Mr and Mrs K's New Journey to a Debt Free Life.

mum2one

AlexLK wrote: »

To be honest, it will depend on how much you have to write and what sort of content they expect. Really not sure my writing is up the standard one would imagine from a paid review. Also, surely reviewing things means I will have to buy things to review?

A lot of people I know (through the site) use dooyoo, and claim when it gets to £20 and then put them into Amazon for xmas, its not necessary a case of buying things, as you have plenty in the house, noticed you have a little boy, straight away, toys, clothes, baby food, - as a house music, dvds, cars, toilettries, food, you'd be surprised how much you actually have or have come across.

Its more pin money, as its like a you scratch my back I'll scratch yours, you write a review, then try to review 10 others, and go from there, some people make £50 a month, for a hr a ngt.

xx

AlexLK

7roland8 wrote: »

Well their criteria is over 150 words of original opinion.
You do just review the items you have - food, toiletries, toys, books, etc. There are various categories and you just review what takes your fancy. Nothing lost if you give it a try anyway - a similar one is called CIAO.

If you enjoy writing its a good way for you to add a little to the pot. If you did just one a day and got Amazon vouchers they could be saved for son's gifts.

150 words is nothing, I'll go have a look, especially if you can review anything.

I enjoy writing and quite often buy things through Amazon, £20 off [STRIKE]a pen[/STRIKE]... erm, gifts for our son would be nice.

Iwillsucceed_2

AlexLK wrote: »

Thank you very much for the encouragement.

As for the Brother-in-Law, to say he and I don't get on is an understatement. Had he not started the name calling, I would not have charged him money for the work. It's not the first time he's said such things and I've let it go in the past but how he went about it today just took the biscuit.

I just didn't know how to react when I read that: 'it's not the first time'... I don't think name callings from anyone to anyone is acceptable. We might appear brave on the surface but words can hurt more than punches and takes longer to heal and damages our self steem that is what I think. By the way, I think it will be time for your brother in law to realise that you are not going to tolerate anymore of his behaviour. Like I said, we all have set of boundaries, if we don't we create one so others know where we and they stand. I am glad you are going to charge for your skill and knowledge.
I think you will make great reviews of things you like e.g. Music? Pens? What other things you collect? It appears that the future is bright! You just need the will.
Regards

LannieDuck

Read your summary of what you and Mrs K plan to do - excellent start. Will be good to see your new SOA when you have it ready. I have a feeling it may be quite different from your first

You seem to have quite a few ideas on how to up your income, and they all sound quite profitable. I think dooyoo may not give such good pay-per-hour as your other options. But worth a try and you can always drop it if you find your time's better spent elsewhere.

AlexLK

Iwillsucceed wrote: »

I just didn't know how to react when I read that: 'it's not the first time'... I don't think name callings from anyone to anyone is acceptable. We might appear brave on the surface but words can hurt more than punches and takes longer to heal and damages our self steem that is what I think. By the way, I think it will be time for your brother in law to realise that you are not going to tolerate anymore of his behaviour. Like I said, we all have set of boundaries, if we don't we create one so others know where we and they stand. I am glad you are going to charge for your skill and knowledge.
I think you will make great reviews of things you like e.g. Music? Pens? What other things you collect? It appears that the future is bright! You just need the will.
Regards

Thank you for the encouragement.

The brother-in-law I doubt will ever manage to talk to me in a respectful manner, so far as he is concerned I have "wrecked" Mrs. K.'s life.

mum2one

Hope you don't think I'm stalking you, I know stepchange was mentioned earlier, its now called CCCS (same job, different name), I'm with them on a DMP, I tried 12 mths to self manage, but for me it came back and bit me on the bum, as the creditiors kept trying to increase the money, yet when I said no can't get blood out of a stone, didn't help matters, yet when cccs took over - wow a miracle they accepted the payment schedule.

It may while be once mrs k has done a SOA and youve made cut backs your find your meeting the minimum payments, and in time some spare £1's, but it may be worth taking a look at cccs.

they have a thread on here
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4271235

one way to work out what is best for yourselves in terms of not just budgets but repayments etc - is an online tool they use a debt remedy - it can be done anom and theres no come back from it, as theres no names just Mr x - it goes through everything then gives you a suggestion re way forward.

http://www.stepchange.org/Debtremedy.aspx?hp=400

AlexLK

LannieDuck wrote: »

Read your summary of what you and Mrs K plan to do - excellent start. Will be good to see your new SOA when you have it ready. I have a feeling it may be quite different from your first

You seem to have quite a few ideas on how to up your income, and they all sound quite profitable. I think dooyoo may not give such good pay-per-hour as your other options. But worth a try and you can always drop it if you find your time's better spent elsewhere.

