Charlotte664 - My very own Debt Diary

Seaxwyn

HI Charlotte

You have my sympathy!! I too have four children at two different schools. When the twins started secondary school a couple of years back I spent over £100 on nasty acrylic stuff from the horrible shop that has a monopoly on uniform for that school.

If you start looking now, you should be able to get some of this stuff second hand. Do try carboot sales, you often get good as new stuff for very cheap. Also Freecycle.

skylight

Well, great week!

The sofa arrived!!! Haven't painted yet (I just cannot find time these days....) and its looks FAB!! I am really really pleased with it. Won't let anyone sit on it yet though. My kids are generally destructive so I want it to look good for at least a week.

Had lots of replies back this week for lists of charges!
- Halifax have ignored me, so a second letter has gone out
- GE Money (Evans Card) sent me a list with ONE charge on it! So have had to send a letter to complain and re-iterate what I want (there are more!)
- Abbey have only sent half the charges, all undated, so I have to send another letter asking for actual dates.
- HSBC sent lots of statements, but are missing a handful and waiting for these
- Barclaycard, recieved both Neil and I - have sent letters claiming these charges back
- MBNA , again, recieved both Neils and mine and have sent letters claiming these back.

In total, so far, there are over £1600 of charges on these accounts. To get this knocked off what we owe will be great - thats what I will be asking for, not cheques etc (except for those accounts that are now closed).

And I still haven't banked my 1p cheque yet!

tigzem

Just popping in to say hi and hope you're ok.

xx

skylight

One of those days.

I want to stab my husband. Its not PMT - he deserves it this morning.

Was my turn for a lie in (He has a day off). Ok, he works all week and gets up early. I still get up to sort out the kids after an interrupted nights sleep - night feeds and potty training (He doesn't notice). So, he gets weekends for lay-ins and I still get up. So when do I get a lay-in??

It was supposed to be today. The miserable sod had a lay-in instead. And I am cheesed off.

So, Got my own back!! He wants the new Nokia N95 phone. I have encouraged him to go into town to get one on a new tariff. I checked his credit record yesterday. There is no-way he is going to get one (or any other contract phone!)

Anyhow - MSE stuff now!
Got the rest of my Abbey bank charges. £1k in 6 years - thats terrible. So far we have £3k in charges from various companies I am claiming back. Only Neils Barclaycard have replied, offering £40 for a £113 claim (er.. no!)

Was naughty and bought a new camera last week. BAD Charlotte. My Nan and Granddad have moved to Spain to live with my Dad (I was left behind!) and they gave £1k to each grandchild (4) before they went. After an argument with Nan, she insisted I spend the money on myself (was going into an ISA). I have always wanted a real decent SLR camera, so spent nearly £500 on one. MSE wise though I did barter and got some free stuff, like a tripod, bag and 2gb memory card. The rest I have saved but told Nan the camera cost more than it did.

And Neil thinks he can play with it. Thats making me cross too. Its mine! I don't play with his stuff - he would go mental.

I can see a divorce coming. Touches my stuff and doesn't give me a lie-in.

I know I should not have bought it. I haven't had this amount of money in ages and I don't have any toys and I couldn't resist. It was a grand scale re-lapse.

The up side is I have some fabulous portait shots.

skylight

Posted on the Student board, but any help and tips would be appreciated.

charlotte664 wrote: »

Any tips??

I really need a kick up the backside. I have already substituted TMA02, and working on TMA03 - but behind with that too!

Okay - my excuse is I have 5 kids at home and one of those is a 10 week old baby so I have a lot on my plate anyway.

Currently studying DSE212 (60 points) and although its not difficult, you do need thinking time to absorb the different concepts. Time is one thing I am struggling with!

I am trying to focus on what I have achieved rather than what I haven't done, but its not easy!

Also, my family, including OH, think that
a) its not a problem as its home study, so its not "real" education so therefore can't be that hard!
b) waste of time
c) Totally unsupportive. Swines. I have to help with their homework/problems etc.
d) Culminates in that they do not understand how important this is to me.


Any tips would be appreciated. Am feeling very down with it all and about to jack it in.

Annie021063

charlotte664 wrote: »

Posted on the Student board, but any help and tips would be appreciated.

Charlotte
I can sympathise with you. Keep going it will all be worth it in the end. I started an EYFD with the OU and then got a place with a UNI but forgot to stop my OU course so the Feb following my Sept start at UNI (WB PTE) I had my first lot of paperwork!!!! I decided it would be a challenge to complete both so over last three years have continued to run both degrees along side each other. It has been tough but I am now 3 years into my 4 year degree and 180 points into my FD. Hopefully when I come to apply for teaching jobs my EY experience will aid my application.
My family is not very good at support either, they often forget I am working, studying and caring for home and family and I too get stressed when I ask for a small thing to be done and I am ignored.
Keep your chin up and work through it - it will be worth it in the end
Studying can be addictive and it can also be very rewarding!!
Good luck

skylight

Gave up the OU Course.
I really cannot fit it in. Family demands are just to great. The non-support I can put up with, OH and his family are not a supportive bunch anyway so OH doesn't know how, its just the time.

But, I have re-enrolled for the same course as of Feb 08, so I will do it. Family things will be quieter then - another one in school and baby will be a year old nearly so less demanding.

Lara has to wear glasses! She looks really cute in them.. Picked them up Friday and she had broken them at school on Monday. A great big scratch across them. And being NHS you only get one free pair a year! Luckily I have HSA (basic) that I pay for each month. Cos I have to wear glasses/lenses and OH needs dentistry care, so far its worked out that I have claimed more than paid out (including the Quidco cashback last year!). At least I can get her a replacement pair and get the money back.

Paying off the debts nicely. I am still surprised by how many creditors have ignored our offers completely. Some are unable to provide a CCA and others just ignore us. So. Its another round of letters tomorrow to all those who have ignored us. Surely they would want some money? I can't seem to give it away at the moment.

Booked flights to Spain to see Dad in August. Neil is not coming, just the girls and I (because we cannot afford another adult flight and he cannot justify the time off work). If I use the other half of Nans money and Dad is paying the remainder of the flights, then we can afford to go. Summer holidays, height of season - its nearly £1k for flights and car hire. I am lucky my Dad loves me. The girls are really looking forward to going. Used lots of Tesco clothing vouchers for sumemr clothes for them all!

Going to post a picture of the girls in a minute so that you can see them all! (Or I will in an hour or two when I can find where I saved it to...)

katchambers

Good going charlotte!

You seem to be handling all your debts and the horrible letters etc very well, not to mention the car set-backs, you are an inspiration! :T

Good luck with it all, I hope more companies accept your payment plans.

kat x

chevalier

Well done in taking your head out of the sand. I know you are trying to work with your creditors, but have you thought about going back on a DMP with CCCS or Payplan, whichever one you weren't with before?

Good luck with getting your charges back
chev

skylight

Well. Just when you think things cannot get any worse, they suddenly do.

Looks like I am going to be a single Mum. Great 4 kids on my own is just what I need.

OH thinks I am a control freak and a manipulative cold-hearted b1tch. Nice. I "think" he wants me to change my attitude towards him and understand him more, but he is not prepared to go to Relate as he cannot see the point of that. So I have no idea what it is I am supposed to do exactly.

I am also not sure whether I want to save the marriage or not. But Ho Hum. Have a lot to think about.

With regards to money, I am looking into my position should he leave and although not great, its also not all that desperate. Keeping tight reins on budgets certainly helps!

I have done nothing about the debtors who have ignored me. I think I will ignore them now until this is resolved with OH one way or the other.