new to this , soa here , would i qualify for a dro?

indebtmummy_2

i am a single parent , son of 13 and a daughter of 7

Income support £149.27
Child benefit £33.20
Total £182.47

SOA..
Electric £30
V media £17 18 month contract
Vodafone £5 18 month contract
Water rates £5.20
Tv licence £4.00
Food £50.00
Laundry , cleaning , cat food , toiletries £5.00
Provident £13 needed this to get over xmas
Music lesson in school £5.00
School bus pass £7.15
Family day saver once a week to see my mom £6.50
School snack £3.00
Birthdays , christmas for both children £8.00
Clothing , uniforms , shoes £13.00
Total £171.85

This is currently what i owe.
Simply b £349.84 now with Reliable collections.
Simply b £344.72 now with Reliable collections
Vanquis £533.65 now with Lowell ltd
Additions £317.75 now with Lowell ltd
Freeman/oli £319.97 now with EOS solutions
Grattan £1035.72 not heard off them for a while so do i contact them and as for a complete balance before entering into a DRO?
Studio £400.17 not heard off them for a while , again do i contact them to ask for a complete balance before entering in to a DRO?

Also if i write to all these creditiors do i tell them i could be going for a DRO ? and so could they hold off interest and any other action?
Many thanks , sorry its a bit long winded

saxysarah

before you do that - have you looked into finding something that would let you earn your allowance before your benefits are affected - I think its £15 a week? that would bring in an extra £60pm and how about clearing out your house etc via ebay so see if you bring in some one off cash to clear some of the debt?

is this a weekly SOA? by the way (sorry i'm a bit blonde at times)

you've come to the right place for support anyway! good for you ;-)

indebtmummy_2

hi , well currently i am in college one day a week , then for another three i am on a placement in school training to be a teaching assistant , so that leaves me just one day spare when the children are at school.
have had a clear out , not much else i can sell , i have basic furniture and dont drive...p.s yes it is weekly ..

saxysarah

cool well done on the college hope it goes well for you i'm in college 2 days a week as well plus have to fit in volunteering and part time work around 5 kids so I understand how hectic it is!

Some of your figures seem high for weekly amounts eg electric? £120per month - we're a family of 6 and i'm rubbish with saving electric ours is £83pm but i see you have no gas/oil so if you have to heat water etc via immersion then thats a nightmare I wonder if you'd be entitled to any grants to upgrade your heating system?

If your in college are you entitled to any student loans/grants? that could go towards clearing your debt - student finance is no or tiny interest repayable when u earn over 15k a year so would be cost effective in the long run if you use the money against the debts (something i am about to do!)

would you be eligable for any crisis loans again you'd just be swapping debt but at a lower interest and so paying it off quicker....

Um not sure what else - £13pw for clothes seems a bit high i know uniforms are horrific although if your oldest is in comp wouldn't u be entitled to uniform allowance? but i bet you cut this down even temporarily if you put your mind to it

£17 weekly for virgin media seems high too? is that a weekly or monthly figure?

maybe you could shave a little off your shopping too by meal planning etc doesnt have to be loads but theres loads in the forums for advice and i hope to cut my bill down using some of those tips.

just a few ideas hope they help ;-)

indebtmummy_2

virgin media is weekly , i pay about 66 per month. my washing machine packed in monday so looking at a crisis loan but it will be to buy a new one not pay off debts. shopping is high as my local store is tesco.and as my kids are fussy eaters i provide packed lunches hence needing fruit and yogurts,meats etc.any cheaper stores add to cost of family bus fares or taxi costs.. i am not entitled to help with uniforms , looked into it already , electric is correct , covers water heating and i am economy 7 so that eats it up , i also looked into college grants..long winded and the job centre had no idea where i was to start so i gave up ..clothing is high , but as my son is taller than me and a size 7 shoe his clothes can cost more than mine : (

saxysarah

ugh i know that feeling! how do they grow so fast? and yes my kids hate school dinners do and they would call social services if i tried serving them up lentil soup etc ;-)
maybe a DMP is best for you then have you looked at the DMP boards for advice? My friend was in a similar postition to you only with slightly higher debts in the end she declared herself bankcrupt and is now clear but persists on heading into the same old trap of provident etc
Your college should have a financial advisor who can look into any available grants etc for you might be worth the hassle in the end?

Best of luck hang on in there ;-)

indebtmummy_2

i will look at the dmp bit..
i know, kids grow so quickly : ( and eat more as they do! lol
i need to get in touch with dca's asap , as they keep adding interest on.. do i write to them and say i am looking into advice? can they hold off on the interest.

planning_ahead_2

indebtmummy wrote: »

my washing machine packed in monday so looking at a crisis loan but it will be to buy a new one not pay off debts. (

Have you tried looking on the local ebay bargain finder for a washing machine. Sometimes people change their kitchen machines because they are having new kitchen fitted....and nothing at all wrong with the old one;) Might be worth a look and would save repayments on crisis loan.

indebtmummy_2

hi there , i have been looking everywhere lol.
ones i have come across so far are for sale and even though some are a bargain at about £80 i have no money to get one.and no money for a repair : ( last resort would be provident loan which i dont want to do
im !!!!!!ed ! lol

miss_missy

hi
can you do an soa using the link below as this will help people give advice easier also include you provident as a debt and not in with your living costs

http://www.makesenseofcards.com/soacalc.html

as for writing to creditors if you cant afford to pay them i think its best to write to them and let them know you are getting advice from cccs or paypal and include a token payment

indebtmummy_2

i will look into the soa link..
i did write to creditors , but they havent listened to what i was telling them ..they sent me a financial statement to do and send back to them..which i have to do so they can decide on the repayments