A fresh start

hypno06

Morning Seax! Any exciting plans for the weekend?

Seaxwyn

[QUOTE=hypno06;27565427Any_exciting_plans_for_the_weekend?[/QUOTE]

I was working today, a long day. Same tomorrow. But it's good fun. I was part of the team putting on a big event in London, and it was a success and lots of fun. Tomorrow we're editing the video footage. It was a buzz and something I'll miss in my new full-time job. Good to go out with a bang - and I hope one day, once our finances are more sustainable, I can go back to this kind of work.

taxi73

That sounds very exciting.

chevalier

Hi Seax
I am SO glad to see that you have got 18 months guaranteed work. You must be very relieved about this.

And well done to OH for at least making some effort ref getting benefits. Even if it is only a little bit, it is going to be regular increase to your money stream and who knows now that the job centre will be referrring him for jobs, he might actually get back into paid employment again.

Seax I know that it wouldn't get there by xmas but I have some books for girls that your girls can have if they would like? Send me a pm...

Well done on the running. I am trying to swim alot at the moment and am nearly up to 1km (40 lengths) each time I go....

Now I know that you won't want to do this, but now you have regular paid employment, have you thought about doing a DMP ? It would save you a lot of stress.
take care
chev

fantasy_dreams

Hiya, I hope you don't mind, I just wanted to subscribe to this thread as I really enjoy reading your posts

hypno06

Personally, I wouldn't do a DMP......you have a good credit rating and no arrears etc, so if possible I would want to maintain that.

I think once you have a proper, realistic, idea of the level of reliable income you are getting from your salary, and OH benefits, and the "knock ons" that they might produce eg school dinners etc, that you can do a proper SOA and see where you are, and what you need to do to make things easier.

My own experience from doing exactly what you have done, ie going from unreliable-but-somehow-you-manage-self-employment to having a regular salary again has been phenomenal and the pressure came off very quickly. I've considered a DMP many times as you know, but at this point in time am very grateful I stuck it out.

Once you have regular paid work, you are even more likely to get 0% or low LOB offers, so could ease the pressure by continuing the CC switching game.

Even I have managed to get away from those awful 24.9% APRs that I had when I was self employed........that is the difference it can make and the automatic easing of pressure that comes with that will be obvious!!

That said, if you find that the books still don't balance when you do your new soa, doing the CCCS debt remedy would give you an alternative to at least consider.

Seaxwyn

Thanks for the nice messages. And thanks for subscribing fantasy dreams, of course I don't mind, I'm delighted you should want to subscribe.

Thanks Chev, I will PM you.

Chev and Hypno, I am optimistic that things will pick up with OH now he has signed on. It is a brave step out of his cosy world of denial to face up to the fact that he's unemployed. And yes, he will have to show the DSS evidence that he is trying to find work, so that should stir him to make a more serious effort.

This morning he told me he was going to register at some agencies but the whole day seems to have been taken up with collecting a Christmas tree that we won in a raffle (amazingly we have managed this feat two years running!). The tree was just about big enough for Trafalgar Square so he had to saw lots of branches off to get it in our tiny sittingroom.

Today was my second-last day at the freelance job I have been doing since June. Most of the time it was a hard slog, but these past few weeks have been really fun and I'll be sorry to leave. The people are so nice and it's a cause very close to my heart. And guess what, they offered me more freelance work, which I couldn't accept because of the job starting in January AAAAARGH. I know I'm better off having a job, but I'm upset with myself for messing up the freelance life I had, I always had plenty of work, I just had problems actually doing it.

Anyway, what's done is done and I am moving on to a new phase. Meanwhile, Christmas is coming and I intend to enjoy it. I just have to buy presents for nine children: my four, three nephews and nieces, a goddaughter and her sister. I have £40 WH Smith vouchers (thanks to an angel) and £6 worth of Boots points. Will this be enough....

Seaxwyn

I'm having a dilemma about my season ticket for next year. I will be commuting five days a week most of the year - I think we get 5 weeks holiday, and there will be the odd short trip away.

A year's season ticket is £2,192, considerably cheaper than buying monthly, 3 monthly or 6 monthly tickets. BUT I don't have £2,192 hanging around and so would have to put it on a credit card. I have a 0% for 6 months offer, but I don't think I could pay it off in 6 months as I have four other credit cards I'm currently paying.

So I'm tempted to buy monthly tickets, which would be more expensive but not involve any more borrowing. What does anyone think?

Here are the amounts for comparison

Weekly: 54.70
Monthly £210.10
3-monthly £630.20
6-monthly £1262.60
Yearly £2192

As usual, I will be grateful for any views.

lucielle

What's the most you could afford off that list?
L

Seaxwyn

Well I'm hopeless at predicting my future wealth, even a month ahead, but probably a 3 month ticket.