Scared to death - laid myself bare Please Help

RAS

Hi

if you are Scotland then you need to talk to CCCS or NDL, both of whom have scottish sections which are experienced in dealing with Scottish law, which is very very different.

You do however need to start by opening a new basic bank account with someone to whom you owe nothing.

BlushingRose

There is also a CCCS page for Scotland http://www.cccs.co.uk/InfoCentre/Scotland.aspx?WT.svl=cta_ic_18

ScottAnne

Thanks so much for your replies everyone, I am reading about CCCS just now, I am relieved that it's possible to not loose our home, it's probably our only hope of getting this situation under control.

BlushingRose: I see from your signature or tag thingy, you have a DMP, how long for? What difference has it made to your situation? How did you come to this decision?

Thanks
Anne

BlushingRose

ScottAnne wrote: »

BlushingRose: I see from your signature or tag thingy, you have a DMP, how long for? What difference has it made to your situation? How did you come to this decision?

Thanks
Anne

Yep, Mr BR is on a DMP and so, by default, so am I
We only officially started ours this year in Jan, so we're still very much on a learning curve.
Up until we started it though, we were struggling. We had (through various reasons, past issues, bad choices - not holidays or lavish living) a loan and three credit cards, we'd actually managed to get rid of a 4th ourselves. However, the problem was that after managing to pay off the loan and credit card payments each month we didn't have any money for food or petrol, so guess what, they went onto a credit card. We managed this for years, consolidating now and then to ease things off, until, just in December last year, the bank said 'no' and we were finally running out of credit. I'd been on here a few times, on and off over the years panicking but neither of us had had our LBM (light bulb moment) but, in Dec 2011, it happened.
So, I came on here, panicked (like everyone does when they don;t know where to turn) and was advised to contact CCCS. We did their 'debt remedy' tool on the website and it advised a DMP, and that's what we're now on.

Any questions, please yell

scared-sick

ScottAnne wrote: »

Thanks so much for your replies everyone, I am reading about CCCS just now, I am relieved that it's possible to not loose our home, it's probably our only hope of getting this situation under control.

BlushingRose: I see from your signature or tag thingy, you have a DMP, how long for? What difference has it made to your situation? How did you come to this decision?

Thanks
Anne

Hi Anne,

You mentioned that you think you might be getting £180 per week towards your childcare costs. It may be worth waiting to see if this happens before you decide to do anything (providing it dont take ages to come through). As if you did get this money, then your circumstances may change dramatically. Looking at your soa you were about £300 short every month but if you get an additional £180 per week then this will be £720 per month leaving you with £420 left over. This may just mean you have to keep track of your costs rather than go into a dmp (or DAS as I think they do in Scotland). Obviously if you dont get this then it will be a different story.

Hope that makes sense!

ScottAnne

Hi ScaredSick,

Thank you for your reply, yea I had thought that if the CTC payments advised by them were accurate that the surplus would make a huge difference but to be honest I struggle to understand their calculation method etc and get so confused trying to work it out.

My reservations on their advised figures is because I believe the use last years figures for this years award ( bare with me could be totally off the radar here) and when asked for my figures for 11/12, my figures were so low because I was on Maternity leave for the year and my husbands low because he was self emplyed and had a bismal year.. so then I gave estimates for this year and the lady came back with the £190 a week CTC, I asked again if this was right and she said yes. I'm worried I would get this for a year then come next year it would drop dramatically considering I will have been recieveing full salary for a year.

Does that make sense, sorry I know this is going off the subject a bit but it's constantly on my mind how they can award me with £190 a week when with one child both parents working it was £300 a month.

Thanks
Anne

p.s Blushing Rose: I have lots of questions for you and I will be back on soon to ask, I have two hungry boys to feed now... lol

BlushingRose

ScottAnne wrote: »

p.s Blushing Rose: I have lots of questions for you and I will be back on soon to ask, I have two hungry boys to feed now... lol

No worries x

Standingtall

scared-sick wrote: »

Hi Anne,

You mentioned that you think you might be getting £180 per week towards your childcare costs. It may be worth waiting to see if this happens before you decide to do anything (providing it dont take ages to come through). As if you did get this money, then your circumstances may change dramatically. Looking at your soa you were about £300 short every month but if you get an additional £180 per week then this will be £720 per month leaving you with £420 left over. This may just mean you have to keep track of your costs rather than go into a dmp (or DAS as I think they do in Scotland). Obviously if you dont get this then it will be a different story.

Hope that makes sense!

The only reservation I would have with this, Scaredsick, is that the WFTCs are being reduced with every passing budget and I think it unwise to depend on them right now. I know it might help in the short term but so many people are losing this benefit now and I think we are likely to see the fall out from this on this very site, sadly. Sorry to disagree though:o

thehappybutterfly

Hi ScottAnne

A couple of options available in Scotland are a Trust Deed (where you pay an agreed amount for three years, depending on levels of equity in your home, and any other assets) or a Debt Arrangement Scheme which is similar to a Debt Managment Plan. But I think there's more protection in a DAS. It's not a free service though so it depends on what your priorities are - paying for a service which will take the stress away from you or doing it on your own, fee-free.

I'm in a Protected Trust Deed which has been the best move we ever made.

Either way, your credit rating is ruined but, like you, I don't care. I NEVER want to see a loan or credit card again as long as I live!

Feel free to ask me for more advice - the folks on this forum are amazing but the options in Scotland are very different.

Good luck!

scared-sick

ScottAnne wrote: »

Hi ScaredSick,

Thank you for your reply, yea I had thought that if the CTC payments advised by them were accurate that the surplus would make a huge difference but to be honest I struggle to understand their calculation method etc and get so confused trying to work it out.

My reservations on their advised figures is because I believe the use last years figures for this years award ( bare with me could be totally off the radar here) and when asked for my figures for 11/12, my figures were so low because I was on Maternity leave for the year and my husbands low because he was self emplyed and had a bismal year.. so then I gave estimates for this year and the lady came back with the £190 a week CTC, I asked again if this was right and she said yes. I'm worried I would get this for a year then come next year it would drop dramatically considering I will have been recieveing full salary for a year.

Does that make sense, sorry I know this is going off the subject a bit but it's constantly on my mind how they can award me with £190 a week when with one child both parents working it was £300 a month.

Thanks
Anne

p.s Blushing Rose: I have lots of questions for you and I will be back on soon to ask, I have two hungry boys to feed now... lol

Yes tax credits are very confusing. I saw a programme once where they got top mathamaticians to try and work out someones award and they were totally flummoxed!

I understand now why you think you might not get what they say. I realise last year you would have erned much less than you plan to this year so even if you did get it for this year, it might change. Its a tough one.