Where do you find £200?

laura_v

Hi everyone,

I hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I am in the process of trying to sort my debt out, so that I can finally start having a life, get myself sorted financially, start being an adult etc etc. I got myself into some financial difficulty over the past 7 years, and I have spent the past 12 months trying to clear debts, moving back in with my mum and dad 50 miles away to lower outgoings etc.

I recently got a new job 40 miles away from home. When I started the job I was staying at my boyfriends a lot which is a lot closer to work but our relationship started to suffer so I only stay at his at weekends now which means that I am doing 80 miles per day (plus any journeys I do other than work). I am averaging on 500 miles per week.

This month I decided to pay a couple of hundred pounds extra off my debts. I had worked out a budget, thought that I could do it if I made a few cutbacks in my personal life (e.g. making lunch for work instead of buying) and to be honest it was a huge psychological boost, clearing the whole balance on a store card rather than just paying the minimum.

However, because I hadn't planned on not staying at my boyfriends I hadn't budgeted enough for petrol. I have now found myself £200 short for petrol for the month. I've already spent the majority of my personal money due to several friends' birthdays and a wedding all at the start of August, and even with completely cutting back I am still £200 short. I've only got enough for 1 tank of petrol left, 2 at a stretch by literally using every penny I have so by next week I will have no petrol to get to work. My credit rating is shot to pieces because of my reckless borrowing in the past so I got declined for an overdraft by my bank. I can't borrow off my parents as I am paying them back a loan for my car excess for a car accident I had earlier this year and they have no spare money at the moment.

So the only thing I can think of is the dreaded pay day loan. I know I can pay it back as I get paid £400 more next month than what I normally do (was planning to clear even more debt!), I just really don't want to go down that route as a few years ago I got into a terrible cycle with them and have managed to free myself from that cycle so I just wondered if anyone can think of any other options? I have seen some posts that say speak to your bank and see if they can help but surely if I've been declined for an overdraft there's nothing they can do (I just imagine they sit at a computer, type in your details and it says yes or no and they can't stray from what the system says)?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

smithers1981

you really need to prioritise, fuel for work comes before birthdays, weddings and boyfriends.

smithers1981

have u got anything to sell, ebay or car boot sale perhaps

floopnoodle

Sell stuff on ebay?
Stay with a friend/colleague closer to work?
Use the extra money you paid debts with - ie use creditcard?
Pawn something?
Ask your bf?

quintwins

would public transport be cheaper (take into account parking aswell)

mummybearx

The only way I can think of is selling some stuff on fbook selling pages. Is there any local to you?

Xbox games, shoes, clothes, anything really just to get you some extra cash quickly x

laura_v

smithers1981 wrote: »

you really need to prioritise, fuel for work comes before birthdays, weddings and boyfriends.

I haven't actually spent any money on my boyfriend, and unfortunately I didn't know I would be needing the extra money before I spent it on birthdays and weddings because I thought I'd be staying at his.

DCFC79

Anything to sell like dvds, a tv, dvd player to sell.

laura_v

Unfortunately no public transport. I live in the smallest village ever, with not even 1 bus passing through it, and work and home are on completely different train lines (I would have to get a train into London and then an hour and a half out of London for work). I have got a few dresses I could try and sell. Will stick them on Ebay tonight. Thanks guys!

DCFC79

laura_v wrote: »

I haven't actually spent any money on my boyfriend, and unfortunately I didn't know I would be needing the extra money before I spent it on birthdays and weddings because I thought I'd be staying at his.

You would still budget accordingly for birthdays and the wedding whether you were staying at his or not

laura_v

DCFC79 wrote: »

You would still budget accordingly for birthdays and the wedding whether you were staying at his or not

Yes I did, I budgeted the money for the wedding present and the 2 meals out for the birthdays, and budgeted £x amount of money for petrol from his house, but now it is working out that I'll be doing 300 miles extra per week, which I didn't see coming. Unless I've got the completely wrong idea about what a budget is...