Council Tax Court- Please Help!

jobdone1

caela wrote: »

Hey,

Yeah we walk Spar anyway and only drive to the Supermarkets. Just I don't get out much so sometimes I like to drive around just to change it up a bit! The DD fee was my bank being an idiot as usual. It's a debit account, they shouldn't be charging me and I'm leaving it's just rude of them. Any way the person taking the payment was supposed to do it months ago but they had a billing error, so I got the money back off them.

I don't even know what we buy shopping. Obviously, loo roll, toiletries, cleaning, cat food, odd bits like socks or something... and food of course! I only really discount shop so I don't know how we spend so much. We got JSA in recently and I've already had to spend £25 on internet, £10 on petrol (it was below empty), £4 nearly on tobacco, £10 cash back, £15 meds for my cat who just got ill, cat food £5... and I think that's it! All in one day! Oh yeah and I got my boyf a Toffee Crisp haha cos he was feeling down. He got 2 beers as well for £2. We have been pretty upset about the cat, so trying to treat ourselves a bit. So that is how easy it is to spend lol- that was in one day! Nothing there we could have done without, apart from the tobacco and treats I guess! But that is a necessity too- to spend on fun a bit or else what is the point. We've been really stressed so I've been smoking more and my boyf needed a break so beer and a chocolate bar.

I think maybe we can cut back but I don't know what is necessary. Take the fun stuff off the list and you might as well do away with the other stuff too. Who needs petrol when you can stay in all day and stare at the wall, or go for a walk I guess... but how do you get to the shops? Or who needs a phone, just never speak to anyone. Lol it's possible to live off nothing I guess, but it won't be the same life by any stretch. My dream is to have some self-sufficient farm somewhere lol.

calea are you for real, Tobbaco a must :mad: come on kick the habit , Shop on line have it delivered GET RID OF THE CAR you don't need it SIMPLE. Fair enough if you are both looking for work and the car might be required then fair enough, I'm sorry but people work and have to pay everything with no benefits and struggle.

CIS

Lol firstly thanks for making it through my crazy post! Secondly, I think you're right and I'll just let them take my benefit. I don't really care any more. I might not even turn up to court.

The council are under no requirement to issue an Attachment of Benefit Order, they can issue the account to a bailiff if they so wish once the liability order has been granted.

caela_2

Hi guys,

I know the car costs a bit in petrol and maintenance, but it's vital for getting to job interviews and far cheaper than public transport. I do also need it for disability, so it has become a must really. My previous job required a car and once my boyfriend manages full time employment I will probably return there to work. The thing about JSA is that if you start earning anything below full time, you can't afford to live cos they will cut your benefits. They have been helpful about it though, arranging an interview to go over the minimum amount of hours we would need to work to be better off than on JSA- I guess they want people to get the right start now which is a change from how the job centre used to be before- I think they have realised how many people are unemployed and that it's not some massive benefits scam.

I have certainly learnt that we are spending too much in the shops though, trying to abstain. I just got into a buy a few things and they're cheaper in different shops, so I usually end up hitting like 3 shops in one day just to get everything cheapest. I'm not sure if it still works once you weigh up the petrol, but my car is so good on petrol I can do it on a few pounds.

caela_2

jobdone1 wrote: »

calea are you for real, Tobbaco a must :mad: come on kick the habit , Shop on line have it delivered GET RID OF THE CAR you don't need it SIMPLE. Fair enough if you are both looking for work and the car might be required then fair enough, I'm sorry but people work and have to pay everything with no benefits and struggle.

Lol I would like to stop smoking, definitely. I think it's gross and I hate it, but we're so stressed right now all I want to do is smoke! We are both looking for work at the moment, the problem is I'm very limited in what I can do- my back won't let me do any job where I have to stand up more than half an hour and my knees are bad too. That's pretty much all entry level jobs out of the windows- waitressing, retail assistant, bar work, shelf-stacking, etc. I also have a sleep disorder meaning I can't get up in the morning (well, I don't know when I get up- it's completely unregulated). This means admin jobs are usually out of the question. I have done admin and other work I have mentioned above in the past and it became impossible. The fact I have to keep leaving jobs is one of the reasons I'm in the position I'm in now. Never been able to keep a job for more than 8 months and even then I was so severely depressed from it I nearly went mad.

Maybe people think I should be on ESA but I know how difficult that can be to apply for and I'll be stuck indefinitely on these low benefits with no chance of improving my situation. That's why I'd rather work. I'm trying to set something up where I can work from home, but it's very hard to organise myself. I feel a lot of my life has just fallen apart by now and a lot of things need to be fixed- it's not just the JSA thing lol. I struggle to do about one thing a day with my mental health the way it is and the stress is just growing- daily we are getting poorer, debt collectors are chasing us, I get no DLA cos I got refused at tribunal stage and I don't know how to go about fixing that. I don't get any help from my Dr, in fact I've only just found one now who'll accept I'm not well. Just so many things have been left to get out of control that I don't know where to start and don't really have the energy or care any more.

Speaking with you guys has been a big help actually, because I can see one aspect more clearly. I mean, looking at my statement they reality is we spend a lot of food shopping. Now I knew that's where most of our money went, but I didn't see how much was wasted at the Spar where they only sell snacks, beer and tobacco (maybe the odd meal is bought there). I also thought discount shopping was cheaper, but maybe it's best to go round Asda and do a value shop and get the ingredients we want and need- not just random stuff discounted to 9p lol.

I've also realised perhaps I do make quite a few excuses for myself, it always seems to be someone else's fault lol! I just feel I need a little help in any form. Even having this forum has been a big help- so I know a little nudge in the right direction goes a long way.

RobertoMoir

It sounds like you don't know where your money is going. Start a spending diary, then when you have that down for a month or two, start setting budgets and targets to control spending. See how that goes for giving you a bit more control over finances?

tealady

Hi
If you are really serious about stopping smoking then get yourself to the doctors to see if they will prescribe nicotine replacement. Alternatively as at you local chemist, when I gave up mine was doing 8 weeks replacement on 1 prescription charge, saved me loads in cig money.