Guest Post: Top 3 Menstrual Cups To Consider

One of my major life regrets is not discovering menstrual cups until my early 30's. Now that I know how amazing they are, I can't believe that I wasted so much money, exposed myself to more toxic chemicals than necessary, and threw so much trash into the landfill.

I'll give a brief introduction to the main benefits of menstrual cups, and then get into the details of my top three choices to consider.

Menstrual Cup Benefits

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to make the switch from disposable pads and tampons to a menstrual cup. The three biggest ones are health reasons, environmental benefits, as well as saving some cold, hard cash!

Health Reasons

Here’s something that scares me a lot…

Disposable pads and tampons sometimes contain pesticides and other toxic chemicals in them. Even though there are only trace amounts, it’s thought that repeated exposure to this stuff can cause some pretty serious side effects.

Top-quality menstrual cups are made from medical grade silicone. Be sure to get a cup from a reputable company (keep reading for our recommendations) and wash it well before use to ensure yourself a chemical free period experience.

There’s more! To date, there has been one case of Toxic Shock Syndrome associated with menstrual cup use; there are thousands of cases each year from tampons.

Environmental Considerations

Disposable pads and tampons create a lot of waste that goes straight into the landfill. Considering that the average person menstruates for 40 years, this really adds up. A portion of this waste is non-biodegradable plastic, which will still be here thousands of years from now. Due to the nature of these products, they cannot easily be recycled.

Compare this to menstrual cups—the average one can last for five years, and sometimes up to 10 with proper care and cleaning. They can often be recycled, depending on where you live. 4-8 menstrual cups over the course of a lifetime is certainly better than thousands of pads and tampons.It really does make a huge difference! Imagine if every single menstruating person in the world switched from disposables to reusables?

Save Money

I’m sure you know this already, but pads and tampons are expensive. This is especially true if you have a heavy and/or long flow. According to the Huffington Post, the average person in the UK spends 13 GBP on period products each month.

A menstrual cup costs about double that, which means that you'll recoup your costs very quickly. A bit more up-front, but savings for years down the road? It's a price I'm willing to pay!Let's get into the Top 3 Menstrual Cups that you might want to consider.

#1: The Diva Cup

The Diva Cup is the most popular menstrual cup in the world. The name is often used interchangeably with "menstrual cup" for this very reason.

The Diva Cup is made in Canada, and has a reputation as a top-quality cup. It's often the one that people try first, and end up sticking with for the rest of their lives. It really is that good!

The Diva Cup has a nice firmness to it, which beginners usually appreciate. The advantage to this is that it should just "pop" into place once you insert it in your vaginal canal. It will then seal to your walls, and not leak.

Check out the Diva Cup website for additional information.

#2: The Lena Cup

Although the Lena Cup is a bit of a newcomer to the menstrual cup scene, it's becoming increasingly popular. The company's mission is to provide an affordable, high-quality menstrual cup and they have certainly done that; it's often a little bit cheaper than something like the Diva Cup.

The Lena Cup is made in the USA from top-quality, medical-grade silicone and it has some of the highest user ratings on Amazon. It's easy to insert, and remove and most people find that it doesn't leak.

The regular Lena Cup has a medium level stiffness, which means that it's easy enough to insert, but not so stiff that it's uncomfortable. There is also the Lena Sensitive if you’re looking for a bit softer of a menstrual cup.

Find out more details at the Lena Cup website.

#3: The Ruby Cup

Taking the last spot on our list of the best menstrual cups is Ruby Cup. Although it's one of the most expensive cups, it has a place on our list because of their buy one, donate one program. For every cup that they sell, they give one to a person in need. To date, they've donated thousands of cups to underprivileged people around the world.

As far as the Ruby Cup goes, I love that the small size is actually small, and the large size is actually large. This is unlike many menstrual cup companies who put out two cups, where one is slightly above, and one slightly below average.