We are almost there with the SOA, it may be up this evening. Was rather close to cracking open a bottle of wine to sit down and go over the SOA with Mrs. K. but we resisted, starting as we mean to go on. So far as the SOA goes, do we prepare this month's expected income and expenditure? This is the last month Mrs. K. is on part time wages.

AlexLK

mum2one wrote: »

Hope you don't think I'm stalking you, I know stepchange was mentioned earlier, its now called CCCS (same job, different name), I'm with them on a DMP, I tried 12 mths to self manage, but for me it came back and bit me on the bum, as the creditiors kept trying to increase the money, yet when I said no can't get blood out of a stone, didn't help matters, yet when cccs took over - wow a miracle they accepted the payment schedule.

It may while be once mrs k has done a SOA and youve made cut backs your find your meeting the minimum payments, and in time some spare £1's, but it may be worth taking a look at cccs.

they have a thread on here
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4271235

one way to work out what is best for yourselves in terms of not just budgets but repayments etc - is an online tool they use a debt remedy - it can be done anom and theres no come back from it, as theres no names just Mr x - it goes through everything then gives you a suggestion re way forward.

http://www.stepchange.org/Debtremedy.aspx?hp=400

Thank you, and no I don't think you are stalking me at all, LOL!

Our initial thought is to sell assets and pay off individual debts in full, starting with the largest amount rather than paying so much per month as our income at the moment is quite low.

fc123

AlexLK wrote: »

Good evening everybody!

First of all, I want to say a big thank you to everybody who has contributed to both this thread and my other one.

Mrs. K. and I have make a couple of lists this evening but we are still not finished with our accurate SOA yet but here are the things we have identified:

Decreasing Our Spending

• Gas and Electricity - Stop using energy unnecessarily, check u-switch.
• Landline - Saving made of £60+ bills per month to £32.75. Commitment made to not dialling mobile numbers from this phone.
• Mobile Phone - Mrs. K. is going to keep her current iPhone at the end of her contract and go on SIM only. I am going to cut down to a £10 per month contract as I hardly use it.
• Groceries - cut the wine down to 1 bottle per week as our Saturday evening treat. One takeaway per month. Shop for fresh ingredients and cook - this is a bit challenge for Mrs. K. and I for neither of us enjoy cooking so we need to find some quick and EASY recipes. Swap between cooking and washing up daily.
• Clothing - Buy no new clothes for a year; we have absolutely loads of things we have never even wore. Sell our son's clothes that no longer fit him. Only buy him the clothes he needs from cheaper retailers.
• Petrol - Sell the V8 Disco and buy a diesel version. Stop using cars for short journeys of less than 1-2 miles.
• Car maintenance - Do not buy unessential items.
• Other child related expenses - This is going to stop until the debts have gone.
• Presents - Buy son gifts that cost less. Only buy each other a small but thoughtful gift each for special occasions. Cut down spending on family members and let them know we are cutting down our spending.
• Haircuts - Mrs K. cut down to once every other month, do not have hair dyed and I will stay at once every other month.
• Holiday - 2014 will be a holiday free year but we will have 7 or 8 family days out.

Things We Need to Save Towards

• PAYING OFF DEBTS.
• Having an emergency fund of around £5,000.
• Home improvements - new bathroom suite, trying to insulate the house better. Long term - roof replacement, boiler replacement, rewiring or move.

Improving Our Monthly Income

Mrs. K.: Apply for internal promotion at the earliest opportunity. Her boss is due to retire in two years time and has already said he would recommend her for the position.

Main Business:
I am a partner in a small firm (of two: the cabinet maker and I) supplying bespoke furniture to independent retailers.
• Don't wait for shops to find us, go out and find them!
• Shop around for materials.

Sideline Business Ideas: (Potential to make an extra £1650 per month)
Most of these I have "played" with before, during my university days.
• Pens - buying / refurbishing and selling. Aim to make £50 per pen and sell 3 per month. (£150) Notes: Allows me to keep the hobby, must not decide to "keep" any.
• Watches - buying and selling. Would have to outsource any refurbishment though. Aim to make £250 per watch and sell one per month. (£250) Notes: As above.
• Triumph / MG / Jaguar classic steering wheels. Investigate further. (£ not sure) Notes: Could be more trouble than it is worth. Autojumbles are full of dealers.
• Triumph cars - 2 per year aiming to make £1000 per car. (£150) Notes: This is easily do able. However, not a cheap business to try.
• Chesterfield chairs - buy / refurbish and sell. Aim to make £100 per chair and sell 3 per month. (£300) Notes: Picked one up today!
• Music Teaching - in the evening. Up to 10 hours per week at £25 per hour, 40 weeks of the year. School terms only. (£800) Notes: Can find 4 hours of work straight away from friends children.

