Where do I start?? With Brighthouse!

helencalla

Hi everyone,

I have decided after months of stress to deal with my finances head on. I am sick of dreading every letter through the door. I find myself with barely enough money for food let alone treats. My children all need new clothes and shoes but its unlikely to happen any time soon.

I am going to check my credit reports over the next day or so.

I have items from Brighthouse, cooker, fridge, bunkbeds(+ 2 mattresses = 3 contracts/1 item) and Playstation 3. £46.90 a week! The PS3 is going back tomorrow and I am cancelling the OSC on the mattresses, they're not likely to break down and I wouldn't cancel them! I plan on saving up to replace cooker, fridge and beds then cancelling the BH ones. So should I keep the OSC going on them or would I be better off cancelling it and having to wait til halfway through my contract before I can cancel? I'm getting copies of all contracts tomorrow when I go in. But I am only about 4 - 5 months in on my oldest one.

I know it was stupid getting them but I had no cooker or fridge freezer when I moved and no money to buy them.

Thank you x

Memory_Girl

When I moved I got a fridge freezer, cooker and washing machine from freecycyle / local charity furniture project for less than £100 for the three - they are still on the go (although the cooker has moved to a friends house as I have fitted a oven / hob now.

DS1 got a set of bunkbeds, wardrobe and chest of drawers from local charity place too - £50 all together.

Could you make a plan to source what you want second hand and dirt cheap whilst you save up to buy again - its go to be cheaper than Brighthouse.

BTW DS1 has just anounced that he wants a bedroom makeover - he loves his furniture (good solid pine but a little dated) and the photo he has seen to copy is of painted furniture - so a pot of paint, a lot of elbow grease and he will have a designer bedroom.

MG

Polly_Wolly_Doodle

Hi,
I agree with Memory Girl, have a google and see what you can find locally, here there is a Bethany (Christian charity) and brand new but cosmetically marked white goods are sold for a fraction of new, maybe a fridge with a bump in the side that you don't see when it's between units etc.
Also it may be worth asking your council if they have any contacts, suggestions. Try googleing Sue Rider as well.
Good luck, i hate these shops that charge sooo much.

helencalla

I'll definitely be checking out freecycle, I didn't even think about it even though I'm a member and always get emails!!! If I can source them for next to nothing I can start paying off my debts rather than paying Brighthouse!!! Thanks x

Memory_Girl

It's baby steps towards getting to your tipping point - where your income is more than your expenditure. I made an agreement with myself that nothing was sacred - everything was up for scaling back.

So we "make do an mend", "grow our own", have built a storecupboard and "menu plan like crazy" - got to the point where we have quite a nice but simple standard of living (well we certainly eat better) and now are overpaying our one debt that's left. When that is gone we should be able to move to overpaying the mortgage - which on a limited income is brilliant.

I'm pretty sure I have learned how to make £1 do the work of £3 - hang around here for long enough and so will you.

MG