Hello, i'm new

immoral_angeluk

Do you not claim tax credits??? go to https://www.entitledto.co.uk to find out if you're entitled and how much you'll be able to get.

lynzpower

have you got kids? They often like to pitch in playing "shop" at bootsales

Or are there any neices in the family you can pinch for the day?

Paula_anne

we applied and was getting regular payments then got the dreaded letter saying they' paid us too much, so the reduced payments to just £14 pw, recently got another letter saying they've yet again paid us too much so they are stopping payments.

Yes i have 2 girls 5yrs and 3yrs, think the 5 yr old will be better at bootfairing, 3yr old gets bored too quickly.

duncans-mum_2

Hi there. Like you say, the amount of debt you have is not a HUGE amount, but you are doing right in trying to nip it in the bud now. Its amazing how quickly it can go up. Re your savings to pay hfc loan. If it is anything like mine, when I bought my laptop, the interest over the next 3 or so years will be quite high, so if you look at how much you will be paying overall, it may shock you. Its nice having savings as a safety net, but you would save overall on interest charges. As for spending on your catalogues again or buying stuff as a "pick me up" we all occasionally lapse back into this every now and then, but if you keep reading and posting on here, it does begin to alter your outlook on wasting money and you can begin to train yourself in to asking "do I really want/need this?"

Good luck with it.

Paula_anne

seems like a good thing to do at the time, have rung hfc for final settlement figure which is £601 so they are gonna send out the settlement form, one less debt to worry about.

seven-day-weekend

Paula_anne wrote:

seems like a good thing to do at the time, have rung hfc for final settlement figure which is £601 so they are gonna send out the settlement form, one less debt to worry about.

Well done - now you can put what you were paying HFC towards another debt. Do the highest interest one first.

Paula_anne

Hi, just thought i'd let you know how i was getting on, well from today my debt is £1,180. in under a month, my debt was £1,915 i am well on my way to freedom, i am saving £120 a month as my petrol and car insurance have been slashed dramatically. and i have been babysitting for a friend and also cleaning. i also completely paid off my credit card as it was the highest apr. and i've cut it up!!!! hope everyone else is ok and keeping on top of their debts.:D

Storm

Hi Paula Anne,

Didn't see your post originally, but glad you're feeling much more on top of things. One tip that has worked for me to cut down on unplanned spending & splurging is to set a weekly budget, take it out in cash on the Monday morning then leave all your cards at home.

Not only does it mean you can't overspend, but £20 seems like nothing when swiping a card, but a lot more when actually handing over those crisp bank notes!

Good luck with your money saving - have you tried the old style & freebies boards to give yourself a kickstart?

Paula_anne

No i haven't thanx for the advice, i'll head over there now, thanx storm

bobbadog

Hi Paula Anne - if your only vice is two magazines a week, subscribe to them or ask for a subscription for Christmas. Often get free gifts and you could possibly do it through quidco.com? x