We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Don't know what to do . . .

ironmysox
Posts: 6 Forumite
Right, where to start . . .
I'm in debt . . and I just don't know what to do.
Im 37, living in a free part of my grandmothers house rent free. Im reasonably fit (physically), unemployed - claiming incapacity benefit due to havey depression, extreme anxiety and severe panic attacks (on the old medication for this to hopefully turn my frown upside down . . )
I started off with a loan for £1500 several years ago with the co - op. Seemed a great idea at the time . . I was working for the Nat West on fairly good income so was under control . .
From that point I don't really know what happened. . I ended up moving my loan to Barclays, upping it to £5000 . . . then £10,000, then finally £15,000. All my own fault I admit but what's done is done and until now I have never missed a payment etc etc on anything . .
On top of this was credit cards . . . .
Mentally this is making me ill, I am taking pills to keep anxiety and tension at bay . .
List of my debts:
MBNA £6770.87 paying minumim payment £5. Interest per month £81.87
Barclaycard Gold £3463.13 Paying £69 per month
Barclayloan (Resolve Loan) :-
Total Amount of Loan £9900
Total Amount Payable £17890.90
I am paying £66.42 for 12 months on the Barclays Reslove . . then it will be looked at again.
I also have a 3 Mobile contract, 18 months, 6 months in. This is on the lowest tariff so they tell me at approx £20 per month.
My income is £118 per fortnight.
I have got myself in a mess . . I don't know at what point I lost control but I have and now it's destroying my life totally. I have no social life, I have alienated myself away from friends . .
I want to end this. Get myself back together, get a job but my brain is tired and the depression is, well, just downright depressing. Just sit and bloody cry for hours some days.
"Go Bankrupt" so many people keep telling me, "You have nothing to lose"...
Well I dont know anything about bankruptcy etc etc
Can anyone make suggestions? Just opinions is what I need. I know that ultimately the final deciscion will be mine.
Sorry it's a long post.
Chris
I'm in debt . . and I just don't know what to do.
Im 37, living in a free part of my grandmothers house rent free. Im reasonably fit (physically), unemployed - claiming incapacity benefit due to havey depression, extreme anxiety and severe panic attacks (on the old medication for this to hopefully turn my frown upside down . . )
I started off with a loan for £1500 several years ago with the co - op. Seemed a great idea at the time . . I was working for the Nat West on fairly good income so was under control . .
From that point I don't really know what happened. . I ended up moving my loan to Barclays, upping it to £5000 . . . then £10,000, then finally £15,000. All my own fault I admit but what's done is done and until now I have never missed a payment etc etc on anything . .
On top of this was credit cards . . . .
Mentally this is making me ill, I am taking pills to keep anxiety and tension at bay . .
List of my debts:
MBNA £6770.87 paying minumim payment £5. Interest per month £81.87
Barclaycard Gold £3463.13 Paying £69 per month
Barclayloan (Resolve Loan) :-
Total Amount of Loan £9900
Total Amount Payable £17890.90
I am paying £66.42 for 12 months on the Barclays Reslove . . then it will be looked at again.
I also have a 3 Mobile contract, 18 months, 6 months in. This is on the lowest tariff so they tell me at approx £20 per month.
My income is £118 per fortnight.
I have got myself in a mess . . I don't know at what point I lost control but I have and now it's destroying my life totally. I have no social life, I have alienated myself away from friends . .
I want to end this. Get myself back together, get a job but my brain is tired and the depression is, well, just downright depressing. Just sit and bloody cry for hours some days.
"Go Bankrupt" so many people keep telling me, "You have nothing to lose"...
Well I dont know anything about bankruptcy etc etc
Can anyone make suggestions? Just opinions is what I need. I know that ultimately the final deciscion will be mine.
Sorry it's a long post.
Chris
0
Comments
-
Chris,
You've certainly made a start by coming here. When I made my first post it seemed like a weight off my shoulders as collectively here there's a lot of knowledge. I would suggest speaking to Payplan, CCCS, National Debt Line or even your local CAB.
On a positive note their's always someone worse off here than yourself if that helps :beer: !
Can I ask what the loans are for... and your total income & outgoings (SOA)?£2 Coin Savings = £0.230 -
Thanks for the speedy reply . .
You know, I really dont know what the loans were for, a TV upgrade here, Hi-Fi upgrade there, a 3 month trip to Australia, weekends away . . an ex I really wanted to spoil . . just bloody nonsense really now I look back
My total income is £118 a month. Thats it. Incapacity Benefit.
My outgoings are:
Barclays £66.42 (Loan) (will increase to £288)
Barclaycard £69
MBNA (Until this month I was paying just £5 minimum payment but interest has piled on so it's now £87)
3 Mobile £20 approx a month
I do not have to pay for food or rent etc etc.
Telewest £45 Internet and Telephone package
My grandmother helps me in a out in a BIG way but I can't let it carry on. It is making me feel guilty.
My room has become what feels like a very comfortable prison cell.0 -
move over 'cos there's plenty of cell mates on here to give you a big hug!
We've all worn that 'Gawd what did I spend the money on' t shirt (and many of us are still wearing it) so the first thing to do is to stop beating yourself yourself about what you've spent in the past and look to what you are spending/earning now.
