Almost maxxed out

freebyfifty

tabby_cats_mum wrote: »

Crikey chevalier, I take my hat off to you, great post.

I agree but something tells me that the OP won't be back, which is a real shame

desperado1973

As I have said in reply to other posts here... if you haven't done it please don't suggest it.

I have sent the last 2 years economising and cutting back to even get down to this level and yes the food bill is an area which can be cut - the figure is a guess as I have not really been monitoring this in any case.

All other expenditure has been looked at and either reduced or has reasons to be there that are not monetary alone. This may be a luxury but sometime luxuries are necessities.

Benefits - all possible benefits are being claimed, in the last 6 months tax credits have halved and housing benefit has been reduced. On top of that there has been an over payment of housing benefit which is being taken on a weekly basis reducing that benefit further.

The credit card shuffle has been done already and due to lack of available extra credit can't be done again at the moment so no 0% deals. This is not a long term solution in any case and will only really work if there is plenty of disposable income.

As we are looking for a long term solution to the difficulties the solution it needs to maintain a level of comfort which is sustainable for at least 6 years, circumstances may change but the plan must reflect current circumstances.

Stories of extreme survival, while commendable, have no place here. it is simply not realistic for a long term solution.

We have tried several eBay businesses, have sold much and still have more to sell. I find the process so stressful that there as had to be a break from it. In total we have lost in excess of £3000 on self employment ideas, - I'm not sure of the current figures but at least 50% of all new businesses go bust. Not good odds.

Thanks for the job ideas, the ones that are better than the one I have require specific skills that I don't have. The ones suitable for my OH have been passed on but are very similar to the 5 a week the they are already applying for and getting no responses.

Some posts insist that I have already decided on BR and am looking for this to be confirmed as the best option. That is not and has never been the case. I have been looking for ideas about what to do.

I would say 30 - 40% of the posts have given me good points and a few have been very useful, I thank those people for taking the time to post.

I was not prepared for the extreme veiws of some here who think that saying "move house" is a sensible thing, as though this would not have already been considered, even emigration has been considered and dismissed as missing the point.

Where ever I live the costs will be too high and wages too low, that is life in the 21st century. Everyone here is trying to get income up and expenditure down, it's not easy. But with 35k debt that is being charged at close to 20% hanging over you that there is little room for maneuvere.

The Short Term Plan
1 Monitor spending more closely and improve the SOA, adding a figure for all that are currently 0.
2 Contact debt help charities and discuss current position and possible solutions.
3 Gather more info on IVA DMP and BR
4 continue job searches.
5 resume selling on eBay
6 Make medium term plan

MessyMare

Please, please cut down that £200 shopping bill. Halve it and you'll make up your shortfall. It is hugely possible for two people to live on £100 a month for food and household bits, my OH and I do and I have huge problems with what food I can and can't eat.

Would also like to add two points:

Nobody here is giving you an extreme view - read the other threads. Very similar advice will be given and on the whole, accepted with a good deal more grace, even if that advice is unsuitable for that person. I feel you're probably very stressed at the moment and I hope you're not meaning to throw the advice you've asked for back at those who give it in the manner in which you have.

FireWyrm- you are an inspiration. I know a lot of people on these boards have been through similar experiences but reading yours...it helped me to put my debt issues into perspective and gave me a renewed vigour to deal with them before they get out of hand

MessyMare

Oh, and another thing- if you or your OH think your degrees will make you seem overqualified for a job, leave them off your CV. I did for some jobs I applied for and got interviews where I suspect they would've thrown my CV in the bin otherwise.

RAS

desperado1973 wrote: »

The Short Term Plan
1 Monitor spending more closely and improve the SOA, adding a figure for all that are currently 0.
2 Contact debt help charities and discuss current position and possible solutions.
3 Gather more info on IVA DMP and BR
4 continue job searches.
5 resume selling on eBay
6 Make medium term plan

Please contact the debt charities today, not later.

Please also understand that there are several ways of tackling debt and therefore several ways of doing an SOA.

Debt charities assume a decent standard of living and then allocate what is left pro rata to creditor for a DMP.

