Got to do something about it now ...

kathfisch

Congrats on taking that first step and starting to sort out your situation! :T

Its really good that you now have the support of the CAB and have someone to talk to, as you say.

I hope that you manage to keep the car, does sound like you need it. If not though, could you at least buy a cheap old car to get you around? You have the right attitude about the sofa, desperate times call for desperate measures and losing your sofa's not such a big thing in the great scheme of it all!

You are absolutely right to say that the thing that matters now is that you're doing something about it, the situation will get better rather than worse now, and you should be applauded for that :T

Kath x

rescuethemall

Well I know it's not going to help much, but thankfully I have got my discretionary point (as I'd gone for a payrise, first time in 5 years!), and I got it! yay :rotfl:

Worked out i've got a payrise of £1141 (from the discretionary point, and our new framework spine) from what I earned last year (as such), so around £95 a month untaxed, not bad considering I know some people hardly get any pay rise!

black-saturn

I second all the comments which have already been made but I would also like to tell you about the wonders of selling on ebay. It's amazing how much money you can get from one good search around your house. Things like DVDs, CDs, clothes, books etc etc will all make you money. Then you can put that money towards paying the debt off.

I can also recommend a book called 'Your Money or your life' by Alvin Hall. It's on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0340823208/026-4024234-5771653?v=glance&n=266239 but you might be able to find it somewhere else or on ebay cheaper.

It's down to ebay and that book that I paid all my debt off.

Also if you are going to phone Sky and reduce your package you can use their freephone number 0800 731 6965 instead of their premium rate number.

rescuethemall

Wondered if anyone would be able to give me a bit of advice re filling out the form you get from CAB?

I'm doing the form with purely my salary (not involving my partner, unless we really have to), and working out the expenses etc - but I dont know what to do about the HP's I've got.

I'm seeing my parents on Thursday as they say they might be able to help out with the bubble for my car so that I can keep it. If they can't help out I assume that as my finance runs out on the 1st November, that I would simply give the car back (would end up losing money as my car is worth more than the bubble I need to pay), so therefore would I not include that debt in the sheet?

Secondly, the sofa HP - do I include this in the list of creditors and work out the pro-rata payment for them, if they accept it great, if not we lose the sofa - is that how I should put things down?

Thanks.

rescuethemall

Had my meeting with CAB on Saturday and feel a bit more optimistic now!

I've got a new bank account opened with Lloyds and will have my salary put in that account at the end of the month, as one of my creditors is barclays who I currently bank with.

I've been advised to get all my expenses direct debits changed to the new bank account as soon as possible.

To send a letter to all my creditors explaining that my debts have got out of control and will they accept my pro-rata payments from now on.

She said see what they come back with (totally prepared for some NO's and nasty letters etc), but if that is the case for me to go back and see a specialist debt person who will then talk to me in more detail about IVA's and bankruptcy (of which the latter I would want to avoid at all costs).

She said with regard to my car to keep the payments going, but change to the new account. With regard to the Sofa HP she said to change the Direct debit to my partners account, as I'm changing my season ticket to my mums account. The CAB person said they dont care where their money comes from just as long as they get it.

So, have been doing my letters and will be sending them out on Monday, have cancelled as many direct debits from my online banking as I possibly can, will contact everyone else on Monday to change the direct debits, and I think that's it at the moment.

When working out my financial sheet was quite surprised that I still had some money to split between the creditors - does anyone know if theres a minimum that most have accepted?