Although the Ruby Cup is made in China, they do have strict manufacturing standards and quality checks in place.

More details at the Ruby Cup Website.

How to Choose Which Menstrual Cup is Right for Me?

If you take a look over on Amazon, you’ll notice that there are 100+ menstrual cups. It can be a bit overwhelming to choose one.

A good place to start is out list here: the Diva Cup, Lena Cup, and Ruby Cup all make an excellent choice for your first menstrual cup.

Of, you could also consider this menstrual cup quiz. There are five simple questions that will only take a minute of your time. At the end, you’ll get a recommendation for the best menstrual cup for your body type.

Check it out here: Menstrual Cup Quiz—Find the Perfect Cup.

What do you Think?

Leave a comment below and tell us your pick for the top menstrual cup.

 Author Bio: Jackie Bolen is a tree-hugging, friend of the Earth who can usually be found paddling the rivers, on top of a mountain, or drinking organic coffee around Vancouver Canada. Her hope is that reusable feminine hygiene products will be found in the hands of every single menstruating person in the world.

You can find her at Reusable Menstrual Cups (https://reusablemenstrualcup.com/) or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/menstrualcups1234/).

Navigating a Dating Life

If you have read this blog before, you may have come cross a post that I wrote in June last year about how I was done with online dating.

It was an experience that I did not forget or stop thinking about in a good while, but eventually I decided that I did not want to be single for the rest of my life so something had to change.  I decided to try a new platform.  This time, Tinder.

To be honest apart my past experiences with online dating made me more than a little dubious but I was as honest as I could be about myself and the images I shared in my profile and decided, what the heck, give it a whirl.

I started talking to someone, I will call him "A" (yes, that is all you are getting) a couple of months ago and we have been dating since then.  So far, no psychotic tendencies I am happy to note!

The thing about dating is that I have not done it in so long that I have forgotten what you are supposed to do.  How to act.  Where to go.  When the other person is similarly out of dating practice too, you are both going blindly ahead.

If you are not used to a dating life for example, you don't know where the dating staple of nice restaurants are in your area, how to navigate to them and figure out between you who is driving, where you are meeting, are you meeting half way?  So many questions.  One of the first things that I did in order to find my way around was to buy a sat nav

Seriously though, how did people function without them?

Naturally I tend to wear my heart on a plate and give it away before I should.  This time, I am being cautious.  I have had my heart broken and have let it be broken before so this time, it is nice just to date, have fun and enjoy ourselves.  Eventually of course something more serious would be nice, but for now, whether it lasts or whether it fizzles out, I am having fun.

I will be talking about dating as a plus size woman in a later post.

I am generally learning the ins and outs of dating but the thing that I am taking from it so far is be honest, be open, don't have preconceptions and go with what you both want and forget what the supposed rules are.  Make your own!  That is what I intend to do from now on.

How about you?

Can Working From Home, Work For You?

Being an office worker myself, the idea of working from home has always intrigued me and caused to wonder whether it is something that I may wish to incorporate into my working life.

Accordingly to research carried out by Seareach with 2000 office workers, only 21% are allowed to work from home, with  a further 16% with some restrictions in place.  

Security is obviously a big concern and many employers have cited fairness and productivity as potential reasons why they may not like the idea of staff working outside of the office environment.

Staff jealously of other co-workers having flexible hours and working from home days can also be a factor.  People do tend to wonder whether in fact any work is actually being done or whether their co-worker is just in fact sitting in front of the television, channel hopping with their feet up.

From my point of view, working from home can be greatly benefit and something that I do from time to time when I have projects on the go that require concentration and little distraction.  Other staff members calling into your office, the telephone ringing and other smaller projects being brought in for your attention can all cause a huge intrusion and cause you extra time.

Whenever I have a project that will involve pages and pages of notes or statement preparing, working from home is perfect for me.  I am able to organise what I need to do and do my work in a quiet, calm environment where I know that I will not get disturbed and as a result, the work gets done faster.

