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Apart from the £180K mortgage i'm debt free..... but have no money to spare.... and have sacrifced a lot of my toys, bikes and cars doing so..... hmmmmm SC bronson on 0% finance....maybe... or just carry on with not a lot other than a 3bed end of terrace in surrey... 😐
I don't really have much of an issue with people using large amounts of credit to run their lives provided it's sustainable and not spiralling towards disaster. It sometimes makes good financial sense to use a loan to make something happen. The bigger issues is the link between people that use large amounts of credit and their lack of (through either financial ability or lifestyle choice) investment in their latter years (be it pensions, property or whatever). It's only when you get to an age where you can't work and you haven't been able to prepare for it that you realise what properly ****ed looks like.
When I was 27 I'd just bought my first house and owed 86.5k to Nationwide. I then extended the house and the mortgage went up to over 100, then added a car to it. Then spent the next 13 years paying it all off.
I'm 27 next month, albeit shared with miss njee20 our mortgage is nearly thrice yours (time's moved on 😉 ), and the car is the next plan!
The bigger issues is the link between people that use large amounts of credit and their lack of (through either financial ability or lifestyle choice)
Totally agree, I could, if I so desired, accrue about £25k on credit cards, which is pretty worrying really. I've never in my life asked for an increase (in fact I only applied for one card, but have 3 - the others came with bank accounts!), but they still used to put them up fairly often. In fact since I started earning more they've stopped increasing my limits, which seems a little unscrupulous!
no debt here, no pension, son in forces, daughter goes in a month.
wife employed by local authority for 28yrs.
gonna go into old age going on nice holidays and travel, **** saving for my dotage........ 8)
I think a better thing for people to say would be, "Yes, i've got debts, but hopefully I have enough equity in my house that I could settle them if necessary"
I have more than double the vslue of my debts in equity, I've been tempted to pay them all off using that, but I've resisted. It's to easy. I think i need to learn the hard way.
njee20 - Member
interest rates on CC are low/0%.
Really?
I have more than double the vslue of my debts in equity, I've been tempted to pay them all off using that, but I've resisted. It's to easy. I think i need to learn the hard way.
Equity in your home or cash?
If cash, why are you paying interest on the debt? Surely you're not getting anywhere near the same amount in savings interest?
Well for those who do their research and have a good element of self control there are signficant benefits to utilising credit over using cash. You get nothing for spending cash - there is alot on offer by utilising credit if you do your research. For example, simply by using a credit card to buy normal everyday things instead of cash you're getting loyalty points, which in my case pay's for the Xmas shop every uyear - so that's £250 for free a year just by using my card rather than cash - and i'm not being charged a penny of interest. Also buy keeping cash in my account for longer each month in my daily calculated interest mortgage, i'm getting a signficiant interest rate discount on my mortgage meaning i'll pay it off years early - or as in my case, is being traded off against my full repayment term and effectively funding an extension (or the vast majority of it) that is adding value to my house.
Also, if you've got access to interest free credit, why on earth would you spend your own cash? You'd be a fool.
So you can use debt to your advantage if you do your homework and are disciplined and keep it under control.
Really?
Yep - vast majority of balance on a 0% card, remainder (to be paid off next time I get round to logging in to online banking) is 4.9% APR (no offer, that's just what it is), low enough that I'd consider using it to buy a car as opposed to getting a loan.
However, due to the joys of running your own business in the middle of the biggest financial shit-storm ever, its all other peoples really. Who kindly went bust on me owing me shedloads of cash for work I'd already done for them. I'm likely to be paying it off for the rest of my life.
Same here Binners. Mortgage was due to end three years ago. Now it'll be another ten years. Never got a penny from my customers that went into Administration/liquidation/bankruptcy.
Still a small mortgage, thank God and £2 on the credit card. The only thing I can be remotely smug about is the capital in the house, if the kids and grandkids weren't living here I could bugger off.
Mortgage, £2000 left on 0% finance for my MTB, £2800 on a 0% c/c deal and £11k on car loan.
Does it worry me? not in the slightest! I have assets worth more than every debt I owe so if I needed to, could clear it all tomorrow.
I just view it as saving in reverse with the interest being the fee for having your toys now 😉
I have more than double the vslue of my debts in equity, I've been tempted to pay them all off using that, but I've resisted. It's to easy. I think i need to learn the hard way.Equity in your home or cash?
Equity in my Home 🙂
Mortgage only here
Wife fell ill = half income we were getting.
Lots of debt, just getting by for now, will see what the future holds.
about £180k mortgage (0 equity) and about £25k in loans and 0% cards. Fun fun.
not ideal, but until we can actually start paying it off or find another solution....Doubt the wife will ever work full time again so we'll need to juggle a few things.
