The Golden Goose's Quest For The Golden Egg - AKA A Debt Free Life!

thrifty_fifty

Hi,

Have a diary on here too, but just wanted to say chin up. My credit card company sent me a wonderful letter today advising me that they wish to up my apr from 15.6 to 27.9% apr. If I opt out of it (have until 25th march to do it), I will stay at my old rate, but they freeze the card. Get paid on 25th of this month, and have paid all money off cc, know I should do it now, but scary 19 days till payday without a penny to my name? That's no money even for tablets to take lady pains away. Harsh. Absolutely hate credit card companies. Gits!!

claire0788

GG have you tried to ask the credit card companies to freeze your interest ? Im sure I have read about other people contacting their CC people to get better deals.

The_Golden_Goose

Thrifty50 - totally feel your pain. Like you I am brassic and not sure where the next £1 is coming from. Hopefully MrGG will be able to buy some grub as we have no bread, the milk is on its way out, the dog needs food and basically, its like my eyes have been opened and when I have been telling people I don't have any cash to do this that or the other, I really didnt know how badly off I really am. I knew it was a sorry state and hadn't done my monthly ins and outs so didnt know the facts, now I do and its horrid.

Claire - I will try that. All I know is that I need to do something, esp about the Halifax and the Virgin and soon. I think that the loan maybe the best way to go. If I do, then I will have to pray that I don't get made redundant as I can't afford to take out PPI.

Happytogetdebtfree

I have all confidence that something will come up keep the faith I'm sure all will be ok it has to be 2010 promised a good year it better not be lying hehe xx

mrs_robinson_3

Poor you, am feeling your pain, sounds scary. Don't like the sound of taking out a loan - it will only add to the prob as you will be rolling all debts up into that and adding to them as well, your DFD ever receding.....

So am thinking that you must try to up your income, as a priority. Bet you could squeeze in a second job really, know it is not an appealing prospect but this way you will really be in control, which will feel so much better. Could Mr GG get another job too - his LBM must be looming with things as they are.....?

Or, maybe better, and having looked back at your first post, in which you referred to having a nice house, [STRIKE]could you bear to [/STRIKE]do you have space for a lodger? It's tax free up to about 5k from memory, and friends of mine do it (with language students) and it's quite a low level undertaking, all told. Where I live, it pays about £100 a week. Would love one myself, and plan to work on Mr R to let me have one (yeah, a 23 year old Italian boy would suit me just fine....) so I don't have to return to work anytime soon - though with 3 DSs and a pup, it would be extra effort but not impossible. Anyway, something to think about, maybe?

And another priority would be to get as many of those cards onto 0% as poss - and once there, pay the minimums for a bit, to claw back some space in your OD, thus reducing the charges there, which is probably what's really crippling you just now....and when the OD is a little reduced, focus on one of the cards to overpay a little...and eventually pay it back, then move onto another......

But from where you are just now, this may all seem impossible pie in sky, but can tell you are made of stern stuff, so go to it!

Sending lots of encouragement your way

Mrs R

savingholmes

Hi GG sorry I unsubscribed ages ago when you stopped posting so didn't realise you had restarted your diary.

Hugs.

No real suggestions other than perhaps ring CCCS with your level of debt - your joint level of debt - it might be good to go on a dmp.... at least find out what your options are....

savingholmes

hi GG did you ever get the job centre to sort your insurance out?

moo2moo

I have a wardrobe full of business suits that I never wear and more to the point haven't worn in a v.v. long time. Will happily post them to you if you're a similar size. PM me your vital stats and I'll see whats suitable. Think they vary from a Richards size 6 (normal persons 8-10) to a 12 although some of the jackets may be 14s as I was rather generously endowed pre-children.

Is there a Next outlet near you? They have an enormous array of suits at a fiver a jacket and a fiver a bottom at the mo. Not fabulously cheap but a number of survey companies pay out in gift vouchers so that may help.

The_Golden_Goose

The Latest Update

Was up early this morning. Could not sleep. Have been in tears. MrGG has been frustrating. Communication is not his strong point. I said I wanted to put an action plan in place to try and sort it out. His response is that we are going through a blip. He will do as much overtime as he can and he will pay the bits that I cannot cover. Sounds great in theory, and when I asked him about his debt, well its £28k.

Cue : faint.

MrGG doesnt want a lodger.

I could get a second job, though my main job does often cut into my evenings and therefore I am not sure logistically how easy it would be. Saying to my day employers oh I can't stay late as I have to be at the pub by 6 will probably not go down very well at all.

I am getting very cross with MrGG tbh. He is driving me crazy, its the little things and I know its because my nerves are frazzled about the debt. Eg: he tells me he is running out of fuel, so he scrapes together a couple of quid from our penny jar to go up the shop. Does he walk? Hell no. He drives. I mean !!!!!!! Ok so it would be a round trip of about 30mins to walk there and back, but he wouldnt have wasted any fuel. To me that is nuts. He is not listening to me and he doesn't "get it". I am wasting my time.

What do people think about me getting a loan to cover the two worst APR cards? That would be a loan of £9k something. I saw last night that I could possibly apply for a Post Office card but the max limit is for £2k. Do I risk applying for other cards and it being recorded or do I do the loan thing?

Any words of advice are welcome.

MrGG has apologised to me about 4 times this morning and is genuinely sorry and then goes and does something stupid which makes me mad all over again.

Nice to have you back SH, thanks for posting MrsR, thank you for your very kind offer Moo2Moo, its really very sweet of you and awesomely generous - I will PM you.

Til the next installment.........

Happytogetdebtfree

I think I'd be tempted with the loan if you were dofinatley cutting up the cards xx at work ATM booooo ifeel fed up myself now x