Pretty sure BR is my only option but so many questions....

Suz24

Hi, i have only posted a few times on here so you might have to bare with me.

I have quite a large amount of unsecured debt, i would probably say its about £40k. I have always had loans since i was 18 then credit cards and for a while i was managing them ok but slowly started to pay min payment on cards etc but carry on using them so they eventually got maxed out. I also had a car on finance but that got repossed last year.

I dont have the money to pay for my BR and the situation i am in at the moment i cant see being able to get the money for quite some time but i know i have to do something soon as i cant keep burying my head in the sand much longer.

Who is the best company to call about this? is it stepchange?

I work at the moment but dont get paid for it as it is for my partners business which we have been trying to get off the ground for about 18 months and so far no money for wages etc. When i go BR is this something i will get in trouble for?

I know i will need to get a 'proper job' as i will be moving back home so will have to pay rent and pay for my own BR fees when i can and i imagine would get some sort of IPA depending on what i earn as im not sure yet what the allownances are (if anyone could point me in the right direction to find that out it would be great)

Also where my parents live, the public transport isnt very good so the only way i would reliabley be able to get to work would be by car, which i dont have at the moment. If i was to get a car i wouldnt even be looking at spending £1000 on it, i just want something little and cheap but would this be allowed or would it be purely depening on my circumstances?

I am so scared about all of this, i havent been able to cope for a while. I was put on anti depressents last year but have since come off them and am not struggling even more to deal with it all and not knowing where to turn.

My OH isn't very supportive and for all he has been through it he doesn't really want to listen to me about my finances and BR etc

If anyone could help or point me in the right direction i would really appreciate it.

Thanks

Cakey06

Hi,

My OH has just told me about loans and debts he has incurred, its a bit messy but I phoned stepchange oh his behalf as he was so upset he couldnt talk - he gave authorisation and they set up a password I could use for a month, and then set up authorisation for me to access it. They were great, be ready with you outgoings, rent, council tax, gas, food shopping phone bills etc and they will go through your budget with you. Then they arranged a telephone appt (which they managed straight away) to go into it in a little more detail and go through your options. Then which ever option you choose they will tell you what you need to do and what the can do on your behalf (depending on which option you do). Its only 5 days since we contacted them and although its really early days, I already feel like we're getting somewhere, and we have real guidence, (rather than what other people think!) - the long term solution is still up in the air due to him still owning a house with his ex wife but Stepchange will review his options after this initial plan which should give us a little breathing space to get thinkgs in order. So far they've been really helpful and really kind in the first few days we rang them quite a few times. I'm not sure where you stand with the car if you dont have one now but they may be able to advise. My oh is also seeking councelling (he was on anti depressants but he didnt like being on them) he's found councelling helped in the past so it may be worth a try if you are struggling especially if you cant talk to you OH yourself at the moment.

I'm scared too! But I do feel that Stepchange are helping us to turn things around and hopefully this is the first step on the road to recovery - which ever road it is! I hope thats helped you even if its just a little bit! Good luck, you're definately not the only one!

SuziQ

I picked up a great little motor ( a ford KA ) for only £300 last july from a repossession company ( ironically!) the only thing I have spent on it is insurance,mot, tax and petrol, although it blew a tyre yesterday so I will be replacing that tomorrow . Just telling you this to let you know there ARE cheap reliable little motors out there for well below a grand, a long as you are not worried about a few dings etc.

Suz24

thank you Cakey06 and SuziQ for your responses.

Im going to phone Stepchange for some advice and help and take it from there.

Cakey06 glad to hear you and your OH are getting there and i hope everything goes in the right direction for you

SuziQ thanks for saying about your car, i dont want anything flash. Just 4 wheels and an engine so i can sort some work out