At my wits end and don't know what to do

cherrypie556

WE have £6 in the bank (well £6 remaining of a £2k OD) no milk, bread or basic essentials. £8 left on the electric meter and £4 on the gas. A cheque thats going to bounce anyday and DD coming out that won't get paid. We have 4 kids at home all 7yrs and under. Dh is self employed but not doing very well atm. I just don't know what to do. The car is broke and can't afford to get it fixed, im due to start uni in 2 weeks and panicking that car won't be ready and we have an au-pair coming in 9 days with no where to stay as the loft conversion has stopped as we have no money. Have spoken to CCCS and got an appointment with a councellor but not until 29th Sep, then how ever long it takes to get stuff moving if we go onto a DMP. Have spoken to numerous other debt companies who want me to pay for the privelidge. Im just so worried and don't know what to do. Got an appointment with the CAB on WEd but need to find someone to take me as got no car. Never, ever been like this before and im scared.

whitewing

Are you getting tax credits? Have they been adjusted for the drop in income? Can you find out about getting help with childcare costs - don't think you can claim for the au pair.

Can you cancel the au pair? How many bedrooms etc do you have other than the conversion?

Can you delay Uni for a year? Or register for Open Uni and try to fit it round the children (I know!) If on tax credits you may get help towards course costs.

Keep posting, other ideas will come...

WASHER

First things first - welcome to DFW.

Things are really never as bad as you think they are.

If you post a list of incomings and outgoings we will help you reduce your outgoings.

As far as your situation just now, post on the old style board with a list of everything you have in your kitchen cupboards and I promise you they will help you make some meals from what you have.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=33

A link above for the old style board.


Could you sell something on Ebay to make some cash? A carboot this weekend? you need bread and milk. My advice to you is to open another bank account immediately so that your child benefit isn't swallowed up in charges, how is your credit rating?

Under no circumstances pay for any debt advice from anyone, no-one can have what you haven't got. Have you tried Payplan or National Debt Line?

cherrypie556

whitewing wrote: »

Are you getting tax credits? Have they been adjusted for the drop in income? Can you find out about getting help with childcare costs - don't think you can claim for the au pair.

Can you cancel the au pair? How many bedrooms etc do you have other than the conversion?

Can you delay Uni for a year? Or register for Open Uni and try to fit it round the children (I know!) If on tax credits you may get help towards course costs.

Keep posting, other ideas will come...

No can't claim for the au-pair unfortunately and we only have a 3 bed house already bursting to the seems as we have 4 kids. Im training to be a midwife so no course fees to pay and i can't defer (and i dont want to) I havn't told tax credits about our drop in income no, didn't occur to me TBH as we might be ok again next month, just neer know

Thanks x

cherrypie556

WASHER wrote: »

First things first - welcome to DFW.

Things are really never as bad as you think they are.

If you post a list of incomings and outgoings we will help you reduce your outgoings.

As far as your situation just now, post on the old style board with a list of everything you have in your kitchen cupboards and I promise you they will help you make some meals from what you have.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=33

A link above for the old style board.


Could you sell something on Ebay to make some cash? A carboot this weekend? you need bread and milk. My advice to you is to open another bank account immediately so that your child benefit isn't swallowed up in charges, how is your credit rating?

Thankyou. I will go to the old style board. I have applied to open another bank acc today as we may have to go onto a debt management plan if things don't improve. Our credit rating atm is ok but if things to continue the way they are doing it soon won't be

I listed everything i posibly could sell in our local paper yesterday. Carboot would be great as got loads of clothes but got no car and no money to pay the sellers fees. I can apply for my student bursary once we get DH's books sorted but atm they are at the accountants as we are unable to pay her. Catch 22 really.

whitewing

How bad is your loft conversion? Could you and DH slum it for a while up there? I know it wouldn't be ideal but it wouldn't be the end of the world either.

WASHER

Right, I have just re-read your first post, I'm going to sound harsh here but please don't take offence, how can you afford to pay for an au pair, if you can't afford to get the car fixed? How do you intend paying for loft to be finished? If you go to a debt charity they certainly won't want you increasing your debt further and you could be thrown off a DMP if you take further credit out.

I know this sounds really harsh but someone else will ask the questions above, it may as well be me.

WASHER

whitewing

Maybe you should also cancel the DD so you don't incur bank charges on that. But think about this carefully - don't just do it on my say so as I don't know what it is for.

WASHER

When does your husband get paid?

WASHER

whitewing wrote: »

Maybe you should also cancel the DD so you don't incur bank charges on that. But think about this carefully - don't just do it on my say so as I don't know what it is for.

I agree with this, but do not cancel your mortgage/gas/electricity/water or council tax payments.

cherrypie556

We won't be increasing our debt further, that is certain. My student loan will pay the au-pair once that arrives and we were going to use our tax credits to pay her originally but now i don't know. We could go in the loft ourselves, that i soppose is an idea, my huby has mentioned it but i don't like the idea of being on a different level to the kids, plus they dont all sleep through so i'll be up and down. DD is hubbys van insurance which he needs so thats not an option. And to when he gets paid.... when he gets some work in!