The mental stress that comes with working in an office too is often negated when you know that you have the flexibility in your job to take your own work and work on it there.  

As long as the work is done and in a timely fashion, in the days of Skype, email and the internet, do we really need to go into the office every day any more?

All images from Pixabay.  Collaborative piece.

My Dream Writing Space

Last month I talked about my tips for blogging on the go when you have a busy lifestyle and want to fit your blog into your life without feeling like you are losing all of your free time.

Today I wanted to talk about my dream writing space.  The one that I would create at home for days off, those weekends, those times when you get the urge (and the time) to write all day and want a comfortable area to do so.

First and foremost, what I want is comfort.  The perfect writing day for me does not necessarily start with getting up, getting dressed and sitting down to my laptop.  It can also, and preferably, start with a large cup of coffee in bed, my notebook and a pencil (no pens in bed thank you) and my thoughts as they start to collect.

I carry a notebook around with me most days and like to jot down any ideas for blog posts or writing pieces that come to mind, whether it be for this blog or other spaces.  I note the main idea at the top of a page and then during the week, fill in any additional comments to by way of bullet points.  These short notes are what start my day in bed with my coffee.

When it comes to getting more serious about my day, I move on to my laptop and my tablet.  At the moment I work from our dining room table which is not particularly convenient for me.  I recently came across a gorgeous desk from Lionshome which would fit the bill perfectly and would work with my current decor.

Lionshome

I don't like too much clutter on my work space when I am blogging.  Just my notebook with my ideas in, my tablet for research and of course my laptop.  I don't like to have too many windows open on my laptop as I find it too distracting so that is why I also have my tablet for researching points.  Ah, the 21st century world eh?

Other things on my checklist for the perfect blogging space include lots of natural light and fresh air from an open window and some sort of music on low, either on the other side of the room or the room next door.  Background noise is important but nothing too loud, like heavy metal or drum and bass!

The beauty of running a blog is that most of your tools and equipment can be packed away at the end of the day or at a moment's notice if needed.  Your laptop and tablet etc can be put away in a drawer and your desk space or table space utilized for other purposes.  

I think one of the most important things about your home is that it should work for you, on multiple levels.  This is particularly important if you have a family and have a jam packed filed life but is equally salient if you have a small home and need to use rooms for a variety of purposes.

What is your dream blogging space?

*Post in collaboration with Lionshome

Tax Freedom Day

Did you know that today is Tax Freedom Day?

Tax Freedom Day was a term originally coined in 1948 in the US as being the number of days the average worker would have to work to pay off his/her taxes.  This year, calculated by the Adam Smith Institute in the UK; that day is today, three days later than last year.

HM Revenue & Customs are due to collect £724.9 billion this year which is roughly 34.3% of the national income.  The burden of tax on families in the UK is now the highest in over 20 years.  The last time the tax burden was higher as a proportion of the GDP was when Harold Wilson was in power to give you some perspective (1969/70).

All the public services that we have such as the NHS, welfare and education have to be paid for of course, either by way of taxation, or by borrowing; which in turn imposes further taxing on the next generations.  But is the way we current tax people a fair system?  Are the poor suffering whilst the rich remain unaffected?

As a single, solvent woman with little debt and no children, the taxation system does not affect me adversely.  Indeed, the raise in the tax threshold each year actually benefits me.   I am not rich, I am not poor, but the system benefits me in a similar way that it does not adversely affect the rich.

So why do I care?  Because it is precisely because the changes in tax, tax reforms and cuts in benefits do not affect me that I should.  The Government does not listen to the poor.  If the people who are not affected do not speak up, who will?  Not the rich.  They in large do not care.

Disabled people are committing suicide and dying under the current level of cuts.  The two child limit on benefits is set to push another 250,000 children into poverty by 2020.  The number of people visiting food banks has risen to an all time record with over 1.3 million people receiving emergency food supplies.

