"Simply not solvent!

taxi73

Just popping by to see how you are?

Seaxwyn

I've updated my signature for the new month. It's gone up a bit since 1st of March, thanks to the skiing holiday. There's another whack of ski costs to come on this month's credit card bill too.

I worked out that based on last year's expenditure, OH and I need to bring in £114 every single day just to meet outgoings - or £230/day based on working 5 days/week, 46 days a year. That was a sobering realisation. And we all know that living costs are rising.

I simply have to find more work. I need to brush up my CV and portfolio and get out there hustling for work. The mere thought makes my heart sink.

I've joined kashton's Mad Ebay Challenge. I put 4 items up last night and two already have bids. I must look out more stuff.

I did a bit of tidying up in the garden at the weekend and planted lots of seeds, and felt inspired to tidy up our garden. It looks very neglected and sad. I want to dig out two huge clumps of bamboo that are monopolising the only sunny spot, and create a vegetable plot there. And do a couple of dump runs with some bags of rubble and broken bikes that are littering the patio.

Edit: Stop press: THREE of my ebay items now have bids.

taxi73

Gosh thats a sobering realisation!!!!...that's a lot of money to find...I'm sure you'll find more work soon..you usually do.The garden will look great when you've finished it and cleared the rubble

Sea78

Good luck with the ebaying hon and good luck with the work search too

Sea xx

hypno06

Hi Seaxwyn. I did a similar "amount per day" calculation last year and worked out that we needed £200 a day just to meet the bills and the minimums on the debt payments. (without skiing!!) At the time it seemed really scary, especially as I was S/E at the time, but the reality was that we managed to do it. Doing the numbers focused my mind a lot and although scary at the time, was a big help.

I have every faith that you will get the money you need - the £10 a day challenge is one that you might also do

x

Seaxwyn

Thanks folks!

Actually I did think of joining the £10/day challenge, and was on the verge of signing up for a Sunday paper round for £6 a time.... and that prompted me to work out the actual figure of what I need to earn a day and realised that fiddling about earning £10 here and £10 there is actually avoiding the issue that I need to get work at £230 day or thereabouts.

taxi73

Hi Seax and all...perhaps I'll have to do mine as maybe it's as much as that also..thats a bit scary!!!
I'm sure you will find the work to cover it though.

Karmacat

Thats a lot. I'm thinking like taxi - maybe I need to find out how much it is? The ten pound challenge, tho, is useful to me: it isn't necessarily in ten pound chunks, tho sometimes it is like with mystery shopping. Its in bigger chunks with the matched betting, for instance. But I agree with your basic point - if you need £230 a day for the family, there's not much point doing surveys at £0.50 or whatever. Good luck with this - as taxi has also said, you do seem to be really good at finding work opportunities, I hope you unearth something well paid really soon.

Seaxwyn

I've just posted the following on the credit card board, and am copying it here in case any of my DFW friends can advise. Taxi, what would you do?

Hi there, I would really appreciate views on this:

I have £4.438 on an Egg card with the 0% deal ending this month.

I have been offered the following Balance Transfer deals and would really appreciate advice on which to go for.

Sainsbury's CC - 6.95% for life of balance, with no fee (credit limit high enough to take the whole balance)

Goldfish CC - 4.9% til Dec 2010 with 3% fee (limit £3,800 so I'd have to pay some of the balance off).

Abbey CC - 12.95%!!! Are they likely to improve the offer if I threaten to close the account? Annoyingly there is a small balance on the card and they won't take payment over the phone so I can't close the account now. I've not been impressed with the service since it transferred to Banco Santander so I'm inclined to just close this card anyway.

Or... I could apply for a new card with a 0% deal but, though I have always been accepted in the past, I only opened the Goldfish card recently and need to remortgage this summer so maybe best to avoid another search on my credit record?

I have £1700 in savings, which I could use to reduce the Egg balance before transferring it, but I had planned to use it to reduce the mortgage.

Any advice very welcome! And sorry for the long post.

SarahNeedle1872

Without actually working out the figures (not that I would probably know how to!), at first glance I would say the Sainsburys one looks the best.... If u went with Goldfish, u would have to pay some of the balnce off first, then u would get the 3% back on top, making the overall balance higher.... I *think* I am right in saying that in the long run it would cost u slightly more because of the 3% fee (PLEASE some one tell me to shut it if I'm wrong).

For the sake of 2 percentage points, I would probably go with the Sainsburys, because then u could also use ur savings to pay down ur mortgage like u intended to..... And tell Abbey they can stick it where the sun don't shine!