Help!

bonsibabe

I'm a bit of an avid reader on here and have had loads of brilliant advice from all of you here and I really appreciate it!

However we are now in dire straits. Money that should have been paid into our bank account last month hasn't been paid in and it doesn't look like it will be paid in at all until next year! This money is from OH's previous employer and was meant to pay our rather large overdraft that has been amassed through various emergencies that have cropped up over the last few months and we have seriously been relying on this money to sort out at least one debt. But previous employer are doing anything they can to make life difficult for us and we have nowhere to turn to for help.

We now have absolutely no money left in the bank at all. I have transferred what I could from my tax credits and child benefit payments to try and drop the overdraft but it just isn't working. If we don't get some serious cash paid in soon, we will be left penniless at christmas.

What we really need is to get around £3000 paid into the bank account to pay off the overdraft and have enough left over to buy Christmas dinner for us and our kids. I have about £100 in Amazon vouchers from writing reviews and doing surveys that I can use for pressies for the kids and at least they will be getting loads from my family, but if we can't get money into the bank, we won't be able to pay any bills or buy any food for the kids.

The problem is that OH lost his (well paid) job in August, had a period of unemployment (didn't get a penny in JSA so were left for a month with no money coming in at all) and now has a job but the pay is 70% less than he was on before. We have missed 2 payments on our car, and they are threatening to take us to court to take the car back which would mean that OH would have no transport to get to work and so would lose this job. Before anyone suggests public transport, the buses do not run where he works, and he can't get a lift in as he gives 2 others a lift every day to help pay petrol costs and they are the only 3 people from our area that work there. And without the car I would be left completely housebound as it is my only means of getting out and about.

We thought the car was on HP but the company told OH that it is really a loan we have with them, so we could sell the car and pay them off with the money but we cannot get rid of the car at all. We have been offered about £2500 less than what we owe on the car but that would leave us with no car and no money to buy another car and still a debt to the company.

I'm disabled and have been told medically that I will not be able to work again which means that I can't go out and get a job. We are waiting for the keys to a council house but the heating engineers are taking their time finishing up so we don't know when we will be moving. I get DLA but do not qualify for IB as I have not paid enough national insurance contributions to get paid this benefit. I am trying to get some home employment but it is hard work in itself as there are so many scams around that I am now just writing to companies to see if they would employ me.

Does anyone out there have any ideas on how I can make some money to pay into my bank account? I have items listed on ebay, books and dvd's on play, i do surveys online but they don't pay much, i write on ciao us and uk and dooyoo, but there doesn't seem to be much hope at the moment. It has gotten to the stage that we are arguing all the time about trivial little things and I just want the fighting and bickering to stop.

We don't really want to have to open another bank account as we have been with the same bank for over 10 years as a couple and I have been with this bank for about 25 years since I was a child.

Any advice would be most definitely appreciated. Many thanks!

I did post this earlier on the up your income board to see if anyone had any thoughts for earning some decent legitimate money. I would have posted here earlier but my internet went down. I was almost berated for not posting here.

We cannot ask family for help as my parents are struggling as my mum lost her job this year and OH's mum is disabled and on a low income so she cannot help. He has asked his dad for help but he is still waiting for a reply. Not really a shock but a bit disappointing for OH.

boredofbeingathome

Ok didn't want to read and run.

So basics, i would concentrate on keeping the roof over my head and food on the table..you need to withdraw that money back out and use it for food.

Go into bank and tell them the circumstances, explain that the money is coming in and see what they can do..if they do nothing (even if you have been there for x amount of years) Then move accounts..and get your tax credits paid in there. Loyalty counts for zilch when you need to prioritise.

Next you need to do a full budget, incomings outgoings the lot..use Martin's budget calculator or the one on the whats the cost website..

You can post it on here if you want or use it as starting point..it maybe worth talking to a debt charity for advice as well.

What else..well you can get emergency loans if in dire straits but i am not sure how they work..another possibility to explore??

Christmas..it does always feel worse at this time. I would forgo any presents other than a couple for the kids..tell eveyone you are having a credit crunch Christmas..have a look on celebrations threads for ideas for free pressies etc.