Talk Tax is a great service which also provides those hard to reach HMRC contact numbers to get the information that you need, help required and just as importantly, where to raise any issues that you may have.

There are resources, charities and sites set up precisely for the reason of helping people under the current tax and benefit reforms.  It is just a shame that in this day and age, as one of the richest countries in the world, that we need them in the first place.

Tips For Blogging On The Go

Fitting in time to blog can be a hard thing.  A full time job, dates, commitments with friends and having time to actually relax and sit down to write can sometimes be challenging.

So many times I have found myself under deadline, or with an opinion piece that I really want to write and end up writing at 11pm.  Not ideal.  But writing still brings me so much joy, so how do you do it?

The challenge is to fit my blogging around my life and still being able to be creative with it and keep the joy and excitement in there, without it being a chore.

For me, that means creating a virtual office that I can take with me everywhere, whilst maintaining a home base where I collate my ideas.  Here is how I do it:

Buy a Notice Board

I have recently purchased a notice board for my room where I can pin my notes for my latest blogging ideas and projects. I use colourful post it notes along with pages from my notebook in order to create a visual aide that I can look at for reminders of what is in my to do list along with inspirations for future pieces.  For me, this works much better than a calendar or diary.

Utilize Your Travel Time

I worked out the other day that I spend 45 minutes on the bus every day.  Perfect time for a little blogging inspiration!  I have a cheap notebook that I don't mind tearing pages from where I jot down ideas and piece together blog posts using bullet points that can be typed and added to later.

If you travel to work by bus or by train, your commute is the perfect time to get started on pieces and get the inspiration flowing.

Write on the Go

A few months ago I purchased a small lightweight tablet with a removable keyboard which has proved a lifesaver.  Whilst you cannot get a tablet out on the bus (although would be great on the train), I find it perfect for transforming my notes into a few paragraphs in my lunch or when in the summer, sitting in a park and getting a little work done whilst getting some sunshine.

Maintaining Your Down Time

Remember, writing is supposed to be fun.  It is what you enjoy so don't make it a chore.  Remember to enjoy yourself, take a break, take a step back and relax.  If you schedule your time there is no reason why you should be writing late at night or getting up early to finish a piece.

For The Love Of Dogs

I have always loved dogs.  The unconditional love.  The happy face that greets you when you come in the door.  They way they somehow seem to know when you are ill or sad and come to cuddle you.  

Over the past 25 years we have had many dogs.  See you if can see the (very obvious) theme of the names! Benjie, Sophie, Cindy, Ellie, Rosie and Simba.  All with the "ie" on the end apart from our latest baby boy, Simba.

The saddest part about having a dog is that they have you their entire life, but you don't have them for yours.  We have had to say goodbye to 5 dogs and it is heartbreaking every single time.  But we will always remember their love, their characteristics, their personalities.

Our dining room is host to the pictures of all the dogs we have had over the years.

I realised the other day that Simba was turning 2 in June and we still not have a picture of him up in the house.  That had to be remedied ASAP so I started looking at photo canvas prints online that we could put on the wall.

I think the hardest part was choosing a photograph of him, I have hundreds on my phone as he is such a little poser!  See what you think of the photograph I chose..

Isn't he just utterly beautiful?  As you can see, we have departed from having Yorkshire Terriers to this time, a Shih Tzu this time.  When we went looking at dogs this time around after losing our wonderful Rosie and Ellie last year, I saw their faces in all the puppies we looked at.  We found Simba on Gumtree of all places, with current owners who couldn't care for him anymore so at 4 months, he became our baby instead.

Do you have photographs of your fur babies (or actual babies, whatever takes your preference that you want on your wall?  Because I am happy to tell you that I have a promotion code for www.my-picture.co.uk on their already discounted canvas print formats (87% saving in all!).  

All you have to do is go on the site, upload your photograph, select the desired print canvas format and enter the code THECURVEDOPINION in the coupon code section when checking out.  Simple!  The code is valid until the 15th May 2018.

