new to the site..need help if possible

indebtmummy_2

Hi all... i am new to this so not sure where to start.. i am a single parent of two children.
i owe money to catalogues and a credit card.. i recieve numerous letters and phone calls from them , all are passed to a dca .. Lowell dca have my one debt and received a letter saying they are now in control of another one ..
so here is a simple run down..
Income support.. per week £149.27.
Child benefit..per week £33.20
Total £182.47
and to top it all off my washing machine broke on monday , so i am now looking at getting a crisis loan from the social security which will mean my income will be less than the above.:(

per week..

Electric £30.00
Water rates £5.20
TV licence £4.00
Virgin media £17.00 18 month contract tv,internet,phone
Vodafone £5.00 18 month contract
Food £45.00
Sons school bus pass £7.15
School snacks £4.00
Provident £13.00
School music lesson £5.00
School lunches £7.00 my children are bad eaters so i provide them a packed lunch
Credit union £5.00
Total £147.35

Debts.
£533.65 Vanquis now incare with Lowell financial ltd
£317.75 Shop direct now in care with Lowell financial tld
£349.84 Simply yours now incare with Reliable collections ltd
£319.93 Simply yours now incare with Reliable collections ltd
£319.97 Freemans oli now incare with EOS solutions uk plc


Any help would be appreciated on how to deal with the dca's..i have had enough of the constant phone calls and letters.

pepe2008

They cant have what you have not got. Simple.

If you rent and have no other significant assets, then there is not a lot they can do. A letter to them along with a Financial Statement ( much the same as you have posted here) will show them that you are doing all you can.

It may be worth investigating the possibility of a Debt Relief Order, have a look here...

.http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1385275

indebtmummy_2

hi , thanks for the reply..
it does seem a good idea , i didnt think i would be able to though as i have some income left over each week , i assumed this would have to go to creditors.. but as i say , more money will be going out if i can get a crisis loan for a washing machine..i am currently washing out clothes for me and the kids by hand : ( ..i will certainly try and find out more about a dro..

ald65

Can you change your phone number?
It may be worth it just to get some peace.
Also may be worth talking to CAB , CCCS ,national debtline or payplan to get some advice.

goodluck

indebtmummy_2

hi ald65 , thought about that , but virgin media said they would charge me ..hence more debt to pay.. i cant win really

maysmummy

In debt Mummy ...please try and stay calm. It's really distressing when you can't think of a way out but nothing to be gained by panicking. Here's my plan:

Step one, IMHO would be to call the CAB or CCCS( you can find their numbers on the net and on the sticky at the top of DFW) and tell them your situation and ask for their advice,
Step two, fill in a SOA and post online so that others can make suggestions
Step three, make a cuppa, play with your kids and relax for afew hours. Martin aparently says that he has never come across a prroblem that cannot be sorted.

HTH MM

ald65

Thats a shame , I see that your also tied in for 18 months so changing company not an option just now.
Hopefully one of the debt helplines can give some advice.If you do contact one of them please make sure it is one of the free ones

leanneq

Have you thought about getting a job?

indebtmummy_2

of course i have thought about getting a job.
at the moment i am at college one day a week and three days a week i am in a school doing my placement as i am in training to be a teaching assistant!
that leaves me one day a week spare when my children are at school.

thank you all for your replies , think i will have a cuppa and take it from there

ald65

good luck with everything, Im sure other posters will come on later and give some good advice