Sad and skint with too many debts

brokegirl101

Hello,

I am 22 and unemployed and I am on JSA!

I owe a fair amount of money but I can never find the cash to make any significant payments, I just pay the minimum balance on my credit card, my bills, my rent and my food!

I live with my parents who charge me £20 a week, I spend around £6 a week on travel because I live out of the city center and it takes over an hour to walk. That's half my weekly allowance gone already, I spend around £8 on food because my parents often eat at work.

I'm left with around £15 a week, which I can save and contribute to paying debts so upto £60.

My phone bill is £20 a month
I need to spend £5 on toiletries = £35

But, as an example - I went to Specsavers today and though I have a hc2 certificate there was still a £25 charge for my new frames.

My credit card minimum will be around £7

It if feels so overwhelming and reduces me to tears often, I never seem to move forward and this is my first experience being in such debt and i'm trying so so hard to get a job.

I owe £500 on a credit card
I owe £300 to people for rent and bills
I owe £1,600 on an overdraft
I have another 32,000 in student debts and a degree that isn't getting me nowhere

If anybody has any encouraging advice or tips to make more monthly income whilst being unemployed - i've considered selling items on ebay!
i'd love to hear them, and what you would do in my situation!

beanielou

Hello & welcome to MSE.
Sure someone will be along with some help very soon.

lovethymini

Do you think your parents would help more if they knew how hard it is for you financially, ie reduce or waive the rent for a while? (do they know?)

dory22

brokegirl101 wrote: »

Hello,

I am 22 and unemployed and I am on JSA!

I owe a fair amount of money but I can never find the cash to make any significant payments, I just pay the minimum balance on my credit card, my bills, my rent and my food!

I live with my parents who charge me £20 a week, I spend around £6 a week on travel because I live out of the city center and it takes over an hour to walk. That's half my weekly allowance gone already, I spend around £8 on food because my parents often eat at work.

I'm left with around £15 a week, which I can save and contribute to paying debts so upto £60.

My phone bill is £20 a month
I need to spend £5 on toiletries = £35

But, as an example - I went to Specsavers today and though I have a hc2 certificate there was still a £25 charge for my new frames.

My credit card minimum will be around £7

It if feels so overwhelming and reduces me to tears often, I never seem to move forward and this is my first experience being in such debt and i'm trying so so hard to get a job.

I owe £500 on a credit card
I owe £300 to people for rent and bills
I owe £1,600 on an overdraft
I have another 32,000 in student debts and a degree that isn't getting me nowhere

If anybody has any encouraging advice or tips to make more monthly income whilst being unemployed - i've considered selling items on ebay!
i'd love to hear them, and what you would do in my situation!

hi welcome to the board in this forum we have an up you income thead which can help you, also help with saving money on food and making your own cosmetics pop over to the old style board to have a look, also dont know if this will help but i always check gumtree for odd jobs, a days cleaning, helping out a local festivals etc, its not a long term solution but even if it gives you a £60 extra it could help with the savings, also do your parents have a car or a friend, every year i deliver yellow pages its around september time if you sign up you will be allocated an area that you deliver to you will need a car but if you have a friend relative you could share the pay with it could help, i got a £170 for the week last year, which could help u if your on JSA.

do you have anything you could sell? or asked around your local area if they need anything doing for a small fee?

it is hard finding work out there at the mo. good luck.

quintwins

Why do you need to spend £5 on toiletries a week? I spend around £5 a month and theres 5 of us. Try using cheaper brands or gifts you have received.

Can you cut the £8 you spend on food any by eating food your parents have at home or batch cooking?

Even if you can't make big payments to your debts even the odd £1 here or there to the higest interest ones will help.

mustang121

I used to have a freind in a similar situation. He discussed with parents and lived rent free in exchange for doing errands around the house.

Perhaps even consider asking if your parents pay the overdraft, credit card and friends. (I rather pay my parents a 0% interest loan, than a credit card or bank).

When if your mobile up for renewal? There are far cheaper tariffs (I pay £7.50 for unlimited texts and so x amount of minutes) Granted I have a !!!!!! phone, but smart phones are overated pieces of crap. Which I doubt people actual use all the functions.....ahhhh remember when mobile phones, were just simply mobile phones.

