Hi - can anyone see what I'm missing??

poppycracker

Hi all

Been around for a while but too scared to write out an SOA until last month. Well, that did it! OH has been banned from going shopping unless we sit and write a menu together, and I have pared everything down to the bone. Now, unless any of you can see any way I can cut down further, what am I missing???



Monthly Income :- £857.00 (combined wage)
£ 90.44 ( OH Industrial Injuries Benefit)

Total Monthly Income £947.44


Monthly Outgoings:-

Rent - NIL (tied flat)
Council Tax - £200 (got CT Benefit after a fight, was £211)
Council Tax Arrears - £100 (we hid our heads in the sand after we moved)
Electricity - £50 (just switched and will be setting up DD)
Landline Phone - £52.50 (DD with BT, should go down soon)
Internet - £7.99 (the cheapest dial up connection I could find)
Life Insurance - £14.00 (mine)
Car Insurance - £17.10 (car is off the road but can't afford to pay lump sum to cancel the insurance. It expires in Dec)
TV License - £10.56
B&E Insurance - £11.47
B&E payment - £165.00
Grocery Budget - £160 (I know this is horrendous for two adults and I am trying to get it down!)
OH tobacco habit - £73.50

Total Monthly Outgoings £862.12

Total left to spend on emergencies, travel, going out, clothes, ANYTHING that isn't essential to life basically (apart from the internet) £85.32

Before you point out the tobacco thing....that is one thing I cannot control when it comes to spending money. OH has to decide to give up on his own. He uses the Industrial Injuries Benefit he gets to pay for it. Gets that each week in cash.

This is what B&E are helping me with...

Jeremy Sutcliffe (Loan)
Present balance owed £4,886.00
monthly payment £68.00
months to go 72

NAG Collections (Clydesdale Credit Card)

present balance owed £1,997.00
monthly payment £32.00
months to go 62

NAG Collections (Clydesdale O/D)

present balance owed £1,648.00
monthly payment £21.00
months to go 78

Egg Visa

present balance owed £947.00
monthly payment £15.00
months to go 63

In total I am paying back £9478 which might not seem a lot, but does to me! I just want some spare money every month that I can use for something that I don't NEED!

(sorry it's such a long post)

lynzpower

Is that a DMP with baines and ernst? they do charge you know, so less of your payment goes to creditors, Id change to payplan or CCCS who dont charge you for thier services which should shorten your debt free date for start off.
I wonder if you are entitled to any other benefits, as your combines income is really low. https://www.entitledto.co.uk

poppycracker

Hi lynz....I know B&E charges, but at the time I was desperate and hadn't heard of the free ones. I don't know if they will let me switch now, anyone know?

I've been onto entitledto and we are entitled to WTC, but OH is in the middle of a dispute with them for WTC that he claimed on his own so I don't want to get caught up in the middle of it.

He is getting money taken off his IIB for something (we don't know what, we haven't had a letter) it should be £25 pw

skylight

Dump B&E. They charge. Do a Payplan or CCCS instead (links above) THEY ARE FREE!!!!! Or contact each creditor individually and ask them to take payments at the currents rates/terms directly from you instead. Save some money.

And smoking. Yes, I am an ex-smoker and I know this is easier said than done - but £73.50!! Thats nearly £900 a YEAR! £9000 in 10 years - how long have you been smoking??? And after 12 months, Life insurance quotes will go down - double saving!

Are you sure £200 Council tax is right? Thats £2k per year? Where do you live? What do you live in? Buckingham Palace??? Thats double our top end in this area and we are not cheap! There was a thread somewhere on this board - in fact I think it was put out in Martins Money tips about checking the Council tax in simialr properties to you (same road and same size etc) to make sure you were paying the same and in the same band. Councils do make mistakes and wont admit.

Tried the Old Style board yet for price cuts in housekeeping??

poppycracker

charlotte664 wrote:

Dump B&E. They charge. Do a Payplan or CCCS instead (links above) THEY ARE FREE!!!!! Or contact each creditor individually and ask them to take payments at the currents rates/terms directly from you instead. Save some money.

Yes I know they do. I wanted to know if they penalised you for switching.

