Please can somebody help - getting desperate!

alexisemma31

My hubby has been unemployed since last November. He was self employed, but worked on a commission only basis for a company which closed, so really he was made redundant. He was in regulated business, so as he is no longer registered he can no longer practice (he was an IFA)

Anyhow, we have really tried to manage without trying to claim any benefits. I work full time with a gross salary of £38000, but by the time my student loan, tax, car payment (I am an essential car user so the council paid for my car and I pay them back with a very low interest rate) NI, pension etc. comes out I am left with £1800. We have two 'children' living at home; age 18 and 19 one of which is heading to uni in September. So I am trying to run a house, feed us all, pay all bills etc myself.

We haven't been able to pay the mortgage for 6 months and our mortgage company have been very patient and we recently changed to interest only.

My hubby by the way is disabled, but has always worked full time, and still wants to do so. But despite applying for lots and lots of jobs, had interviews etc he has so far been unsuccessful.

Last week he enquired about what he would be entitled to; and was told probably nothing because of my salary.

JSA - not entitled because he has been self employed.
ESA - income based, no because of my salary. Contributions based - no because he has been unable to pay his last years tax and NI bill due to the company he worked for going bust and he was not paid what they owed him. (he has paid everything he should for the 20 years before that)

Can anyone help or make suggestions as to what we could be entitled to. We are really getting desperate. Last month I couldn't afford to pay the council tax as I wouldn't have had enough money to feed us. This is the choice I'm having to make at the moment and yesterday I had a snotty letter from the council tax office withdrawing our right to pay in installments. I really feel at my wits end. I work a stressful job, full time, hubby is depressed, what on earth can I do?

We have no luxuries; no going out, definitely no holidays and I just feel like I don't know where to turn or what else I can do.

Please can someone help or offer advice?

Many thanks

We have really tried to manage without having to claim benefits but I don't know how much longer we can keep our heads above water.

MissMoneypenny

alexisemma31 wrote: »

I work full time with a gross salary of £38000, but by the time my student loan, tax, car payment (I am an essential car user so the council paid for my car and I pay them back with a very low interest rate) NI, pension etc. comes out I am left with £1800. We have two 'children' living at home; age 18 and 19 one of which is heading to uni in September. So I am trying to run a house, feed us all, pay all bills etc myself.

How much of that 1800 is for your interest only mortgage? Do you claim child benefit and tax credits?

If you go to the debt free wannabe board, they will be able to help with cutting your outgoings and the old fashioned board will be able to help with lowering your food costs.

Your husband might like to look for ideas on the upping your income board, until he finds a job.

Your 18 and 19 year old are adults and should be contributing towards their upkeep. They are old enough to find jobs. You shouldn't be working and paying for 3 other adults and having all this stress.

CountryGuy

Hi there

I'm wondering if you might find some solutions here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=76

It is obvious that you have been living to your means (as the majority of peole do) and now that you are one wage down you are finding it difficult to cope.

Try the link above, there might be ways in which you can financially cut back enough to manage on just your income until your oh finds new employment.

He can search for jobs online through the job centre online here: http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/homepage.aspx?sessionid=26aec612-506e-49ec-a0c8-955961c7cf94&pid=2

Oldernotwiser

You really need to look at cutting your outgoings, I'm afraid as the only benefit your husband might be able to claim (depending on his care/mobility needs) is DLA.

£38,000 is a good salary, particularly as you haven't been paying the mortgage out of it so I'd post an SOA on the DFW Board where people will help you to look at cutting your outgoings.

skintandscared_2

I learned the hard way that putting off claiming benefits is a bad idea. We had to get my partner's NI contributions up to date and then the only benefit we could claim was his NI payments. I'm on roughly the same salary as you, and he was self employed, so we weren't entitled to anything else BUT it would have been a lot easier if we'd tried to claim sooner. We left it 3 years until we tried.

alexisemma31

thanks everybody for your replies.

