sillylittlejill's DFW Diary...

sillylittlejill

Hey guys :wave:

First, apologies on the extremely unimaginative name of my diary on here!!

I am starting this after reading everyone else's on here and seeing how much you all helped them!

Basically, me and OH have been living in our rented flat for 8 months and are in approximately £4,000 of debt including both of our credit cards and overdrafts.

OH is an optical adviser and wants to become a doctor, hopefully starting his A levels next september before going to uni. He is studying NVQ's which he does through work and doesnt cost him a thing.

He is currently on £11,750 and when he passes the next NVQ in a few months time he will go up to £12,500 which will make life a bit easier.

I am working as an xmas temp at P4U full time but hoping to be kept on after christmas. If they keep me on after christmas then I should be on a basic salary of £12,500 with commission on top of that. The xmas temp wage is a couple of grand below that but thats mainly just cos I can't do as much as the permanent people.

Hoping to do the £4000 a year challenge but doing £5000 instead!! We aren't going to be really strict with it but are going to try to save as much as possible to save up for wedding/deposit on house.

We are trying to move into a cheaper place at the minute. Our flat is £430pm which for where I live is quite expensive for what we get. Looking at trying to find a 2 bed house near OH's dad and step-mum for 395pm instead. That will leave us with £35 a month more than now which doesnt seem much but Every Little Helps!!!

Our debt is made up of

Barclaycard: £1500
HSBC mastercard: £900
HSBC overdraft: £750
Barclays overdraft: £250
NatWest overdraft: £450
Total: £3850

Now to a lot of people that will not sound like much but to us it is a lot. I think we are very lucky in a way because we have learnt our lesson early. I know that I will never live outside my means again or own a credit card.

I want to spend the money I make and nothing else!

The reason we are in such a sticky situation is because I left my job in October. I was being badly bullied by my boss and after 19 months, 2 of which in total I was off work sick because of it, I snapped and left. I left without another job to go to which was idiotic but thought that we would be able to manage.

2 months later, I have started my xmas temp job but I am really paying for it now. I have been unable to pay anything at all towards my credit card for 2 months and am now in arrears. Been getting 5-6 phonecalls a day off them but am not answering because I know I will get talked in to doing something I cannot afford. I am sending a letter to them tomorrow asking for the phonecalls to stop and asking for information about their complaints procedure because the phonecalls start very early and go on very late and there have been so many!

I am also sending a letter to NatWest as the overdraft isn't "agreed". A well known gym had been taking payments out of my old account for 4 months after the membership had been cancelled and then had the cheek to send me a bill for another month. Needless to say I have ignored that. Sounds stupid ignoring it but after 4 letters to them and not one reply apart from the bill, I am not wasting any more stamps!!

We are hoping to have got rid of as much of the debt as possible by this time next year.

I will be posting an SOA after christmas as I get paid on 24th December and not sure how much I am getting paids so will know then.

I am trying to figure out a way of getting all the housework done and making yummy meals when I work 8.30-6 and OH works 9-5.30 (not that he does either of those!!). I had got used to a spotless house being off work for 8 weeks but now the place is a mess and really need it tidy for xmas as we will have young kids coming to see us that will be running round our little flat and I love them too much to see them get hurt!

Any tips on any of the above will be very very very gratefully received!!

Apart from that, hope you all have a good christmas and look forward to any comments you bestow upon my lowly diary here!

:santa2: :xmassign: :xmastree: :snow_laug :xmassmile :rudolf:

sillylittlejill

no-one fancy giving their opinion? pweeeezz?!?!?!

xxxx

Silaqui

Hi Jill!
I'm in a similar position to you really, we haven't got a massive amount of debt bu t it feels like enough to us!
I'm starting in earnest this year to try and pay everything off by next christmas, one of the things that I have found quite helpful is to make a spreadsheet of all my finances. Every time I spend something or get some money come in I update it, I know the bank does this anyway on online banking but somehow doing it myself makes me more aware of what I have (or haven't!) got.
I've also started to give myself 'pocket money' of £50 per week - I'm terrible for spending on cards so thought if I just get some cash out once a week then when its gone its gone. Obviously you can set the amount yourself.

Best of luck with everything anyway, I think its this time of year it just gets you wishing you could spend the money on all the nice christmas stuff instead of them bloody debts!

xx

urg123

Hi Jill

Just lost my message - hate it when that happens!

I wanted to tell you that it may be useful to contact CCCS. There is a link at the top of the main DFW page. I have also seen others suggest that while you are seeking advice on dealing with your debt you can send a token payment. It shows you are serious about repaying the debt while you get yourself sorted.

YOu could look at other ways in which to deal with your debt - i.e. selling things on amazon or ebay, bar work.

If you have been slapped with charges can you look nto reclaiming them? there is a site dedicated to this.

Finally, I also wanted to suggest that you focus on getting rid of the debt before you start saving. The interest you are paying on the debt will be far higher than you will get on any savings.

Good luck

URG x x

Miss_Piggy_2

Hello Jill

I love reading peoples diaries.....gives me lots of hints and tips!!

I think its great you and your OH are planning ahead. You sound very optimistic and strong. Keep it up!

