One of 24 billion

Tuesday 26th August, 2008 - £7,977.79 in debt…

 Whoop whoop! My debt’s under the £8k mark for the first time in years!

This is because this month’s credit card bills have started coming in and confirming how much I’ve paid off after interest.  I started regularly opening my bills when I started this blog, but this is the first time I’ve seen one lying by the door and actually leapt for it like a cat on a bowl of Felix after a fortnight of Asda own-brand meaty chunks.

In other news, I’ve received my welcome pack from AQA (see this post for more info) and downloaded their question-answering software. I’m currently ploughing through all the bumpf about how to do the job, and it looks like it might be the most interesting job I’ve ever had. Did you know, for instance, that there are 24 billion chickens in the world? If that’s not worth knowing, I don’t know what is.

  What a cutie!

Tuesday 5th August, 2008 - £8,228.83 in debt…

Another week, another bit of pay trickling into my bank account, another £150 onto my Barclaycard… but I’m starting to flag a bit.

I think all this work is starting to catch up with me. Nine to five, plus evenings, weekends, working through my lunchbreak, and all for what? Money I can’t even spend! Money that goes straight to the bloody Barclaycard headquarters where, no doubt, it gets spent on all the things I want for myself - a holiday, tickets to Wimbledon 2009 (£102 for the men’s final!), a Peugeot 207 CC, a kitten, you name it. I bet Barclaycard headquarters is over-run with kittens. GRRRRR. 

I’m working all the hours I can, not seeing any money for myself at the end of it, and fantasising about being punched unconscious just to get some sleep. This must be what it’s like having children.

Dunce

Friday 1st August, 2008 - £8,378.83 in debt…

Time goes so fast when you’re scrabbling around in the gutter for pennies and working 14-hour days, doesn’t it? I’m now at the end of my third month (or first quarter, in finance-speak), and here’s how it’s going.

I’m clapping my hands like a trained seal because…

1)    I’ve learned that the best way to pay off your debts is to work until your brain bleeds and earn lots of money. This month has been my best so far in terms of workload, and I should be able to shift more than £1000 to my credit cards in total once all the money comes through. I’ve paid £605 towards my debts this month, which reduces what I owe by £472.15 when you take the interest off.

2)    I saved £10 on my grocery shopping by visiting MySupermarket and then Asda. The Asda shopping experience was harrowing, to say the least, but I’m trying Morrison’s next month, which isn’t on MySupermarket but looks pretty cheap to me.

3)    I also saved £7.45 by getting McFly’s latest body of work, Radio:ACTIVE, free with Beelzebub’s latest body of work, the Mail on Sunday.

4)    I used the snowball calculator on Whatsthecost.com to help manage my debts better. It told me that, if I pay off £470 a month (including interest) in a particular order, I’ll clear my debt before my 30th birthday and save £650 in interest.

5)    I received a letter confirming that I’d opted out of the Barclays personal reserve. I already knew that I’d done this, but it’s nice to be acknowledged.

6)    I earned £118.50 mystery shopping for GfK, which is by far the nicest mystery shopping company I’ve worked for. It doesn’t bombard me with irrelevant emails, the jobs I’ve done are quick and easy, and it’s even paid for a lovely bowl of soup and a Cornish cream tea. Yum.

I’m slapping my forehead like a cartoon dunce because…

1)    I spent £52.80 on one weekend in Nottingham, buying things I wouldn’t normally buy because my companions didn’t know about my debts. This has made me think about confessing to everyone, but there’s a very good reason why I haven’t done this yet: I’m ashamed. That’s normal, right?

2)    What with temping up to five days a week, mystery shopping and disliking the idea of cabin fever, I’ve been filling up my car’s petrol tank every nine days on average. Because it’s a beautiful and tiny Daewoo Matiz, this only costs £35 a time, but it’s still about £46 per month over budget.

3)    Speaking of budget, I might have also bought a couple of McFly tickets. And a ticket to a theatre adaptation of my favourite Edward Gorey book. But that’s all – I swear. Oh, and a ticket for Blood Brothers starring one of the Nolans. I just can’t help myself.

4)    My eBay so-called “buyers” have been nothing but trouble, with four of them refusing to pay up. Hopefully I’ll be able to re-sell the stuff or settle on a good eBay alternative but, until then, I’ll wear a constant look of vague disgruntlement.

I’m jittering with anticipation because…

1)    I can’t yet be sure whether I did the right thing switching to an E.ON capped energy tariff - this will only be worthwhile if all the other energy bills in the country rise by more than about 10%, which looks likely but you never know.

