DesertFlyer

So I racked up a fair amount of debt enjoying myself and about a year ago realised that it wasn’t going to end well if I kept on spending! I have begun paying down my debts and hope to have paid off all my credit cards by the end of 2009.

Priorities and tips:
- Pay down high interest cards first (not only does this save more, but paying off a whole card gives a better feeling than paying down bits of many)
- Transfer high interest balances to interest free deals (credit is fine, as long as you are getting a good rate! Be aware of the impact of the transfer fee. Interest free for 6 months with a 3.5% transfer fee is not necessarily a good idea!)
- Use credit wisely and aim to pay off in full each month. Budget before any big spends
- Use cash only for small items – it’s easy to build up your debt by using your card on small items as you think it is not hurting your balance. The £10 here or there on drinks or food makes a big difference at the end of the month.

So, I have just over £4k to go but have transferred £2k to interest fee for 12 months and the rest has a fixed rate of 8.9%. I should clear that by November so at least it is interest free from there. Would be great to start 2010 with a clean slate!

I always thought that I wanted to try and get fit before applying to run the marathon (and it has to be London first as a London boy!), but given how hard it is supposed to be to get a place then I’ll just start applying each year – plus if I get a place then I have to get fit! Sub 4 hours would be great, but I’m not too worried about the time.

Dakar rally is the primary aim but I’m thinking of doing a few others on the way (as it’s not that easy to get the sponsorship for Dakar as an amateur).

Had planned to do the Libya Rally in 2010 (formally the Libya Desert Challenge) but not sure if I’m going to have the funds sorted by March! Maybe 2011…

Polaris Quad or something like a Bowler Wildcat/Nemesis for these.