New, alone, in debt, looking for direction!

SchminkyCat

Hey all!
I've been an "on and off" lurker of these forums for a while now, but its crunch time and I thought i'd introduce myself - so....

New: Well, i'm new as a registered user here!

Alone: Perhaps not strictly true. My husband has just been sent to the Middle East for 6 months. So i'm on my own with our 2 kiddies (2yrs and 6yrs) until Christmas. We moved 4 weeks ago to be closer to my family whilst he is away so that I can have some support from them, but unfortunately this has had a HUGE impact on our financial situation.

In Debt: Well I wouldn't be here if I wasn't! lol. Long story short we have reached our low interest rate overdraft limit (7.5K). Moving house has cost a lot more than we were expecting and we also now have about 3K worth of credit card debt, as well as wiping out our savings. We're "OK", in that he has a good, secure job (not eligible for redundancy) so we have a monthly income that is guaranteed, but right now our outgoings are only a little less than our income, which means that its going to take several years to pay off our debts. He's away for 6 months and I really want to surprise him by having cleared more than we have predicted by the time he gets home.

Direction: Well, i'm here asking for help, guidance, advice, support, anything really! I've been looking through all the forums today and I don't know where to start! So what would be the first thing/s that you would advise?

Ebay/carboot/selling stuff is out, we did all that before we moved and have nothing left to sell (other than a small child perhaps??)

Thank you in advance for any help!

McKneff

Hello there SC :wave:and welcome to the boards.

You'll find lots of great advice on here and friendly chat so you must never feel alone, we're all only a few clicks away, its amazing how fast the time goes when you get going on here.

If you need help with a budget, someone will be kind enough to post a link to an SOA (statement of affairs) its amazing how it helps when someone else looks at your incomings and outgoings.

Presumably you get child benefit for your two little ones.
Any chance of you looking for a little job, if your family can help out with childcare.

We'll soon change your to a

Regards
Annie

SchminkyCat

Thanks Annie

Unfortunately a job isn't really an option. Both my parents work full time - the support is really just about having someone close in an emergency, and when i'm feeling down about him being away. I do have a small business that I work on after the kiddies have gone to bed, but all the money I earn is going back into the business right now to try and improve things and make more money!

Unless it was a work from home job, but even then, I can't commit to more than an hour a day (although could prob do more at times).

I am thinking of bulk making jewellery (this is what I do!), and popping it on folksy/etsy and seeing what happens, its just that it costs money to make pieces, and then if they don't sell...

I'm a member of Toluna but am finding that a lot of their surveys I can spend 5 minutes on, only to be told that i'm not eligible. Bit frustrating to have invested that much time, and feel like you've almost finished, just to get nothing at all!

SchminkyCat

My goodness that sounds so negative! Sorry! I'm normally a really upbeat, positive person.

Thank you so much for replying to me, and it would be lovely to think that there are people here that I can chat to in the MANY evenings to come!

ky822000

McKneff wrote: »

Hello there SC :wave:and welcome to the boards.

We'll soon change your to a

Annie is quite right - I haven't mastered smileys yet, but Annie is right. The lovely people here will do all they can to help and support but you have taken the first step by asking for that help. Well done you, and let's make your dream come true!!

Listerbelle

Come and join us in the Swagbucks challenge thread.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3883703

SchminkyCat

Thank you ky822000 and Listerbelle!

Listerbelle - will have a look and see if I can find you! Swagbucks is a website that I currently have open and wasn't sure if it was worth a punt or not? I take it that it is then!?

Listerbelle

SchminkyCat wrote: »

Thank you ky822000 and Listerbelle!

Listerbelle - will have a look and see if I can find you! Swagbucks is a website that I currently have open and wasn't sure if it was worth a punt or not? I take it that it is then!?

I think that it is, it suits me....I'm working on one continent, hubby and daughter are on another. I started collecting "pocket money" (via paypal) from swagbucks, but have switched to Amazon vouchers, because Amazon is so big, and I can buy and send presents to people as needed, or save for eg an iPad etc...

Some people on the Swagbucks thread seem to do very well out of it. The (very long!) thread has lots of tips and tricks. (Link above)

Anyway, welcome to MSE - your new addiction

Time_to_face_the_music

Hi SchminkyCat and welcome :hello:

Have you signed up for Valued Opinions and You Gov?

How about a bit of ebaying .... it's my current new hobby :rotfl:

SchminkyCat

Thank you again Listerbelle - must be really hard working away from your hubby and daughter, I struggle enough when hubby is away.

Do you have a referral code or anything for Swagbucks? If I can help make you something with them, then do let me know!

TTFTM, not sure - I think I might already do valued opinions but I haven't heard of you gov - will do a google! Unfortunately though, Ebay is out - we had to downsize when we moved (we were in RAF accommodation and we can't afford the same size now we are paying full rental amounts!) so we sold everything we could!

McKneff

ky822000 wrote: »

Annie is quite right - I haven't mastered smileys yet, but Annie is right. The lovely people here will do all they can to help and support but you have taken the first step by asking for that help. Well done you, and let's make your dream come true!!

When youre typing, the smileys are to the right, if you want other ones, at the bottom is says (more) just put your cursor where you want it and Bobs your uncle. Christmas ones, kissy ones, hundreds.............

If there are none there, there will be a 'go advanced' button,
just click on there. Easy peasy