Pinot's Potty debt free journey!!!

PinotGrigio41

You have all made me cry, what would I do without you all ? I honestly cant believe how lovely you all are. Thankyou so much you are really really helping me more than you know.

I have though given myself a kick up the bum and tried to dust myself down, think positively , find that missing manic grin and also put on Dots Magic Hat. As you can imagine I am a sight to behold, but I need to do this or I will sit and wallow and feel sorry for myself and thats not my style. I have to find a solution to this mess and I cant allow the children to see me in a pickle or for them to be worried by this.

I wont quote from all of your posts, I will try and answer as best as I can, I probably wont make much sense as my head is a complete muddle today although I do have a little bit of good news since the last post but I will keep that for the end. If I forget to answer something you have suggested or asked, Im sorry. Trying to work today has been a nightmare, Im not sure if I am coming or going. Mr PG is up to his neck in it also, so between us we are muddling along like crazy people.

Be Lucky - Thankyou for you lovely PM, I will reply shortly

Mrs Fluffy - Unfortunately I cant mention this to my parents. The family situation is very very difficult, I would love to write it all on here so that everyone can understand a little more, but sadly I cant explain properly incase I blow my cover, I have mentioned before I am sure some people I know read the diaries, not necessarily mine but I do feel wary. But other than that story, my parents are both elderly and not in the best of health. This would cause them even more worry and I dont want anything affecting their health. They ( particularly my mum ) rely on me for emotional support. I have mentioned in passing to them comments along the lines of "We cant do that at the moment we are waiting to get paid " or " Work was slow December and Jan , we are waiting for the money to start coming in " but thats about as far as it goes. They were always very frivolous with money, if they could be now, they would be. They do not know we have no cards and probably assume we are supporting ourselves via Credit Cards. We have had to bail them out on numerous occasions, buy their weekly food shop on top of our own ( and believe me, they do like fancy food !) I really appreciate your suggestion and one day when we are in that big room all together I will try and explain a bit more why I cant tell them the extent of this.

Surburban Wifey - Thankyou, its lovely to have your support

Granny - DD has suggested IOU's, I have just found a book I had bought before Christmas and hidden away and a bottle of perfume I had stashed and forgotten about, so she will be pleased with those and I feel better knowing I have some parcels.I will make her a card. DD2 has text me in her lunch hour to tell me that she has some pocket money left and will be buying something for DD from her money, but I will need to go and get it. Apparently it is a mug that looks like a Camera Lens , with a slot for your choccie biscuit ! DD says she has enough money to buy it and it will be perfect as DD is mad about Photography, loves chocolate and we can take it Camping. The perfect gift then ! She has obviously been giving this some thought.

I have just discovered £90 in a Paypal Account which I thought was long gone. , I will go food shopping later and rebuy the essentials I couldnt get last night. I will take £20 from the VAT that's left and put some fuel in the car to get me to the shops. If I get the basics I will be fine, I can rustle up some delights then Im sure.

I am worried about not paying the OTHERS . I dont want to be in a situation where they arent paid, but even if some money starts filtering through, I wont be able to rustle up that amount of money , but I will pay them what I can, assuming something arrives. I am still keeping my fingers crossed something will turn up. I will then prioritse as you suggest, something I failed to do Pre LBM.The Predators and THEM always came first before food.

The Current Contract should have paid their first invoice last Friday. It has failed to materialise.

Kerri - I love glitter, silver is my favourite, or Platinum infact in another life ! :rotfl:

Skint - The house could go, but if they pay up it can stay. Maybe it should go , release the equity and pay everything off. we have worked so damn hard though, to allow that to happen would be like giving up. I will do my utmost for that not to be the case. My car is 13 years old, not worth much at all. Mr PGs is 6 years old but done 130K. We wouldnt get much for either. Mr PG has to have something relatively reliable, he travels such long distances, we cant risk him breaking down and my four wheel we do use for work alot and is needed. I drive reasonable distances also and as much as its old has been pretty reliable to date. Touch Wood.

The dancing could go,I havent actually paid it this month anyway , I have told the girls it may have to stop after the shows this weekend and next. They were good as gold and understanding. I have upset the dance school anyway . I am ashamed to admit I lost the plot at them last Friday when they told other pupils that I owed money , those pupils then text DD1 telling her to tell me that I owed money and needed to pay up. As if I wasnt stressed enough it was the last thing I needed, him airing my dirty linen in public so to speak and I am afraid I waded in there, smoke pouring from my ears and read him the riot act. He tried to deny it of course but I shot him down in flames.I fear we may not be welcome there much longer anyway. :rotfl:

HH - I know exactly what is owed and due in the next month right down to the last penny. I know what needs to be put aside for tax and vat, and I also have a plan as to how we can get back on track. The plan will work if they pay and if and when this contract ends on the 22nd March, we pick something else up. I think I am eating and sleeping those numbers, they are jumping around in front of my eyes.

Robin - I lurk on your diary too ! Great to see you and thankyou so much for your lovely kind words and hugs. They are very much needed and appreciated. I have mentioned the situation with the family above, I have though told another family member today that we have had barely anything coming in since December. She asked why not, I told her, she then asked me to go shopping with her next week . Need I say more ?!

When the Company called and offered more work, we told them that we were available to accept the work ( we arent but they didnt need ot know that) but until such time as they paid their outstanding invoices and assured us that any future invoices would be paid on time that we would no longer be working with them. We are their Company of choice so it hit hard and I know they are struggling to find anyone else to do the job.

I have sent an LBA . I will have a read of the link you sent earlier, thankyou for that. We did have a cushion but not enough to get us through three months ! I don't want to borrow against the business if I can help it, we have an overdraft already that we were starting to get down until this happened. I know nothing about peer to peer lending whatsoever so it will be very interesting to read and it may be a viable option for us as you say.

