Thousands in debt-how can I clear it? Please help

InaPickle

Hi MissLiz!

I can't offer you much help on the big things, but I can on haircuts: find the nearest college to you which does a hairdressing course and go to them for a haircut. Their hairdressing students are desperate for models to experiment on, and they cost just a few pounds (less than £10 on average) as they just want to cover their costs. The tutors check everything so you shouldn't walk out with a scarecut, and it all adds up.

Finally, well done on posting. :T It's horrible to deal with in the beginning, but there are so many lovely people here with whom you can share/swap ideas who are all paddling up the same stream that is really gives you some encouragement. :j

Best of luck and keep us updated: we've never met you, but we do care, y'know!

MissLiz

Hi Washer, thanks for your reply. I do have credit card debt with my current account bank and I can't open a new bank account right now as my birth certificate went missing a few years ago and I never applied for a new one, actually got no idea how to and also I don't have a passport as my last one got stolen a few years ago and I didn't get a new one as I wasn't going on holiday so didn't think I needed one.
I can't open a new account without some form of ID can I? I can't even think which banks are still available to me as I owe money to so many different companies.:(

Hi Pickle, thank you for your reply. I have really thick afro hair so have to get it braided or it really is quite unmanageable. Even quailified hairdressers of many years are often quite intimidated by my hair so I know it probably sounds really silly but that is £20 that I will find from elsewhere for example my grocery budget in order to keep going to the same person. I have had far too many bad experiences to start again where my hair is concerned.

InaPickle

MissLiz wrote: »

Hi Washer, thanks for your reply. I do have credit card debt with my current account bank and I can't open a new bank account right now as my birth certificate went missing a few years ago and I never applied for a new one, actually got no idea how to and also I don't have a passport as my last one got stolen a few years ago and I didn't get a new one as I wasn't going on holiday so didn't think I needed one.
I can't open a new account without some form of ID can I? I can't even think which banks are still available to me as I owe money to so many different companies.:(

Hi Pickle, thank you for your reply. I have really thick afro hair so have to get it braided or it really is quite unmanageable. Even quailified hairdressers of many years are often quite intimidated by my hair so I know it probably sounds really silly but that is £20 that I will find from elsewhere for example my grocery budget in order to keep going to the same person. I have had far too many bad experiences to start again where my hair is concerned.

That is indeed a bargain under those circumstances: and it's part of the journey learning where to scrimp and where not to.

With regard to your birth certificate, you can get a copy of it from the registry office where it was registered. I'm not sure what ID you would need to bring in order to get it: look up the phone number for the applicable office online, ring them and explain the situation. I'm sure they will be able to help. You can then use the birth certificate to get a new passport when necessary.

Also, have you reported your passport stolen? Do it, else you might not be able to get another one.

Foundational

You can also order a birth certificate online in England and Wales

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_4017640

Best wishes

Foundational

berkshirelady

Hi MissLiz, and welcome. and good on you for coming on here.

I'm not so good on the 'big' stuff either, but maybe I can offer some hints too on the smaller stuff. And your SoA is good! thumbs up :-)

When you say you have 'nothing of value' to sell, have a dig around anyway. I've managed to make a bit of money at car boots, flogging tatty old books, old clothes, nick-knacks, all sorts of stuff I thought was rubbish. A couple of months ago my (well-off) neighbour moved out and abandoned a kids' sandpit and a garden chair on the pavement. I rescued them and flogged them at a car boot (I am such a Womble these days). You'd be amazed at what people will buy - there are a lot of skint people out there at the moment. Maybe you can go in with a mate to split the cost of a table. And if you take home 40 quid in exchange for getting rid of some tat, like I did, well, that's a lot of food money :-)

Treats - I love crisps and choccy. If you are miserable anyway, do not deny yourself! go to your local Poundland or 99p Stores if you have one, they do multipacks of big name brands - up to 10 bags for a quid. Now that I am a Poundland freak, it beats me why anyone buys a pack of Walkers from a newsagent for 40p when they can pick up 6 for a quid elsewhere!

