Too scared to work out what I owe

moozie_2

LookingAhead wrote:

Also somebody advised you to sell on EBAY or Amazon - I couldn't agree more. I started last October and have probably made since then a useful amount (say...£250 - £300 or so - certainly enough to stop my overdraft going over it's authorised limit anyway) selling cd's I never listen to anymore, clothes I bought that just don't suit me, shoes I have hardly worn and even old bits of jewellery or camera attachments etc. I hope you do start doing this - you will be amazed what you can sell and then what you can turn up at home to put on EBAY!

First of all thank you very much for everything you have said! I am really so touched by your kind words. You sound so positive and confident, that is something that is very inspiring to me.

You are absolutely right, Ebay was mentioned before and your experience makes me want to do it even more! I have already a bag od DVDs and unwanted gifts on the floor next to me that I will be putting up on Ebay very soon. OH has agreed to help me do it and also we have agreed to go through all our CDs for those that we haven't played for ages. Bet that will be a trip down memory lane!

I will post my progress with Ebay and I can only hope it to be half as good as yours

Thanks again.

LookingAhead

moozie wrote:

First of all thank you very much for everything you have said! I am really so touched by your kind words. You sound so positive and confident, that is something that is very inspiring to me.

You are absolutely right, Ebay was mentioned before and your experience makes me want to do it even more! I have already a bag od DVDs and unwanted gifts on the floor next to me that I will be putting up on Ebay very soon. OH has agreed to help me do it and also we have agreed to go through all our CDs for those that we haven't played for ages. Bet that will be a trip down memory lane!

I will post my progress with Ebay and I can only hope it to be half as good as yours

Thanks again.

You're more than welcome. And guess what? Since reading your post and replying the first time, I have dug out an old hot chocolate jar and have put my first £2 coin in it.....see what you did there Moozie?

EBAY: Beware...you may become slightly addicted (like me..!).
If you need any advice, well I am not a massive expert or anything but I'll be happy to give you some advice and I am sure there must be billions (ok slight exaggeration) of other EBAYers on here who will do the same.
Also, check out the EBAY forums/communities too for advice.

One or two things I will advise now...but you might just want to write down for later when you get started on EBAY...they'll make more sense then...are:

Don't list things so the auction ends late at night...try for 7-8pm if possible.
Where possible list things on the 5p listing day - you'll save money there!
Be as descriptive as possible in your adverts and be honest...the last thing you want is bad feedback.
Always state in your advert if your postage cost is UK only...I got caught out once by an overseas buyer who refused to pay more than I advertised the P & P for (even thought it said First Class Mail to UK only) and I didn't want bad feedback so I went along with it....I have learned since and now I put "Postage Costs are for UK only - Overseas Buyers should Contact before bidding for postage rate to their country" (or similar).

OK I'll stop there, I may go a little "too much information already" otherwise! Good luck.

moozie_2

Well, following my rollercoaster of the morning, I pulled myself together and during my lunch time I made a list of all the things I achieved this week. Positive attitude, pen and paper at hand I got these down:

1. I opened my heart and shared my inner thoughts about things that have been worrying me for months in a public forum and no one laughed at me, ridiculed me or told me that I am not worthy.
2. I opened all my bills/stmts and filed them in order
3. I made a list of all my debts and got help in working out how much I have outstanding in my loans (thank you again southernscoucer)
4. Made massive progress with OH and don't feel so lonely in my fight anymore
5. We called A&L and got the £25 charge refunded :j
6. Have arranged for 2 of my debts to be cleared by 2nd March
7. Went to get 3 items for lunch and actually came back with 3 items and not bags of 'bargains'
8. Agreed for OH to do the food shopping fromnow on as he's not an impulse buyer like me
9. I do not carry a credit card around with me anymore and, incredibly, it has not been the end of the world!
10. My total expenditure since Sunday (not incl DDs/SOs etc) is £10.83 - all cash. This is a complete first!