I would then print of hundreds of C.V's, covering letters and actually go on-site and hand them to firms, companies, restaurants et al.


I fudging hate the student loan system. Bloody stupid idea, what a great fudging idea for young adults. Freash out of 6th form. They Start thier new, young adult lifes with debt.....yeah great fudging idea.

The government should scrap the whole Student Loan thing. Students should go to Univeristy by company / government grant based scheme. Students should get on these schemes based on sheer intelligence and in return get job experiance, educations and a job with the company that provided the grant. The company gets an experianced and qualified young person, who already knows the systems, policy customers and people.

........sorry off topic.

ellesbellesxxx

Hi
If you offered to do cleaning/ironing/jobs for your parents do you think they would take that in lieu of 20 a week? Def worth looking around for cleaning/leaflet jobs and go to the Up your Income board for survey sites too!
Def worth getting out of 20 a month phone, go to mobilevaluer.com and recycle any phones around house (via quidco! for extra!) then just get a basic giffgaff basic model phone.
Go on ebay for sure, have you any uni textbooks that you could sell on? Check out amazon (Up your income have got other suggestions for book selling)

GOod luck!X

asparagus1968

hi and welcome.

quick thoughts from me:
cut phone usage-look at giff gaff?
toiletries-sheer minimums only for a while- eg.morris*ns 500ml bubble bath-30p !! can use for shampoo,handwash/shower gel.
deodrant-i use the crystal rock stuff,£6 but lasts over a year!
put leaflet through neighbours doors/put a card in shops-you could do babysitting/tidying/dog walking/weeding/car washing etc?
definately scout around for things to sell.
check out gumtree
£8 food-rummage through cupboards at home for bits to eat before spending,
get those cv's sent,even to places that aren't advertising vacancies but are in your chosen field.
voluntary work-will look good on cv,stop the boredom for a while,you may get "perks" whilst you are their-food/drink/a bit of networking.
keep your parents in the loop,i know we are a nag sometimes,but we all want the best for our children!!

i feel for you,must be very soul destroying ,all that uni/debt/no jobs.

am sure it will get better for you,keep strong,don't lose your self esteem,good luck.

asparagus1968

brokegirl101 wrote: »

Hello,

I am 22 and unemployed and I am on JSA!

I owe a fair amount of money but I can never find the cash to make any significant payments, I just pay the minimum balance on my credit card, my bills, my rent and my food!

I live with my parents who charge me £20 a week, I spend around £6 a week on travel because I live out of the city center and it takes over an hour to walk. That's half my weekly allowance gone already, I spend around £8 on food because my parents often eat at work.

I'm left with around £15 a week, which I can save and contribute to paying debts so upto £60.

My phone bill is £20 a month
I need to spend £5 on toiletries = £35

But, as an example - I went to Specsavers today and though I have a hc2 certificate there was still a £25 charge for my new frames.

My credit card minimum will be around £7

It if feels so overwhelming and reduces me to tears often, I never seem to move forward and this is my first experience being in such debt and i'm trying so so hard to get a job.

I owe £500 on a credit card
I owe £300 to people for rent and bills
I owe £1,600 on an overdraft
I have another 32,000 in student debts and a degree that isn't getting me nowhere

If anybody has any encouraging advice or tips to make more monthly income whilst being unemployed - i've considered selling items on ebay!
i'd love to hear them, and what you would do in my situation!

also, can you make a new list of ins/outs for us please? all in weekly amounts may be easier to see whats what!
i haven't a clue how much JSA is.is it paid weekly or monthly?

Aryndeneth

brokegirl101 wrote: »

Hello,
It if feels so overwhelming and reduces me to tears often, I never seem to move forward

But you are moving forward. You've come on here, admitted you're in difficulties and asked for advice. That's a brave thing to do. You are taking control of the situation not hiding from it. It won't all be easy but this is the beginning of progess to get yourself to a better place. Follow some of the brill advice you'll get on here and those little steps all soon add up. Chin up, hon.