Any advice or tips would be much appreciated. The "real" diary post is on it's way.

Wow, a Masterplan....that's how we did it.

Oddly, I was thinking about suggesting the music thing during today as I recalled you mentioned that you would have really liked to have become a classical musician.

I know it's about the practicalities and debt busting (+ being Dad and Hubby) but a little something just for your sould woul be good to fit in too.

My mother always wanted to be a concert pianist but then had 3 kids so had to give up her Phd (it still sits in tea chests in my Dads basement, pages of handwritten notes..and they divorced over 35 yrs ago) plus in the 60's, she was expected to be SAHW .....but she always taught after school (at our home) and now she plays for Rotary events, local concerts, all sorts of gigs and loves it. She's 72 and has said that her playing has saved her in very dark moments.

What do you play?

AlexLK wrote: »

Right, here goes!

Tuesday 3rd September, 2013
Day 2.

Dear Diary,

This entry I think I shall entitle "Pay the going rate or get out!"

People, I have found, take the .... wherever and whenever they can: take today, for instance, I am in one moment told I am a "complete and utter waste of space" and then asked to do some work to get a certain person's daughter through an upcoming music theory examination, for free!
Yes, this was the same person all in the space of about two sentences; my hardworking and tenacious salt-of-the-earth brother-in-law to be precise. By this point to say I was seething would be mild, especially as he pays some teenage girl hardly through her ABRSM Grades to teach his precious eight year old girl piano and theory. Anyhow, I digress.



Financial Summary:
+£35.00 - Unexpected music theory work.
-£1.70 - Bakery.
-£3.00 - Parking.
-£13.45 - Moleskine Mid-year diary.
I also bought a Chesterfield chair and sold four lamps and a side table to a shop in Derby. However, that being business does not really count.

In conclusion, whilst the diary may seem a bit extravagant to some, a good start made to a new life of thinking before spending.

Yours Faithfully,
Alex.

Good for you. Family are tricky sometimes but I'm shocked he felt he could say that to your face.


Reading more I didn't realise you are an upholsterer...is that right? I will post add ons to that subject another day as we just had 2 sofas upholstered by a very inspiring lady locally....she has a great shop doing interiors, curtains, up-cycling and so on. It wasn't a cheap service either but we themed it on Tetrad concept and will end up with something unique. This is the best selling point nowadays as fighting on price is a race to the bottom.
Set yourself the next level up as people out there will always pay a premium for something that isn't mainstream...esp the people that can afford everything YKWIM?

AlexLK wrote: »

Please return with tips I presume the £160k includes a mortgage? If I count that I'm nigh on £240k in debt which makes me feel even more queasy.

I have been at home with our son since day one, my wife and I shared the first six months with neither of us working and we still found it difficult but we love our little boy to pieces. I know this is going to be a tough journey and that today is merely the beginning.

errrrr...nope It was about 70k on cards, 40k on our 'Drawdown' facility attached to the mortgage and the rest was loans.
Sadly, we didn't accrue the debt with high living and I don't have a handbag collection to envy, it was mostly business disasters and the bulk of the CC was OH paying out wages ...and then the customer went down + dinged him for 50k. Chuck on the interest and *voila* 70k debt just sat there like a big fat cat.
We had a double disaster as we had a shop and lost a rent review (in the boom years when everything was going up up up) after 2 years and I had to pay the corp LL back the increase with interest.

Some of the debt was definitely being 'too busy to budget' as well.

I have school tales to share another time as both ours did both types.....in fact daughter had a very varied education as she did failing state primary (we live in a London borough with 3 rd worst schools in UK), private then a final year in a top public girls school (the R one).....it's a long story for another day. But I do have opinion on all types of schools so don't get stressed about your boys schooling yet.

Oooh look, extra long post tonight..sorry

wegle

Hey Alex, sounds like you're doing well.

Well done for standing up to your brother in law. Name calling is vile and ugly and is more a reflection of him as a person than what he believes you to be. So kudos for making him realise he needs you and your worth more than that. £35 more on this occasion to be exact!!

It's probably a goofs idea to do an SOA for this month whilst you're on reduced wages but then do another for when your wide's wages increase so you already know the plan of action when things change. Ideally the only thing that would be different between the two is the income and therefore the amount of surplus that you can throw at debt. Remember no frivolous spending until the debt is clear!

Xxx