The Double Debt Attack by Double Trouble

Karmacat

Thats exactly how I feel taxi, really useless when someone I like and respect is in new pain and trouble like this. I'm glad you've put some sensible thoughts out too about potential ways forward, seconded.

hypno06

^^^^^what they said, with extra chocolate thrown in for good measure.....xxx

Double_Trouble

Thanks taxi and Karma much appreciated- I'm a bit weepy at the moment and those dratted passports appear to have disappeared into oblivion.

Background is that our main source of income is the family retail business which has been in the family 140 years we don't work there but are directors as is the manager (whose father was manager before him) things are tough on the high street and although I think we will survive it is going to be hard and as woolworths prove longevity is not a guarantee for the future.

This has meant we have not had paid jobs for over 12 years.
OH is a NSM a non paid vicar
I was a solicitor but left when my OH retired from diving as he didn't like me working when he wasn't I was only part time because of the children and OH working away from home a lot.

Foreign property makes a loss but is tax efficient.
Fostering until recently we werent paid any fee other than allowance to spend on children and we dont make a profit from that often a loss but we now get £100 a week fee for fostering.

Fostering panel is £100 a month plus expenses but I havent been paid yet as I am only observing.

Pay has been cut to 66% of norm the other director wanted to cut it to 55% but I said we couldnt do that at the moment. So we can probably manage on present salary but no room for debt repayment or capital repayment on mortgage. Intend to look at it agin with accountant in January when this years accounts will be prepared.

OD and partner not working she is in full time education he is looking for work but due to start uni next year. They want to pay board but at the moment they have no income and I am having to cover the balance of their tenancy agreement, water rates and other bills etc as they counted on him getting a job which he didnt and I knew they would run out of money and I had said we would not help them to live away from home as they were always welcome to live here but in the present circs have no choice but to bail them out. OS is in uni and course tutors have told him not to work as course is heavy so we have to top up his income as loans only cover just a small amount more than accommodation.

My mom does give us board money but she is only on a basic pension so can't expect her to pay more.

House is expensive to run - heating especially. 8 permanent residents now and 2 occasional makes for heavy bills and of course baby on its way.

I am out of date skill wise and courses are expensive and because of language barrier I doubt I would get a job here anyway and I will still not be able to work full time because of children etc. would also need to pay insurance and practicising cert. fee so not cost effective probably better getting a job in Mr Ts or similar OH would not like that but may be the only option.

Will have to see if there is anyhting else we can do without or cut down on but really it is the income side I need to tackle

DTxx

Double_Trouble

hypno06 wrote: »

^^^^^what they said, with extra chocolate thrown in for good measure.....xxx

I've eaten chocolate and apple crumble with ice cream - comfort eater me and now I feel sick

DTxx

Karmacat

Hi DT

With that kind of news today, I'm guessing anything would make you feel sick....

Okay, I understand more about the situation now. Shaun dropped in on you, didn't he, so I know roughly where you are. But even tho you live in the UK and you have your mum with you,you speak of the language barrier - and you call your mum "mom", and more importantly you'd have to re-certify (or just update?). But you're not American, otherwise the language barrier would be minimal. I'll take your word about the language and skill barriers for being a solicitor, I've got no clue about it. But........

The good news is, you have legal and web skills. Going for a solicitor again sounds out of the question for you.... but what about clerking? Over the web? A PA over the web is called a Virtual Assistant, I can send you some stuff about it if you want, I'll bet that there's some way of clerking over the web. Or if not clerking, what about legal secretary-ing? Its got to be better paid than Mr T.

Do you have an up to date CV? I know you weren't confident about the fostering panel, but between that and your legal skills, a family law firm, say, might be quite pleased to have you on board. And after that, who knows what might happen?

Okay, thats my brain run dry. I hope some of this is some help.
xx


PS - okay, I *know* I sound like my mother as I say this, but ..... when did you last see the passports? Where? What did you last need them for? Where were you then? Have you physically retraced that day within the house (I know its all shifted round since the "new" kids moved in, but.........
xx

lucielle

Hugs to you DT. Hope the passports turn up. Would offer more chocolate but think that might tip you over the edge.
L

Double_Trouble

Karma you made me laugh a yank! no I'm a brummie but I have always called my mother Mom but I live in Wales and in this part of Wales being able to speak Welsh is very important and I'm afraid languages are not my forte.
I specialised in conveyancing and probate when I was working not family law unfortunately - A Virtual Assistant sounds interesting any info would be appreciated I live in a virtual world most of the time anyway and I certainly won't be telling my so called 'real friends' about this situation but I feel my virtual friends will understand the angst I am feeling - I so want to get rid of this debt. There has to be a way.

DTxx

Double_Trouble

I like someone mothering me!

Passports we have to give up we have looked everywhere they must have been chucked. We are going to get a new one for OH as he needs it for his CRB check but we will leave the kids because theirs run out Nov 2010 so we will until we next go away before doing theirs.

Maddening though because we have one place for them but they are not there or anywhere else I am confident about that - at least I know where everything else is.

CV OMG I have not got one of those not needed one since 1983! - think it might be a bit dated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DTxx

Karmacat

:rotfl:I thought you were going to turn out to be Zimbabwean or something, having learned English from an American English course! Sorry about that! (I've heard Dutch people with Irish accents, for exactly the same reason. And right now, there are Chinese kids who've been taught English by my nephew, who have a Scouse accent!).

Anyway ........

http://www.iceni-it.co.uk/

This is a personal business site - seems legit, there's a lot of info here.

http://www.primebusinessclub.co.uk/

This is a charity started up by Prince Charles, for people starting businesses over 50.

These are the main two right now - once you start searching stuff, you'll find more, I'm sure. I'm not sure whether to follow this route or not for myself, but I could see how it could work.

hypno06

OK.....in a previous life I was a legal exec (too impatient to be earning to go and do a law degree, lol) doing Trust and Probate work. It is an area, in my experience, that there is a good amount of locum work - and because there are no court bits, you can get away with being a legal exec or a paralegal, so therefore a Practising cert is not essential. As KC says, even legal secs will get paid more than Mr T, so perhaps look into temping in that area. If you do secretarial work, you don't have to stick with probate, but I bet they would snap your hand off if you can be trusted to draft a codicil accurately!

Also - estate accounts and trust accounts - many people HATE doing them. When I left law to do stockbroking, some lovely sole practitioner paid me £40 an hour to do his trust accounts FROM HOME!!!! This was about 15 yeas ago, so you can imagine that the hourly rate was huge!! Accounts may not be my fave thing of all time, but at £40 an hour, I would happily do them again :cool: Perhaps get some feelers out for things like that, which would fit around the other stuff in your life.