I know £38000 is a good salary and I work hard for it! But out of my net salary - £1800 a month - £250 is interest only mortgage payment, we should be paying a further £350 home improvement loan (but haven't paid this for 6 months), £130 council tax, houselhold bills come to a further £500, I need about £200 a month for petrol, and the rest (!) is for food, which I have had to cut to approx £100 a month for 4 adults. I've had car tax and MOT last month which hit us too, but without my car I can't work.

Thanks for the link to the job centre direct, but I can assure that my hubby searches it every day as well as being registered with totaljobs, reed etc. etc.

I haven't claimed working families tax credit or any other benefits as we hoped hubby would be back in work quickly, but it hasn't happened.

Is there really nothing we can do or claim? I don't know how long I can handle all the stress of my job, support my hubby, juggle all the household finances.

I haven't asked the kids to contribute as I've tried to shelter them from the position we are in.

CountryGuy

Have you tried this link to see if you are entitled to anything?

http://www.turn2us.org.uk/

PasturesNew

alexisemma31 wrote: »

out of my net salary - £1800 a month

£250 is interest only mortgage payment
£350 home improvement loan
£130 council tax,
£500 houselhold bills
£200 a month for petrol,
£100 food
£100 misc car allowance
====
£1630

So, what are you doing with the £1800-£1630 = £170?

£500 household bills sounds way OTT - what's that for?

Aside from that - if your husband is used to being self-employed and has a lot of financial experience, maybe he could launch a new company doing small/local workshops on specific financial issues aimed at individuals or businesses.

I've no idea really, but how about a "Q&A Workshop on Getting a Mortgage" - 10 seats, £8/head.

Keep the price low and people'd join it - if he can generate some great sounding workshop titles. And he can market these through local Colleges and businesses. Most Colleges will allow a 'tutor' to put on Workshops. If he can work out a bunch of 6 great titles and prices/numbers of people, then approach colleges to see if they're interested in promoting it. Also local business networks.

Just an idea, that would need filling out to make a difference... but the Workshops would also give him a higher profile and look good on his CV. As jobs work on the "old boys network", he'd become one of the old boys network by touting his workshops around business network meetings maybe.

alexisemma31

PasturesNew wrote: »

£250 is interest only mortgage payment
£350 home improvement loan
£130 council tax,
£500 houselhold bills
£200 a month for petrol,
£100 food
£100 misc car allowance
====
£1630

So, what are you doing with the £1800-£1630 = £170?

£500 household bills sounds way OTT - what's that for?

Aside from that - if your husband is used to being self-employed and has a lot of financial experience, maybe he could launch a new company doing small/local workshops on specific financial issues aimed at individuals or businesses.

I've no idea really, but how about a "Q&A Workshop on Getting a Mortgage" - 10 seats, £8/head.

Keep the price low and people'd join it - if he can generate some great sounding workshop titles. And he can market these through local Colleges and businesses. Most Colleges will allow a 'tutor' to put on Workshops. If he can work out a bunch of 6 great titles and prices/numbers of people, then approach colleges to see if they're interested in promoting it. Also local business networks.

Just an idea, that would need filling out to make a difference... but the Workshops would also give him a higher profile and look good on his CV. As jobs work on the "old boys network", he'd become one of the old boys network by touting his workshops around business network meetings maybe.

Some great ideas, thanks.

You think £500 for houselhold bills is a lot? £150 gas & electric, £60 water, union payment, house insurance, car insurance (x2), telephone, boiler insurance, contact lenses, and there's probably more than I;ve mentioned here.

I don't have £160 spare I can assure you. Like I said earlier last month was car tax & MOT, so couldn't pay council tax. I have been paying £160 a month (£20 each a week x2) for the kids' bus fares to college, but they have finished after this week, so that will be a little more. (but have to fund son's uni accommodation from sept!!)

Sambucus_Nigra

I think you need to do a full SOA.

RAS

Please can you go over to the debt free wannabee forum and do a full SOA. They are really good at sorting out budgets.
Do check www.turn2us/org.uk in case you can get any help. Also is OH eligible for anything because of his disability?