Second high 5 to binners ina week. Well said that fellow.
No unsecured debt here, but still got a chunky old mortgage (fast becoming an obsession), and I suspect that for my age group I am one of the few in that position. I must thank thieving ex-wives for that.
Only debt is my mortgage, somewhere around £135,000 I think on a 200k ish house. Car is owned outright, student loan is paid off, credit cards cleared each month. I sometimes dip into my overdraft as a cashflow thing but my overdraft limit is lower than my savings.
For the first time.. Me, no mortgage, cars paid for, no credit card or overdraft,, nowt! 😀
It's took 47 years though..
Finally got everything, mortgage, vehicles paid off a year ago---of course now Mrs busydog is eyeing doing a big kitchen remodeling that will require an equity loan on the house---back to square one.
There's no point in being smug (not aimed at anyone other than me). I have a mortgage that in my current employment I can more than afford. I choose to rinse my credit card each month and pay it off, I appreciate that is a luxury. I have freinds who are better off and friends who are worse off. Money, debt, how to make money is something I spend way too much time thinking about and something I'm not sure there are concrete answers to. Do what works for you and if you need to get into a sticky situation for a while I wish you well in getting back out of it again.
End of the day, you might as well enjoy the time you have and not spend it all worrying over pennies 🙂
About a grand on q credit card. But will have it paid off soon. No mortgage as we rent.
I must thank thieving ex-wives for that.
Forgot about that one, been there to. All my savings, all my hard work on our first two houses then off you go and thanks very much. 15 years down the pan 😀
Totally debt free right now.
Large mortgage but no other debt. I'm very debt adverse but I'm amazed how many otherwise sensible people have such a relaxed attitude to it.
Equity in my Home
Using equity in your home to pay off debts isn't really getting rid of the debt - you're just moving them to another debt! One secured with your home no less.
That said, if you sold your house and moved somewhere cheaper, using the leftover sale proceeds to clear debts then that's different 🙂
Then again if you can afford your debts and if borrowing is improving your life then there isn't really an issue?
Then again if you can afford your debts and if borrowing is improving your life then there isn't really an issue?
The issue is, i think, that life changes and what was previously an affordable debt can become unmanageable.
I'm certainly no stranger to unsecured debt, my education cost me £32k personally, all borrowed from banks, and that's before the interest started ticking (started in 1999 and it was 2005 before my first repayment). I was fortunate enough that my investment paid off, but many of my peers weren't so lucky and are now trying to pay back a crippling debt on an average/below average salary.
You're completely right though, there is no issue at all with properly managed debt (most businesses for example couldn't function without it). It's just that it doesn't take much for things to go pear shaped at the moment.
I tend to run up about £3k per month in credit card bills.
But I also pay it off in full every month before any interest is charged.
So I Guess I'm constantly in debt to some degree or other.
Completely debt free for over 12 months now, both myself and Mrs C.
The best feeling ever.
It's just that it doesn't take much for things to go pear shaped at the moment.
Indeed I'm not a stupid man and I'm very cautious with the pennies, yet I didn't see the two most financially crippling events in my life coming.
It's just that it doesn't take much for things to go pear shaped at the moment.
Indeed I'm not a stupid man and I'm very cautious with the pennies, yet I didn't see the two most financially crippling events in my life coming i.e divorce and the failure of my business.
My main expense is booze, and that's entirely social - I'd go mad without the outlet of pub banter.
But I've little need for constantly buying new shit, and have little sympathy for people who go bankrupt through doing so.
It's different for mortgages, student loans, a small business, using your CC a lot but paying it off monthly in general, although I still think as a country we could do with a large dose of Caledonian Frugality.
2 overdrafts totalling 4k at around 45pcm interest
3 credit cards totalling 9k at 0% interest.
29, renting, married, second on the way.
All but 2k racked up in the past 2.5 years. Wedding, furnishing a house, baby (just turned 2) Mtb habit startup costs.
Do i have debts? Yeah, doesnt worry me at all though as we can afford to pay them back each month. We have 2 cars, each via a (very low interest) loan, and about 6 grand at 0% for 2 years on a credit card which bought us some new furniture for the house weve just bought...with a 250k mortgage. Ive had serious big momma loans in the past and always paid them back...debt is only a problem if you cant afford to pay it back IMHO.
Just sorted a 140k debt for new house (203khouse). No credit card debt, its paid off each month, no car debt or other loans. Will have a worryingly small buffer for a while though.
About £26k soon to go to £32k on a overdraft, small mortage with significant equity. Loan covers car and substantial long term home improvements. Seems like a lot but its not been frittered away and lm more secure income wise than have been for a long time so quite happy about it.
