Updated SOA - advice please!

lobsta100

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

Lobsta I would be cautious, but at the same time private normally are cheaper.

Chunky VW are horrific on the MPG whenever I looked I just couldn't justify buying one. Although they are a very reliable car. However i agree Toyota are very good value for money... which is why i have one

I have always found VWs to be overpriced for what they deliver in comparison to other makes.

jadex

lobsta100 wrote: »

I am with Thames Water - do you know how often they take payment? I was basing the amount in the SOA on the last amount taken by direct debit and I assumed it was quarterly.

if metered then twice a year and you don't pay anything upfront so you are never in credit (i.e. you don't finance them)
they just come around every 6 months to read water meter and you then have a month to pay for arrears, you don't even have to use Direct Debit as there is no financial incentive to use it

quintwins

we've only ever had vw's we find them very reliable, at the moment we have a vw sharan (we had 3 kids under 4 when we bought it so a 7 seater was needed) i think it's a 1996 and we paid £1800 we've had it 3 years now and expect to get a good few more from it, we dont find it hard on fuel but like i say we've always had vw's so maybe thats why we don't notice

gemini12

Just read through this thread and note that you use the car to commute. Had you thought of a motor bike. They are much cheaper to run and perhaps when the weather is really foul you could borrow the car. I use to do community care work so had a high mileage and did most of it on my trusty scooter in all weathers except snow and ice.

Credit-Crunched

lobsta100 wrote: »

I have always found VWs to be overpriced for what they deliver in comparison to other makes.

You get what you pay for, if you buy a VW it will keep its value and keep rolling on and on and on, same with Audi (I own a second car as a VW golf Mk2 and it works a treat after 22 years!) Find me a 22 year old Fiesta

They also retain value very very well, so if you do decide to buy in the future then you will still get a fair price for it. Also any things less than £80k is still warming up in VW world.

Please dont listen to the people and buy a citroen, the value plumments like a stone, they are built to last no time, parts are Soooooooooooo expensive and over all they are just poor cars

thriftychap_2

sp1987 wrote: »

I would love a new car and not to work and to give 10% of my income away and not clean my house myself and to go out shopping and having my hair done. But back in reality....

Spot on!! :T

If all else fails.................get a new wife!

lobsta100

thriftychap wrote: »

Spot on!! :T

If all else fails.................get a new wife!

:eek: That does indeed sound like a lovely life. But you need to read more of what has been written and stop assuming things you dont know.

My wife doesnt get her hair done pretty much ever. The only shopping she has done for herself has been essential toiletries for months. She cleans all the time but at present is so exhausted from the new baby and naughty toddler that we were treating ourselves to a cleaner every other week to keep the flat not being a pig sty.

Read the actual posts re. the 10% donations. For us this is a religious obligation and we dont even consider that money was ever ours in the first place.

Please try not to be so presumptuous....

jadex

lobsta100 wrote: »

Read the actual posts re. the 10% donations. For us this is a religious obligation and we dont even consider that money was ever ours in the first place.

just a thought for a future: to avoid 10% comments you could reduce your monthly income by Donations amount and then leave £0 in the Donations box, especially as you do not consider that money yours

Mark148

I have read through all the posts and I must say congratulations for what you have achieved to date and for the defence of your wife.

However the REALITY is that you ARE NOT in a good situation and all efforts must be pursued to overcome this. I myself was in almost exactly the same situation where I was digging out blind to clear debts and improve our situation with little sacrifice from my wife, also a mother of two that didn't work.

You have to face the fact that either you do want to clear your debts as efficiently as possible or you don't. Which is???

If you do then you have to man up and confront your wife about EVERYTHING, you just can't afford the luxury of 2 cars and yours is a necessity where as hers is a nicety. Get rid of the car that costs the most and which you will get a better return on.

AS for the cleaner, sorry but you are 'poor' and can't afford it so that luxury must stop.

Now I don't know much about the Jewish religion but I thought that the act of "ma'aser kesafim" , the giving of 10% of your income is a modern adaptation of the 'Giving of scraps/remainder' of crops to the poor. Excuse my ignorance but could you not give 10% of your monthly savings as opposed to your income to charity as this must surely be in keeping with the principle of the act of giving.

All efforts have to be joint efforts so that you both get equal satisfaction as you see the progress of your debts being reduced efficiently which also creates a better harmony between the both of you. The reason I say this is because it is natural for the one who is doing the majority of the sacrifices to feel resentment towards the one who is burying their head in the sand.

Apologies for being to the point but sometimes it is the best way to get a message across. I wish you and your family the best and I hope that your situation improves:T

quantumleap

lobsta100 wrote: »

:eek: That does indeed sound like a lovely life. But you need to read more of what has been written and stop assuming things you dont know.

My wife doesnt get her hair done pretty much ever. The only shopping she has done for herself has been essential toiletries for months. She cleans all the time but at present is so exhausted from the new baby and naughty toddler that we were treating ourselves to a cleaner every other week to keep the flat not being a pig sty.

Read the actual posts re. the 10% donations. For us this is a religious obligation and we dont even consider that money was ever ours in the first place.

Please try not to be so presumptuous....

Hey Man, I have to comment on this. I've read the thread, you come over well. You clearly have a problem that you are working very hard to address and fair play to you - I wish you well.

However, this cleaner lark is really starting to annoy! My wife and I have 3 kids under 7. At one point they were 3, 1 and new born. I work 2 jobs, my wife works part time, we have a (modest) 4 bed house. We don't need a cleaner, never have. We do it between us - we did it even when we had 2 toddlers and a new born. Lots (in fact most people do this).

You DON'T need a cleaner. You can't even afford a cleaner! So knock it on the head.