Let me know in the comments if you buy a print and what photograph you have chosen!

*This item was gifted to me but all opinions (and fur babies) are my own

Horse Racing: The Most Brutal Sport In The World

Today is my annual post about the Grand National.  As always, some will read it, some won’t.  Some of you may look at the title of this post and turn away, not wanting my words to spoil your office bit of fun betting on the sweepstakes.  As ever, all I hope is that at least one person reads my blog today and changes their mind about making that bet. Forever.

The Grand National isn't the only horse racing event of the year of course.  Recently we had the Cheltenham Festival.

North Hill Harvey.  Dresden.  Sandsend.  Some Plan.

Sound familiar?  Probably not.  But they died for your viewing entertainment at the Cheltenham Festival this year.  A broken leg in the horse racing world isn't repairable.  A broken leg is a death sentence.  

Animal Aid began a record of the death of horses 11 years ago at the Cheltenham Festival.  Since then, 1677 horses have died.  That is 3 horses, every single week.  3 horses, A WEEK.  During the popular horse racing events and months, that figure increases.  In March alone 18 horses were destroyed due to injuries in a race.    

This weekend is the Grand National.  People who do not bet the whole year round get together and chose their horses, either with families or work colleagues.  It is a tradition.  After years of horses dying at every Grand National meet, they have at least improved the course and unlike places like Cheltenham who practically have fatalities every year, the Grand National hasn't had a fatality in five years.

Every year the course at the Grand National is improved.  Made safer for the horses, yet still last year 21 horses out of the 40 entered failed to finish.  In any other sport, it would be deemed too dangerous.  By a mile.  By 50 miles.  But because it is horse racing, it is somehow deemed acceptable.

When you make your bet today, what are you thinking about?  The possibility of winning a couple of pounds on  a five pound bet?  Probably.  What you won't be thinking about, what I want you to think about is a horse.  A horse who loves to run.  But a horse that doesn't know that he is entered into a race which could take his life if he breaks a leg, or a shoulder.  A horse who if he manages to make it through the 16 fences, 14 of which jumped twice, will be whipped to the finish line.  All for your two pound win.

So when you think about placing your bet today, ask yourself this.  Do I like seeing horses whipped?  Do I like watching a race where death is a very real prospect for the horses involved?  Do I want to contribute to an industry that values horses value at zero and the mob at one hundred percent?  I hope you know the answer to that question.  

We are a nation of animal lovers.  If you love animals, you do not want horses to be treated this way.

The organisers at the Grand National have started to listen.  It is time that all organisers of all horse races do the same until it is still a competitive sport, but not a fatal one.  Not one where a winner has been whipped to succeed.  

Make your choice.

Summer Loving

So this was my view yesterday.  Looks idyllic doesn't it? I'm thinking 25 degrees, a cocktail beach bar at the other end, sun shining down on you..... Not so much.  This is in fact Lytham St Annes in Lancashire, England where we took my dog Simba for a walk yesterday.

Here is the boy in question, absolutely loving his first time on the beach (although he wasn't too sure of the sea, preferably to keep his little paws dry). 

Whilst today we are unfortunately back in snow covered scenes, yesterday made me really start to think about the summer ahead.

We are lucky at home to have a large patio area with beautiful views over the town to the countryside in the distance.  It is a perfect sun trap in the summer months and every year in the Spring we take advantage of great patio and garden furniture deals from Groupon, to enhance the area and maximize the space potential.

For summer evenings with a glass of wine and a beautiful view, we have a wrought iron table and chairs set on the balcony and for sun bathing during the day (when possible in the British weather), we have loungers and an ice cooler box for refreshing summer beverages.

I cannot wait to take Simba on more walks on the beach in the summer.  There are so many beautiful beaches in the UK that sometimes we do not truly appreciate until the warmer weather appears and on a sunny day, you really do feel like you could be in the Riviera.

