Where do I start?

happycake

I've jusy totted up everything I owe and, wow, it was a bit of a shock.

I temp but am looking for a full time job, so I don't know how much money I'm going to have coming in from week to week. I also study in the evenings and on Saturdays so it doesn't leave much room for everything else. On top of that I'm very ill with a stress related illness which is pretty much debilitating. Because I temp, I have to pay for medication so that comes out to a lot. I get about 5 hours sleep a night and not much time to do course work so there's no chance of me finding another job in other hours.
I've sold pretty much everything I own. No more TV!! So one case of clothes, a few pairs of shoes and a lot of paper work is pretty much all I own in the world.

I think my landlord might throw me out pretty soon and I don't want to be homeless. I just don't know where to start.

thehappybutterfly

We need a bit more info than that happycake. You need to include some indication of income; what your monthly payments are to service these debts etc. If you're not earning enough to live on, you might need to rethink your studying - perhaps put it on hold and get a job with more/different hours.

But before anyone can advise, we need more info.

happycake

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

We need a bit more info than that happycake. You need to include some indication of income; what your monthly payments are to service these debts etc. If you're not earning enough to live on, you might need to rethink your studying - perhaps put it on hold and get a job with more/different hours.

But before anyone can advise, we need more info.

My income varies from day to day so it's really difficult to put a figure on it. I'm contrated in for the course so I'll owe that money even if I quit. Quitting's not an option.
Gettin a job is difficult at the moment.
I end up paying £30 in service fees a month.

beccals

Hi

Do you currently meet the minimum payments on your Credit Card? It may be worth speaking to CCCS. Sounds like you would benefit from a payment plan to clear it all.

If you didn't want to do that though, I would concentrate on clearing the rent arrears first.

Good Luck!

Heffi1

If you are on a lot of medication, it would be worth looking to get a pre payment certificate which would mean a monthly cost of £10.40 for unlimited prescriptions.

sunshineangel

are you entitled to any help with rent as on a low income? if you are that may help. have a look online at housing benefit/council tax benefit.
Good luck x

happycake

Heffi1 wrote: »

If you are on a lot of medication, it would be worth looking to get a pre payment certificate which would mean a monthly cost of £10.40 for unlimited prescriptions.

Oh, I didn't know this existed. Thanks for that. I'll look it up.

happycake

sunshineangel wrote: »

are you entitled to any help with rent as on a low income? if you are that may help. have a look online at housing benefit/council tax benefit.
Good luck x

Apparently I don't get any benefits because my income varies so much from week to week. They told me I'd need to reapply every week.

dancingfairy

From your signature it appears your biggest problem is your rent.
Are you able to get a basic bank account and get any benefits/wages paid in there? try barclays.
This means that your wages won't be swallowed up by charges each month and means that you can be in control of who you pay, how much and when.
Can you base your budget on the minimum amounts you earn for now?
I suggest trying to draw up a budget, concentrating on the essentials first so rent, council tax, gas, electric and food (that sort of thing). Anything left over after the essentials can be used to fund debt repayments ( your old overdraft should now be just like any other debt once you have your new account set up).
Unless you owe other priority debts then the majority of any debt repayments should go towards your rental arrears, in fact I suggest you draw up a schedule of how you are going to pay off the rental arrears and stick to it (send a copy of it to your landlord).
HOw much do you have 'spare' a month to make debt repayments? Are you going to be able to clear the rent payments in a sensible amount of time?
If you are struggling with all of this I suggest you get help from your local CAB or phone Shelter (as you owe rental arrears).
Best of Luck
df

dancingfairy

Paradoxically you may in fact be better off not temping claiming benefits, getting on top of your budget (and your rental arrears) and focussing on getting those anxiety levels down and applying for full time jobs. Yes it is a pain but benefits can't seem to cope with people temping. In an ideal world you would get the benefits sorted out though and not have to give up work temporarily
df

citizenkitten

having worked as a temp, i can tell you your tax code is probably wrong and your tax all worked out incorrectly due to the variable rate of pay you get. Wasn't too unusual for me to be around £700 in a year out of pocket.

I have seen the adverts for the money advice service, dont know if any good... ask other MSEers. but i know CAB (citizens advice bureau) are excellent people and should be able to help you for advice re rent and maybe tax.

agree with dancing fairy, prob better off on bens. get some advice on what is going to work for you. maybe best to go on bens for a while, to 1) finish your studying 2)keep applying for full time jobs and 3) get on top of your debts.

dont know how much of your course you got left, but if 2 years of less i would challenge myself to complete it in 6 without a job to do.

some courses get grants, such as social care, teachers etc. if you dont have many qualifications to your name, you can get grants for educating yourself.

what rates are you paying on your debts, i agree that maybe on a debt plan would be a good idea for you to spread the damage and give you some room to breathe, with your condition i doubt this worry is making you feel any better.