Here I go again...

Sassers

Hi there mel - blimey I've just read your post. You could be me six months ago. No money, no job, no anything - never ever again! How I got myself out of a hole was use my libraries free internet every day to job hunt. I applied for 63 jobs, got Job Seekers to help with expenses to some interviews. I started mystery shopping, I signed up to a particular survey (we aren't allowed to name them but the clue is fir tree's fruit) so I got £4 luncheon vouchers to pay for food.
I sold stuff on Ebay, I also foraged anything and everything I could - at the time wild herbs and fruit (especially wild strawberries)
I asked friends with allotments if there any fruit and veg spare. I haunted (and still do) the whoopsie aisle in suprmarkets. I asked my mum to sub me £40. That brought store cupboard staples like rice, beans, herbs and spices. I got my spend on food down to a £1 a day and bloody hell it was hard. I even borrowed loo roll from places when they weren't bolted to the wall in the dispenser! Maccy D's were a lifesaver for sugar, salt and napkins.....even though I couldn't afford to eat there! lol
Then I got offered a PT job out of the blue (they called to offer me the job on my birthday - belated congratulations by the way lol) kept applying for FT jobs and now.....
...I'm working seven days a week, have three jobs FT x 1 and PT x2 (I class mystery shopping, online clicks, surveys etc as my third job) and I'm able to breathe a bit easier.....Ok I was stressed and knackered from the worry then and I'm stressed and knackered now from working all the hours god sends - but it's a different kind of tiredness and stress and I know what I'd rather have!!!!
The hardest thing is to keep positive - hey you'll get there! And as for smiling to light the way down that tunnel - I think you'll find there's a whole bunch of us with you too!
Six months ago it was so hard, I found it almost impossible but I was bloody determined I was going to claw, no, kick and scream my way out of the hole. Funny enough, the skills I've learnt when I was really desperate have stuck with me since. Always on the lookout for stuff poeple have chucked out, don't want, reduced in the food aisle etc....

Have a lovely DFW Friday - no spend here as well!
Lots of love
Sassers xxx
(sorry about the essay, I didn't realise how long the post was)......

moneymakestheworldgoround

What a lovely post Sassers ! It brought tears to my eyes - well done and you should be proud of your motivation.

I agree with everything you have said - welcome again melabarrie. To be honest, I think its harder coming back the second time so congrats for being honest and tackling this again.

With the risk of upsetting people, Christmas is coming :mad: Have you thought about party planning and things? I dont have any real experience of anything, but I have read that it gets manic for Body Shop,Avon,Virgin etc.. in the lead up to Xmas and its almost impossible not to get orders at this time of year. Perhaps if you did some of the free ones like the candles, Avon, Betterware or something, and combined them all you could make quite a bit in the next few months.

I have sent you a PM about something else which I cant go into on here - let me know if you are interested.

Thrifty_Pixie

Hi there Mel

I have to say that I admire your spirit! I'm sorry that you find yourself back here and in awful circumstances, but I have no doubt that if you did it once you can do it again. Admitting that you find yourself in the same situation is a very brave thing to do, but life does tend to test us sometimes.

I am a newbie at all this (my LBM only came this week after being constantly in one form of debt or other for the past 22 years, but burying my head in the sand) so you probably know more about good deals and whatnot than I do, but I just wanted to raise a fist to you and shout 'Come Onnn!'

Good luck.

*meep*

CosmoCat

Wow Sassers, thank you ever so much for your post. It really goes to show that perseverance seldom fails. You are a shining example of that.

I used to do mystery shopping, couldn't now as most of them require a spend, and I don't even have enough to do that, even though I know I will be reimbursed. I'm doing every survey I can think of under the sun (the one you do doesn't recruit through their website, and I've never seen a banner) I am scrounging around my house looking for everything I can sell on Ebay and Amazon, ah the life of a DFW

You've given me some great tips though and I will be following them. I am sending out so many applications daily, so I'm keeping fingers crossed:cheesy: but you are so inspirational, posts like yours are the ones that help me keep smiling And keep the essays coming! :T:T

Moneymakes, I will look into some of the suggestions you put up as well. And will reply to your IM! Cheers

Now off to do my daily clicks! :j

CosmoCat

Thanks Thrifty Pixie, we're here to help each other, so I welcome any and all suggestions. And if I've got any for you, you can be sure they'll be forthcoming Thanks for the cheers, we'll get to the end yet :T

Thanks for the birthday greet Mummum2, let's hope we can both keep the spirit going.

Sassers

Thrifty_Pixie wrote: »

I just wanted to raise a fist to you and shout 'Come Onnn!'

Good luck.

*meep*

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:defintely with you on that one! Not when it's 6am though and I don't wanna get out of bed! I have to confess I mumble the `cmon' bit under the duvet!

dancingfairy

Firstly as has already been said but you may have missed it is to get all your benefits sorted asap. That means jobseekers, any housing and council tax benefit - yes it is a complete pain in the bum and may take a while to sort out but you need to get cracking on this.
Secondly have you got any PPI on any of your debts? anything that pays out if you loose your job? get claims in for this if so.
Thirdly - you may need to get a crisis loan for the job centre if you have absolutely no income to at least get food etc.
Forthly when you find out what benefits you are entitled to I would contact the bank and explain the situation to them. Perhaps you can have a payment holiday for a few months as things are desperate?
df

dancingfairy

Gas and electric seem high.
Food could be cut down a little - head over to the MOneysavingoldstyle board for loads of hints and tips there.
df

CosmoCat

lol sassers, not me. I'm up bright and early, though I've not much to do with my day.

I've sold a couple things on ebay, so I can eat. :T

dancingfairy, thanks for your message, I am looking into benefits, but as I own my own house some are a little harder to come by. I don't have PPI on debt. I have contacted various card companies but you know they take a while getting back to you. Bank continues to charge me daily so I'm looking into that as well, they of course are being less than cooperative.

Food is high, and I rarely spend that much. In the past 12 days I've only spent about £25 on food. Leccy and gas are on some sort of plan so I can't get that changed right now. I do alot of the oldstyle stuff already, but thanks for the reminder.

Off to write some more applications.

CosmoCat

Sent letters to my credit card companies a while back and got letters through the post from two of them today asking me what I can afford to pay them. I will have to sit with these letters and figure out how to proceed. At the moment, I can give them nothing, but I'm sure this must change sometime soon.

Might step away from the computer for a bit. I'm feeling like if my eyes are going square!:)