2)    I’m not yet sure what kind of impact my bridesmaid duties are going to have on my finances. The next step is dress shopping with the other bridesmaid, who lives 40 miles away, and casually tossing around some hen-night ideas without sounding like I have a budget of £3.50.

Generally speaking, I can’t complain about how this month has gone. After last month’s disastrous performance, July’s sudden onslaught of evening work has given me a ‘get out of jail free’ card and got me back on track. And, although I can’t expect this level of work every month, at least I know that I can be trusted to put the extra money towards my debt when it does happen. Well, most of it anyway…

—

First quarter results:

Amount paid towards my debt so far: £1376.63 (average £458.88 per month)

Amount I’ve reduced my debt by, after interest: £1120.62

 The Joy of Text 

Monday 30th June, 2008 - £8,850.98 in debt…

How far would you go for money…?

If you’re having money troubles, especially if you’re a woman, you might have considered some form of ‘adult’ work. The idea might be embarrassing or morally wrong to some, but an increasing number of women - and men - are happily settling into jobs at the outer edge of the sex industry: as textline operators for adult chat companies.

I’ve got nearly £9k of debt to pay off, and a bit of evening work on the textlines would undoubtedly make the process quicker. Should I go for it?

Here’s how it works:

A textline works on the same principle as a sex chatline, but it’s operated via text message. As well as making things easier for shy customers, this is also seen as an easier job for the operator at the other end, who is afforded a bit of thinking time and doesn’t have to stifle their giggles or explain any overheard conversations to the kids. It’s perfectly legal.

Benefits:

     The entire process - signing up, training and working - can be carried out from home, meaning no overheads apart from broadband access (texts come through online).

     Depending on your employer, you can work in pre-arranged shifts or pick your own hours, signing onto the system when you feel like working.

     You won’t be required to discuss anything illegal: the employer will have a list of taboo subjects that must be steered away from.

     Most employers are responsible and professional, and can offer support if you’re having a difficult time. They will ask you to send proof that you’re over 18.

Drawbacks:

     Some employers will only pay up if you send over a certain number of texts in a month.

     Predictably enough, the texts you receive can be very explicit, and you might receive explicit pictures of the customer.

     The industry is very secretive, and your contract will probably state that you mustn’t reveal the details of your job or pay, and sometimes even your employer’s name.

     The job is potentially dangerous. Under no circumstances should you reveal your real contact details to any customer – not even your email address. Obey this rule and you should be perfectly safe.

     Many people avoid this job for moral or social reasons. If you’re open about what you do for a living, you might find yourself treated differently by friends and family. Some operators have even been verbally abused by customers.

Earnings:

     Earnings are normally based on a per-text rate, from around 5p per message.

     Many operators are in the job for extra pocket-money, but some are successfully making a living. If you’re prepared to quicken the pace and put in full-time hours, you’ll get a reasonable full-time wage.

     Payment is usually straightforward – monthly or fortnightly by BACS.

     You’ll have to register with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed, and complete a yearly tax return.

—

Operators are regularly monitored to make sure they’re following the rules and keeping regular customers happy. As with any job, if you’re not taking it seriously, you will lose it – if you treat it like “a bit of fun”, you won’t last long.

My source, whose full-time operator job allows her to pay the bills and support a family, has some advice: “The trick is to make your texts fun and interesting, to keep the customers coming back. You need to have a good imagination and be very open minded; It can be an education …”

If you’re interested in becoming a textline or chatline operator, Google some company names: Excel Telemedia, Text121, Evoke and SMS Friends all offer this kind of work. Or go to this thread on the Money Saving Expert forums for more information.

Am I going to do it myself? Well, no. I don’t think I could do it and be completely happy with myself. I have the utmost respect for anyone who does this job, but I wouldn’t be comfortable having that kind of conversation with a complete stranger for money.

Having said that, one more month of only decreasing my debt by £69.21 and I might have to rethink…

—

If you’re thinking of a job in the sex industry, please visit the International Union of Sex Workers for support and advice.

  Women being cock-a-hoop

Friday 30th May, 2008 - £8,920.19 in debt…

Look at that up there! That amount of debt! Under the £9,000 mark – WOO! I am literally cock-a –hoop. Yes, literally.

And I’m so proud of myself too. When my tax rebate arrived in my bank account yesterday, my first thought wasn’t “shoes!” or “Milkybars!” or anything deranged at all – it was “Now I can pay that amount off my Barclaycard – I can’t wait!” and I did it straight away.