Hope that helps, sorry i am tired and have to go now..take care and i am sure there will be a few others along to help.

BOB X

bonsibabe

Sorry for the previous post being absolutely huge, I tried to get as much info from the other thread in as well.

here is my SOA

OH income = £780
Working tax credits = £31
Child Tax Credits = £434
Child Benefit = £125
Other benefits = £100

Total income = £1482



Rent £451.00
Council Tax £150.00
Utilities – Gas £50.00
Utilities – Electricity £50.00
House Insurance £50.00
Life Insurances for both of us £35.00

TV Licence £18.00
Telephone, mobile, internet, £63.00
Satellite £21.00
Motor Insurance £112.00
Fuel and Parking Charges £140.00

Food, toiletries, cleaning £383.00
School meals (2 children), meals at work £122.00

School trips & activities (2 children) £10.00
Medicines/prescriptions/dentists/opticians £17.00
Haircuts (2 adults and 2 children) £24.00

Clothing and footwear £53.00
Sports, hobbies, entertainment £25.00
Children's pocket money £20.00

Total expenditure = £1682
(I have taken the car insurance off now as we made our 10th payment yesterday and it is paid over 10 months so we effectively have 2 payment free months - it was high as we have a 7 seater car and hubby had a prang last year and we lived overseas so there was pan european cover there as well)

Deficit - £200 approx

Payments to be made

Personal loan 1 - £195.59
Personal loan 2 - £177.18
Car - £338.75
Store card = £25.00

Balances

Personal loan 1 - £9000
Personal loan 2 - £6000
Car - £12000
Store card = £1800
Overdraft = £3000
Student loan - £5000 (have not counted this as not paying anything and just waiting on a decision to have it written off)

Total debt = £31,800

Oh god, have seen it written down now, first time I wrote it down it was for a letter to the car company and the shopping figures etc have come from CCCS, thats about all the advice they have given us.

We keep getting told to get a trust deed but no-one seems to be able to explain to us exactly what that is. We don't want to go and be declared bankrupt as we don't want to lose the things we worked and saved hard to buy. The loans were taken out when OH was earning much better money and we were happily managing each month. We didn't have any savings but we were coping absolutely fine. We had thought his job was safe for at least the next 13 years so for him to lose it the way he did was a total shock to our family.

chunkytfg

the things that stand out are homoe insurance. £600 a year? really? where do you live, hellmand province!!! That has got to be halfed using the likes of confused.com or any of the other comparison sites and then the policy bought through quidco for cashback.

why is the tv license £18? shouldnt it be about 11-12?

car insurance @ £112 a month? jeez are you 17 and driving a porsche or have you a very chequered history? if niehter of those then again that mst be able to come down?

gorceries seem very high aswell. i appreciate that with 2 kids it is expensive but i would say it is possible with lots of effort to half that or with a little bit of effort take 25% off it easy.

thats got to be worth £200 a month better off?

i'm sure others will be able to help in other places.

and lastly chin up. things are very rarely as bad as they seem.

good luck

bonsibabe

hi Chunky

My OH is ex forces so the house insurance is actually house contents, buildings, public liability and military kit insurance, and transit insurance for our belongings. There is also legal cover which we can't get rid of at the moment because it may be needed. (Long story which I can't really talk about for legal reasons at the moment)

Car insurance was high because hubby had a prang last year, we lived overseas for 5 years (and it was pan european cover) and it was only one of two companies that would insure us overseas. Like I said though, the payment that came off yesterday is the last one so I can start shopping around for much cheaper insurance thru quidco just after christmas.

Believe it or not, we have been waiting since August to get house and car insurances changed to our new address! We have written and telephoned them both but I think a stiffly worded complaint needs to be put in to them both this week and some refunds given, as we have definitely been overcharged on the car insurance!

The groceries we have actually cut down from about £600 a month and the figure up there was actually recommended to us by CCCS and it is everything from food to washing powder etc. Our kids are only 6 and 4, but my OH also has a 12 year old as well. OH is now making his own lunches to take to work so hopefully that will cut down costs as well.