My main expense is booze,
Just brilliant 😀
The timing of this thread is a coincidence. Just been debating if to pay the mortgage for another ten years, end of term. And have disposable income each month or scrimp and pay it off early.
I'm reading all this because I'm a born worrier, but after reading some of this I'll sleep better tonight.
No credit card debt, no overdraft nothing. Three cycling trips abroad, a family holiday and a new bike this year all cash, yet I really do consider myself poor and loose sleep over finances.
No debts at all here, and no real prospect of any.
Which is flipping marvellous.
I'd like to say it was down to prudence and hard graft. But really I'd need to say thanks mum, thanks dad. Not mine either, but the girlfriends.
The day I got a grasp of the house finances involved something of a Bond villain evil laugh.
Debt free here, no mortgage, nada.
I'm very lucky and thank my lucky stars every day
I have a tiny bit on a credit card, but I could pay it off tomorrow if I wanted to. I have a mortgage too.
Think it's been said before but credit cards are a very good way of using money if your disciplined and pay it off, keeping your cash invested until you need to pay the bill.
The mortgage, and I think about £300 on the CC from holiday over the past couple of weeks, which will get paid when the bill comes through.
I tend to use it for the little bit more protection it offers, then clear it every month.
Not always been that way, but it's nice now 🙂
nana zero zip... the credit card bill is 4724 this month though.. mrs tts will hopefully chip in with that otherwise i ll be skint..
In 3 months I will be debt free for the first time in 12 years (never had a mortgage.)
Never a student either so when I admitted to my father I'd hit £25k of debt, I finally started doing something about it.
no debt, no mortgage, very few possessions, very happy thanks.. 😀
No debts. I do have a mortgage but at 1.25% I'm better off not paying it of so I haven't.
Just gone from debt free and mortgage free to taking out a pretty big mortgage at 52, and will probably have to sell before we fully repay the mortgage. Big decision at our age but fortunately we could be mortgage free if things took a turn for the worse.
No debts. I do have a mortgage but at 1.25% I'm better off not paying it of so I haven't.
I live in fear of it going up to 13% again, and work my finances around that day happening again. See told you I worry.
I'm on my way to becoming debt free aside from the remainder of my student loan (from back in the day when they were cheaper and you didn't need to take as much out).
Had a £3.5k car loan - paid that off recently. I also took out a personal loan of £4.5k about 4 years ago, stupidly, to help my partner at the time, because he couldn't get credit and was in mortgage arrears after being made redundant. He started paying it off, until we split up, and then he stopped paying and I couldn't get him to pay anything. I was saddled with the repayments, and then I was made redundant. I reduced my payments for a few months, but the reduced payments didn't even cover the interest and I ended up with a bigger loan than I'd taken out in the first place. I refinanced it in 2011, at a more reasonable repayment rate, and have now paid half of it off, I've just got a 0% credit card for 12 months so am going to pay the rest off that way. I focused on paying the car loan off first as the interest rate was higher, so now that's gone I can focus on the remainder of the other one.
Moral of the story is - never get in debt on behalf of anyone else. Ever.
No mortgage, overdraft or credit cards and have been for a few years (ok, so I'm renting a house so no mortgage so cheating a little!) Own a 2011 x-trail and a 2012 Kia Rio. Wifey is also about to launch her own business. Work hard, save but still enjoy ourselves.
I vividly remember having to raise just over half a million dollars in less than 24 hours to cover a compete balls up in my company - worst possible month of the year, biggest customer can't pay due to system issue, we need to pay 140 people plus other stuff. 3 of us owned the biz - maxed my mortgage out, all credit cards to about 150k, offered to blow the bank manager for the rest ! We did it but for about 6 days I was almost at 7 figures in a hole as I wasn't paying myself for 2 years. Then my partner left me and took half of , well not the debt that's for sure. I was 30 at the time but somehow didn't really seem too worried. When we sold the company for a large number those that weren't there at the time said we were "really lucky" 😯 I did it again with a other company but on a smaller scale. Never again. Happily debt free and value money and the options it gives you.
About £180k on the mortgage. Otherwise nothing else, I tend to save up for things, run an old car etc.
Amazed how many people are mortgage free - Are you just very old, or have you inherited, or do you just live somewhere very cheap? I would be so well off if I wasn't paying that!
Amazed how many people are mortgage free - Are you just very old, or have you inherited, or do you just live somewhere very cheap?
None of the above - we're very poor but rent a spare granny flat from my parents. We're in a very lucky situation, really.
tutgareth - Member
Apart from the £180K mortgage i'm debt free..... but have no money to spare.... and have sacrifced a lot of my toys, bikes and cars doing so..... hmmmmm SC bronson on 0% finance....maybe... or just carry on with not a lot other than a 3bed end of terrace in surrey...