Mobile - I've always been PAYG so have no idea about contracts. But I would recommend Asda Mobile, recommended by the Guardian newspaper as cheapest PAYG - I switched to them last year (got the Sim unlocked at a market stall). they have a fixed rate for calls (8p min) and texts (4p), any time, any network, so it will help you budget.

Food (and this is the thing you can really save on) - if you don't do it already, cook from scratch. Take a packed lunch to work. And use up leftovers. Maybe you could cook meals with your mates in the house and split the cost? Build up a stock-cupboard of basics e.g mixed herbs, spices, stock cubes, flour, etc. Then look out for 'use-by' date discounts. My local supermarket discounts at up to 75% off. These days I only buy meat if it's on the use-by date.. I buy bargains and then look up recipes on the internet to see what i can do with them! Now it's autumn, I'm making loads of soups, you can do a giant yummy veggie one for about a quid and it'll feed 4 people, no probs. Casseroles are fab too - I did a beef one last week on discounted meat and veg, cost under a fiver and it fed me and my boyfriend for 3 nights.

Look for yellow labels wherever you go - and the bargains will find you!

anyway, sorry if I have gone on a bit about the food thing, but I hope this helps!

oh, and I managed to open a current account with the Co-operative Bank last year so that I could have my salary paid in to it and not have it raided by my creditors. I think your salary is enough to be accepted automatically, so give them a call. I didn't need my birth certificate for it, I did it all on the phone.

Let us know how you get on, and if you need any good, cheap, easy recipes, give me a shout.

good luck x

MissLiz

Hi Berkshirelady, lots of really good tips there, thank you. The food issue is really important so no need to apologise for talking about it. I have got better where that is concerned, used to be really bad, takeaways every other night but have cut that out. I go to Quality Save for my crisps and choc now. Also I work at M&S and at this time of year there is tasting on the big packs of biscuits and chocolate which saves me money!

One problem is that I work at M&S and I have a credit card with them. I have always managed to make the minimum payments with them but as I am staff I can't default on that card, am sure thats in the terms and conditions somewhere. So what do I do? As far as I can see I can't take out an IVA because of this. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can do where that is concerned? Apart from find a new job.

slummymummyof3

There are many bank accounts that you can apply for online -therefore you don't need birth certificate etc, although if you are in a shared house are you on the electoral role?

If you use one of the cash back sites you can get around £40-£50 and additionally £100 through switching service as well with Alliance and Leicester.

Snow_White_5

Hi MissLiz,

First of all, well done for facing up to your debt and taking steps to deal with it :beer:

As regards the M&S card, you should probably check the terms and conditions first to find out exactly where you stand, then you (together with the friendly people on here) can come up with a plan.

Your SOA looks really good already. Have you considered trying to get a second job or up your income in another way? Can you get overtime over the Christmas period, or get an evening bar job? I know it's not the best time to look for extra work, but you never know. Some pubs might also be looking for extra staff for New Year's Eve and that would get you a free night out at the same time.

Have you looked at the Up Your Income board on this site? There are ideas there for moneymaking that you can do from your PC, such as surveys, reviews, free clicks etc. None of them will make you rich, but it could be useful extra cash to put towards treats or throw at your debts.

Good luck - you've come to the right place

theoretica

One thing you haven't mentioned is do you know how you got into this debt? Some of it has probably come through taking out more debt to meet the payments on other debt, but it may be relevant where most of it came from. If it just trickled in through overspending you ought to have things to sell, and might want to keep a spending diary to help enforce discipline, this might be less important if the debt came though some big event which is unlikely to happen again (studying, moving, relationship breakdowns etc).

RAS

Foundational wrote: »

You can also order a birth certificate online in England and Wales

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_4017640

Best wishes

Foundational

The cheapest way to get a new BC is to ring up the Regsitrar's Office nearest to where you were born and give them your DOB. They will be able to confirm that you have the right office and tell you how much (£7.50ish). About a third of the cost of buying it from the Central Register.