Advice needed!

twidds1

This is the first time I have used the forum, and I really need some advice on getting out of dept.

We are a family of 4, I work full time but my husband doesn't work and hasn't had a proper job since being made redundant in 2004. He did try a couple of temp jobs last year but he couldn't cope with it.
He can't claim benefits due to my earnings, however my earnings are not enough for us to get the depts cleared.
We have a mortgage of £35000 with about 7yrs left, and have never missed any payments.
I owe about £9000 on a credit card, and have never missed any payments.
I owe about £3000 on a store card, and have never missed any payments.
We also have a mortgage overdraft of £19000, which has to be paid by the end of the mortgage, so basically 7 years.
The mortgage overdraft has ended up this high due to continually borrowing to cover the bank overdraft, because my earnings just cannot pay for everything.
I do not want to lose the house and selling is out of the question, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

WantToBeSE

Can i ask what it was about the temp jobs that your husband couldnt cope with?
If you posted an SOA -sticky is at the top of the DFW debt free wannabe board-that would be really helpful.

twidds1

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Can i ask what it was about the temp jobs that your husband couldnt cope with?
If you posted an SOA -sticky is at the top of the DFW debt free wannabe board-that would be really helpful.

Not exactly sure what you mean by 'SOA -sticky is at the top of the DFW debt free wannabe board'

OneLife_OneShot

SOA - Statement of Affairs, its your income and outgoing etc, gives people an idea of what your situation is and more able to give helpful advice.

http://www.stoozing.com/msoc/soacalc.php

twidds1

The temp jobs my husband did, in one place there was a lot of theft and bullying going on, and the other place expected workers to do jobs by hand that were physically impossible, and required machinery to do, also he was made to wait over an hour before they allowed him to leave the production line to go to the toilet.

JimmyTheWig

What age are your children?
I ask in terms of childcare - does your husband do a great deal of this as he is not working (e.g. caring for a baby during the day while you are at work) or are they older and so don't need anyone to "look after" them through the working day?

If by your husband working you would need to pay for childcare then it will be difficult to find something that pays enough.
If, on the other hand, childcare isn't necessary (even if that's just the case during school hours) then he should be able to find some work.

Many people are caught in the trap where they will lose benefits if they work, and so to work for pittance isn't worth it. Others, as I have alluded to above, are in the trap where their pay won't cover their childcare costs.
But it sounds like, from your OP, that your husband has no barriers to working other than finding something appropriate. I.e. every pound he earns is a pound that you are better off. He won't even be paying income tax / national insurance if he doesn't earn much.

So I'd say it's a question of any work he can find.
Might be worth him volunteering somewhere (charity shop, for example, or listening to children read in primary schools) to get back used to the idea of going in to work every day, learn new skills, aquire references, have something of interest on his CV.
Or self-employed work? He could wash cars, or cut people's lawns when the weather improves. Ironing, if he's any good at that. Again, remember, every pound he earns is a pound in your pocket. Even if it takes him an hour to earn that pound that's probably a better gain than someone currently on benefits or someone paying for childcare would gain from working for an hour on minimum wage.

It's important to note that two temp jobs that didn't work out doesn't mean that all temp jobs won't work out.
What about bar work, or pizza delivery?


Also, do you use his time to help with money saving? E.g. he cuold be in a position to visit all the local supermarkets each week with a pre-prepared list of what is cheapest at each one.

heartbreak_star

Some good advice from Jimmy there - your husband needs to become the home-maker if he's not working. Get him to pubs and local shops with CVs too, and volunteering looks great on those CVs.

If you could get that SOA up as quickly as possible we can see if anything stands out where you could save. The people on here are brilliant though, you'll get lots of support and good advice.

One thing though - it's "debt" not "dept". That really bugs me

Good luck - you'll be paying off those cards in no time!

HBS x

twidds1

heartbreak_star wrote: »

One thing though - it's "debt" not "dept". That really bugs me

HBS x

Oops Typo!

twidds1

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

What age are your children?
I ask in terms of childcare - does your husband do a great deal of this as he is not working (e.g. caring for a baby during the day while you are at work) or are they older and so don't need anyone to "look after" them through the working day?

If by your husband working you would need to pay for childcare then it will be difficult to find something that pays enough.
If, on the other hand, childcare isn't necessary (even if that's just the case during school hours) then he should be able to find some work.

Many people are caught in the trap where they will lose benefits if they work, and so to work for pittance isn't worth it. Others, as I have alluded to above, are in the trap where their pay won't cover their childcare costs.
But it sounds like, from your OP, that your husband has no barriers to working other than finding something appropriate. I.e. every pound he earns is a pound that you are better off. He won't even be paying income tax / national insurance if he doesn't earn much.

So I'd say it's a question of any work he can find.
Might be worth him volunteering somewhere (charity shop, for example, or listening to children read in primary schools) to get back used to the idea of going in to work every day, learn new skills, aquire references, have something of interest on his CV.
Or self-employed work? He could wash cars, or cut people's lawns when the weather improves. Ironing, if he's any good at that. Again, remember, every pound he earns is a pound in your pocket. Even if it takes him an hour to earn that pound that's probably a better gain than someone currently on benefits or someone paying for childcare would gain from working for an hour on minimum wage.

It's important to note that two temp jobs that didn't work out doesn't mean that all temp jobs won't work out.
What about bar work, or pizza delivery?


Also, do you use his time to help with money saving? E.g. he cuold be in a position to visit all the local supermarkets each week with a pre-prepared list of what is cheapest at each one.

We don't pay for child care, the youngest daughter is 11.
No pizza deliveries out here, we live in the country.
My husband is trying to start a knife making business from home, but so far, what he makes is more like pocket money.

marathon_man_3

Does he grow all the veggies for the house?
If not, he could start to do that and, who knows, he could sell any surplus locally.

JimmyTheWig

twidds1 wrote: »

We don't pay for child care, the youngest daughter is 11.

In which case, as I say, every pound he earns is a pound better off. Means it is really worth his while getting out there and earning something, anything.

No pizza deliveries out here, we live in the country.

Does he drive? Would it be worth starting some sort of delivery business?
I'm not necessarily suggesting hot food, but maybe an evening/late night snack delivery service? I.e. customer phones up and tells him what they want (e.g. chocolate, Coke, ready meal) and he goes to the shop, buys it and delivers it.

My husband is trying to start a knife making business from home, but so far, what he makes is more like pocket money.

Glad that he's trying something. Sounds like it's not doing too well at the moment. You both need to decide whether it is something worth pursuing. Is it something that with a bit of advertising he could make a lot more money from? Or is it something that he could market himself? I don't know your typical customer, but maybe ask the local fishing tackle shop if he could set up a small stand there to demonstrate and sell the knives - in exchange for a percentage of the sales?
Or you decide that it's never going to be a proper income. In which case he can keep it going as long as it isn't interfering with his job-hunting, or call it a day.