Count Down to OZ!

…by losing my debit card somewhere between my house and co-op - all of a 10 minute walk.  That’ll teach me to put my card in my iPhone holder.

However I now can’t spend any money unless I walk to the branch and withdraw cash.  When I finally got through to Santander (going via the old Alliance & Leicester phone numbers) they said it’s going to take 5-7 days for my new card and pin to arrive which means it won’t get here till after I have left for Southampton.

Well done me.

When all is said and done and the dust settles over the last few months I know that I will be able to say that it has re-energised me and my focus on getting to Australia. 

In fact I am already seeing it that way through the dust cloud.

I know I said in this post that I wasn’t sure if I even wanted that dream anymore, but I do.  You only live one life (as far as we know) and the thought of carrying on living the way I am now fills me with dread.  Not that it is a bad life by any measure, but it doesn’t excite me.  I want to have experiences and stories that inspire my future children and grand children to go out and explore life.

I suppose part of my urge to go is running away from my current life - I know that my Mum views it that way and perhaps to a certain extent I am.  The desire to wipe the slate clean and start again is a strong one.  However, I see it as running away from the bad, the things I don’t want to do or experience again and moving towards new, positive experiences.  I already feel that in certain areas of my life I am experiencing the positives - running is one of those things.  You can never leave the bad things totally behind, but you do learn from them, perhaps repeat the mistakes again (I am a repeat offender!), but each time you learn a little more about yourself.  You can develop in certain directions, but at the heart of it you are who you are.

I am now at that point where I need to make the talking and dreaming a reality. 

First on this list is sorting my finances out.  I have been making half-hearted efforts at this for the last year, but now is the time to prove to myself that I can commit.  As if by a stoke of luck (planets aligning and all that jazz) I clicked through to Devon’s tumblr when I was in search of first time marathoners to get tips from and I discovered that she too has pulled herself out of the debt trap and is going travelling!  Devon has some excellent tips which I will be utilising and I would like to thank her for sharing them with the blogisphere.  If you are in a similar position I suggest you check them out!

So this is my first challenge. Please feel free to remind me about it!

Isn’t this a positive post?! And so deep and meaningful for a Thursday lunch break post! It is brought to you from a good few days, free chocolates and the feeling that I have definitely broken the end of my nose!

Yes that is an Abba quote!

So. Everyone. Here is the plan to get me to the opposite side of the world!

I am sure that most people in the UK are aware of Martin Lewis.  For those of you who are thinking ‘Who the hell is Martin Lewis?’ Let me tell you! He has an amazing website that is dedicated to helping people be more money savvy, whether it be through paying of debt, saving or finding good deals on your bills.  There is also a massive online forum that has challenges and shares tips.  Last year I came across a thread challenging people to live on £4000! Crazy!

I read a little further and realised that it is a pretty good way of saving money or helping to pay of debts.

The dirty deets are as follows:

The challenge is about establishing your true cost of living, sticking to your budget, clearing any debts and making savings wherever and however you can to enable you to live the life your really want.

• You start by working out your yearly income from all areas.  For me this is just my salary as I don’t have any other income sources.

• Then you work out what your essential costs are - those things that you cannot live without or that improve your wellbeing (i.e gym membership).  These are excluded from your £4000 spending limit.  Mine are:

1. Rent
2. Contents Insurance
3. Health Insurance
4. Phone bill
5. Charity donation
6. Gym Membership
7. Travel to get to work

• The next step is to work out the rest of your expenditure and those things that you can budget.  Mine include:

1. Food (at home)
2. Food (at work)
3. Travel home to see family
4. Races
5. Socialising
6. Family Birthdays
7. Work Birthdays
8. Clothes/Shoes
9. Toiletries
10. Internet
11. TV License

• These are the costs that need to be budgeted into the £4000.  I have managed to get mine to be £2600.  However I think that I am going to have to use the remaining £1400 for the unexpected things that crop up.

I plan to start this challenge on the 26th December (pay day) as this will give me 1 year to pay off my remaining debts and save for Australia.  I am using this month to analyse my spending to check that I haven’t overlooked anything and to be able to adjust the budget if I need to.  Already I have had to unexpectedly had to buy a new bra and need to book flights for Dublin!

I know that this is going to be a massive challenge, but I am 100% up for it! I will add a tab to my tumblr side bar where I will write a monthly update so you guys can see how I am doing :)

Operation Australia is GO GO GO!!!