I am trying to cut that figure down as much as I can as I really enjoy making as much as I can myself, luckily we bought a few decent gadgets that actually help me to be more productive in the kitchen. The only one I havent got is a pasta machine!

We had a PPI policy that we were paying for 5 years and I have just cancelled the payments and will be requesting a full refund. It was sold with Personal loan number 2 and when hubby lost his job and got the new and less well paid job,we tried to put a claim in but we werent covered! That and the fact that they loan is in joint names and only OH is covered. That and another company are getting a letter for PPI refunds. If successful, am going to try the bank we are currently with as we have PPI on personal loan number 1 and again, it only covers OH even though the loan is in joint names so if we can get that back we will be a fair way to getting some bits and bobs paid off.

Thanks for the encouragement. It feels good to know that I'm not being judged here for being in this situation. I know there are others that are far worse off than me. As for chrimbo, I have amassed about £100 of amazon vouchers which will be spent on the kids, and I have been entering masses of competitions to see if I can win some of the gadgets that they are after. Thankfully the little ones are still young enough to be happy with small things that don't cost much and the oldest is old enough to understand that this year is a tight year but next year we may be in a better financial position.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it x

piglet39

boredofbeingathome wrote: »

So basics, i would concentrate on keeping the roof over my head and food on the table..you need to withdraw that money back out and use it for food.

Go into bank and tell them the circumstances, explain that the money is coming in and see what they can do..if they do nothing (even if you have been there for x amount of years) Then move accounts..and get your tax credits paid in there. Loyalty counts for zilch when you need to prioritise.


BOB X

Ditto this from BOB. Loyalty counts for nothing if you see them and they are not prepared to assist.

Another poster mentioned a crisis loan. If it comes down to it then you need to think about this option.

Do you have a credit union in your area (do a search for credit union on the net - I think they have a postcode thingy or something so you can see if there are any near you which you qualify for) they may be able to assist re: car.

I really feel though from looking at your SOA that you might be better off opening a new bank account (and some of them are very good in terms of facilities they offer although none will give a cheque book or o/d) and then almost starting from scratch iyswim.

Just thought also - are you getting the disability premium on your tax credits? It makes quite a difference. Aslo housing benefit and council tax benefit - on hubby's income you should be entitled to something (and being on DLA means they disregard more of your income when calculating your entitlement.

HTH

(((hugs)))

Piglet

chevalier

Welcome my comments are in blue

bonsibabe wrote: »

Sorry for the previous post being absolutely huge, I tried to get as much info from the other thread in as well.

here is my SOA

OH income = £780 What is the likelihood of him getting a better paying job again
Working tax credits = £31
Child Tax Credits = £434
Child Benefit = £125
Other benefits = £100

Total income = £1482 You mentioned that you have been assessed as not being able to work again, but is that at the type of job you were doing, or as being unfit for ANY work? Just wondered if by retraining you could enter the work place again?

Secondly I have just discovered bingoport. I have been on 3 days and already have enough points for a £5 voucher for amazon. If you aren't a member pm me and I will refer you. Or else just google them. It would mean that some more money could be replaced by an amazon voucher.

Then there are sights like lightspeedpanel.com for doing surveys, all a bit extra. If you pm EagerLearner on this site they will send you a list of daily clicks you can do. Ok it won't make much of a difference now, but will build up over time. And it is free money.

Don't forget play.com for dvd selling, greenmetropolis.com for books as well as ebay and amazon for selling.

Ref christmas, ask you Salvation Army for a food parcel if things are that desparate, or else go into Tescos just before they shut and pick up a mega cheap turkey then?

remember food over christmas does not have to be extra special, just have what you would normally eat if you can't afford the fancy stuff.



