How do I start in clearing my debts - SOA UPDATED

peterg1965

Hi Morning Pearl

Your house insurance looks very high, although i dont know your postcode, size of house. If you have not claimed on it this year consider finding cheaper cover and cancel the old. Dont take out accidental damage unless you really need it. If you live in a non high risk area this should come down by half.

Consider applying for a Blue disabled parking Badge. This will potentially save a fortune in parking. If you do get DLA for mobility as well as help with living carefully consider the Motablity car scheme, this will also save a fortune with no car insurance/servicing/tax to pay and you could then sell your car to pay off debts.

Hope this helps.

Pete

Chortle_2

Definitely go for the prescription pre-payment certificate - I've just renewed mine, and it saves me in the region of £175 a year!

I know you're trying the access to work thing with regards to your parking, but have you tried applying for a blue badge? That'd make ALL your parking free! You'll automatically be entitled to one if you get the mobility component of DLA, but if you have trouble walking etc, apply to your local council anyway. I'm sure you'd get one without any trouble.

If you're mortgage repayment protection has refused to pay out, is it worth continuing the payments?

morningpearl

Hi
Sorry, I should have put £10 approx for Prescriptions as I do have the "season ticket" yearly prescription.

I already have a blue badge but usually being at work full time you can only use the blue badge in one place for up to 3 hours I can't get out to move the car to another place everytime. I don't know if there's anywhere I can park all day free of charge.

morningpearl

I'm not sure where I can cut the "food" bill down as the £130 works out at £32.50 per week which covers all the household/toilet/toiletry items I need as well. I always look out for bargains etc to help get as much as I can for my money i.e. reduced price sell buy dates, 3 for 2 items and especially looking at the reduced price 3 for 2 items as you get the original discount as well as the extra reduced price. I recently bought 3 packs of hot cross buns on a 3 for 2 offer then they were being reduced and I actually paid 10p a packet and I put them straight in my freezer.

I'm going to ring BT to find out what Option I am on but I do need the broadband so I can get on sites like this and sell items on eBay. I did get my broadband part reduced from £21.99 to £17.99 as I don't need the extra capacity that younger people need for downloading music. I did this a couple of months ago when I realised that BT had put me on this tarriff without asking.

skintchick

Hi there

A couple of things sprang to my mind

Food - I am single with a cat and spend maximum £15 a week, often less. You mentioned the hot cross buns, now, I'm not judging but I would never buy stuff like that because it doesn;t make a meal - so in my mind it was a waste of money, not a saving. I don;t buy crisps, biscuits, cakes, alcohol, nothing that can't be used to make a cheap meal.

I know they were only 10p a packet but its a general principle I'm trying to illustrate.

Second, you MUST pay your mortgage over all other bills. Everyone else can only cut you off or take you to tcourt, the mortgage co can take your home off you so pay them first.

Thirdly, have you heard of https://www.freecycle.org ?

If you go to the UK, then your town and join the group, you will see people give stuff away for nothing and often it is big stuff like cookers, etc. So that could really help you.

Get off BT for your calls as they are WAY expensive - look at Martin's article on phones or ask on the phones board for advice.

On broadband, swap to Madasafish - it's £11.99 for the first six months then £17.99 for the next six, 8thingies of speed, with a five thingies maximum download (don;t know proper terms!!). I'm on it and it's good.

And why not call the council to ask about where yu can park? I'm sure they can help.

HTH

crystal_clear

Hi Morningpearl

The one thing that sprung to mind is the council tax you say your dad is paying for you. If you are on SSP you are entitled to claim benefit for it and claim at jobcentre as I think you will find you are eligable to claim an underlying entitlement to income support to help pay a small portion of interest on your mortgage. Also if on repayment mortgage can you not ask the halifax to put you on Interest only mortgage for the immediate future until you get back on your feet, this will reduce your monthly outgoings again.

I would also think about taking further advice regarding your Mortgage protection claiming it comes under critical illness, I believe you could challenge them on this and get them to pay out if you wanted to take that route.

Hope thats some help
Crystal

morningpearl

skintchick wrote:

Hi there

A couple of things sprang to my mind

Food - I am single with a cat and spend maximum £15 a week, often less. You mentioned the hot cross buns, now, I'm not judging but I would never buy stuff like that because it doesn;t make a meal - so in my mind it was a waste of money, not a saving. I don;t buy crisps, biscuits, cakes, alcohol, nothing that can't be used to make a cheap meal.

I know they were only 10p a packet but its a general principle I'm trying to illustrate.

Second, you MUST pay your mortgage over all other bills. Everyone else can only cut you off or take you to tcourt, the mortgage co can take your home off you so pay them first.

Thirdly, have you heard of https://www.freecycle.org ?

If you go to the UK, then your town and join the group, you will see people give stuff away for nothing and often it is big stuff like cookers, etc. So that could really help you.

