Help help help - we don;t know where to turn!

BlushingRose

Darn it, it's just dawned on us that we'll have to keep spending on a credit card until Mr BlushingRose gets paid on the 20th. Is it worth filling in the online form and setting things in motion before then?

Nargleblast

Yes, fill in that form and get things in motion asap. Try and avoid using the cards if possible between now and payday, but if you absolutely have to then keep it to a minimum for essentials only. Now is the time to start getting frugal and thrifty. Once the 20th is here get all plastic cards destroyed, and by then things should be in motion to sort this mess out. Keep the faith, it will be tough but it will work out.

Jenjen

BlushingRose wrote: »

Darn it, it's just dawned on us that we'll have to keep spending on a credit card until Mr BlushingRose gets paid on the 20th. Is it worth filling in the online form and setting things in motion before then?

Have you already made all your credit card payments this month? If not could you free up some cash by cancelling them and just making a token payment instead. Talk to cccs about it but I think its probably ok to get things in motion now and just ask them to hold off speaking to the cards you need to use until you can make a clean break.

Jenny

Nargleblast

CCCS will make a telephone appointment with you once you have got their help pack and collected together all your financial info. You can start getting the paperwork together now while you are waiting for the pack to arrive, then you will be ready to set the wheels in motion. The SOA you have done will be a good starting point. And start ebaying or carbooting if you can, to get some spare cash.

BlushingRose

Nargleblast wrote: »

Yes, fill in that form and get things in motion asap. Try and avoid using the cards if possible between now and payday, but if you absolutely have to then keep it to a minimum for essentials only.

As I said right at the beginning, we have no cash and have been having to use the CC to buy food and petrol and whatnot, so until we move banks and have no CC and loan to deal with, we're not going to have any cash at all.
Not sure exactly what is due to come out between now and the 20th, but it's something we can check. I know the council tax is due out though.
Will the online forms want to know how much is on the cards as i don;t want to tell them one thing (now) and have the actual amount be different by the 20th, for example.

BlushingRose

Nargleblast wrote: »

CCCS will make a telephone appointment with you once you have got their help pack and collected together all your financial info. You can start getting the paperwork together now while you are waiting for the pack to arrive, then you will be ready to set the wheels in motion. The SOA you have done will be a good starting point. And start ebaying or carbooting if you can, to get some spare cash.

Ah right, it'll have to be Mr BlushingRose who will have to speak to them, I suspect as all the cards, loan and stuff are in his name so apparently, technically, it's 'his debt' according to the advisor. This probably means I won;t be able to talk to them about it in detail?
What sort of thing will they be asking us?

dancingfairy

I would imagine a rough estimate would do. You can always update CCCS with the final figures as bank statements etc come in.
I imagine that CCCS will want to know what you spend in each of the categories - ie food, rent, etc and will want to know balances (at least roughly) for the cards, who the card is with etc.
They will want to make sure that you have taken everything into account and your budget is a) sustainable and b) not excessive in any area - ie something that would be reasonable to creditors. They will probably also go over the plan with you - ie the fact that you will pay them a set amount once a month and they will divide it out between your creditors, what this means for you etc.
I doubt it's going to be an interogation or anything like that if that's what you were worried about. Obviously that more info you have to hand in case they ask the better but you can always look the info up or send it on to them if they require something specific.
df

BlushingRose

dancingfairy wrote: »

I would imagine a rough estimate would do. You can always update CCCS with the final figures as bank statements etc come in.
I imagine that CCCS will want to know what you spend in each of the categories - ie food, rent, etc and will want to know balances (at least roughly) for the cards, who the card is with etc.
They will want to make sure that you have taken everything into account and your budget is a) sustainable and b) not excessive in any area - ie something that would be reasonable to creditors. They will probably also go over the plan with you - ie the fact that you will pay them a set amount once a month and they will divide it out between your creditors, what this means for you etc.
I doubt it's going to be an interogation or anything like that if that's what you were worried about. Obviously that more info you have to hand in case they ask the better but you can always look the info up or send it on to them if they require something specific.
df

We've already filled in their SOA type form which wants a lot of that info, but the CC detail will be wrong by the time we get to the 20th.

Nargleblast

Yes, an estimate will do for now, and you can always over estimate to take into account what the actual amounts might be. And CCCS will want to have some idea from Mr BR of the background to the debt situation, how it started etc - not to be judgemental or anything like that, just so they have a full picture of your situation and how it came about.

marciekandthefunkybunch

hi,
When we were struggling we went to the CCCS and they were really helpful...they managed to get barclaycard to freeze interest on the card for 6 months and put other loans etc on hold. A lot of companies won;t do these things if you ask them but by going through CCCS they will. Life assurance also seems a lot to pay and if you both work make sure you are not covered twice(ie through your workplace). Also try and sell stuff at car boots etc to make more money (i delivered betterware catalogues and the local newspaper and this brought in an extra £150-200 a month)...although it was hard on top of full time work. The interest on your loans also seems really high is there anyway of transferring this onto another deal etc? Look at everything you have ..do you have an expensive car that you could change to a cheaper one and use the money to pay off debts? hope this helps..have been there ..