Rent £451.00
Council Tax £150.00 do you get any benefits towards this due to your low income? And is it spread over 12 months rther than 10?
Utilities – Gas £50.00
Utilities – Electricity £50.00
House Insurance £50.00 Wow this is ginormous. I pay £12 a month for buildings AND house contents. Please shop around for this now. If you OH is ex forces and no longer needs the extra kit insurance etc. Then ask if you can reduce the cover of thepolicy in the mean time to see if it makes it cheaper.
Life Insurances for both of us £35.00

TV Licence £18.00
Telephone, mobile, internet, £63.00 This seems pretty high to me, would bundling it with your satellite make it cheaper overall.
Satellite £21.00
Motor Insurance £112.00 sorry even if you OH did have a prang last year then this is still ginormous.
Fuel and Parking Charges £140.00

Food, toiletries, cleaning £383.00 I have children about the same age as yours as I spend about £70 a week, and we eat very well. But I hardly buy anything ready made, buy my veg in the local market not the supermarket, meal plan and then stick to what I need for that week when shopping. This saves me loads not just of money but food as well. We hardly ever throw food away now.
School meals (2 children), meals at work £122.00 Either see if you qualify for fee school meals or else eveyone takes packups. You are spending more on lunches a month than you are on your grocery shopping.

School trips & activities (2 children) £10.00
Medicines/prescriptions/dentists/opticians £17.00 is this with a prepayment certificate?
Haircuts (2 adults and 2 children) £24.00

Clothing and footwear £53.00 either no clothes at all, or only for the children, or only from ebay, charity shops, this is a lot. Maybe you can finance it by on selling the clothes your youngest has grown out of?
Sports, hobbies, entertainment £25.00
Children's pocket money £20.00

Total expenditure = £1682
(I have taken the car insurance off now as we made our 10th payment yesterday and it is paid over 10 months so we effectively have 2 payment free months - it was high as we have a 7 seater car and hubby had a prang last year and we lived overseas so there was pan european cover there as well)

Deficit - £200 approx

Payments to be made

Personal loan 1 - £195.59 need to find out the APR for these so you can prioritiese paying them off.
Personal loan 2 - £177.18
Car - £338.75
Store card = £25.00

Balances

Personal loan 1 - £9000
Personal loan 2 - £6000
Car - £12000 could you sell the car and get a cheap one for £1000 or so?
Store card = £1800
Overdraft = £3000
Student loan - £5000 (have not counted this as not paying anything and just waiting on a decision to have it written off)

Total debt = £31,800

Oh god, have seen it written down now, first time I wrote it down it was for a letter to the car company and the shopping figures etc have come from CCCS, thats about all the advice they have given us. You can do there Debt Remedy online. You put in the figures and it gives you a recommendation as to what sort of plan is best for you.
quote]

I think a trust Deed is the Scottish equivalent of an IVA. Be very wary about doing one of these. Yes they allow a large amount of the debt to be written off, BUT if you agree to pay say £400 a month to the IVA then that is it YOU MUST PAY THAT no matter what. Also you may well be expected to releasse equity you have in your home at the end of the IVA to pay more to your creditors.

A Debt Management Plan might be better for you. As it has more flexibility. And this is what CCCS, Payplan etc do
best of luck
chev

bonsibabe

Thanks all. I have done the debt remedy but there was no mention of a DMP or anything like that, tbh there was no mention of any help we could get. As OH is ex forces we have contacted SSAFA who after 5 months of waiting finally came to see us but I don't think there will be any help coming from there. When we were living overseas we were told by the British Legion that they would help us when we got home, but thats the Legion in England apparently. Because we are in Scotland we have to go thru SSAFA and as it has taken them 5 months to just come out for one visit, I don't know if there will be any help coming from that source.

Just got the gas and electric bills today and they are huge! Even with what I have already paid them the gas is £175 and the electric £205!!! God only knows what its all been going on. The gas I can understand as this house is soooo cold and very drafty - we are living in a surplus married quarter till our council house is sorted out and because of my disability I cannot get too cold or I am in agony. But the electric is beyond belief. Am going to get in touch with them to see if they offer special tarrifs to disabled people like the other companies do. If not, I will be threatening to leave and go somewhere else that does offer cheaper tarrifs.

unfortunately I have been told that I will not be able to have any kind of job outside the home. The doctor said if I can get a job that will allow me to work from home I could do it, but not one that is outside home. I'm not allowed to stand for prolonged periods, no lifting or bending, can't sit for too long as it causes pain, so most types of jobs are out of the question. I have been doing a home study course in proofreading and am writing to various companies to offer my services to them. I haven't had any responses yet but am still hopeful that someone will need me for something. OH is constantly applying for better paid jobs but nothing is happening. He is very qualified and I think that may be the problem, he has been to interviews where he has been more qualified than the person doing the interview and obviously hasn't got the job. But he really enjoys what he is doing and he has been told that there is a better paid job coming up in the new year and that the boss is putting his name forward for it as he is the best qualified for it. fingers crossed it comes thru as he could do with the boost for his confidence as well as for our bank balance!

