobe to auction off to pay off the debts. Those would have to stay.
But then there comes a day when you can finally lift your head out of the sand, the day when you get to call the bank rather than the other way around, the day that you feel brave enough to have a switch card again, the day you start filing your bank statements somewhere else rather than unopened under your bed, the day when you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, the day when the future is black not red.
And that my friends is today and it is f-ing incredible!
Kx
well done you! :)
I got myself into A LOT of credit card debt last year. It never got to the stage of debt collection but it wasn’t pretty. Thanks to a loan from my ace parents, the death of a relationship that cost me a fortune and my pay rise at work, I’m more financially stable now than ever before.
It is ace x
Go you! i know that feeling but i did it before i had a mortgage to pay thank goodness. 2 years of living on other people’s sofas was not pretty but i’m solvent again now and i won’t go back
Well done!
I stuck my head in the sand until last year. Then I canceled my credit cards and told them I can only afford to repay x amount each month and asked them to freeze the interest, which they did, and I’ve been paying the same amount each month ever since. It’ll take another year or two to finish the payments but at least it’s coming off my debt and not interest fees.
I’d probably get it all paid well quicker if I didn’t enjoy ‘socialising’ so much :D
Yay to you, that’s really well done.
Well done you indeed!
Awesome job!!
Vegas is good. Except I spend lots of money there and do not win anything on the slots!
Oh, What is a switch card?
Thank everyone, its not done yet, but all will be gone in 2 months!
Helen, Liz, CynicalI think most folk have been through a wild stage, mine just lasted 13 years! Its taken a long time to sort out, but its done now.. phew!
cynical thats my problem too, i like boozing far too much!
Candace its a debit card…?
I assumed. Thought I would ask!
I’m the same, just had this problem of living outside my means when I was younger. I’ve never missed a payment at least, but now I can afford that lifestyle I’m stuck with a mountain of credit card debt and loan repayments I wish I could use for pretty things! Still, good to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel x