Lotte123's DFW diary

sanfrancisco

Yes, please contact council tax people. This is a crown debt and one you do not want to get behind on. It is far far more important than any cc or store card.

CHR15

How about sponsoring your horse?

See if any of your sons school friends (parents) will sponsor for £3 a month
Take them out for a short ride or get them helping with grooming etc at weekends

just a thought!

hypno06

CHR15 wrote:

How about sponsoring your horse?

See if any of your sons school friends (parents) will sponsor for £3 a month
Take them out for a short ride or get them helping with grooming etc at weekends

just a thought!

I just read this as sponsoring your HOUSE!!!!!:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Now, that would be a novel idea.

lotte123

Thanks guys - I am so happy to finally have found this place - you are making all the difference!

I have contacted my council and have one last repayment of £220 to make for arrears. But as this takes me up to the end of March of this current year and I am moving out at the end of February it should be less than this. I haven't paid them this final installment but asked them for a final total up to my moving out date. From experience it is harder to get money back out of them once paid than to make sure I give them the right amount in the first place. So am on top of this - have the money to pay them. Gas and electric not so much but have put climbing frame and shed up on ebay (hoping for £200 for both) which will eat into them.

Very proud to say that got cash for a job on Saturday and went straight to the bank today to pay off my La Redoute debt. One down!!!

Thanks for the tips on where to cut. Horse is a guestimate as costs a bit random. His shoes cost £52 every six weeks. I pay another £5 a week for hay. Plus about £5 a week for hard feed. He should have had his jabs but hasn't and his livery is free thanks to a very good friend of mine. Also have quite a lot of tack and rugs that I could sell - job for the spring. So actually pet costs are more like £75. When I move down to Weymouth in the summer I am going to find someone to share him with so I can save both time and money. He was given to me last year for free as a neglect case and there's no way I could get rid of him now even if he does eat money - like your suggestion Chris and will give that some thought!

Cutting down. Am definitely going to cut down on housekeeping. At moment keep throwing food away - will get menu for week and buy only what needed. Organisation required. Kids' stuff - daughter goes to drama at £5 (now in her 4th year there) a week and a weekly swim. Not prepared to make her sacrifice either of those. Going out - one cinema trip and 4 drinks a month. Could cut back but not willing to right now and realistically think it would make me even more miserable - but I have to stick to budget of £20 - that's the hard part! Mobile phone - am definitely going to look at that. Internet - will be part of rent when I move. I think that's about everything ... Car does include tax and insurance and stuff - a lot of it is covered by business but will keep a real total of what it is actually costing me to make sure I am doing it the best way (right now am claiming 40p a mile allowance but might be better off doing a split of running costs - will get on the case).

Wow there's so much to do - which is so much better than feeling there's nothing I can do to help myself. Right, I'm off now to sort out this bloody car that's sat in pieces outside the house! I'll be back ...!

Poppy9

Re Council Tax write to the council and ask if you can pay the balance off in installments over 12 months. Explain you are moving back to live with family - don't mention renting a room from a friend as they may look into it, so no council tax will be payable. They will resist a bit at first but I think they will play ball. I did it out of bloody mindness a few years ago. Was renting for a year after selling my house and the flat was a new conversion and hadn't been rated. I think I paid it off at £35 per month for 2 years Also did the same with my OH business rates. They spent 2 years deciding the rate and wouldn't take payments on account so I made them wait for their money by paying in installments over a year.

I agree with keeping your kids activities going and your own spending allowance. Good idea about sponsoring your horse too.

anniestar

Lotte, 2 things hun. firstly you have to make savings somewhere so how about the housekeeping budget.. Do look at the OS board you will get advice that will save you£££££££ Secondly PLEASE get your horse innoculated bit of a contradiction I know but I'm just giving you my honest opinion.(Am animal mad)

lotte123

Thanks. Can definitely make savings on the housekeeping. Am currently getting a fruit and veg box delivered which I end up throwing half away because I then go to the supermarket and buy the stuff I normally buy. So either have to commit to making veg box work and make lots of stews and soup or give it up.

Also ex-OH has offered to contribute more to maintenance as his outgoings are going to be dropping quite considerably. That will help on income side.

But really I think the biggest thing for me is being honest with myself about what exactly I spend on what. I write all these figures down because I think they sound about right but I am clueless. So my promise to myself is to write down exactly what I spend and on what for the next month and ever after.

Have already realised there is something I haven't put on list of expenditure ... not quite sure how to say this ... my therapist. I have worked it out at £120 a month. It feels like I'm confessing to something really awful. It may seem utterly pathetic but it has got me through the very very worst of times ... Maybe I'm ready to go this one alone or find a free group therapy meeting - I think they exist.

Re: council tax will contact them as soon as they let me have the final balance. And as for the horse I will call the vet tomorrow - have been scared to know how much it is going cost especially as it has expired. I am so the Ostrich Queen ...

lotte123

Poppy9 wrote:

Explain you are moving back to live with family - don't mention renting a room from a friend as they may look into it, so no council tax will be payable.

Poppy - Could you explain what you meant about not telling them I am renting from a friend?

And Annie - what is the OS board?

Thanks so much for all your input!

lotte123

Have just checked entitledto.com and found out I could have claimed £2k in housing benefit last year but never did as I had to submit my accounts and they had been wiped off PC by ex. I guess there's no chance of claiming this retrospectively...

Poppy9

lotte123 wrote:

Poppy - Could you explain what you meant about not telling them I am renting from a friend?

If friend renting to you unofficially then there are tax implications for her for from IR and CT as she will be classed as a small business.