Fell off the wagon

fairylights_2

Cantcope

I'm so glad it's all sorting itself for you. I have to agree with those that say you should go to GA. Just because you know what caused the problem doesn't mean you won't be tempted again - maybe GA would help that?

I thing you need to focus on what you actually owe still, and make some lifestyle changes - your SOA shows your water bill is huge (especially if you're living on your own) and you phone/bb is pretty high too. I work from home, using the phone A LOT and we spend less than £30 a month on telecoms.

Hopefully you'll have a big drop in outgoings when you move in with your friend and that'll help. Just don't take them all for granted. Your friend and your parents are being fantastic in helping you - don't BUY them gifts, just sort your problem out and that'll make all of you happy.

Families. I always hate mine meddling but when there's a problem they're there like a shot.

cantcope

Was my first GA meeting yesterday. Mum came with me for support and to make sure i went. I spent two and half hours driving around London trying to find the place and we eventually gave up after asking some passers by (who didnt have a clue) and driving round in circles

Have re-read my map and can't see where i went wrong. Will try again next week.

Feeling a little more positive now. Have had some work done on my car so i dont need to drop the price and have advertised it in a few places. Am going to take some piccies at the weekend and put it on autotrader. I think once its sold i will feel a lot better.

have taken a half day from work today to get some much needed sleep while the drummer upstairs is at work.

it's fathers day soon, any ideas for a cheap/no money gift? bearing in mind i am crap at making things. I was thinking maybe a cake? any recipes?

kar

Sign up for dvd rentals with dvd.co.uk and use the £20 dvd voucher to get him something nice. Make sure you sign up for 10 titles but you and leave pleanty of time to canx. i.e only get one dvd and then canx and send it back.

Could get a nice dvd or cd with the £20 voucher you get and there is no minimum spend so can spend under £20 and it cost nothing ( ) - won't tell you how many vouchers i've used so far :P

Cake would also be nice - i'm sure there are some recipies on the old style board somewhere.

briona

cantcope wrote:

ok heres my SOA again:

income monthly £1547 i earn 25500 and could not get a better salary for what i do. have tried for years

Rent: £585 (moved this year to reduce it)
Elec: £35
Home insurance: £9
Life Insurance: £16
Health Insurance: £33
Council tax: £67
Water £50
Pension: £11
Phone/BB: £40

M&S CC: £200
Tesco CC: £100
Loan: £116
Store card: £50
Petrol: £100 (i do not work on a bus route and cannot get a lift)

Total outgoings: £1342
This leaves me approx £150 to get food, necessaries, and smoke for the month.

Should i try and sort it out myself again? Should i write a letter? Sobbing here and dont know what to do.

Hi Can't Cope

Have quickly read through this thread [my lunch break is almost over] so apologies if I'm repeating things already said.

Looking at your SOA, my thoughts are these:

Life Insurance: £16
I read somewhere that if you don't have kids or a mortgage, you don't need life insurance so cancel this ASAP. As someone else mentioned [sorry can't remember name!] who exactly benefits from this? Either way, it ain't gonna be you so cancel it!

Health Insurance: £33
Is this REALLY necessary? I believe [and feel free to correct me] that unless you have some pre-existing/recurrent medical condition, this is an unnecessary expense. Yes, there may come a time when it would be useful, but for the most part, the NHS serves the same purpose for free. I've paid into private health plans before and was spending a fair amount of money [rather similar to your £396pa!] for absolutely nothing. If you can do without this, then cancel it.

Pension: £11
Probably a dodgy one to ask you to cancel/freeze/suspend whatever BUT while I acknowledge that pensions are important, you'll get one whether you pay into it or not. Yes, it won't be very much, but at the moment can you afford to continue paying into this?

By cancelling these three things, you save £60pm/£720pa. This could make a fair dent in clearing debts, and if you were really unahppy about having no pension or health insurance, you could re-instate them in the future.

Coupled with the savings you could make with electricty and Phone/Broadband, you could make a fairly large dent in your debts.

Best of luck.

Briona

never_again_2

I wouldn't advise cancelling your life insurance policy while you owe your parents all this money. If something happens to you then their savings go too. With your mom ill they probably need the money back for the future. You could however reduce your policy so it only pays out enough to cover the money you owe them?

cantcope

thanks Briona, i have cancelled Health Insurance and critical illness insurance as i no longer need these. The health insurance was invaluable last year as i knew i needed an op so doc said (take some insurance out before i refer you )Cant do anything about broadband til december, i do however have 2 easymobile sims i am using for all my calls at the moment so phone bill will drop dramatically over the next few months

Kar, always a bit wary of dvd trials after reading some of the posts on here. I do however have a few piggypoints saved that i could use for a meal or a dvd.

In_Search_Of_Me

Great news that you at least tried to go to GA meeting & that your mum came to support you! Could you ring & see if someone could meet you before you go in next week as that can be a real help as walking through the door is the hardest bit...Re your dads birthday could try & BOGOF offer somewhere like boots & make them a nice mean...sure they would appreciate that more than buying a gift he knows you cannot afford...well done so far; keep up the good work!

LookingAhead

Hi cantcope....well done for attempting to get to the meeting & I am sure your Mum was inwardly happy that you didn't give up after 5 minutes of looking as well. Good luck for next week - is there anyone you can call to check the directions?

Also here is a link to the old style board with recipes for all sorts of things including cakes!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=675236#post675236

Or does your Dad like curries/casseroles or chilis or something? Perhaps you could make him a hot dish instead with a bottle of his fave beer or wine (if he drinks).

Good luck I am sure he will be appreciative of anything you make for him yourself.

cantcope

There doesnt seem to be any numbers to call before attending a meeting and i've called the main GA number twice now and they just dont seem interested in anything. I asked if there was anyone i could talk to before going to a meeting and they just said you'll get all the support at the meeting. Well that maybe true, but not if i cant find it!!!

Anyway, I am going to go to a different venue tomorrow night. Hopefully will find this one. Mum is coming with me again. Just wish there was a contact number so i could find out if there is anywhere she can wait rather than sit in the car for 2 hours!

Dad doesnt really drink or eat curry so i think i'll stick with a cake as he has a real sweet tooth.

LookingAhead

Good luck with the alternative venue.

I am shocked that the people on the other end of the phone were unhelpful. That's such a shame.

I am sure you will find a good cake recipe on the old style board. Good luck with that too.

(I found a banana teabread recipe somewhere on there - it wasn't the mega index though about 6 weeks ago and it was fantastic! I used some dessicated coconut too. Loved it & very easy to make.)