Struggling with debt? Ask a debt advisor a question

mariadavid

Hi

I was paying off council tax with a voluntary payment to Alex Adamson Sheriff Officers and in January the council passed over a £500 bill for 2011/2012, i informed both of them i was on half pay whilst waiting on an operation and could only afford the £35 voluntary payment, whilst waiting to go onto a DAS Scheme.

Unfortunately i am having to apply to go on it again due to us not receiving a balance from a creditor and Alex Adamson then obtained a Deductions of Earning order for the full amount, which includes the monies already being paid back by voluntary payment, as i am only getting £650 a month until i go back to work which is next week fortunately they will only get between £15 and £20 but can they do that?

I am up to date with this years council tax and my total debt to Adamson is £1000, i have also never defaulted on my voluntary payment which i have now cancelled as i felt they were very underhand whilst i was trying to be totally honest about my situation, any advice would help please

Maria

Catz2

Hi
I am not sure where to start!
We have a loan, 3 credit cards, sofa on 0%, next account and owe my father £1100 for a car loan. We also have £3000 on an overdraft.
The loan we pay £137 per month for and really don't mind this loan. We got new kitchen, car with it and have 5 year left to pay.
However we have stupidly spent on credit cards and owe around £12000.
We owe £300 on next account and pay £44 per month for a sofa with 3 year left.
The credit cards are all 0%.
Once all minimum payments are made and all bills are paid, we have around £300 per month left. We have to buy clothes, leisure, nappies out of this.
How do we start paying more off when we struggle with what we have?
What is priority?
Thank you.

leylandbobby

Got advice needed, all the best. D & M

StepChange_Pavan

louise1984 wrote: »

I am trying to sort out my finances.. To be honest I don't know where to begin! I know I waste money.. Lots of it, and never have anything to show for it, but somehow I can't seem to stop!? I also ignore debt letters and throw them straight in the bin
Since I have decided I cannot go on like this any more I have been opening and keeping them. I have created a SOA and have listed the majority of debts but I know there are others that I can't remember.. Also in my SOA I have listed the amounts I should be paying to the debts, when in fact I haven't actually been paying them, except my council tax and rent arrears.. I also have a B*****d payday loan that I got into a cycle with and then could afford it no longer..
So basically any ideas where to start?? Would it be a good idea for me to use one of these debt management companies that deal with the creditors? I am embarrassed about the state of my finances and am getting to the more 'serious' phase of a relationship with my BF I would be devastated if he found out how useless I am..

Hi louise1984 and thanks for you post.

It looks as though you’ve already had some really useful advice on your other thread as well as some good budgeting suggestions.

It’s great that you’ve decided to take control and that you’ve started opening your letters. The most important outgoings are your priorities such as rent and council tax so it’s best to make sure these are up to date first.

With regards to your options, I wouldn’t recommend that you go to a fee charging debt management company as there are organisations like us that provide the service completely free of charge.

If you’d like us to look at what solutions are available to you, we’d need to look at your situation in a bit more detail. You can visit our online debt advice service Debt Remedy (http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu) to help you find a solution to your debt problem quickly.

If you’d prefer you can call our Helpline on 0800 138 1111 (free including from mobiles). We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturdays 9am – 3pm.

If you phone us it may be possible to refer you directly to a counsellor for immediate advice. Alternatively, we will arrange for an appointment to be booked at a time convenient for you.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

kevin1984 wrote: »

This is my first post so please bear with me and i'll explain my situation.

My present financial situation:

£2000 overdraft
£2500 in credit cards (with three different lenders) which all three have been passed on to debt collection companies
£3000 unsecured loan
£4500-5000 in payday loans with 8 different companies

I earn £22,250 each year
£1400 each month after tax

After priority bills are paid each month I have £500 left but as you can probably see from the list above I am unable to meet my creditors repayments and am in the horrible cycle of using payday loans now just to I can pay my rent/travel and food costs each month.

I have no assets and rent privately.

I feel stupid for finding myself in this position but i'm finding it ever increasingly difficult to deal with the stress of my position, and having to juggle my finances each month and fend off calls from creditors.

I need advice on what my next step could be so I can begin to address my debt issues.

Do I qualify for a Debt Relief Order?
Would an IVA be right for me?

Any advice would be massively appreciated.

Thank you.

Hi Kevin1984 and welcome to the forum.

It’s difficult to say what your options are without looking at your situation in more detail but from what you’ve mentioned I can already see that you wouldn’t qualify for a DRO.

I’d recommend that you get in touch so that we can explore all of the solutions that are available to you. You can visit our online debt advice service Debt Remedy (http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu) to help you find a solution to your debt problem quickly.

Debt Remedy will assist you in completing a financial statement with information on your household, employment, income, expenditure and debts. From this the service will automatically determine your options.