One things that us Brits tend to forget during the summer is that the sun in England can burn you just as easily as when you are abroad.  Because we get so little really sunny days in the UK, we forget that you need to use protection against the sun here too.  All of my really bad sunburn incidents have happened whilst on a day out with no sunscreen.

I remember a particular day out at Oulton Park racing track when we presumed that the weather was going to be raining, and we ended up in blazing sunshine and for me, blisters on my shoulders that lasted for a week!  Prior preparation is key folks!

I am lucky enough to be taking a trip abroad this summer and will be sharing with you my top tips for summer holiday preparation when you are plus size.  Check back in a few days for my tips!



*Collaborative post

It's A Period Thing

I have a question.  What is it about a woman having a period that is so scary to some people?

When you see adverts about menstruation products, you invariably see women all in white, doing sports, bungee jumping, basically anything active that does not actually reflect how women feel when they are on a period, or what they want to do.

If you want to sell a menstruation product to women, why not for once, work to your audience.  I know that I, for one, do not want to run, jump or bungee jump when I am on my period, I want a hot water bottle, food and more than anything, no one to irritate me more than I am currently feeling.  

Like my insides are being ripped out and my head has turned to mush.  Like I feel anger, sadness, pain, sleepy and so so irritated!  Show me an advert that reflects a woman having a true period, with a product that is going to help me and I will buy it in droves.

Do not mess with me!  I am hormonal.

Sell me a product that is actually made specifically to assist women when they are having a period.  Knixteen for example sell underwear for teens that works as a perfect backup when you are having a period and want to protect your underwear (and your clothes!) from leaks.  How many times as a teenager have you been terrified when on your period that something is going to show through? 

Because we have been taught that showing that having a period is taboo.  

I was in a line at Boots the other day with my sanitary products and an older lady actually looked at me in shock and said "Hide that away dear!".  Why?  Periods happen.  It is a normal bodily function that we should not have to hide.

I cannot count the amount of times that I, and most the women I know, have experienced a sharp cramp, been asked if we are ok and every single time we answer "No it's fine, I'm fine".  Why do we deny the pain?

Studies have shown recently that period pain can be as painful sometimes as a heart attack and yet we are taught to demur, diminish and outright deny.  We are taught that it is something to hide, to protect people away from.  

It is 2018 people.  Sell us the products that work for a woman actually having a period.  Normalise it.  Don't make it a taboo.  We are women, we bleed sometimes.  Get over it.

Review: Jileon Wide Calf Boots

A few months ago I was afforded the opportunity to review a pair of wide calf wellington boots from Jileon

Now as any dog owner knows, wellington boots are not something that are not confined to the winter months, especially in the UK where weather can range from sunshine in the morning to pouring rain in the afternoon, with of course the snow we are experiencing at present.  They are of course also perfect for festivals where the mud is an ever present feature.

For me however, wellington boots are an essential to walk this little snow angel.

Now I said that I received these boots a few months ago and you may wonder why it has taken me so long to review.  The thing is with wellington boots is that you need time to make sure that they are right for you.  Are they comfortable?  Are they going to rub?  Do they support your ankles? Do they help you walk in mud, snow etc?

None of these questions can be answered with a single wearing. 

What I would recommend with these wellington boots from Jileon is to size down.  I am a size 6 and they were too big for me, even with wellington boot socks.  So for an accurate review I gifted these boots to my sister who is a size 7; and they fitted her perfectly.

 This was probably a bonus to this review to be honest as I can be a little "tippy toes" in adverse weather conditions whereas my sister takes her dogs out every day, tracking through mud, snow, streams; everywhere basically.

I asked her to wear the boots and give me an accurate reflection of what she experienced while wearing them.  Her thoughts were that they were supremely comfortable, a good fit on the ankle and had great traction.   All basically that you can ask from a wellington boot.