Get off BT for your calls as they are WAY expensive - look at Martin's article on phones or ask on the phones board for advice.

On broadband, swap to Madasafish - it's £11.99 for the first six months then £17.99 for the next six, 8thingies of speed, with a five thingies maximum download (don;t know proper terms!!). I'm on it and it's good.

And why not call the council to ask about where yu can park? I'm sure they can help.

HTH

As I explained in another message the £32 doesn't just consist of food. It covers all household products including toilet rolls which I need an awful lot of due to my illness - not that I have to explain that to you!!

I don't buy crisps, biscuits, cakes (I'm allergic to something in flour too) and as for alcohol I don't ever touch it - one because it would be dangerous with the medication I am on and two I CAN'T STAND ALCOHOL!!!!! 10p was a bargain and could be used when I had visitors!!!! They are not going to be used as a meal - I'm not that silly.

Again, as I have explained I am already using 18185.com and their sister company for telephone calls - I DON'T MAKE CALLS ON BT. I already pay £17.99 for the broadband side of things so there's no point in changing over especially to a service I don't know or know how good, secure and reliable they are.

Thank you for the pointer towards freecycle.org - at the moment there is nothing that I need other than getting new work surfaces and the money to get an electrician in to set my hob up but I'll keep a note of this in case I need this in the future.

I think I also mentioned that I have talked with my bank and I have got something settled with my mortgage.

Access to work are going to sort out my carparking I have found out today.

Thank you once again for your assistance.

morningpearl

crystal_clear wrote:

Hi Morningpearl

The one thing that sprung to mind is the council tax you say your dad is paying for you. If you are on SSP you are entitled to claim benefit for it and claim at jobcentre as I think you will find you are eligable to claim an underlying entitlement to income support to help pay a small portion of interest on your mortgage. Also if on repayment mortgage can you not ask the halifax to put you on Interest only mortgage for the immediate future until you get back on your feet, this will reduce your monthly outgoings again.

I would also think about taking further advice regarding your Mortgage protection claiming it comes under critical illness, I believe you could challenge them on this and get them to pay out if you wanted to take that route.

Hope thats some help
Crystal

Hi Crystal

I'm not on SSP. This was going to kick in at the end of this month. However, I've been to my doctor and I can go back to work a week on Monday 13th - Yippee!!!

Your suggestion re interest only sounds good - so when I have to speak to them at the end of the month I will ask them if that's possible.

Spoke to Access to Work and they are going to call me on my first day back to work to sort out covering the cost of the carparking - Another Yippee!!


I'm sure I've asked people including the MS Society re the Mortgage Protection and there is nothing there re Critical Illness - this is a completely different type of insurance - more's the pity!! It just covers you for sicknesses you have never had before and has caused you to have long term time of work and redundancy. However, I may post a message on the Insurance board to see if anyone has got some further advice on this in case I was given wrong information in the first place.

Thank you so much for all your help Crystal.

Kindest Regards
morningpearl

daveboy

I'm not afraid to admit I have severe digestive problems from time to time and quite often feel both sick and the urgent need for the loo.

So I'm another who keeps the loo roll companies in good profit....I think my body just doesn't like anything full stop!

I have the digestive system of an 85 year old....don't be afraid to admit it!

The only difference is I won't go to a doctor because I don't see the point.

In addition, I'm having to work nights to get by...and have just discovered I've got to pay another £40 in council tax next year. Something like that affects me, even though to some £40 is nothing.

Whilst I can't suggest anything like the above, the reason I rent and refuse to ever have a mortgage is because it is a constant hanging threat for me. For some reason, mentally, I can deal with paying rent but not a mortgage.

I think the force of the banks has a part to play in that.

morningpearl

daveboy wrote:

I'm not afraid to admit I have severe digestive problems from time to time and quite often feel both sick and the urgent need for the loo.

So I'm another who keeps the loo roll companies in good profit....I think my body just doesn't like anything full stop!

I have the digestive system of an 85 year old....don't be afraid to admit it!

The only difference is I won't go to a doctor because I don't see the point.

In addition, I'm having to work nights to get by...and have just discovered I've got to pay another £40 in council tax next year. Something like that affects me, even though to some £40 is nothing.

Whilst I can't suggest anything like the above, the reason I rent and refuse to ever have a mortgage is because it is a constant hanging threat for me. For some reason, mentally, I can deal with paying rent but not a mortgage.

I think the force of the banks has a part to play in that.

Thanks for your message Dave!!

I'm not ashamed of my illness - don't see the point in going into too much detail over the internet to people I don't know. I have to see my doctor because of my illness/disability generally nothing else.

I've not had any news yet about how much my Council Tax will go up.

£40 is something it is not nothing!!! I can understand your concerns over this additional cost.

Again, I wish to thank you for you message.

Kindest Regards
morningpearl