very first soa (eeek)

rugbymum

sammy115 wrote: »

Just needed to say, better to not pay a debt than not pay council tax.. This is one of the worst to not pay....

PLEASE do not fall behind with your council tax! This is a priority bill and CCCS, PP and NDL will all tell you the same thing.
Have you checked to see if you are entitled to Tax Credits? It may not be much but "every little helps" .
If you do more than a about four/five of loads of laundry a week DO NOT get a water meter. You will end up paying more.
I agree with Merlot, why isn't your husband reclaiming work expenses?
Not being a homeowner I can't offer any help with your housing situation, the only thing I can suggest is maybe downsizing?
Sorry I can't be of any further help. Well done for posting.

Gemmzie

Your asset and house figures look way out - your house is worth £205 but you car is £200??

alfiemama

Hi Merlot

No thanks for the comments, I will try to answer them the best that I can
total debts are £9,900.
I know this is hard to believe but I really do not get any support what so ever (a major gripe of mine, but not all grandparents are accommodating, something that I find most upsetting)
I am totally not against getting a job and find it quite depressing that I keep trying work from home (various ventures but to no avail) the last job that I have just finished I had to sit the kiddies who are 2 and 4 (one starts school sept) in front of a dvd whilst trying to work but at 12 hours a week and no total child free time this proved to impossible.

Ok with regards to hubbys work, now this is where is ets complicated, he has commuted for 9 years to his job in publishing and has recently changed his role to thank god work on a local publication for the chamer of commerce which means that he can relocate his office to Preston (his work pay for the office) but as we are saving on his commute (ie petrol, or train) we are paying for the mob phone and laptop (hubby says will be able to earn more in solitude than in noisy office) so we are footing this bill as cheaper than his comute fare (god hope that makes sense)

With regards to life insurance we took this out as a family friend just died recently and makes you realise how important this is, so we are both covered for £2000k each so the house which has a mortgage of 195k would be paid.

The other insurance is the caravan isurance (I realise this will need to go)
and plumbing and drainaage at £6.50, and 2 mob phone isurances at £5.99 each

the mobiles by the way are relatively new contracts for 18 months so no way out of this im afraid.

I will have a look into the house insurance but this was the cheapest at the time with contents insurance,


With regards to the credit rating, mine is good, husbands isnt great due to the fact he has no bank account, something that needs sorting. we think, either that or our mort broker told us that something showing up that we won in court which should have been taking off, it is showing as off with experian but not with the other (the name escapes me im afraid)

Hope this helps give you a better insight.

ps I have just googled debt management and filled out some info for something called www.trapped.co.uk for a debt management plan and someone is going to be in touch in 24 hours, worth ago

alfiemama

Hi
Thanks Rugbymum, yes I defo do more than 5 loads a week lol, so I think I will stick with the rates
Gemmzie sorry this is £205k for the house, the car is an old banger really prob £400 max but dont think would ever get that for it, but shes realiable so thats all that matters

Merlot

No No No, do not use anyone other than CCCS, national Debt Line or Payplan please, they will charge you, do not answer the phone to the people you have left your details to.

I will take a look at your answers to my questions just now.

Merlot.x.

Floxxie

Hi alfiemama,

I don't normally post on this board but on having a read of your SOA, your income is the same as ours (although I get a little bit extra with having a third child). We don't run a car and find things tight so I am not surprised that you are finding it a little hard.

I can't go back to work either as I have no family to look after the children and my wages only covered one child's costs. My husband works long hours and I can't go out to work in the evening either so I understand your predicament.

Could you update your SOA so it reflects exactly how much you owe on your debts and are they all 0% (or have I missed an updated version?).

Items such as telephone, broadband, mobile contracts - how long are you tied in for? when do they end?
They are all very expensive and there are cheaper options but you need to know when you are free to move.
Pop over to the OS board for ideas on meal planning. There are 5 of us and our bills are lower.
The 'Up your Income' is a really good place to find ideas of work that you could do at home. Examples include mystery shopping, daily clicks and surveys. Also try eBay and Amazon for unwanted items in the house.
I have my 'benefits' paid into a separate account and then I am responsible for paying particular bills..mostly the children's things. My OH's salary covers the rest. If there are any debts or extras, then I raise the money through various challenges on this forum.

Floxxie

Gemmzie

No no no no - don't go with that trapped! Stick to CCCS, Payplan or National Debtline!

Merlot

I don't have any family around either, so I know how difficult it is.

I would say forget working from home, if you are trying to make a business from the likes of Ebay, then forget it, most people are struggling just now and are not buying, not sure what you were doing, but "jobs" working from home unless employed to do so are useless.

Can you consider working weekends? I use to do it a few years ago when my children were under school age, every penny helps.

£9,000 is not a lot of debt, but you need to reduce your outgoings today, start a spending diary and log every penny spend, it will help you.

Merlot.x.

Merlot

Consider getting rid of the mobile insurance and the plumbing one.

Merlot.x.

Floxxie

Alfiemama,

Your husband will need to do a tax return to help with his work expenses at home. There are all sorts that could be offset against his tax. I know very little about it so take a look at the HMRC website and give them a call.

I agree with Merlot that you shouldn't be trying to run a business from home but there are plenty of things you can do from home with two little ones.

I think if you can get your everyday bills sorted, then you can concentrate on dealing with the debts.

How much is the caravan worth? Could you sell it?
Floxxie