These are wide calf boots but there is also a belt buckle facility at the top which allows you to tighten/loosen depending on the clothing that you are wearing.  

Jileon offer boots at both the standard and wide fitting.  They also offer different wide fittings at the calf, from below calf. wide and extra wide.  They also offer usage options whether you want occasional use, to regular and hard wearing.

From both my trying them on and my sister using them on a regular basis I can confirm that the wide on the calf fitting is very accurate and the adjustable buckle at the top comes in very handy.  

I would not hesitate to recommend these wellington boots to someone else, just with the advice to size down in your shoe size in order to get the perfect fit.

*This item was gifted to me but all opinions are my own

5 Tips To Sort Out Your Finances

I used to be a couple and utter scatter brain when it came to money.  If I wanted something, I usually bought it, without thinking of the consequences to my bank account, or credit rating for that matter.

This lead to credit cards, loans and ended up in a situation where I could barely keep my head above the water; but my head was buried in the sand.  After getting paid one month and realising the day after that there was barely anything left, I realised that something needed to be done.

I was getting to a stage where I needed help paying bills, my credit card bill was sky high and the dollars coming in did not match what was going out.  I managed to remedy the issue and my debts over the next few years and picked up some tips along the way which I thought I would share with you today.

Find out just how bad it is

When you realise that you had gotten yourself into a situation, everything has to come out.  Find out exactly what you owe, just how many credit cards you actually have, what you are spending your money on every month.

The first thing that I did was to look over my bank statements and credit card bills for the past six months to look at what I had been buying.  I made a chart with my justifiable expenses on one side, and the extravagances on the other.  I bet that you can guess which side had more entries.

Make A Budget

Sounds basic, but when I say make a budget, I mean for everything.  Break down every cent that is coming in and list everything that has to come out and on what date.  Make a 30 day planner and write down when bills are coming out and how much for.  If you are buying your lunches, make them instead.  STOP BUYING EXPENSIVE COFFEE SHOP COFFEES!

Be honest with your credit providers

When I realised just how much I owed to my credit card providers and loan company, I started to look at debt management companies.  Many seemed to offer the same sort of service, for a fee of course, which involved going to your credit providers and negotiating a lower monthly payment and a halt on interest.  I decided to cut out the middle man and go to them direct.

I managed to get my credit card company to freeze my account and stop any more interest going on.  I was completely honest about what I could afford and made a payment plan with them which was management.  Remember, they want their money back, what they don't want is you to stop paying completely.

I managed to make a payment arrangement with all of my debtors, with varying degrees of helpfulness from them.  But it did ease the situation and enabled me to pay them back faster and without the worry of demand letters and Court judgments.

Save

If you are trying to pay off your debts, can you really save?  Yes, but start small.  I was given a large piggy bank styled as a fashion boots many years ago and decided to put it into action.  I only put the smallest denominations into the boot, pennies, cents etc whenever I had them in my purse.  It took around 6 months to fill the boot and I was presently surprised just how much it added up to.

I would like to say that I used the money to pay more off a bill, but I didn't.  I did use it to buy someone a birthday present so that still counts, right??

What I also tend to do is take advantage of discount opportunities and vouchers codes from places like Dealsdaddy and Dealsqueen.  There are always going to be things you need to buy at some point, so why not take advantage of a discount!

Sell

If you have been throwing your money around for the good few years, the chances are that you own more stuff that even thought.  Go through everything and be brutal.  Sell what you do not need or had forgotten that you had bought.  Stuff will only ever be stuff and does not enrich your life, or your bank account!

Finally, don't beat yourself up about it.  It does not help.

You got yourself into that situation and you will get yourself out.  It will take time, effort, concentration and a stranglehold on your finances for a while, but you will get there.

Fast forward a few years and my finances back in order and I am saving for the first holiday abroad in 8 years.   Time for a long awaited cocktail by the beach.  I think I have earned one.

*Collaborative piece