I would echo about contacting the charities mentioned - they can help you deal with the companies you owe money and once you have (professional) help you may find that you are able to deal with the other problems that are stopping you finding employment.
In the meantime stick around...we may not have the answers but we're always ready to listen.2014 Target;
To overpay CC by £1,000.
Overpayment to date : £310
2nd Purse Challenge:
£15.88 saved to date0 -
Yeah I think a lot of people look back and think Jeeeesus, where'd it go. i was the same, lived with ex, treated her, we split so I treated myself... not too much on my credit cards at the time, around £2k. Then add to that buying a house, doing it up, and my turbo & throttlebody dying on my car and I've suddenly reached £11k!!! Then with interest and charges it was nearer £14k. Thankfully my Mother paid £5k towards it and now it's up to me to reduce the rest.
Payplan are really good, they're sympathetic, you have a telephone interview and they work out the best plan of action. For the moment I would suggest writing to all your creditors highlighting your situation, make it clear that you're taking a positive step by contacting a debt management company and then enclose a £1 token payment.
They'll call and hassel you but you just need to be firm and tell them the situation, some will probably be fine and some won't. It's horrible talking to them but you just need to remember that you can't give them what you don't have. It's tough. If they get !!!!y then just put the phone down.
If you google Payplan then you will find their number. Perhaps popping to your local CAB in the meantime will help. They gave me Payplans details and I was happy to do the work from their. However as your situation seems to be a bit different to mine they might have other idea's. Good luck & let us know how you go.£2 Coin Savings = £0.230 -
Thanks to you both for replying so quickly. Im going to contact CAB first thing and take it from there.
Really glad I came here.
Thank you0 -
:hello: Welcome to the DFW boards Chris :hello:
Things should start getting better from today. You have made the first step posting on here and that is a seriously brave thing to do. I am sure that there will be people along soon who can give you lots more help although you have received good advice already. You are on the way up.
Depression is a terrible thing but you will get better with time and the money thing is not as important as your health so look after yourself. CCCS or one of the other charities should be able to help you in a practical way with what to do next about your debt but there is always a solution somewhere so don't despair. As the other posters have said, you are not alone and I hope you can take some comfort from that. I'm sorry I don't really have the knowledge to give you a great deal of practical advice but sometimes, just sharing a problem makes us feel better. I hope you will feel a weight lifting now that you have begun your journey to be debt free.
I don't know if you feel that you could do something like AQA (any question answered) which would enable you to work from home in your own time on your computer. I lnow some people on the boards do this to earn money. (((hugs)))You - only you- will have stars that can laugh :rotfl:
:starmod: Debt-free:starmod:
£2 Coin Savers' Club - Christmas due on 25/12/06! £[STRIKE]142.00 [/STRIKE][STRIKE]16/07/06 [/STRIKE][STRIKE]£150.00 [/STRIKE][STRIKE]21/07/06[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]£158 2/08/06[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]£166 28/8/06[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]3/10/06 £198 [/STRIKE]25/10/06 £214 :xmassmile
DFW Nerd 137:j
Proud to be dealing with my debt0 -
Welcome Chris
Glad youve found us
I do echo what the others have said, any of those orgs should help you out, and hopefully in time, youll see a clearing in the woods. Things will get better, we are all here to moan with and jolly each other along and what not you are in good company
Another thought I had was, is there any chance you could do a bit of voluntary work or something, just to break the cycle of being cooped up? Im not so well myself at the mo, and looking for a bit of vol work or anything really to get me out of the flat. things always look a bit more positive from new pastures and all that. Anyway ust a thought, and quite a lot pay travel expenses as well. So you dont need to be out of pocket if theres anything that you could do to lift you a bit
Anyway, big :wave: again:beer: Well aint funny how its the little things in life that mean the most? Not where you live, the car you drive or the price tag on your clothes.
Theres no dollar sign on piece of mind
This Ive come to know...
So if you agree have a drink with me, raise your glasses for a toast :beer:0 -
As i was thinking about typing my original post, I was thinking "Is it really worth it? Rolling off all this crap about your debt onto a forum . . What help can that be?" but let me say this . . .
From just several responses in a few hours, I feel like a weight has lifted. Your responses are helpful, friendly and encouraging. Maybe that sounds odd but from the moment I wake to the moment I sleep, I run over debt calculations over and over in my mind. People who know me say im so distant . .I never talk about the pressure it is putting me under. It was a relief to finally let it out.
Im gonna try all suggested charities tomorrow and also look into the voluntary work . .
Will let you know how I get on.
Thanks again all
Chris0 -
Have a good day Chris and let us know how you go on:beer: Well aint funny how its the little things in life that mean the most? Not where you live, the car you drive or the price tag on your clothes.
Theres no dollar sign on piece of mind
This Ive come to know...
So if you agree have a drink with me, raise your glasses for a toast :beer:0 -
hi, just wanted to say that you are not odd for running through money calculations all of the time in your head. It can be associated with the depression thing as those suffering with depression (as I have), have a tendancy towards OCD, although it may be a very mild form of it.
You will get throught the money problems, and we are all here to help so keep posting!0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 351.4K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.3K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.8K Spending & Discounts
- 244.4K Work, Benefits & Business
- 599.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.1K Life & Family
- 257.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards