when you reach breaking point

gettingready

Thanks - I was on a payment plan via CCCS when I was on my normal salary but would not be able to on my current one.

Some creditors never froze the interest and despite me being on the plan for over a year - total debt did not reduce at all.

I know, I have done the calculations and there is no way.

My dog had a hip replacement this year (few weeks after my own surgery) which costed nearly £6k and insurance paid for it. She needs another hip done too (when the insurance pot renews from October). One of my cats had surgery on his both back legs (luxating patella) and again , nearly 5k insurance paid for this. I can not afford not to have my pets insured. I also have a dog walker who takes the dog out every weekday lunchtime as there is no way I can leave the dog home alone 7am - 7pm. Those costs would never ever be allowed under any payment plan.

There is nowhere to "make up" the money to meet the pets cost with any kind of repayment plan as I am single, live by myself so all allowances are absolute minimum....

In all honesty, right now I have no idea who with most of my debts are as they were sold and resold again to various debt collection agencies.

When I feel better (one day I hope) I will try to deal with it but definitely not now. Just do not have the head for it.

My house phone is permanently on silnet and none of the debt people have my mobile number so nobody is trying to contact me that way.

Letters? Some I do not even open TBH.

In real terms I have £80 per month for myself to live on (after all bills are paid/travel/pets expenses) - I am sure on paper that would be much more than that and some of it would have to go towards the debts but....I simply do not have it.

VJsmum

GreyQueen wrote: »

Spent £5.99 and am as happy as Larry. Who was Larry btw?

Is he the sandboy who is also happy?

monnagran

Frugal frog & gettingready: I do wish you both lived nearer here. Folk who come to our Drop-in are often in a similar state to the two of you. We can help with supplies of food - a bag of food every week that you can pick out yourself - usually things like long life milk, tea bags, sugar, tins of meat, fish and veg, essential toiletries etc. And pets have a bag of their own, mostly cats and dogs. Most of our clients would rather feed their pets than themselves. All our food is donated by various churches so you have to put up with what's there but it does help. We also have contact numbers for various agencies that might be able to help. It might be worth having an ask around to see if there is anything similar in your area. The only thing we don't give out is money, although we would if we could!

We aren't connected to any official organisation so we aren't bound by any of their rules, it's a very informal arrangement and no questions are asked. There are other people doing the same sort of thing so do make some enquiries.

sleepless_saver

the_frugal_frog wrote: »

Thanks, I have never claimed in my life, I must say the man at the jobcentre was helpful, but said It would take a good few weeks for me to recieve a letter, let alone a payment .

Did the helpful man mention that you could apply for a crisis loan meantime?
And you could check out if you are entitled to any other benefits .

gettingready

monnagran wrote: »

Most of our clients would rather feed their pets than themselves.

Exactly.....

I have already swapped Zara from Orijen to Skinners the cost of her food is a 1/3 of what it used to be.

Cats are on GoCat that I have from US (long story) and got another 20kg of it or so.

Insurance is a killer, dog walker is a big cost - although I now pay £5.00 per walk and used to pay £10 per walk so down to about £110 per month from what used to be £230 per month.

Cat litter is a massive cost 2 - with 4 cats that only go out for 2-3 hours per day when I come home from work.

I started a thread on here some time ago (pet section) about the cost of keeping pets and cut wherever I could but still...

Trying to find some Saturday job, cleaning possibly but.. no luck so far. People want cleaners on weekdays niot Saturdays, same with dog walking etc. As I work full time Mon-Fri, very little I can do TBH/

gettingready

the_frugal_frog wrote: »

Thanks, I have never claimed in my life, I must say the man at the jobcentre was helpful, but said It would take a good few weeks for me to recieve a letter, let alone a payment?

And why is that?

I had to claim in December 2010 for nearly a year with a short 4 months break in the middle (temp job) and my claim was processed within I think 2 weeks.

Is there any reason that you have to wait so long? Did you call them to chase your claim up?

prepareathome

Sending hugs to all of you surviving on so little no matter what the reason. Never give up on starting a store cupboard, over the years as fast as I have started one something always hit and we would end up living off it but I kept going and at last its paying its way( hope I am not jinxing myself by saying this) by saving me money as now can afford to buy up ys items with my shopping money rather than on a whole weeks food,or take advantage of special offers with it.

Still not got everything I want in it, would last maybe a month or so if we were careful and have some usual meals and maybe black tea a lot as no where near enough milk of any type for longer than a couple of weeks, but I plough on - I am now 56 and I sincerely hope it doesn't take you as long to have one that lasts, but still saw us through the rough times each time so was worth it, would have been a lot harder those times if we had not had,had it.

We just get by at the moment, we have enough to pay the bills and buy the food and our dogs never go without, need to build up their food a bit more have about 6 weeks dried but only two weeks wet food but I also would starve before they did without, same as I would for my children. I have 3 JRTs, used to have a cat but I out of the blue developed a cat allergy, at the time doctor told me to rid of cat, I was at that time on oxygen in A&E but told him he just better get used to seeing me as no way was I doing that, sadly our cat had aids, but we didn't know it then but he took seriously ill 6 months later and we had to let him go as he was suffering so badly, I held him and was last thing he saw, still miss him and that was 15 years ago but of course didn't get another cat, just more dogs - we only had one with the cat.

Hugs to all xxxx

the_frugal_frog

gettingready wrote: »

And why is that?

I had to claim in December 2010 for nearly a year with a short 4 months break in the middle (temp job) and my claim was processed within I think 2 weeks.

Is there any reason that you have to wait so long? Did you call them to chase your claim up?

Its taken so long , just to get my initial appointment to see them took weeks, now I am waiting for a descision and jsa. The man who I spoke with said that its normal, ( I assumed I would be seen a day or so after applying for jsa....not so!!)

He said I can apply for crisis loan, there were 2 phones/boothes downstairs and clinging on were 2 gentlemen both worse for ware, possibly drunk. I left the jobcentre. Sure, I could have done with the money but I will be very honest, the people milling around are intimidating. I will sell my items and that way its one less debt to be repaid.

I have raided my coats/bags and the sofa and have a grand total of £7.01 so enough for elec to last a week, or just under, including the emergency that will click in.

I havent phoned to chase it up, I dont have any credit, or a landline, but I am due in friday morning, I will ask then. I supose I am a bit green, I assumed I just have to wait til they send me something. I have read too many stories on here about awful jobcentre staff, I was just relieved to get in, be spoken with politely and to leave.

gettingready

I havent phoned to chase it up, I dont have any credit, or a landline,

I never understood why their number is not a freephone one - how can someone in your situation contact them? So out of order with silly numbers one has to call, remember hanging on for ages on one of their 0845 numbers from my mobile

Hope you get something sorted soon.... XXX

sleepless_saver

frugal frog, if your local library (or a friend) has computer and printer, you could fill in a form to claim a crisis loan and just hand it in at the jobcentre. You don't have to phone.