If you do an IVA the SOA will be a lot tighter and it is harder to deal with sudden emergencies. If you circumstances improve, you can end up paying what you owed in the first place plus all the fees (£6000 ish for one person)

BR will allow you higher allowances than a DMP as a rule but there is less scope for manouvre than on a DMP(not none, just less so if you have to move that is OK). These acknowledge the impossibility of getting credit.

On MSE we tend to go for really severe SOAs that recognise that a lot of people who are on benefits have nowhere near enough income to occupy the debt charity allowances and have priority debts to clear, or folk who want to avoid defaults or CCJs for a reason.

XXSCOTSLASSXX

desperado1973 wrote: »

I was not prepared for the extreme veiws of some here who think that saying "move house" is a sensible thing, as though this would not have already been considered, even emigration has been considered and dismissed as missing the point.

Where ever I live the costs will be too high and wages too low, that is life in the 21st century. Everyone here is trying to get income up and expenditure down, it's not easy. But with 35k debt that is being charged at close to 20% hanging over you that there is little room for maneuvere.

Apologies if speaking out of turn however have read the thread through and feel i have to comment re the statement above....

your car valued at Car(s).................................. 1300 costs per month ...


Petrol/diesel........................... 200
Road tax................................ 36
Car Insurance........................... 70
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 42

a total of £348 per month, £4176.00 per year!!

You have stated you live in a very rural area and the car is a necessity understandable, however I cant see why the idea of looking into moving closer to work and selling the car thus freeing up these payments for debt repayment would be so "extreme" to you.

Presumably being in such a rural area your partner is also very limited day to day when you have the car for work, moving closer to your work outwith the rural area would also open up scope for possible employment for your partner.

You stated earlier in the thread you had been together for 5 years so presumably 1 or both of you have not lived in that house longer than 5 years so no lifetime attachment to the property, i seriously would consider this as a very viable option freeing up funds for payments.

freebyfifty

XXSCOTSLASSXX wrote: »

You have stated you live in a very rural area and the car is a necessity understandable, however I cant see why the idea of looking into moving closer to work and selling the car thus freeing up these payments for debt repayment would be so "extreme" to you.

I have to say that I can understand why moving house and selling the car would seem 'extreme'. Even thinking about it terrifies me.
I am in a more fortunate position from the OP and I don't have to think about it but, if the worst happened and I could see no way out then I would, doesn't stop it from being terrifing though!

Mikazaru

What car do you have? Is it not possible to trade it in for something else which would be cheaper on the insurance and car tax? If the tax is a monthly figure that's an awful lot of money?

bluecowonthebus

I live in South Somerset and so understand some of the issues about the job market in this part of the world. I also have a degree and postgrad qualifications but work as an admin assistant for £11,500. I also waitress for a wedding catering company. It is grim but I did it to stabilise my income after running a business quite badly and racking up £30k of debts.

The variety of jobs available in rural areas is always limited just because there are fewer businesses around - the local paper is full of carer jobs and teacher jobs, and not much else. So it does depend on whether staying where you are is more important than pursuing a better job in IT somewhere with more options. Personally I have made the decision to move to get a job in what I want to do - I don't know how soon that will happen but I am retraining as a first step. I simply can't go on with such a low income despite all the great benefits of living in a lovely part of the world.

I was on a DMP with CCCS for my debts - this meant I paid £90 a month to them via CCCS. I looked at it as a temporary breathing space, rather than a long-term solution. It allowed me time to pay off some arrears on utility bills and also cope with day to day life better. I am now focussing on paying off the smaller credit card debts while paying token payments on others.

I rewrite my CV for each job application and I don't mention my degree when applying for certain jobs. I actually now have two very different CV templates - one admin/catering, and one media which is what I did previously. I don't mention my age either (44).

Verbatim

Hi desperado,

I feel you've had a really hard time on here. It's a while since I've joined in on the board much as I tend to stick with the diaries of some longer standing members. I was quite shocked to see how much ire your posts attracted and can't really understand it. Perhaps because you mentioned bancruptcy, and most people on this board take pride in repaying (although full and finals are acceptable)!

My only practical suggestion is whether you could take a lodger?

I'm sorry that I don't have much in the way of suggestions but I do think there has been some unwarranted, unfeeling aggression aimed at you.