33 and in need of some info!!

missnokia

Hello there peops, well I have finally worked out how to post a new thread! I am new to this. Having read through many of peoples threads and have looked through the site often, I thought I would post a thread as to be honest I am a lonely individual who is unable to turn to anyone as I am surrounded by people who have 'good credit' and no debt!

The reason I am posting this thread is I need to make some extra money, due to my home commitments I am unable to seek extra employment. I am a huge fan of ebay and am a regular seller however I have found it a little slow recently.

I have debt totalling to approx £12000 which consists of 3 credit cards, 2 loans (1 is due to finish in August) and I owe £3000 to a relative. All in all my wages cover the bills (except for the past 3 months i have gone crazy and mucked my finances up which has left my bank accounts with nil and one of them is a -!!) however I seem to be spending alot more than what my wages are and I know I need to face up to it and STOP!

I have PPI insurance on one of the loans which is with blackhorse however I have tried to cancel the PPI and also claim back what I have paid but they refused. I have 4 years left on this loan.

I have claimed bank charges in the past so this is not an option.

I really feel its all got on top of me and no one knows about it. I am scared of checking my online banking at the moment.

I just need to be able to focus and earn a little extra to be able to pay my debts off quicker. My credit score is 430. I need to improve my credit score by Feb 2010 as the fixed rate on my mortgage ends and i am hoping to shop around.

I get down sometimes which sends me off spending and even though I admit and know its all my fault, i have been bought up with the attitude of 'spend what you have, cause you cant take it with you' Funny hey cause now I am worried about family finding out about my debt.

I have tried Quidco but how do you use it??? Please help me, I am not lucky enough to win on Bingo or the lottery!!!!!!!

Anyone know of companies who do the leaflet packing at home?? Avon, Betterware, are massive in my area.

Many thanks and sorry for boring you!!!!! Or even confusing you with this!!! :mad:

dylansmum

Hi and welcome

One thing you could do is use the following to post a statement of affairs (income and outgoings), which people can then look at to see if they help you with your finances/budget

?http://www.makesenseofcards.com/soacalc.html


Sorry I can't answer your speciific questions! But I would suggest looking at your bank account - to take control is to be as brave as possible (gulp).

meema

Hi Missnokia,

Well done for posting all this. I'm sorry I can't help with tips on increasing income, I'm sure someone else will be able to help with that soon.

One thing that people here can definitely help with is reducing interest and organising debt repayment plans..I've had loads of help and would have been in a right mess without it! As you can see from my signature, I've got more debt than you...but the main thing is to make it manageable.

The first thing that people usually do is post an SOA (Statement Of Affairs). It means having to do the scary deed of having to work out exactly how much debt you are in, and what the interest rates and repayments are etc..but it's worth it, promise

You could write down what you spend on bills etc each month to see if people can help reduce that.

If you can be a bit more specific, I'm sure people will be able to help!

missnokia

Thank you both so much for your support and for answering, I will have to sit down and work out the SOA and then post it on here. To be honest I am scared!!

dylansmum

missnokia wrote: »

Thank you both so much for your support and for answering, I will have to sit down and work out the SOA and then post it on here. To be honest I am scared!!

But being scared of dealing with it better than being scared of not dealing with it! It will be a relief, honest.

meema

dylansmum wrote: »

But being scared of dealing with it better than being scared of not dealing with it! It will be a relief, honest.

I agree! It's never as bad on paper as it is in your head..and seeing it in black and white is the first step to getting control over it.

wigwam

Hi,
I only posted my SOA last night (thought noone would see it in the dark hours!!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:)

All I can say is I already feel so much better, like you I had been around a while and afraid to put it all in black and white.
Go for it, you'll get lots of support xx

laura2481

missnokia wrote: »

I am a lonely individual who is unable to turn to anyone as I am surrounded by people who have 'good credit' and no debt! Don't be surprised if it's not all sunshine and roses for your friends- I, for one, was very good at hiding my debt problems. My BF (who has lived with me for almost 9 years) had no idea how much I owed. And even if they are perfect :rolleyes: everyone here knows what you are going through and it's a good community on here

I have PPI insurance on one of the loans which is with blackhorse however I have tried to cancel the PPI and also claim back what I have paid but they refused. I have 4 years left on this loan. Try posting on the 'reclaim PPI and other insurances' board to get some advice on pursuing this- if you have been mis-sold you should be able to get it back. Click HERE for a link to thaat board.

I have claimed bank charges in the past so this is not an option. What about credit card charges (if you have any) I found reclaiming these quite easy. Click HERE for link to that board for more advice

I really feel its all got on top of me and no one knows about it. I am scared of checking my online banking at the moment. Yep, been there done that. It does get better though...

I get down sometimes which sends me off spending and even though I admit and know its all my fault, i have been bought up with the attitude of 'spend what you have, cause you cant take it with you' Funny hey cause now I am worried about family finding out about my debt. Yep, I do that too. But it really only makes things worse doesn't it? What I needed to realise was I was spending what I didn't have.

I have tried Quidco but how do you use it??? Please help me, I am not lucky enough to win on Bingo or the lottery!!!!!! Sites like Quico give you cash back for online purchases. I actually prefer Topcashback because Quidco baffles me - and they take a £5 cut every year where TCB doesn't. Click HERE for a link to TCB

Hi! Left a few ideas in red. Hope it's helpful. Good luck

laura2481

Also, an easy way to boost income a little is by doing 'free scratchcards' with bingo cards. It is only about 10p a day but can add up to a few pounds with perseverence, and there is no gambling! Click HERE for a link to info about this. If you join the sites via TCB or similar you can also get cashback, although they often require you to play £10 of money to get the cashback. I got £30 cash back from TCB for playing £10 of bingo (so £20 profit!) would have been better if I had won on the bingo though

laura2481

Oh, and also there's the 'Boost your Income' info HERE
I'm a regular goldmine of info today

missnokia

Thank you all for your help, I am currently still trying to complete my SOA but i still havent had a look on my online banking, i am scared! i am such a wimp!!!