This is a huge turnaround for me - a couple of months ago, I’d have gone out shopping with that money, but my attitude to money has completely changed and I’ll tell you why.

Originally I thought that writing this blog would be a good way to get tips and ideas about paying off my debt. And that’s exactly what has happened – thanks very much for all the help, by the way – but it’s had another, unexpected benefit…

Because I’m keeping track of my debt and writing about it, I’m constantly thinking about money. And I mean constantly: thinking about how I can save a couple of quid on a cinema ticket, how I can make a couple of quid on Ebay, and how I can roll around in piles of cash once I’ve paid my cards off because every penny I make will be MINE and I can goddamn do what I want with it. So there.

Yes, the rumours are true: paying off even a little bit of your debt is one of the best feelings in the world. Getting rid of my NatWest card was just the start of it, and making that payment today felt just as good as poking a Barclaycard staff member in the eye with a stick.

So, I’m one month into my debt-paying-off experiment and my debt has decreased by a grand total of £579.26. I’m not saying this is going to happen every month, but it’s a good start as far as I’m concerned. Please leave your messages of awed congratulations and worship below.

My name? It’s Oli….i mean Groucho

Friday 23rd May, 2008 - £9,361.55 in debt…

I can’t tell you exactly what I’m doing next week as it’s a top secret mission involving espionage, stealth and quiet browsing. Don’t tell anyone, but Olivia Buck is entering the clandestine world of the mystery shopper. Sshhhhhh…

I’ve always thought mystery shopping would be a bloody good thing to do, especially if I were required to mysteriously shop for some amazing shoes or a new car or something. But I also thought it was a bit too good to be true.

Then yesterday, by chance, I was visiting a friend when she got a phone call from a company called Retail Eyes. She took some notes, asked when the assignment had to be done, put the phone down, donned a panama hat and aviator-style sunglasses, asked me to look after her children “if anything happens – you know…”, and left the house with a £5 note and a look of blind panic.

Who wouldn’t want to be a mystery shopper? The excitement; the glamour; the promise of £7.50 if you hand in your report by 7pm… I wanted a slice of her lifestyle and, by golly, I was going to get it.

The sign-up procedure was simple – a huge contrast to those of the online survey companies and, I suspect, far more worth it in the long run. From now on, I just have to keep up-to-speed with the assignments available (by checking the website) and make sure I can absolutely, definitely complete any assignment I sign up for. Otherwise I will be hunted down and shot in the knees (or so the terms and conditions seem to suggest).

My first assignment is on Wednesday of next week, but obviously it’s all very hush hush. I’ll be paying with unmarked notes and covering my tracks by zig-zagging wildly up the road before entering the shop. Can’t be too careful.

Any advice? Have I said too much? What’s a reasonable price to pay for a bullet-proof vest? Over to you…

 Can’t you see i’m busy?

Tuesday 20th May, 2008 - £9,361.55 in debt…

Some people might say that quitting your part-time job when you’re over £9,000 in debt is a bad idea. But I’ve always flown in the face of convention.

Although I normally work as a freelancer from home, I got myself an emergency part-time temping job last year to improve my cashflow situation. It has done wonders so far: The freelancing is great, but it’s hard to budget and set up regular payments with that sort of job. An extra, reliable £200 a week came in surprisingly handy.

However, I somehow managed to land myself a job with a boss who makes George Bush seem like a perfectly competent leader. Since I started working for him, my thoughts have ranged from the murderous to the suicidal. Call me naive or incredibly lucky, but it’s the only job I’ve ever had where my whole Sunday has been spent dreading the start of the working week, but I stuck around because of my dire finances.

So, like the dutiful employee I am, I turned up for work at bang on 9.03am yesterday to find the boss in the foulest of foul moods. After a minor altercation over some work that was going to be a HUGE WASTE OF TIME, he asked me whether I was happy in the job.

The following discussion was short, loud and somewhat furious. I was out of there by 9.10am.

Normally, I would now be spending my days sleeping and eating Pringles in front of Diagnosis Murder, but unfortunately (and I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before), I need money. So it’s a week of trawling the employment agencies for me.

In other news:

All of my Ebay buyers have paid up and the money has gone straight onto my NatWest card. So that card is one hundred percent taken care of, and that feels pretty good. As I was previously paying it off at £10 per month, I can now add £10 to my regular Barclaycard payment.

Since I’ve got some free time on my hands now, I want to use it for money-making purposes. As well as digging around in the loft for anything Ebayable, does anyone have any suggestions?