Are you me?
Every so often, I get a glimpse into another world: a friend who has a very shiny, big, new car which was paid for by adding a lump to her mortgage, who also has huge credit card debts run up to pay for massive TVs, posh beds, designer clothes for her kid, and foreign holidays; a colleague looking at mortgage deals, with monthly payments not far below four figures.
Our kids mostly wear clothes that other peoples' kids have grown out of. Our car is ten years old, and was six years old when we bought it. We live on the 'wrong' side of town. We've not bee on a foreign holiday for almost ten years. All my bikes are 'cheap' and I am shocked when I see the prices in Singletrack magazine. We have holes in the dining room carpet.
I do sometimes wonder if we're the stupid ones 🙂
Mike. Are you me? Certainly sounds like it 😀
I do sometimes wonder if we're the stupid ones
Not stupid, but definitely taken advantage of. Savers are being persecuted by successive government economic policies based on debt-based crony capitalism.
Even so I refuse to join the ranks of the ****less debt-bingers. I do like to travel, but all the other crap - designer clothes, new cars, new tvs etc - actually detracts from my quality of life.
Check out Charles Hugh Smith who runs a great blog on this issue.
Our kids mostly wear clothes that other peoples' kids have grown out of. Our car is ten years old, and was six years old when we bought it. We live on the 'wrong' side of town. We've not bee on a foreign holiday for almost ten years. All my bikes are 'cheap' and I am shocked when I see the prices in Singletrack magazine. We have holes in the dining room carpet.
I think you might be me too!...but it's mainly because [i]our[/i] mortgage is 'not far below four figures' each month either.
Amazed how many people are mortgage free - Are you just very old, or have you inherited, or do you just live somewhere very cheap?
None of those for me, earn a pretty good whack but not too confident about how much longer I will so concentrated on paying off mortgage on a nice house. Now I have I'm piling money into a SIPP, if I carry on earning at this level I'll be a well off OAP I suppose.
No debts that I can think of. Can thankfully pay off credit card bills in full each month. Substantial (Surrey) mortgage though 😯
Amazed how many people are mortgage free - Are you just very old, or have you inherited, or do you just live somewhere very cheap?
Being old(er) has two main advantages. Houses were a lot more affordable (eg mine cost me £91k but would now sell for North of £450k) and I've had plenty of time to pay off the mortgage....
So I'm very lucky to have been born when I was! My parents were even luckier and have two large houses with no mortgages, but then houses were cheap as chips when they bought them.....
Debt free. No mortgage, no other debt. Took me 30+ years to get there though. When we were raising our kids it was caravan holidays in the UK every year, not foreign holidays. And scruffy old cars. A habit I still have - just got rid of my 11 yr old Mondeo. I never owned a brand new sofa until I was in my 40s. Had to balance the budget carefully every month.
These days I can afford to stop working for couple of months to go bike touring. I started work at 18 so I look on my bike tours now as making up for the gap year I didn't do in my teens/20s.
I suspect that today's 20 somethings have it far tougher. My first mortgage at 19 was a huge struggle - the rate varied between 11% -13% I think - but high inflation inflated the real value of it away at the same time as increasing my wages in relation to the size of the mortgage. So after two or three hard years it was manageable. I suspect a big mortgage will be a financial millstone for far longer these days for anyone earning anywhere near average money.
My only debt is a small mortgage which is less than I have in ISAs and savings so I guess I am debt free.
A big chunk of the mortgage was paid off when my parents passed away.
It will be nice to pay of the mortgage (approx 2 years) but by then the oldest child will be going to college so I guess we will not be any better off!
I was till today, now ordered some (nice) tea and a helmet have taken me into my overdraft, time to get another job.
Never had any debt except my mortgage (paid off by inheritance, I'd prefer to still have my parents), I couldn't imagine the stress or the "**** it" attitude ppl with large debt must have,
I have a mortgage, but the equivalent in investments. A risk that seems to have paid off well for me is never paying the capital just investing instead.
I have a load of credit card debt on a 0% deal as it allows me to build up savings to offset my mortgage and then pay the balance at the end of the term.
You have to play the banks at their own game!
Will probably pay off my mortgage in full next year, but will probably soon take out another on an investment property, can't decide on a buy to let or a holiday home / let.
200K mortgage and about 20k on credit cards between me and the missus (with equity of about 220k in the house).
Mortgage is pretty low interest and the cards are 0%. We're overpaying the mortgage by a couple of hundred a month and pay off about the same on the credit cards. Also managing to save around 1.5-2k a month so that can eventually go to pay off the credit cards or help pay for a house move.
39 with 2 young kids. Could probably live a hell of a lot cheaper.