Keep Going Backwards - please help

daysie_2

thanks for all the suggestions guys, have taken all suggestions on board, even if I some of them i can't do.
Am just looking at one thing at a time at the moment as if I try to tackel more than one thing at once it gives me a headache! (yes i know, women and multitasking !) mind you was on the phone to Insurance people last night while making dinner so maybe that counts!
Car insurance due this month, letter recieved that tells me its going up, have shopped around and not got little bit lower than we were paying already (not much, only 90p a month less but better than it going up)
Also got letter from the Chelsea a week ago, reminding me the fixed rate mortgage deal is finishing at the end of the month, and we need to choose another or the mortgage will go up to over £800.
Phoned them and while i was there found out the Home and Contents is 62 a month, while the mortgage payment is £496! should be able to get that down, but can't remember if there is any payment protection, so need to find that out
anyway the options for the mortgage are - fixed rate for 2 years at 3.89% giving payment of £562 (plus insurance) OR 2 year tracker at 3.29% giving payment of £475 (plus insurance) put of course this may go up.
What would be the best to choose? any ideas?
thanks everyone so much.

meow5678

Hi daysie,

just read your entire thread start to end!
Looks like you're doing what you can to make changes and that is to be admired.
I'm not so good at the money advice but RE your cat on a special diet...

one of my mum's cats has a very delicate stomach now that she is getting older, she gets special food all of her own and my mum feeds her separately in the downstairs loo whils the other (6!) are fed toether in the kitchen. Once all have finished or wandered off the food is removed or stored for later for any that didn't turn up at feeding time and the other cat comes out to go about her business.
I appreciate that this only works if your cats are fed at certain times, rather than leaving food down for them all day, but it might mean you can keep the other cats on cheaper food? We found that special-diet cat really doesn't eat that much anyway, so her box of special food lasts her ages and averages out the higher costs.
Just a thought!

Good luck with your journey, I will be keeping an eye on your progress

awayinchina

opps pc problems wrong thread...ode joy

Hovel_lady

daysie wrote: »

thanks for all the suggestions guys, have taken all suggestions on board, even if I some of them i can't do.
Am just looking at one thing at a time at the moment as if I try to tackel more than one thing at once it gives me a headache! (yes i know, women and multitasking !) mind you was on the phone to Insurance people last night while making dinner so maybe that counts!
Car insurance due this month, letter recieved that tells me its going up, have shopped around and not got little bit lower than we were paying already (not much, only 90p a month less but better than it going up)
Also got letter from the Chelsea a week ago, reminding me the fixed rate mortgage deal is finishing at the end of the month, and we need to choose another or the mortgage will go up to over £800.
Phoned them and while i was there found out the Home and Contents is 62 a month, while the mortgage payment is £496! should be able to get that down, but can't remember if there is any payment protection, so need to find that out
anyway the options for the mortgage are - fixed rate for 2 years at 3.89% giving payment of £562 (plus insurance) OR 2 year tracker at 3.29% giving payment of £475 (plus insurance) put of course this may go up.
What would be the best to choose? any ideas?
thanks everyone so much.

Might be worth asking this on the mortgages board - plenty of experts over there

daysie_2

meow5678 wrote: »

Hi daysie,

just read your entire thread start to end!
Looks like you're doing what you can to make changes and that is to be admired.
I'm not so good at the money advice but RE your cat on a special diet...

one of my mum's cats has a very delicate stomach now that she is getting older, she gets special food all of her own and my mum feeds her separately in the downstairs loo whils the other (6!) are fed toether in the kitchen. Once all have finished or wandered off the food is removed or stored for later for any that didn't turn up at feeding time and the other cat comes out to go about her business.
I appreciate that this only works if your cats are fed at certain times, rather than leaving food down for them all day, but it might mean you can keep the other cats on cheaper food? We found that special-diet cat really doesn't eat that much anyway, so her box of special food lasts her ages and averages out the higher costs.
Just a thought!

Good luck with your journey, I will be keeping an eye on your progress

Hi, thanks for the suggestions, but its really the biscuits that are the problem, hills science plan are the only ones that seem to stop him getting a blocked bladder/cystitis etc, that and filtered water. they are used to biscuits being available all the time, and i must make sure he doesnt eat any cheaper biscuits.
However, my daughter who doesnt live at home will be taking 2 of the cats soon (not that one unfortunately!) and so things will get a bit cheaper!

daysie_2

recent update on this thread-
have managed to get my combined gas electric down to £125 by the simple method of logging into my account online, and checking the balance which I have seriously overpaid and was £800 in credit!! am keeping an eye on this though as of course it could be taking into account the winter months - still ok at the moment anyway and at the very least will give us a couple of cheaper months.
Two cats are no longer with us - no not like that, my youngest daughter has just moved from a flat to a house, and has taken 2 of the cats (which were kind of hers anyway)- this means that the cat food bill has halved
Got a temp lodger - My cousin has moved in with us for a few months while she moves to dorset and looks for a new job and is paying £100 a month (temporary but welcome)
unfortunately this has all been overshadowed by the fact that hubby has been unable to work for about 3-4 weeks ish (i say ish as he has been trying hard to get some done but some days could not manage anything) he was diagnosed with allergic, reactive arthritis which crippled him for about 2-3 weeks, then has been left with bad sciatica which doesnt help his work as he is a handyman/builder and he is finding it hard going still.
we have some mortgage payment protection, but we couldnt claim for this until he had been ill for 30 days (which was the case luckily) but of course have struggled. The payment should pay out £350 for either of us if either is ill and unable to work, but its proving difficult to get anything out of them - we have a large claim form to fill in, part of which will have to be completed by the doctor, and then we have to prove hubby was trading profitably for min of 3 months before he was ill, which wil lbe quite difficult as they require something from an accountant which we dont have (i do the accounts) or 3 months bank statements (which considering we were juggling things all over the place, will make it difficult to prove a profit!)
am thinking of cancelling the ppi (doubt i can say it was mis-sold) and leaving us £65 a month better off instead?
anyway because of the illness and not enough money coming in I have missed all sorts of payments and got late payment fees everywhere - never seem to get a break and catch up, its really demoralising as i have said earlier, as soon as i get ahead in any way, it all goes wrong and i am back where we were before or worse. :-(
Sorry, cannot winge at hubby as its not his fault - so came here - need a hug!!

daysie_2

oh, and am currently juggling credit cards and will be shortly doing another up to date outgoings and incomings list (cant remember what is called!) to see if things have improved at all

dancingfairy

It sounds like you have made huge strides. Just a shame about your husband being ill , however it is a temporary set back. I'm sure you'll be back on the debt busting trail again soon.
df