Just woke up

GeorgeUK

I would definately contact CAB. There must be some benefit you are entitled to if both of you aren't working.

Glad to hear you have contacted CCCS and have already got the ball rolling. Well done.

Do you have a bank account with someone you don't owe money to? If not, then i think this should be a priority - just a basic bank account so that any money that does come in, you will be able to manage without the banks grabbing it first.

charlie030882

andys15 wrote: »

Hi Trance

I haven't actually been there, I could have been, and advice on the groceries
would have been great, and it is great.
This poster i feel is way way down the point of of no return, and on reflection your advice to her is great when she starts getting back on track a bit.
I dont in any way judge her, but I get the feeling she doesn't see fully what trouble she is in. And though words of encouragment are great, I feel it could also lead her into a false sense of security. The very bottom line is if she doesn't get rid of everything now, its only a matter of time before it is all taken.

I do see the trouble that we are in and that is why I have come to this particular forum, for help and advice which is what is stated in the announcement at the top of the thread. My partner has been out of work for less than a month and his wage was the major part of our income, so the baliffs are not knocking on the door because up until the end of this month everything has been paid for on time - it's not easy but somehow we've managed to do it. Not only am I looking for advice for our situation now but also on ways to cut our outgoings so that when we do get back into work at least we will be in a better position and can put more money towards out debts. As you can see from previous posts I have stated that I have suffered from depression. Coming onto this forum and getting advice from people was really helping and I felt that at least there was people out there who did understand and could help support each other.

ajaney

Agencies do seem to be a good way of getting work quickly. A couple of my friends have been fixed up like this in the last few months.

For what it is worth & in my opinion, I do think that one poster on here has been a little harsh - you obviously realise you are not in a good financial place as you have come to ask for some support so I don't think a reality check delivered in such a manner was necessary. I'm sure that person was trying to help in their own way, which is what we all do.

Good luck to you & your OH in finding work & getting to grips with everything. Try to stay positive & look forward, not back.

trancebabe

Don't be downhearted Charlie - Andy really is only trying to help
(but maybe he could have left the sledghammer behind for this one!) ;0)

Good luck to your fiance on Monday - and think about the agencies for yourself too... even if it's just for while you look for something a bit more long term.
xx

charlie030882

Hi All,

Thankyou for all the support since yesterday. I was extremely depressed and really couldn't see the point of continuing this thread or even trying to sort things out - had a good cry and have decided to ignore the relevant posts (as you can see). Today has not been too bad. I actually made some money today but 1)selling an old mobile £50 2) taking part in a survery in town which bagged me a £5. I have already made 3 token payments of £1 to my Lloyds TSB Credit Card and 2 catalogues and will be doing the same for the other unsecured debts so the money that we are making we can put towards to rent and household bills. The council tax bill came through today but I rang them straight away, explined the situation and that we are waiting for the forms to come through and they have agreed to start the payments afresh in October (that's if we can't get any council tax benefit). If we haven't heard anything from them then they said to ring them back. We probably will have to borrow some money at the end of the month as we have no way now of making up the difference but are really optimistic that we can both be back in work in October. Thanks for all the suggestions of agencies but I am currently registered with approx 10 and still don't hear anything. From what myself and others have been told it is generally quiet at the moment and also have been applying for cleaning jobs, handing out leaflets and traffic surveying. Our local council is also looking for people to go round to houses to check the details for voting, paying £1 per house so I am applying for that as well for extra money.

Just to respond to some of the questions/suggestions:

Our water bill is really that high. We're not in arrears but having checked info it can vary depending where you live.

I have just opened a callsave money manager account with the coventry building society with a cashcard. V.good interest rate and prefer them because they are a local building society and not a greedy bank.

Staying positive. Thanks for all the advice and hope you are all well.

andys15

charlie030882 wrote: »

I do see the trouble that we are in and that is why I have come to this particular forum, for help and advice which is what is stated in the announcement at the top of the thread. My partner has been out of work for less than a month and his wage was the major part of our income, so the baliffs are not knocking on the door because up until the end of this month everything has been paid for on time - it's not easy but somehow we've managed to do it. Not only am I looking for advice for our situation now but also on ways to cut our outgoings so that when we do get back into work at least we will be in a better position and can put more money towards out debts. As you can see from previous posts I have stated that I have suffered from depression. Coming onto this forum and getting advice from people was really helping and I felt that at least there was people out there who did understand and could help support each other.

I am really not trying to be harsh. It is obviously impossible to convey tone of voice in here, but if the same words I wrote were spoken by , it would have been said in a caring manner, not talking down to you.
I have no idea on your age, and I can only make the assumption you are early twenties.
I sometimes think when people are given advice on here, it is really toned down(rightly or wrongly), but if its to toned down, and people are saying "dont worry everthing will be all right" then unfortunatly in some cases that is not the case unless drastic action is taken straight away. I thought this was the situation you were in. Thankfully so are not in as much mess as I wrongly assumed and I am glad you are facing this so strongly keep it up

charlie030882

Just had one of my creditors respond to the token offer of £1. They have cashed the cheque that I sent them but also this was in the letter:

''I'm afraid I can't accept your proposal of £0.00. This is because the information you gave shows you won't be able to afford the payment after you have paid all your essential bills.''

To me this is saying that thet have accepted that I cannot pay them anything as they have stated that I cannot pay them £0.00. Has anybody got any thoughts or suggestions as to how to approach this. I must admit that I found it quite funny to read and that perhaps they should redraft the standard letter that obviously goes out.

charlie030882

Another thing as well whilst I'm thinking about it. Currently have our phone with BT (Option 1) and also broadband with them. I don't make that many calls during the day but still seem to pay a lot to them. I do have a 18185 account but was considering also joining Primus Saver 2 for the free evening and weekend calls. I have a few questions though and have looked on the forum but don't really understand some answers:

1) If I do join Primus Saver 2 will my broadband be affected - in terms of using my broadband if our calls go through Primus (or would that only be affected if I had dial up?)

2) Would you use BT line, 18185 or Primus to make 0800 calls?

3) Would I need to dial any prefix if I wanted to make calls through my 18185, or would I just use it as normal (dial 18185 and then phone number)?

4) Although the calls through Primus are free, is there any connection charge like with 18185?

I really hope that these questions are not too daft but I have a hang up on broadband after getting a virus in my computer a few years ago and dialling an 0845 number eveytime we went online and was left with a huge phone bill. I still can't get my head around the difference between dial up and broadband.

GeorgeUK

Charlie, i think everything's going to be up in the air until you get some form of income organised, either benefits or a job - then your creditors will have a better idea of what would be a managable payment plan.

Not too sure about the telephone thing. Did you have broadband and a virus was dialling an 0845 number? I thought that as it was broadband, there could be no dialing option. You could always use a free firewall such as zonealarm if you were concerned about other programs accessing the internet without your specific permission.

tallyhoh

If you are both out of work then you OH should be able to claim job seekers allowance, income based. You should also be able to claim rent/council tax benefit. Go to the website of your local council & it should tell you how. Also go to the job centre & make a claim ASAP.

Good Luck.