Help please? SOA below.....

smartiedriver_2

Well, thank you for your "advice" - I certainly won't be bothering checking here again. Train to Manchester from where I live is 7 hours (its not actually Manchester) and that wouldn't make it worthwhile going; car is only 4.

I thought this site was meant to assist, not be rude and accuse me of having the wrong attitude.

Fire_Fox

smartiedriver wrote: »

Well, thank you for your "advice" - I certainly won't be bothering checking here again. Train to Manchester from where I live is 7 hours (its not actually Manchester) and that wouldn't make it worthwhile going; car is only 4.

I thought this site was meant to assist, not be rude and accuse me of having the wrong attitude.

I didn't say you had the wrong attitude, you are putting words in my mouth. I am trying to get you to think outside the box - it's hard to do that when it's your budget that looks scary. You have to pay this IVA, what is the alternative? The only way you can do that is by earning more or spending less. I wish we could wave a magic wand ...

You said you work in London - if you travelled from work to your girlfriend's house on a Thursday night by coach and back again first thing Monday morning it might be manageable. The car is your biggest expense and you don't need it for work, so unfortunately you can't use the costs as a bargaining tool.

littlemissmoney

Fire Fox isn't being rude, (s)he is just saying it as it is!


Your car is costing you a future, you only use it for leasure and you have a serious amount of debt. The car has to go. People on here can help you work out alternatives. Some ideas (if the train and coach really isn't an option):

• Rent a car for the day when you need it
• Car Club (www.carclubs.org.uk)
• Meeting your girlfriend at a half way place
• Your girlfriend travelling to you instead

Ames

I don't know how well they work, but there are also car share websites, where you might be able to get lifts to and from Manchester for a share of the petrol?

Also, I'm not sure where near Manchester you're travelling to, but National Express London to Leeds takes 4.5 hours, so surely Manchester wouldn't be much more? Even if you have to change on the way.

littlemissmoney

London to Manchester is £8 one way...

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/cheap-coach-train-ticket-deals#virgin

lisainglasgow

OP you have been given some excellent advice here, but you seem unwilling to take it. A spending diary only takes 10 seconds to do everytime you buy something, and a short reconcilliation at the end of every week should take you no more than 10 minutes. I don't believe that you don't have time to do one, just for a couple of weeks. They really are incredibly helpful to see where the money really goes.

As for travel to Manchester, well I don't know where your GF stays but the train to Manchester from London is great, very quick and easy and there are loads of connections to get you to your final destination easily.


We are all trying to help you, but you really do need to look at some of these suggestions a bit more so you can help yourself.

Ames

Lisa, I think he meant that he doesn't have time to do a spending diary for a month or so before sorting the debts, but that they have to be sorted now. Not that he didn't have the time to actually keep one?

andys15

I am shocked. I am not judging, but I picked up an attitude with the OP from the start, and for what ever reason I assumed the OP was female. Anyhow, if you have managed to wrack up over £70000 unsecured debt(how is this possible on the income, maybe because the OP works in a bank), then you got to take a look at yourself and make the assumption that you are no good with money(scary as you work in a bank, hopefully not advising others), so if you are no good with money, you take advice from those who are, or those who have been in your position, and when you get advice you dont throw a hissy fit, and blame those who are trying to help. You are a 29 year old man and you have messed up like we all have in the past, but why dont you grow a pair, take the advice (free) given on these forums, and sort yourself out.

lisainglasgow

Ames wrote: »

Lisa, I think he meant that he doesn't have time to do a spending diary for a month or so before sorting the debts, but that they have to be sorted now. Not that he didn't have the time to actually keep one?

Oh OK I read it the other way, but I'm not sure I totally understand what you understand? Are you saying he hasn't got time to do a retrospective spending diary? That is much harder of course, better to just start one from today. Hope I'm reading you right

Little_Miss_Uni-Debt

Hi!

I hope the OP does visit here again as it really is a supportive place to start getting help and I've never come across anyone on here that was rude or offensive.

I think people get over zealous when faced with an SOA that can be reduced with some hard work and it can take some time getting used to taking advice.

I wonder how much of the monthly 'chunk' goes to the IVA arrangers? I presume these charge?

Also by my calculations spending £3000 on a car a per year is the equivalent cost of renting an economical 'mini' style car for 2 days with Enterprise or the like every weekend! It costs around £30 per day to hire one on week days and can be even cheaper (over weekends about £11 p/d) Obviously you still have to buy petrol but not having to pay road tax, mot, etc would be a big saving.

I understand the frustration of how long it takes to get anywhere not on a main train line, however the more the OP wants to save the more they will start to sacrifice time for money. At the moment, the time it takes to get there by train is time that could be spent with his/her partner. I appreciate how time is precious when it gets to the weekend! :-)