And smoking. Yes, I am an ex-smoker and I know this is easier said than done - but £73.50!! Thats nearly £900 a YEAR! £9000 in 10 years - how long have you been smoking??? And after 12 months, Life insurance quotes will go down - double saving!


I DON'T SMOKE! Never have done! OH does. . And believe me, I've been trying to get him to stop since I met him three years ago!

Are you sure £200 Council tax is right? Thats £2k per year? Where do you live? What do you live in? Buckingham Palace??? Thats double our top end in this area and we are not cheap! There was a thread somewhere on this board - in fact I think it was put out in Martins Money tips about checking the Council tax in simialr properties to you (same road and same size etc) to make sure you were paying the same and in the same band. Councils do make mistakes and wont admit.

Yes I'm sure. I live in a tied flat in a Sheltered Housing complex in Aberdeen which I manage so I can't move. Do you think I'd be here if I could? I'd be back up on Lewis living with my mum and paying her £50 a week! The flat (for some reason) is band E and the total Council Tax for the year is £1845.36. Aberdeen was in the news recently about being one of the highest charging councils in britain.

Tried the Old Style board yet for price cuts in housekeeping??

Yes, I'm there all the time. I buy own brand products, I don't spend money on cigarettes, alcohol, magazines, clothes, takeaways or anything else. I live in a complete vacuum!

But thanks for your help

skylight

Please forgive me. I was under the impression you wanted some help with your SOA.

I wasn't expecting to be shot down with the comments I had placed.

Annie_Fanny

Poppycracker please ring either Payplan or CCCS to check if the situation re charging for switching debt management companies - there is no harm in asking. Also dig out your T&Cs from B&E and see what they say about switching. They are basically fleecing you.

It's a crying shame that your OH uses his Industrial Injuries Benefit to pay for his cancer sticks. The irony!

CLAPTON

just a couple of things ..would OH switch to roll ups ...its lots cheaper than ready made.

can you change you phone so you on use BT line and use people like call1899.com or call18185.co.uk for all your calls....lots cheaper than BT

poppycracker

charlotte664 wrote:

Please forgive me. I was under the impression you wanted some help with your SOA.

I wasn't expecting to be shot down with the comments I had placed.

Sorry about that charlotte, I was very upset at everything yesterday and the way I read your suggestions was obviously wrong. The smoking thing is a sore point between OH and me and has been for years. And the Council Tax thing....well why would I lie and say it was that much? However, looking at them now, I can see I went a bit over the top so I apologise.

CLAPTON wrote:

just a couple of things ..would OH switch to roll ups ...its lots cheaper than ready made.

can you change you phone so you on use BT line and use people like call1899.com or call18185.co.uk for all your calls....lots cheaper than BT

He does smoke roll-ups

I'm going to investigate those phone numbers too, thanks for the suggestion

Annie_Fanny wrote:

Poppycracker please ring either Payplan or CCCS to check if the situation re charging for switching debt management companies - there is no harm in asking. Also dig out your T&Cs from B&E and see what they say about switching. They are basically fleecing you.

I'm going to dig out my papers today and have a look, thanks!

Cerenia

What we tend to do here to get food bill a month down, is always look around ALL stores 9if poss) for discounts, and offers, I go to sainsbury's, morrisons, asda and iceland frequently, and try to get to a tescos whenever, and look at deals, i've got about 40 packs of ready noodles because thery were 5 for a £1 instead of 42p a pack recently, little things like that can help save pennies in the long run, and if I se anything gift-like discounted, I tend to buy and store away for xmas, birthdays etc, it'll come in handy at one point! The freebies help me loads as well, i've stopped buying skincare as I had quite a few skincare samples come through the door!

Also, how many does your OH smoke a day? Try giving him a challenge down to like, 5 a day (if he smokes more). Its not cutting out, but its going to be midway, slightly better.

Wizwoo

Hi Poppycracker,

I can understand the issue with OH smoking, mine did for the first 4 years we were together - he finally gave up 5 years ago. He had wanted to way before then and managed to cut down but that never lasted long and he'd be back smoking as many as ever soon enough.

For my OH to give up he needed his own "lightbulb" moment re: the ciggies. So I'm afraid that really is something beyond your control (as I guess you know ).

Others on here have given you some good advice re: payplan etc so good luck with it and let us know how you're getting on.
Ww