Please can someone help me? I am at my wits end and this is getting serious!

GreyPilgrim

mobile and gym are the two immediate ones. Can you not get a cheap bike and a decent pair of trainers (initial cost, I know) and do some serious roadwork? There are loads of exercises you can do outside of the gym - check out http://www.shapefit.com/training.html - lots of them without equipment but if you have any weights or equipment, you're sorted.

I know it's only £20 a month you'll save, but it's £240 a year that you can throw at one of your cards. Every little helps, to quote a certain supermarket.

Anyway, welcome to the forum. You've made a positive move in wanting to attack your debt. Stick with it.

GP

Hello

Libero, this post is encouragement instead of advice, hopefully. As a newbie money saver myself I haven't had the courage to post my details as you have and only posted a couple of replies. You are obviously feeling a little overwelmed and one thing I have noticed about posts on this forum is that they are full of good advice, but if you are feeling low can feel like a barage instead.

Once you get past that feeling start thinking about the advice seriously, it really is good. Read similar old posts and read the signatures of your replies, people are reducing their debt and you can too.

During this post I was thinking about your £200 food bill a month (bit of a foodie, me). I have recently become obsessed with cooking (as opposed to just obsessed with eating!) and find that cooking simple meals are cheaper than buying already prepared products from the supermarket, or do you eat out regularly? Please don't tell me you shop at Marks and Spencer!! :eek: (Just realised this is advice, sorry, can't help it!)

Well done for facing your debts, it can get better from here on and can be fun too especially when you see the debts reducing.

Good luck

Hello

tonyevic

Libero

You really need to do a financial statement with your income and expenditure.
The expenditure should not include any of your debts ie: credit card payments or loan payments etc etc
If you cant get the income to balance with the expenditure then you are going to have to make sacrifices.
If you have any remaining income this can be offered on a pro-rata basis to your creditors.
You can negoiate with them and get the interest frozen once you have agreed re-payment proposals, albeit reduced amounts.

You need to maximise your income and minimise your outgoings, there are lots of tips how to do this on this site.

If you need help there are lots of FREE debt advice numbers...I can send you a self help pack if you get stuck..

Debbiem

Hi

Lots of good advice especially regarding the food bill, slashing that down by half will give you the extra cash you need

Libero_2

Things that I have done.

American Express cancelled. The good balance transfer for life deal had ended.

Mint card cancelled.

This leaves Virgin which is
3320.96 @0% until Sep 25th
2150 @15.9%
1011.86 @20.9%

I think I will need to transfer this over to a good 0%apr or life time balance low apr, what do you think? Any ideas for this?

I am looking at selling the car and will do on ebay this weekend. I really will miss it though as I use it for going home to visit parents and also going to gloucestershire to visit my son. It will be trains from now on but should work out less than the £100 a month I pay at present. I will also get my insurance money back as I paid it upfront so I can put that straight into paying a debt.

Last night I went through loads of old junk and put them on ebay to try and make a few more quid rather than binning them.

Part time work is not an option as the hours I work are mental already.

I really dont want to quit the gym as I get it half price and use it.

Football costs are a necessity, I have played all of my life and am not prepared to give up something I really love.

I am in a shared house so that is why the council tax and bills are low.

One thing I am not aware of and someone might be able to help. If I pay regular maintenance for the welfare of my son am I entitled to tax credits at all or any other form of benefit. Probably clutching at straws but you never know.

Thanks

lynzpower

definately get some of those high interest cards gone via a 0% or low life of balance. you might want to check your credit report in a few days. that wil tell you whne the other debts have been closed down. Dont apply till then, as if you get refused it will appear on your credit rating.

BONJOEY

unfortunatly, you will not be able to claim tax credits, as the parent who looks after the child ( i,e the main carer who lives with the child) recieves this benifit, along with any other benifits they are entitled to,

do you pay your maintenence through csa, or direct?

you can get this looked at , to see if your entitled to lower your payments, its worth a try!

Toomuchdebt

My ex husband gets working families tax credits even though the children live with me.he has them 2 nights a week so maybe that's why.He only pays me £50 a month through CSA(for 4 children)

BONJOEY

ONLY 50 POUND!!!!!! and he gets the workin tax credit and not you!!!!

that seems unfair

bonnie_2

if his on a low wage of less than £16,000 then he would get working tax credit. which is obviously why he only pays £50 in maintenance. it's nothing to do with him having the kids two nights a week, if your on a low wage with or without children you are entilted to it. ctc and wtc are two different benifits.