please help im in serious debt!!!!

katy_ann

Welcome aboard and good luck with your debt free journey, Id definatly reccommend speaking to Stepchange, they have been brilliant and can offer so much advice! Good luck x

catandy

the one thing that jumped out at me was your earnings vs the rent you pay - it matches what i was earning when my kids were smaller and I was entitled to a proportion of my rent being covered by housing benefit and i had to make up the shortfall. have you checked you are claiming everything you are entitled to?

if you are and that figure is already included in the benefits payment then sorry for my mistake:)

pineapple123

Robin_TBW wrote: »

Could you not work out at home? It's what I do. I spent £1 on a workout DVD and have been going with it since January 1st. When I'm bored of that one I've got another £1 DVD to move on to.

Agree ditch the Gym, you save £15 a month, not loads but a little more to go towards the debt. If you have a Wii get some of the active games you can play on them I have a wii balance board £10 second hand also £2.50 for the Wii fit disc, its good fun and all the family enjoy it as well.
If you havnt got a Wii try and borrow one or get a second hand one after a couple of months it will pay for itself and you could always resell it in the future.

Tryingagainandagain

I just wanted to add that when I was in debt (20,000) I went to stepchange - then CCCS and they were brilliant.

I have no debt now and it's totally changed my attitude to money.

I think you need to get a basic bank account that is totally separate from you overdraft one and see if any of the companies will freeze or reduce your interest payments.

Please call them. It's easier than you imagine if you get the right help.

Thrifty_Pixie

four things:

1. fill out a proper SOA as linked to above.

2. can't the kid's father help with their extra lessons/clubs etc? £35 per month seems high.

3. cancel the gym - you can't afford it. as any doctor knows, gym equipment is NOT necessary for weight loss. go for a walk every day or do as others have suggested by buying cheap secondhand fitness DVDs.

4. do speak to someone like Stepchange.

Allypops

I was also wondering whether you have looked into whether your children would qualify for free school meals or help with uniform costs (I think school could advise on the meals and local authority for uniform grants). It's probably something that you've already looked into but thought I'd mention in just in case.

NinjaSavingKat

Hey there - the biggest step is posting your situation and asking for help. So well done there.:)

I agree with the above comments, cancel the gym and to be honest, cancel the children's after school activities if their father is unwilling to help. You are ultimately sorting things out now to ensure they have a better life ( less stressed Mummy ) and I didn't have any clubs while I was growing up and it did me no harm. Did you?

Can you take them to a local park, you walk and they are amused. Two birds with one stone? A Wii is only good for a little bit of fun, and to work up a little sweat which will make you feel great. If you are classed as obese though you need to get out and walk for 30 minutes a day, consistent exercise and enough to get the heart rate up. Take the kids. A wii is for those who are already or moderately fit - it will not help you burn the amount of fat you need to.

How many children do you have and what is the £250 household / food being spent on? This could be chopped by at least £50-£75 depending on how many mouths there are to feed.

Do your research on utilities. Then present your findings to your landlord. You can only try!!!

Good Luck with everything though!!

bustiblondilocks

wow, thank you all for the overwhelmingly kind responses! (its a shame that some see this thread to have a dig at other people though...please go elsewhere! i want genuine help, i get plenty of fighting at home!)

Well, I am claiming housing benefit but due to my earnings it doesnt cover it all.

i wish id not let my ex bully me into signing us up to so much debt in the first place! Anyway...............

Yes the gym will go! seems a no-brainer on reflection!

I have set myself a budget of £35 a week for food shopping and will definately down shift from brands to supermarkets own and will only go shopping if i absolutely need to!!

i agree that being a less stressed mummy will make me a better mummy...id lost sight of that! thank you x

As for the ex paying for the children? not a chance! he still thinks that he has full control over the money as well as me...but thats another story!
What i get from him for the children is via the CSA and to him that its too much! He really begrudges it!
I will look into dropping the clubs too but they are afterschool and gives me an extra hour a day at work....but yep you guessed ts costing more than im earning in that hour!

Thank you all so much! i am much more positive today and am looking forward to clearing my debt!

RAS

How many children in the household?

And stop paying for the school meals on the days OH has them!

bustiblondilocks

oh sorry i dint answer your question Allypops......

As i am working and get working tax credits it means im not elligable for free school meals and our area dont do the uniform grants.

But its something i had to look into! so thankyou for new ideas! Theyre always welcome! xx