To help you fill in the form, it’s best to gather together information about:
• Your income
• Your expenditure
• The creditors you owe money to

You’ll receive a downloadable advice booklet providing a tailored solution for you based on your current circumstances and advice on ways you may be able to improve your situation.

If you’re not confident with computers or would like to speak to an advisor then you’re welcome to ring our Helpline on 0800 138 1111 (free including from mobiles). We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturdays 9am – 3pm.

If you phone us it may be possible to refer you directly to a counsellor for immediate advice. Alternatively, we will arrange for an appointment to be booked at a time convenient for you.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

leylandbobby wrote: »

Got advice needed, all the best. D & M

Hi there and thanks for the update.

Please get in touch if we can help any further.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

sexybeast69 wrote: »

Hi i am 57off work sick since august 2010. I am on ESA waiting for appeal from my medical. I have debts totalling £26,000 since 2007 over 10 creditors. I have no assets please help.

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

We’d need a bit more information to be able to advise you on your options.

I’d recommend that you visit our online debt advice service Debt Remedy (http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu) to help you find a solution to your debt problem quickly.

Debt Remedy will assist you in completing a financial statement with information on your household, employment, income, expenditure and debts. From this the service will automatically determine your options.

To help you fill in the form, it’s best to gather together information about:
• Your income
• Your expenditure
• The creditors you owe money to

You’ll receive a downloadable advice booklet providing a tailored solution for you based on your current circumstances and advice on ways you may be able to improve your situation.

If you’re not confident with computers or would like to speak to an advisor then you’re welcome to ring our Helpline on 0800 138 1111 (free including from mobiles). We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturdays 9am – 3pm.

If you phone us it may be possible to refer you directly to a counsellor for immediate advice. Alternatively, we will arrange for an appointment to be booked at a time convenient for you.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

Catz2 wrote: »

Hi
I am not sure where to start!
We have a loan, 3 credit cards, sofa on 0%, next account and owe my father £1100 for a car loan. We also have £3000 on an overdraft.
The loan we pay £137 per month for and really don't mind this loan. We got new kitchen, car with it and have 5 year left to pay.
However we have stupidly spent on credit cards and owe around £12000.
We owe £300 on next account and pay £44 per month for a sofa with 3 year left.
The credit cards are all 0%.
Once all minimum payments are made and all bills are paid, we have around £300 per month left. We have to buy clothes, leisure, nappies out of this.
How do we start paying more off when we struggle with what we have?
What is priority?
Thank you.

Hi Catz2 and welcome to the forum.

It’s best to work out a full budget for you and your family, including all your income and expenditure to see exactly where you stand.

There are lots of tips on how to do this in our blogpost: http://moneyaware.co.uk/2011/11/dont-fudge-it-how-to-create-and-stick-to-a-budget/.

Priorities are everything you need to live – i.e. rent/mortgage, bills, food, clothing etc (more details are in the blogpost).

Once you’ve put the budget together, see if there are any changes you can make so that you can afford your creditors. If there still isn’t’ enough to meet all your commitments you may be better looking a debt solution.

If this is the case you can come to us for some more detailed advice through our online debt advice service Debt Remedy (http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu) or call our helpline on 0800 138 1111 (free including from mobiles). We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturdays 9am – 3pm.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

mariadavid wrote: »

Hi

I was paying off council tax with a voluntary payment to Alex Adamson Sheriff Officers and in January the council passed over a £500 bill for 2011/2012, i informed both of them i was on half pay whilst waiting on an operation and could only afford the £35 voluntary payment, whilst waiting to go onto a DAS Scheme.

Unfortunately i am having to apply to go on it again due to us not receiving a balance from a creditor and Alex Adamson then obtained a Deductions of Earning order for the full amount, which includes the monies already being paid back by voluntary payment, as i am only getting £650 a month until i go back to work which is next week fortunately they will only get between £15 and £20 but can they do that?

I am up to date with this years council tax and my total debt to Adamson is £1000, i have also never defaulted on my voluntary payment which i have now cancelled as i felt they were very underhand whilst i was trying to be totally honest about my situation, any advice would help please

Maria

Hi Maria and thanks for your question.

Unfortunately the Sheriff Officer can obtain a deductions of earning order for the payment of the outstanding debt.

I’d recommend that you go back to the approved money advisor who is dealing with your DAS application as they will be able to advise you fully.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

newmuma12

i have recently had a call from my claims expert.co.uk, asking if im struggling with debt. and i am.
i have become a mom this year and so have had some time to look at bank statements etc. my claims expert say they can talk to my bank and card company and get them to freeze my charges and interest, i would then make all my payments through them, with them taking a fee of £25. at first i was happy someone was willing to listen and help, to take away some of the stress, but now im not feeling great about it. i have however not had any help or support from the bank, who say that they cant do anything. should i go with my claims expert to help clear my debt through them.?? my gut says somethings not right. but what options do i have if my bank just keeps saying No or im not eligiable for X,Y and Z? someone please help me.