The afternoon was piece of cake after getting all this down on paper! As I got home, I did my adding up (hopeful correctly )) and here's what I have to pay back:

Barclays OD £1,277.65 15.60% (we owe £2,555.30, limit £2,750)
Halifax cc £2,351.09 0.00% til July pay min by DD, limit £3,400
Freemans £65.00 0.00%
Bhs £33.07 26% but paid fully by DD (card now destroyed)
Sainsbury's loan £6,150.96 6.50% pay £386.12 by DD
Tesco loan £6,250.00 6.50% pay £201.68 by DD
Barclays OD sole £413.02 15.60% have cleared it (well by 2/3/06)
Barclaycard £51.56 12.90% have cleared it (well by 2/3/06) limit £9,000

total £16,592.35 Interestingly enough, not so scary tonight!

I am now going to work out the bank accounts. Hope to be back shortly

moozie_2

Some hard truths in here, I really need to educate myself on how to use money

Here’s my list my monthly outgoings in the form of DD/SO. They take the bulk of my salary. I fully intend to cut down on everything I can so I should not be OD 2 weeks after payday and be able to pay chunks of my debt.

Here goes:

I earn £2763.25 a month which includes a £202.25 temporary increase. After tax £502.48, NI £219.79, pension contribution £177.93 and season ticket loan £177.09, I take home £1888.21

Outgoings
£500 in our A&L joint account for our bills (will come to that)
£201.68 Tesco loan
£386.12 Sainsbury's loan
£47 approx Halifax CC
£30 - 50 Bhs (varies but Bhscard no more for me)
£33 mobile (contract out in Jan before MSE)
£20 ISA (cancelled earlier in week)

Approx total £1,228

So, £1888.21 - £1,228 = £660.41

Where is the problem then? Well, I am already OD by £400 - £450 (OD limit is £500) by the time my salary goes in. On top of that, I took £280 cash out last month and not got a clue where it went. Certainly not frugal living

Now the joint account.
As I said, I pay £500 in it and so does the OH. So £1000 for the month.

Outgoings monthly
£262.60 rent per month (1 bed flat)
£38 Powergen for gas and electricity
£71 Council tax
£18.07 TV licence
£60 approx Telewest for phone, broadband and cable
£10.61 contents insurance

Total approx £460.28

Outgoings annually
£25 Car MOT (next due Sep)
£340 car insurance (next due Sep)
£165 car tax (next due Dec)
£20 card protection plan (next due Jan)

Total £550 / 12 = £45.84

Outgoings quarterly
£18.75 Which / 3 = £6.25

Overall monthly total
£460.28 + £45.84 + 6.25 = £512.37

Again, it should not be OD as £1,000 - £512.37 = £487.63

But, last month we spent on petrol, food, restaurants, service stations, birthday gifts and other things that I am not sure what they are £608.70. Similarly, as that account is OD by the time the £1,000 is credited, it really has no chance.

I am not sure I feel up to working out a budget tonight but if you have any suggestions, please let me have them. I know our spending has to be cut down dramatically and we are both on board with that. I think once we work out a food budget, things will improve quickly. I hope so anyway.

It is quite cathartic listing everything like this. I never thought it would feel that way before. Here's where the real battle begins and I am finally ready.

I think I (finally) just got my lightbulb moment that everyone has been talking about.

gallygirl

:T Go girl! You've come such a long way in just a week - and nice to see the word 'we' in your progress for the week - bet you didn't think you'd be saying that a week ago!


On a personal note, I can't help feeling really angry reading all the posts on this and other threads - all you people who are facing up to your debts and determined to pay them off - well done to all of you, especially the help and support you're giving each other. I'm experiencing it from the other side at the mo - ex-tenant, who was in arrears anyway cos he'd been out of work & I was a sympathetic landlady :embarasse decided in November to stop paying rent. Have got repossession order, finally, and in process of applying for a ccj. He owes me over £1500.....

Now I've got back into the property (which is still full of his sh***y stuff (yuk, had a washing machine but bed clothes never saw it - how can people live like that....) I've found tons of correspondence - and discovered a) he'd been working since October earning £250 clear a week, b) he's booked a holiday for him & his girlfriend c) he's being chased for money by loads of people, d) he appears to have ordered goods e.g. blinds and defaulted immediately, so never had any intention of paying.

Have just been naughty & got credit check on him - he only applied for a mortgage in December!!!! Cheeky !!!!!! obv couldn't save deposit quickly enough so decided to stop paying rent to get it quicker!!!!!! Will be phoning them tomorrow, hopefully they turned him down but if not will be doing my best to stop them going ahead (found a ccj in house which is not on his credit file for instance). Am so b****y angry.

