The cycling is going well. I'm taking minimal tube journeys (they feel like luxuries until I squish into a hot train with no available seats) and I have just invested in mud guards and a waterproof, very high-vis jacket so now even when it rains I have no excuse.
The only acceptable reasons not to cycle now are (a) client facing meetings, (b) trips to other cities for meetings which involve catching trains in the morning, and (c) nights that I have dinner/drinks plans. If it falls outside of these, I have to cycle. Self-discipline! I might just have some in me!
Money-saving - I've transferred my debt to a 0% credit card and am slowly whittling it down. Not being able to go to SA for Christmas has been a real wake-up call - I can't afford ANYTHING right now - so I'm going to have to be hard on myself and continue not to allow any frivolous shopping into the mix.
I've managed to stay out of my overdraft this month, meaning I'm starting with a clean slate. I'm going to hit the debt with a set amount each month. I'm then going to allow myself a weekly budget which should only ever cover the groceries and my work lunches - any savings at the end of the week on this will be put onto the credit card.
That's the theory, anyway. Not sure how socialising comes into it at the moment.
I'm blogging this because it makes it more real, makes me more accountable for it. After 15 months, I should be pretty damn close to zero. And if not, I'll have got into a payment routine that will allow me to feel pretty comfortable about my ability to continue to pay this debt off. And then, hopefully, I can look at saving.
I hope I can look back on this in just over a year and be proud that I am debt-free. I hope I can give this present to myself. Because when I get to the savings point, every 3 months will equate to a trip home for Christmas. I'll certainly have earned it!
The only acceptable reasons not to cycle now are (a) client facing meetings, (b) trips to other cities for meetings which involve catching trains in the morning, and (c) nights that I have dinner/drinks plans. If it falls outside of these, I have to cycle. Self-discipline! I might just have some in me!
Money-saving - I've transferred my debt to a 0% credit card and am slowly whittling it down. Not being able to go to SA for Christmas has been a real wake-up call - I can't afford ANYTHING right now - so I'm going to have to be hard on myself and continue not to allow any frivolous shopping into the mix.
I've managed to stay out of my overdraft this month, meaning I'm starting with a clean slate. I'm going to hit the debt with a set amount each month. I'm then going to allow myself a weekly budget which should only ever cover the groceries and my work lunches - any savings at the end of the week on this will be put onto the credit card.
That's the theory, anyway. Not sure how socialising comes into it at the moment.
I'm blogging this because it makes it more real, makes me more accountable for it. After 15 months, I should be pretty damn close to zero. And if not, I'll have got into a payment routine that will allow me to feel pretty comfortable about my ability to continue to pay this debt off. And then, hopefully, I can look at saving.
I hope I can look back on this in just over a year and be proud that I am debt-free. I hope I can give this present to myself. Because when I get to the savings point, every 3 months will equate to a trip home for Christmas. I'll certainly have earned it!
This is a 
My love know that I am in the same boat as you. I started tightening my belt after my Frenchie trip earlier this year. I want to nail my debt and start saving for over the sea. It is so hard especially now because there are all wonderfully fabulous sales on and I have to say: HELL NO! I can't even afford to fly home and it's pretty cheap but I a boundary on myself that I won't fly home until I can pay cash for a ticket.
The budget thing really works - I'm totally into it now. I wrote up a budget, I draw so much per week and I have been sticking to it. It's really hard but sometimes it's kind of cool, I feel proud because I see my debt wittling away and I have will power. I've also gotten quite creative with my clothes coz I can't afford to buy new ones!
Ha ha, I SO know what you're talking about on the clothes thing. Thank god for seperates... although I am wearing a rather odd cream, black and red combination today which might fall outside the realm of acceptable colour-blocking...
I actually did splurge on some make-up today - I figure I can get away with it as I'm meant to be getting a raise in my new job, and I have to get into a more considered make-up routine, it's all a bit slap dash right now.
Let's hear it for paying off our debts! *clink of glasses of budget wine*