How I did it: It was a combination of things really - I did what I could to pay things off month by month. Then I got engaged and needed to pay for a wedding. A wedding plus my remaining debt was an amount substantial enough to warrant mortgaging my rental property (which was previously unmortgaged)  which took me debt-free.

Lessons & tips: Try to change the little things - switch to a cheaper drink in the pub. Make use of sales as much as you possibly can. Use store own-brands on cooking ingredients so you can splurge on the things you'll really notice the quality of. Go to the cinema on Orange Wednesdays, Bargain Mondays and other cheaper-than-usual events. Take your own lunch into work instead of buying - and when you do buy, make it a social event with friends so you get your social quota up as well. Have a night in with a rented DVD (by-post rental is cheapest) instead of a more expensive night out.

Dec 22, 2008, 09:59AM PST | 0 comments | 1 cheer