Pure Terror/Panic

Debt_Free_Chick

smithyjules wrote: »

Thank you all so very much. We do receive CT benefit. I will try and sit down tomorrow and list all the debts and figures-though to be honest this terrifies me too as then i will no doubt realise what i have got myself into.

Please don't put this off. It will help you to do this, for several reasons

It's cathartic
It will show you what you have to deal with - at the moment you don't know and that's the really scary thing
It will be the basis for a plan of action
It will give you the knowledge and confidence to discuss the matter with your creditors
We can give you specific help & support based on what's on your SOA

But will do it as it for the best.little steps i guess.

Yep

skint_taffy

hi been there myself if they are going to disconnect services ask for prepayment meters I know you pay more but at least you wo'nt get cut off as to the rest as the others have said post your soa and you will get help to sort it out good luck

thepinkladez_2

hi hunney, well done and big hugs for making the first steps!

I agree with all the above advice, i know its very scary sitting down and facing the debts but it will feel better once you know, you might even find its not quite as bad as you think!

have a look at the national debt line website they have some very good info and advice. They have some self help packs you can download that deal with how to do a soa (statement of affairs), a budget, and how to deal with priority debts.

Please feel free to keep asking lots of questions as we are all here to help, even if you think they are silly questions, they are not and i can guarantee someone else using this site is probably thinking of the same question!

windswept

I know you feel you are in a hopeless situation but that is far from the case in reality - you aren't a homeowner so that is one less big worry, although I'm sure waiting for suitable accomodation is stressful in itself.

Quite simply , if you haven't got it - they can't have it.

You probably don't have enough spare income for a DMP, so they will have to accept token payments - even if they took you to court a judge would see your situation as dire.
Once you have totalled things up and put the figures into the cccs site or similar, you will have a clearer picture.
As for your hubby's job situation, it is the perfect time for him to retrain - is there anything he fancies doing like plumbing / electrician / welding / fork lift truck driving?
My hubby has been looking for temp work and if he still had a current reach or counterbalance flt licence he could have his pick of long term temp work, the pay is around £7+ an hour too.
He needs to be forceful with the job centre and insist on some kind of training course - I thought it was mandatory after 6 months unemployment in any case?
What part of the country are you in and what kind of work is he trained for/capable of? I can point you in the direction of the right agencies then.
Try every website you can think of for jobs - the NHS, local council, county council, Sainsburys/tesco/asda/morrisons, etc. your local paper website should have a link to the local jobsite too. Whatever large warehouses/factories etc. are near to you, look on their websites for vacancies or ring them and ask for the hr dept. and ask them!

GardenLover

Hi there,
You are not alone and no-one here will judge you.
I have found that the hardest thing was working out what I owe. Seeing my debt in black and white was so awful and it made me feel sick. But I swear, once you have it written down you can start to plan your action. Doing something is better than doing nothing, and I'm starting to feel so much more positive now I've got my head out of the sand and am tackling this. The CAB are fantastically helpful and non-judgemental, and there is endless advice and support here.
Hold your nerve.
Best wishes X

smithyjules

skint_taffy wrote: »

hi been there myself if they are going to disconnect services ask for prepayment meters I know you pay more but at least you wo'nt get cut off as to the rest as the others have said post your soa and you will get help to sort it out good luck

At present this goes against our tenancy aggreement although i will def consider this when we move. Although i am worried about how this works. what if i put money on the meter to pay to electric and they take it off the debt then i have no electric?can they do this?(sorry if i'm being thick!)

With regards to hubby working, it took us soooo long to sort out and start recieving JSA and Housing benefit that i'm concerned if he does get a temp job we will be stuck if they don't keep him on.Also i looked into getting a part-time job and the Job Centre said HUbby's JSA would stop and Tax Credits estimated a figure that was £5 less per week than what we currently recieve.

Hubby has a very good CV (but thank-you to the poster who offered!). He was a mechanic for a few years then took redundancy when he broke his leg a few years back. During this time he re-trained at college in Photography. Not sure this has got him anywhere as every job he has applied for in this fieild turned him down. Wonder if his age (26) puts people off-maybe they think he won't take a low wage as a trainee??(he would!!)

In an ideal world (HAHAHA) HUbby would be a trainee photographer Full-time (or in fact doing anything full-time), i would work part-time as NUrsery Nurse which i am qualified to do and all would be fine and dandy.Ho hum!.

Anyway will be back with SOA in a few hours when little miss has gone to sleep-will attempt it with a cup of tea.

GeorgeUK

One more thing - should have mentioned it earlier.
I would suggest you open a basic bank account with a bank that you don't owe money to. That way if things don't improve, you can get your wages paid into it and not worry about the bank taking money owed out of your account without asking.

smithyjules

GeorgeUK wrote: »

One more thing - should have mentioned it earlier.
I would suggest you open a basic bank account with a bank that you don't owe money to. That way if things don't improve, you can get your wages paid into it and not worry about the bank taking money owed out of your account without asking.

Hi there Georgeuk we did this a couple of months ago as everything was being sucked into our overdraft-i didn't want any further opportunity to get get into debt so insisted on a basic account, so good advice from you thank-you!

dancingfairy

Hi there. :hello: . It sounds like you have a really lovely husband. You sound like a really good mum who's had and having a hard time of it. Don't worry - there will be a solution. Focus on what's important - you , your husband and daughter- and keeping yourselves fit and well and fed. Yes your creditors can shout and scream till they're blue in the face but hey. You are dealing with it. One step at a time.

Little_Miss_Saver

smithyjules wrote: »

At present this goes against our tenancy aggreement although i will def consider this when we move. Although i am worried about how this works. what if i put money on the meter to pay to electric and they take it off the debt then i have no electric?can they do this?(sorry if i'm being thick!)


Hi there
Just wanted to reply to this question, I too got into alot of debt with my gas and electric supplier years ago, when I moved into another flat there was pre-payment meters already installed in the property. What they did with me was add the debt to the pre-payment meter and each time you topped up the card it took xx off the debt.
With mine when I put £10 on the card and put the card in the meter it took £4 off for the debt and left me £6 to pay for my gas.
Like I said I'm not sure if they still do this as it was over 12 years ago for me - but it worked for me and it took me 18 months to pay it off.

HTH

LMS xx