Help...don't know what to do

mammie_carol

I am new here but find your problems heartbreaking, it is always so easy to get credit(I know I've been there) but paying it off is a different matter.
I noticed you pay 20.00 on prescriptions you can pre pay 94.00 a year I think which would save you quite a bit, my husbands does it and because he's on lots of medication has saved loads.
I can't offer any advice, but please wait till you are in a better postion before trying for a family babies cost a fortune!

CLAPTON

is it possible to increase your income.. part time job perhaps..even a modest increase would help greatly

smoking 100...if you already have health problems it must worthwhile making a real effort to give up, have you asked your doctor for what help is available in your area.. if you can't stop the roll ups are much cheaper.


food etc at 160 is expensive...should be possible to reduce to 100 and still eat well.

dudleyboy

psycrow57 wrote:

I know, stopping smoking is something I really need to do but the more stressed I get, the harder it becomes! I am spending a lot less on fags than I used to and I'm getting there!

I hear you! Well done for cutting back.

psycrow57 wrote:

What are holidays and wardrobe updates? I'm sure I used to know but think I've long since forgotten!

I'm hearing that too!

psycrow57 wrote:

I just feel like such a failure, I don't know how I let myself get into this state...

Seriously, you shouldn't. I don't know anyone who's come out of university without debt. Well, that's not strictly true, I know someone who didn't because the bank of mum and dad paid for everything, but no one likes them so there is a trade off...

I felt pretty much the same as you when I was 24. 4 years later, things are a lot better. It's just a case of getting on top of everything and making sure that you control your finances and not the other way around. you've made the first step today. all the best!

david_hellier

According to my calculations you have £26.08 per week to spend on anything, including food, dentist, hair, clothes, sport etc.

I suggest you withdraw no more than this amount per week to avoid overspend. This is an emergency situation. All I can suggest is you get a higher paid job, seek all benefits or get a part time job to boost income by say at least £100 per week so you can eat.

Good luck.

The figures are as follows:

income weekly monthly
self 1100.00
partner







total 0.00 1100.00
253.85 divided by 4.33

253.85 total weekly income

spend weekly monthly
rent/mortgage 300.00
council tax 55.00
elec 10.00
gas 10.00
water 15.00
secured loans
TV licence 5.00
fines
transport 50.00
phone 50.00
bc 30.00
od 10.00
egg 37.00
tsb 70.00
mbna 325.00
ed fees 20.00














total 0.00 987.00
227.77 divided by 4.33

£227.77 total weekly spend

Start= income - spend = £26.08 per week

all_hours

With that SOA it works out you're £245 short each month.

If you cut your food bill to £100, hairdressing to £5, clothes to £10, tobacco to £50 and get rid of the magazines you'd only be £112 short.

What are the education fees?

psycrow57

My food bill is high because of very severe allergies that make food shopping very difficult...and extremely expensive!

As far as haircuts go, I left in what the CCCS recommended as it seemed fair. In all fairness, I don't remember the last time I got my haircut!

Clothes is a tricky one, as my wardrobe still lives in student land, whilst my job demands that I look smart on a daily basis - I've bought a few suits etc from eBay, and I wouldn't necessarily spend that per month (again, it was the figure the CCCS automatically put in and I thought it seemed fair) but sometimes I have to...

As far as a part time job goes, it's physically not possible. I'm hardly well enough to do my current job - I have to take very strong painkillers and my life currently consists of crawling out of bed to go to work, coming home at 6 and getting back in to bed. I'd love to do more, but realistically I have no idea how I could.

The advice about prescriptions is great, I forgot about the pre-payment certificates, I will get that sorted out asap.

Thefunkygibbons

The starting point has to be to find every penny to throw at the barclaycard

Use the snowball calculator to see what it is worth

A few really tough months could get that cleared

On the children front, without prying, are there things you can do now, such as egg freezing that could help

Hard as it is, you need to beat this now prior to children otherwise you could be looking at a lifetime of debt

psycrow57

The education fees are my student loan repayments that come out of my pay...shouldn't have separated them out really, don't know why I did!

all_hours

psycrow57 wrote:

My food bill is high because of very severe allergies that make food shopping very difficult...and extremely expensive!

Ask on the old style forum for cheap shopping and recipe ideas for your allergies.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=33

psycrow57

Thefunkygibbons wrote:

The starting point has to be to find every penny to throw at the barclaycard

Use the snowball calculator to see what it is worth

A few really tough months could get that cleared

On the children front, without prying, are there things you can do now, such as egg freezing that could help

Hard as it is, you need to beat this now prior to children otherwise you could be looking at a lifetime of debt

No, egg freezing wouldn't really help me...and I wouldn't be able to afford it even if it would! I'm not planning on getting pregnant, as I know it would be impossible, just hard to accept that I'm having to not do it because of all of this!

I know, the Barclaycard definitely needs to go!

Thank you!