Help - I'm a mess :(

SpagBol

Well done Flis, that's a really good weekly shop!! Just to say for quick and easy snacks the value range bourbons etc are fantastic you get loads for less than 50p. My sons love them so I buy them and they are half the price for double the amount of the normal supermarket own brand ones but I swear they are the same biscuits!!

My son has eczema so I know how expensive it can be to get certain brands, well done for getting them on offer :money::money:

Good luck with the cccs stuff

flis21

I know, I was amazed to get my weekly shop for that, but to be honest I have loads in the cupboard, found 3 bags of mince in the freezer!!!

It is hard when your kids have conditions that means you can only buy certain stuff. Sun cream is the worst for him, had to rush him to a&e 3 times when he swelled up due to suncream! Can only use the johnsons baby one on him, which is horrendously expensive!!! I have to use johnsons bath products as well, but can often seem to find them on offers and I'm stocked up with 3 bottles at the mo. I do use them to wash my older son as well, but as I bath them together I don't want to use the cheaper stuff and my youngest ending up having a reaction. Will just have to look out for the offers on these things. I use less than a pack of baby wipes a week, so what I bought today will prob last me 7-8 weeks. Will keep my eye out in the mean time in case there are any more good offers on them!

Just had a look at the value chocolate chip biscuits and they are only 1p less than the normal own brand ones!!! My boys don't like sandwich biscuits (like bourbons or custard creams, they're fussy!!). Altho have just looked at the price of the chocolate chips I was going to buy and they're 79p, so it looks like it will actually be cheaper to just buy a pack of biscuits instead of making them! They only have 1 pack a week (or they'd do nothing but eat biccies all week!). So will take off the choc chips and put in a pack of biscuits to save me another 30p!! Thank goodness for online shopping, I'd find this a nightmare to do in store! Just checked and my shopping is now coming in at £30.71!!!! that's amazing and I am really going to make sure I don't do any top up shops. If so that means I've spent half of what I usually would on food this week.

Thanks all,
Flis x

hp48910

£30 something saving on the shopping and goodness knows how much on the cigarettes, go you:money:!!

Have you tried any organic bath products? Not really sure if that's the correct term but ones with more natural ingredients! I remember watching a programme showing just how many awful chemicals were in baby products, especially those designed for childrens' delicate skin. My DD gets rashes and dry skin with certain products. I have found Mr S baby bath @ 11p per bottle to be very mild. I squirt some in the bath and use it to wash her. I also got some aqueous cream from the Dr which could be mixed into bath water or used directly on the skin. It worked wonders and was free!!:T

asp746

flis21 wrote: »

That is really scary, will def try to cut down and hopefully eventually quit, but I'm just not in the right place to do it at this moment. I know my local children's centre has a quit smoking advisor, maybe I'll make an appointment.

considering ciggies are at least £6 a packet then if it's only £84 a month you're spending then you're a light to moderate smoker. If you dont feel you can quit at the moment try switching to rollies - i did try but couldnt roll the darn things but a lot of people i know have used this as a first step to cutting down and eventually quitting.

also, how old are some of the debts you're being chased for - it could be some of them are so old you dont have to repay them.

good luck

flis21

What's the Mr S baby bath? 11p a bottle is amazing!! With DS2 it's allergic reactions rather than excema, so not sure if I could get anything from dr, but might be worth a try? With the wipes and bath stuff it gives him really nasty rashes and the suncream makes his whole face swell up (which is v scary when he can't even open his eyes!).

I'm working on my CCCS paperwork now, so am going to update my SOA with the new values. Also have checked a lot of my paperwork re my debts and some of them are saying I owe less than I thought and 2 of them haven't contacted me at all since I did an IVA (with ex in 2006 and it failed ). I am more hopeful now that there might be a way out of this without bankruptcy, but I will wait and see what CCCS say on Weds.

right, onwards with the paperwork (yawn!)

Flis x

flis21

asp746 wrote: »

considering ciggies are at least £6 a packet then if it's only £84 a month you're spending then you're a light to moderate smoker. If you dont feel you can quit at the moment try switching to rollies - i did try but couldnt roll the darn things but a lot of people i know have used this as a first step to cutting down and eventually quitting.

with regards to bubble bath i buy the large asda or tesco own for £1 and a capful gives you a bathful of bubbles and lasts for ages.

also, how old are some of the debts you're being chased for - it could be some of them are so old you dont have to repay them.

good luck

Hi - I quit smoking yesterday. I'd underestimated how much I was spending, it was nearer £130 a month!!

