New to the forum - up debt creek - all advice welcome

shamac

I have a Post Office budget card which I use to save for my car tax, stick £10 a month on it and that's it paid. You can use it to save for other things as well. It's free.:T

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content1?catId=115700767&mediaId=115700773

_Persephone

Thanks Robroe electricity is a massive expense, I have put £60.00 on and am hoping this will last the month. Have stopped using the heater now too, so this should also bring the cost down too.

Shamac, also a good idea re: budget card - the thing with putting that money aside into a 'pot' each month is that it's too easy for me to dip into when funds are low. Gonna get one of those, and then pay for my tax for a whole year when it's up in Dec!

_Persephone

Coincidentally, I got a letter through from Eon today... This is what I am paying:

29.44p standing charge
14.75p day unit
5.12 night unit.

EXCLUDING VAT.

Off to do some research, also going to order one of those special standby plugs as featured in Martin's email this week.

_Persephone

iPad sold for £675! I paid £499 for it. £651 winging it's way to my bank account now, then will be chucking at the credit card, Nearly over 10% of the balance cleared...

I'm so chuffed

shellb30

Oh great for you Persephone!! I am a newbie and no where near clearing my debts all 17K!!! And now on maternity leave!! So strugling to keep up my repayments to say the least!! May I just ask I too have a Lloyds TSB credit card and am paying the same interest etc as you were, did you just ring up Lloyds credit cards and arrange a new payment plan and did it effect your credit rating?? I hope you don't mind me asking on your thread, this is something I need to sort and quick x
Many thanks

_Persephone

Hi Shellb30! Congratulations on the new arrival And no of course I don't mind you asking on my thread, glad to be of help for a change.

I called them up one month when I couldn't afford the payment, and told them I was in financial difficulty. I think it was the collections department, as I had missed the payment that month. We ended up going through my income and expenditure on the phone, and because my income was equal to my expenditure, we now have a special arrangement until June - he called it a 'credit agreement'.

He said that it would not affect my credit rating this time round, and after the initial 6 month period was up, it would be reviewed and possibly extended, and then it would start to affect my credit rating. So I think I am now paying 0.5% per month, instead of 2%. He seemed to be really nice after that, even telling me to pay what I can - I was going to pay the missed payment with a credit card, but he was like "I can't encourage you getting into more debt", and I didn't have to pay that month.

This does mean that the credit card account is now closed too.

You've got nothing to lose by calling them, it's definitely worth a shot! Why don't you try mystery shopping to boost your income - guessing you may have more time to do it now you're on mat leave? x

shellb30

Thank you soooooo much and I will now look into mystery shopping!! Wish me luck!! xx

_Persephone

Let us know how you get on pet.

_Persephone

shellb30 wrote: »

Thank you soooooo much and I will now look into mystery shopping!! Wish me luck!! xx

On the off-chance you see this, please please please don't get into the same agreement I did with Lloyds! I have just seen my credit report and there is 'an arrangement to pay' on the card, despite them telling me that it would not affect my credit rating.

Argh! :mad::(

Bobbins11

_Persephone wrote: »

I called up to change my electric meter, as I understood pay as you go electricity was always more expensive than a billed meter, but they told me that new legislation had come and meant that they had to charge the same price. As it was going to cost me £50 to change to a billed meter, I didn't bother.

I'm not sure if anyone has commented on this; your energy supplier can't charge you a fee to change your meter. A change of meter is always free of charge; pre-payment meters are more expensive. I would suggest you call them again and advise you will change supplier if they don't change your meter. That should get them to sort it; if not you can change to another supplier and get them to change it for you instead.

Well done on your money saving efforts so far