Because of where we are living, the council have told us that we are not entitled to any help with rent or council tax. But the council where we will be moving to do not count disability benefits and have told us that we may be entitled to some help. I have been told that I am getting all the benefits we are entitled to but we are going to try and see if there is anything else. I'm just going to try applying for everything and see what comes back!!!

We have been trying to sell the car but havent had much success yet. But we are still going to keep trying. The problem is that it is a 7 seater and it is a powerful car and nowhere is offering us enough to pay the finance and have enough left to buy a small runaround. OH is driving round with a for sale sign in the back window just now!!

The car insurance payment at the start of the month was the last payment was we paid it over 10 months so we have 2 more months without payments which gives me a couple of months to research cheaper insurance and then get it thru quidco.

We have been told that we don't qualify for free school meals so thats £80 a month for the 2 kids. I found that I was spending more than that on their packed lunches. The figure also includes the packed lunches OH takes to work and tuck money for the kids.

Hopefully I can get some kind of self employment through the proofreading. If I can do that then we could possibly go to the bank and just ask for a big fat loan from them to pay everything off and then hopefully we would be able to work towards paying that off quicker.

But things are looking like it will be a pretty miserable crimbo for me and OH, at least the kids will get plenty of pressies from my parents. They are trying to help out as much as they can but my mum lost her job this year and things are tight for them as well.

I have managed to get around £100 in amazon vouchers this year from writing reviews and doing surveys. It would have only been £50 but managed to get 50 reviews done on qype in time so just waiting for the £50 voucher to hit my inbox then spending on the kids for some DVDs for them. Might see if I can get a couple of books for myself on growing veggies etc so that when we move we can dig up part of the garden for a veggie patch (and we have loads of pots so we can use them as well!)

Must get on and make tea for us all. Many thanks for the support and for not judging me, it had reduced me to tears (again) the amount of support that is on this site.

Appreciate it all from you xxx

MrsPorridge

Just a quick suggestion on the food bill and the lunches - have you checked out the Old Style boards - they have lots of ideas on there. Since I started meal planning and doing packed lunches I have more than halved our monthly grocery bill and we are eating much more healthily too. Most of it is cooking from scratch. I plan all my meals for a month and then batch cook them.

Good luck.

bonsibabe

Ooh thank you Mrs Porridge. I haven't been on the Old Style board for about a year. Will definitely go back and look at the meal planners and boards. I love to make everything from scratch and am hoping we get our keys soon. All my recipes are packed away and I think I am going to have to start again with collecting them. Am going to buy a couple of cheap folders, we have loads of plastic pockets and write them all down so we have them all to hand and I don't have to search here all the time for nice recipes. I used to love making cookies for the kids when we lives overseas, and can't wait to get back to it. We only spent about 250 quid a month on food and about 50 on cleaning materials, but hopefully the council will have our keys soon so we can move out of here before christmas and i can get back to normal!

dancingfairy

Hi. You are overspending by 200 pounds a month before debt repayments. I know you said your husband was hoping for a better job soon but you can't rely on him getting it and you need to address the situation now really.
Satellite : 21 a month - you can't really afford this - you need to get rid.
Children's pocket money - 20 a month - you can't really afford this at the moment - you need to stop it until you are in a better position.
Clothing and footwear - this seems massive - can you cut down on this and only buy essentials.
Food bill seems massive - you are spening nearly 500 a month to feed 4 people - this could be cut down with help from the MOneySavingOldStyle board.
Telephone, mobile and internet seem huge as well - can you split the costs down so we can advise better.

I would also get a fresh bank account and then you will have the money there to spend and know where you stand.

Best of luck
df