But at least found out who his employer is so will be applying for attachment of earnings. He'll probably leave job rather than pay - don't care, I will track him down!!!!

Sorry for rant, but I just get so annoyed at you all taking responsibility while others run away from it all. But you'll all sleep easier at night (I hope).

Anyway, this started out as praise for you Moozie, so will end with that. Well done, keep it up!

southernscouser

Moozie have you started a spending diary!

This has been a HUGE help in finding out where my money goes each month!

I just make a word document and fill it in everyday!

Then at the end of the month I total it up into catergories eg; petrol, toiletries, hobbies, takeaways! Been doing this for 4 months now but it is gradually working! Great way of showing where you overspend!

LookingAhead

Moozie :T :T :T yay! You've done LOADS of work!!

My own personal ways of saving money/budgeting have been to:

Take own lunch to work every day
Make meal plans for the week and only buy what is needed - don't buy ready meals at all, make from fresh veggies (we're both vegetarian luckily) as it is sooo much healthier and very cheap
Make my own breakfast of rolled oats, sultanas, seeds/nuts....buy a big bag of all those things and it will last ages for a fraction of the cost of what you would buy cereal in the shops....and as a bonus my nails are the longest & strongest they have ever been (some nutrient in the oats apparantly)
Always get the buy one get one free (BOGOF) stuff that you would buy anyway i.e. toothpaste, shower gel, handsoap etc
Been really strict about electric/gas & water etc....telling OH off for leaving lights on/doors open/not putting a jumper on etc oh and NOT leaving taps running whilst cleaning teeth!
Get a free water saver for the loo cistern from your local water supplier (saves half a litre per flush which helps if you are on a water meter)
Walk instead of use the car for short journeys - especially at the weekend when there is more time to get somewhere
If I go out, I drive & don't drink...it took a bit of getting used to but you know what? I love not having a hangover the next day!
Buy smaller but thoughtful gifts for birthdays/Xmas - or use fun vouchers for things like "I promise to take you for a pizza" or "to the cinema"
Get the girls around for a chat when OH is out and we all provide some inexpensive nibbles or drinks....social and cheap!
Only buy clothes/shoes that are really needed and PLAN what is needed/what suits me so I don't waste my money
Always get shoes/boots repaired early and use polish...they will keep a lot longer
Use PAYG mobile and use the free SMS avaialble from online sites
Use SKYPE for free VOIP phone calls (your OH will know about that if he is techy) so our Talk Talk phone bill is miniscule - £2 a month
Have NO Sky or cable tv

Just for starters there!

moozie_2

ali007 wrote:

Go girl! You've come such a long way in just a week - and nice to see the word 'we' in your progress for the week - bet you didn't think you'd be saying that a week ago!

Thank you Ali007 You are very kind. A week ago all this seemed impossible. My head was so deeply in the sand that I could not see a way out. I felt so embarrassed about my mess that I can now say I thought I'd lose my OH's respect if he knew. I am just so grateful that he's so understanding and supportive and that he's agreed to resolve his own debt issues. Things can only get better.

As far as your ex tenant is concerned, my heart goes out to you. He's really something to leave you in that position with the rent and with the property! I am sorry you are going through it but I am pleased that you are geared up for a fight. Goodness knows if he's done this before and got away with it.

YOU go girl! :T

moozie_2

southernscouser wrote:

Moozie have you started a spending diary!

This has been a HUGE help in finding out where my money goes each month!

Hey southernscouser
I haven't as yet but I have kept the two receipts I got this week. I will follow your suggestion up and do it properly from next week. In fact, I am thinking of doing the £20 challenge for 'pocket money' next week that's going around on the board. It will be a good exercise for me

Thanks

moozie_2

LookingAhead wrote:

Moozie :T :T :T yay! You've done LOADS of work!!

My own personal ways of saving money/budgeting have been to:
QUOTE]

Thank you so much LookingAhead! Some excellent ideas there. I have printed quite a few of the posts I got and yours is another one. I need everything in front of me when I will be budgeting/planning so that will work best for me.

I am really grateful you took the time to lend me a hand. Thanks again

By the way, your signature left me speechless. That means so much to me