Anything missed? Answers on a virtual postcard!

vanoonoo

hang on in there and keep that positive spirit going as much as you possibly can

in order to pre empt the bank not honouring the capital one cheque is it worth ringing both capital one AND the bank to explain the situation in breif regarding the deduction from wages

I am not an expert on dealing with credit cards regarding late / delayed payment I am afraid, but if i were in a pickle and thought that a cheque might bounce then I would contact the bank and the lender in advance in order to try to prevent any charges being applied

enjoy the paddling pool (you're not on a water meter are you? and can the youngster go without nappies whilst in the pool? *chuckle*)

goolieman

Just a wee update:

The balance from Mint has just paid off my overdraft. It is very weird seeing the C after the balance and not a D!
From there I will pay Amex £800, to get us to £0 balance at the bank when DP is paid. Therefore JUST living off his wages and not going overdrawn at all.
I also cashed in an old Legal & General policy which wasn't performing and got a cheque today for £840, which will go to HSBC card, leaving me a balance of £400 on this card. Amex, with the £800 and DP's expenses will clear this card.

Which will leave cards as follows:
HSBC £ 400
Mint £2800
Cap one £5300
Egg £1400
Total £9900
Still a great deal, but at least only two cards are charging interest for the time being.

My short term goals are to clear as much of Egg as possible before the interest kicks in (September) by putting the overpayments into my mini cash ISA.

Unfortunately June is MOT and Road Tax month, and the car needs a service (not essential but probably better to achieve a good price)

DP is going to continue using Amex for any work related expenses as the cash back is great!

Re the Council Tax:
They have agreed to investigate, but no one person is incharge of his case so they said it could take some time to see if he is liable for a rebate.
Payroll and HR have also decided to see if they can get the money put back on his wages.
Because the case was handed to the Scottish equivilent of Baliffs via a court order only the council can stop the money coming off again this month. As far as we are aware they have definately put a halt on it. We shall see the last day of the month whether that is the case.
DP has tried in vain to get hold of CAB, they always seem to have an engaged tone, he has tried various different offices. He thought it best to try them in Scotland as they might know more about the specfics of Scottish Law. There isn't one near me, and DP is very very busy at work and hardly in the office to keep chasing.

On other money saving issues, I have followed advice from the other boards, sat down and did a 2 week meal planner only bought essentials and only spent £56 shopping, which included some toiltries. I was very proud of myself! Will need to do a mini shop of no more than £10 in a couple of days, but I think the shopping front is going really well. I have found out to my distinct advantage that there is NO difference between Tesco Savers and Named Brands.
Eating a lot of Beef Mince in this house at 76p for 400g!!

Also saw Martin on This Morning earlier talking about medicenes and their cheap equivilent. No more Neurofen for us!! Great tip!

Oh and the bank let the Cap One cheque clear (HSBC are pretty good about these things) but we did incur an overdraft charge. But it is definately the last time we will.

WoW not so much as a mini-but giant update!!

Getting there, not making a dent yet, but at least we have our priorities sorted and can start to make a decent stab at it.
On another positive note, by cutting down on portions and planning meals ahead, and walking the mile to town instead of driving has lost me 1/2 stone!!!!! Could be the stress aswell, but lets give the money saving justice, lol!

Speak soon
C

DiggingOut

Great report!

Mrs_Thrift

Good news, C!

vanoonoo

thanks so much for the update - great progress!


wheeeeeee!

goolieman

Well June's pay day came and it's a good job I didn't hold my breath because for the 3rd month in a row the council took £500 from DP's wages >:(
Well actually we can't blaim the council as recently they have been nothing but helpful. It is the baliff company that didn't stop the payment (I suppose it is not in their interest to do so)
So we are at square one again.
But I have had 4 days to moan and whinge and cry, now we have to scrap back again. Having had a VERY good month on eBay will help!
I have decided use the rest of my Cap one balance at 3.9% and transfer HSBC card to that, therefore only leaving a bit on Amex to clear.
When the council rebates us (they have to!!!) then I will clear that amount off the relevent cards at the time.

Regardless I have had a lovely week, DP was on holiday all week and although we didn't go on holiday as such we had a lot of 'cheap' days out and enjoyed ourselves with the kids.
This weekend I am off to T in the Park in Scotland. A complete freebie, flights, guest pass the lot, so I will make the most of that!!!
DP is back at work on Monday so I will let you know if the council kicks baliff !!!!!! over the non-cancelled payment.
Speak soon
C

vanoonoo

I really hate to say this but don't rely on getting that money back from the council (although I hear what you are saying about the baliffs being at fault). it just doesn't happen like that. when it's gone it's gone as the saying goes (or is that a tesco advertising slogan?). the sad fact is that the money is owed and is being reclaimed (albeit at a ridiculous level) so it's highly unlikely that you will have a reverted credit to your account against money owed. although I will be delighted if it comes through for you. don't forget though that the money is still owed to the council and will have to be repaid at some point.

I am horrified at your partners employers for continuing to allow this to happen and I think you may need to get some form of legal advice in order to prevent this happening for a fourth month. you also need to get in writing from the council and from the baliffs confirmation that they will not be taking money next month, or that they are crediting your account (fat chance imho) or at what level they will now be taking money.

in addition I suggest contact your other creditors to explain the situation and ask if they can do anything to ease repayments for a couple of months.

how long is it now before the outstanding debt to the council is repaid if they continue taking monthly payments at this rate? how much is outstanding in total and what is the repayment schedule likely to be from here on in - just roughly - I dn't want you account numbers or anything

goolieman

The point is that it is disputed whether or not he owes it at all!!
The council now have in their possession documented evidence that the money they are chasing, or at least a vast majority of it is not owed as DP was not living in Scotland at the time and was infact paying Council Tax in London.
As for further payments the total amount owed was in the region of £1500 so three months worth of £500 covers that, if more is to come out next month it will be only the rest of what is left (I've said £500 was taken, but each time it was more like £480 ifgwim)
As for talking to creditors, we can still meet all the payments, so we will keep doing so with the hope of a full month's wage. It may be digging a slightly bigger hole, but it can be gotten out of.
I have done really well cutting the bills and cutting back, so maybe some good has come out of it ::)
C

DiggingOut

Well, take from it the lesson that you can survive on a lot less than you think you can -- you've done it for three months!

If you get the money back, that's superb. If not, next month I would use a small amount of that extra £500 you'll have (less than £100) for something nice to celebrate having the council tax mess cleared (even if it was a ripoff, it will be great to have it over and done with). Then, start working on those other debts. Just think how quickly it will start to go down at £500 / month!

vanoonoo

sorry - I'd missed that bit goolieman - that's great news if they will rebate all or part of it