With regards to the credit card calls, take one and advise them you will only deal with them by letter. You could always contact the CCCS and see about a DMP if you feel thats the only way.

With regards to the housework, I have to admit my house was tidier and cleaner when I worked full time!! Now I'm home most of the day its a constant slog to keep it clean and tidy. I find making a list of what needs doing that week a great help. You could always check out the Flylady thread on the old-style board - its great!

Anyway, wish you the best of luck and look forward to reading your updates!

Miss P
xx

sillylittlejill

Hey We all christmassy then? Only a few days away now!
I've been working every day since wednesday and wont have a day off until xmas which i am really not looking forward to.Havent done ANY xmas present shopping so am hoping that my boss will let me swop over my day off as I'm off all next week then I can borrow a little bit of money to buy a few small things. Im not going to get big things, just a few small things. My original idea was to make some small hampers with homemade goodies but just won't have time.

OH was off tuesday, wednesday and thursday this week but spent the week sitting on his !!!!! Not only did he not do any xmas shopping but he didnt even do any washing up or tidying up. If I'm off 3 days then I spend at least one full day tidying and this close to xmas I would buy some little pressies!!!

So the only day I get off this week is xmas day and I will spend it cooking and cleaning whilst OH plays with his presents!!!!

I'm really angry at him to say the least but the more I try to talk to him about it the angrier I get and he ignores me or tells me that I'm yelling at him and being unfair. His dad is coming over in 20 mins or so to pick up lil brother who has been staying with us for 2 days so will try and get him to talk some sense into him!!

I am at work today and am desperately hoping that his dad will talk some sense into him otherwise I am going to stay at my parents after xmas for a few weeks. I know it sounds stupid that we might be breaking up over chores but he just doesnt care. He doesnt seem to care enough about everything I do and it really hurts.


Sorry this diary should be about moneysaving not relationships but the two seem to intertwine!!


any help would be appreciated!
xxxx

lilian1977

Relationships should be about compromise and equality so if you're working much harder than him at keeping everything going then he definitely needs a wake up call. Hope you get it sorted out.

Are any of the shops near you doing late night shopping until Christmas?

edinburgher

Sounds as if OH has a bit of growing up to do - certainly shouldn't need his Dad to 'talk some sense into him'. If he's grown up enough to move in with his GF, he's old enough to act like a grownup.

Sorry to sound grumbly, but I left home at 17 and certainly didn't have the freedom to f*nny about while others picked up the slack

Silaqui

I definitely wouldn't stand for that. I had to give my b/f a good talking to a while ago when he was unemployed. He was at home all day (obviously) and apart from the odd hour or two job hunting or going to interviews, he was doing nothing!? I'd come home from work to find him on the computer in front of the telly (so using even more leccy in spite of not contributing!) with last nights washing up in the sink, the house in a general sxxxhole. So I'd come in, start cleaning etc, and did he get up to help, no he bloody didn't!
I played the martyr for a few days but them I got so angry I had to tell him look, you either chip in or leave the way things are I might as well be living on my own. He's now got a job, but is also much better at helping out!

Not much help I know and I know you said you've tried talking to him but does he really know how annoyed you are? Maybe if he realises that you are serious about moving out or him leaving or whatever it might buck his ideas up - and if it doesn't, horrible to say I know, but then maybe you are better off without so you can find someone who respects you a bit more xx

sillylittlejill

I have now taken over 95% of housework as my xmas temp job couldn't keep me on. Found that out on friday at 2.30pm and finished that afternoon at 4.30 so didn't exactly have enough warning to get another job. There are no jobs in Carlisle so getting really scared as any savings we did have we have spent over the past few months on rent. None of our family can help apart from OH's mum very kindly sending us tesco giftcards to buy our grocery shopping with.

I am still getting the harrassing phonecalls from Barclaycard and are not getting any better. It is really frustrating me as I have written to them twice (first time including my new number which I added stupidly to the letter) and as they are ringing my number I know that they received that letter. The second letter was explaining my circumstances and telling them to stop ringing me and to only communicate me via letters.
I am so annoyed because it makes it look like I am not trying to sort the problem out. I won't answer the phone because the last few times I have, they have hung up on me or it has been someone I do not understand.

I am now considering a formal complaint against them because I have spent so much time worrying over this and they are just ignoring my efforts.

I am going to write to them again but dont know if there is any point.

Anyone else in this position?

Life seems too stressful at the moment and what frustrates me the most is that I want to work but I can't. There are literally no jobs, I'm not being snobby about it, the factory around the corner aren't hiring, none of the supermarkets seem to be, no shops or anything really. Stressing me out so much.

Surely the government can help someone like me? I've worked my a**e off for the last 2 years and I am seeing chavvy kids I went to school with who havent worked a day, walking round with loads of shopping bags and in a nice house with no money worries at all. I know that I chose to get the credit card etc but I didn't choose to be unemployed.

Hating my life at the moment.


xxx

mancbird

Hi Jill,

Sorry you are having such a rubbish time at the moment

Have you tried speaking to CCCS or the CAB? They would be able to help you work out what would be your next step. As you are no longer working (shame on p4u for giving you so little notice btw) maybe you are eligible for some benefits?

If I were you I would try and sign up for some agencies and get some work that way.

Hope things get better for you quickly,
x