Kerri - I dont know what the Social Fund is . I am useless at all of this stuff. I dont think I can speak to CAB today, I am in too much of a pickle to hold a sensible conversation.

Caz - The service you have sent the link for has been suggested to me in the past and must admit I have avoided researching it any further for fear of feeling in more debt, but it may be that we have no choice now. Thankyou for reminding me of it. I will read the link you sent. We are with B2rc£ays , I have no idea if they offer such a service. I have vague recollections of asking them a few years ago and they said no. We have a new business manager , we have yet to find the time to go and meet him . He has called me a few times but always as I was going into appointments so I have yet to actually speak to him.

I think I have been holding out for a miracle and buried my head in the sand a bit, but now I think its time I looked at each and every possible option open to us. Sadly my head is struggling to take much in at the moment or retain anything.

Thankyou all again, your posts mean such alot and your advice absolutely invaluable. I honestly cannot believe the amazing people I have met on here, I think you all know me far better than my RL friends, probably as you all know my guilty Secrets. I know I shouldnt run and hide from the diary, but sometimes I need to, for a few days when my head is full of fuzz.

I will get out of this mess by hook or by crook. Its not going to get the better of us, I wont let it.

PinotGrigio41

HappyNow wrote: »

Sorry things are so sh*t right now. I'm trying to PM you but your box is full - can you clear a bit of room asap? x

Its clearer Mrs H xx

kerri_dfw

I am soooo sooo pleased you found PPal money for food. I thought we might make you cry with our kindness Massive hugs Mrs P xxxxx

Hopelessly_Hopeful

Woop woop for the payplan stash. Good to hear you sounding you have the fighting spirit and good you know where you are, less chance of suproses then. My advice is food and warmth first. Then THEM, mortgage and council tax, rest could have tokens until you get something behind you. We will be here.

HHx

Eager_Elephant

Hi PG

I think you would qualify for a Social Fund loan but it would not be much and of course you are due money in at any time - they are quite strict and an application takes about 45 mins and then they give you a decision - hopefully this is not needed now you have found money in Paypal.

With regard to your other creditors - I know you worry about them a lot.. I think what you need to do is write to them to say that unfortunately your business is slow, you have not been paid and therefore for the next 3 (or 6) months you will be paying nominal payments of £1 per month to all your creditors. They won't like it but they will accept it.

Hopefully within 6 months you will have caught up with the priority debts - mortgage, THEM, VAT, elec, gas and got food in the cupboards and then you can think about increasing your payments once again.

if you would like help to word a letter then I am happy to help.

If you need stamps I can send you some as I am doing Royal Mail surveys and I have them coming out of my ears!!!

PinotGrigio41

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

Hi PG

I think you would qualify for a Social Fund loan but it would not be much and of course you are due money in at any time - they are quite strict and an application takes about 45 mins and then they give you a decision - hopefully this is not needed now you have found money in Paypal.

With regard to your other creditors - I know you worry about them a lot.. I think what you need to do is write to them to say that unfortunately your business is slow, you have not been paid and therefore for the next 3 (or 6) months you will be paying nominal payments of £1 per month to all your creditors. They won't like it but they will accept it.

Hopefully within 6 months you will have caught up with the priority debts - mortgage, THEM, VAT, elec, gas and got food in the cupboards and then you can think about increasing your payments once again.

if you would like help to word a letter then I am happy to help.

If you need stamps I can send you some as I am doing Royal Mail surveys and I have them coming out of my ears!!!

EE you have gone and done it again, popped up at just the right time. I am so very grateful to you.

I seriously have never heard of a social Fund but as you say I have discovered that money so hopefully that will tide me over for now.

You are right, the creditors do really worry me. You may remember I had THEM banging on my door sometime ago and that experience has stayed with me. I tend to put the Predators above everything else which I know I shouldn't and a habit I need to break. I need to make token payments, I really dont want to upset the apple car, they have been so quiet, we are past the review and I havent heard a peepout of them, so I feel by offering token payments I will be brought to their attention. Thankyou for the offer with the letter. I will write something and then run it past you if it looks like it needs some help. I am usually ok on the letters but with my foggy head I am not too sure at the moment and it could end up a load of drivel.

Thankyou, I have stamps with Father Christmas on them !!:rotfl:

PinotGrigio41

Hopelessly_Hopeful wrote: »

Woop woop for the payplan stash. Good to hear you sounding you have the fighting spirit and good you know where you are, less chance of suproses then. My advice is food and warmth first. Then THEM, mortgage and council tax, rest could have tokens until you get something behind you. We will be here.

HHx

I just need to give myself a stern talking to from time to time. I will go and get the food later this evening when I have finished work.

I know where you are , thankyou ! x

brizzledfw

Thinking of you Mrs PG..have PM'd you x

PinotGrigio41

DD2 has just got home from school.

She has been in Detention ! Its her first Detention, she got it for speaking in Tutor Base .

The crazy child loved it ! She enjoyed Detention, I mean who likes Detention ?!

The reason was they had to write an essay, spookily the title was
"The Importance of Money "

I asked her what she wrote, she said that" in her opinion as long as you have the basic necessities to live, ie food ,water , a roof over your head and enough money to cover your bills that is all you need. Many people say that Money brings you happiness, this is incorrect she says. What brings you happiness is a loving family and good friends and people that are there for you when you need them in good times and in bad. Materialistic things are unimportant "

She wrote much more she says , a double sided A4 sheet . I would love to read it.

As you can imagine this little gem this afternoon has brought tears to my eyes.

brizzledfw

Ace. She sounds an absolute joy and with her head screwed on too.

Try and take it easy this evening...you don't want to make yourself ill and you must be feeling very drained

xx