The bubble bath I can't use a lot of products as my son as very sensitive skin and gets painful rashes with a lot of products I've tried (even the own brand sensitive ones and avon stuff i've tried).

The debts themselves are v old, mostly between 2001-2005. I did an IVA in 2006 which failed, but 2 of my creditors haven't contacted me since then. I thought that as long as they still contacted me then I was still liable for them? Am hoping the 2 that haven't contacted me for 6 years have written them off. If so that wipes of over £4k of what I owe.

In some ways I can't wait to talk to CCCS on Weds. I know that I'm making progress with cutting down my outgoings, but really want an action plan to deal with these debts.

Thanks,
Flis x

asp746

whatever you do dont correspond with any of the two you've had no contact with since 2006 - i hope it's the two you owe the most to

infact i'd not correspond with any unless they've started sending you letters. whatever you do dont be initiating contact because your conscience is pricking you - lie low as long as possible.

flis21

Oh I'm def not going to contact them. Am hoping they've gone away. Got 2 that haven't contacted me since 2010 and 3 that haven't contacted me since June 11. If I keep quite about those for now I can focus on getting the 4 that I am in contact with paid off. I just wonder if CCCS will agree with that course of action?!! The 4 that I am in contact with add up to £6810, it would be nice to reduce or get rid of this asap before the rest of them start coming after me!! Only 2 I'm paying interest on at the mo, so am going to throw everything I can get at them, at least the rest of them aren't going up the longer I take to pay!

Thanks, F x

flis21

Oh and while I'm here have just cancelled the fridge and wash machine insurance as well!!! Saving myself another £14 a month. Got opticians appointment tomorrow to see if i can get cheaper lenses, so hopefully more savings. I'm feeling quite proud of myself at the mo! F x

flis21

New SOA: Looking a bit better in just a few days!! Now have £205 a month extra, above what I'm paying at the mo, to put into my debts. I know there are still things I can improve on (hopefully contacts and gas / elec will be coming down this week and I'm going to contact water peeps tomorrow and see if my amoutns for that can be reduced too).

Have taken the actual amounts of my debts from the letters I've received. I've done the CCCS online debt solution thing with these figures and they're suggesting a debt management plan. I don't know tho if they'd want me to write to all my creditors, where as I think I'd rather get as much paid off the ones I'm paying and deal with the other as and when they contact me. I know I'm speculating now, will wait and see what they say on Weds.

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 1
Number of children in household......... 2
Number of cars owned.................... 0
Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 170
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 1498.92
Other income............................ 150
Total monthly income.................... 1818.92
Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 795
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 0
Electricity............................. 40
Gas..................................... 55
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 41.6
Telephone (land line)................... 22.5
Mobile phone............................ 10
TV Licence.............................. 12.12
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 25.5
Internet Services....................... 15
Groceries etc. ......................... 200
Clothing................................ 25
Petrol/diesel........................... 0
Road tax................................ 0
Car Insurance........................... 0
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 40
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 25
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 30
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 0
Contents insurance...................... 14.43
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 7.41
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 15
Haircuts................................ 20
Entertainment........................... 25
Holiday................................. 20
Emergency fund.......................... 0
(Unnamed monthly expense)............... 0
Total monthly expenses.................. 1438.56

Assets
Cash.................................... 0
House value (Gross)..................... 0
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 0
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 0

No Secured nor Hire Purchase Debts
Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Amex CC........................3661.46...0.........0
Capital one CC.................1311......0.........0
Egg CC.........................3021.47...60........0
Studio Catalogue...............1264.25...60........0
Vanquis CC.....................496.15....30........0
Nationwide Overdraft...........2029......25........0
Morgan Stanley CC..............2558......0.........0
IF CC..........................1813.58...0.........0
HSBC CC........................1505......0.........0
HSBC Overdraft.................1913......0.........0
Egg Loan.......................7861.58...0.........0
Total unsecured debts..........27434.49..175.......-

Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,818.92
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,438.56
Available for debt repayments........... 380.36
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 175
Amount left after debt repayments....... 205.36
Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 0
Total HP & Secured debt................. -0
Total Unsecured debt.................... -27,434.49
Net Assets.............................. -27,434.49
Created using the SOA calculator at www.makesenseofcards.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using IE browser.