my SOA June 2007

SeriouslyStressed

Firstly I should say Hello again ( it's been a while and lots has happened since I was here last ) and sorry for the messy layout/formatting.

Although I knew I was in trouble financially, it's just become impossible.
I'm on incapacity benefit, REA, and industrial injuries ( have been for 17 years ) All this time I've lived with my mum as she looked after me, and I've looked after her in a non paid capacity.
On Sunday 22nd April 2007 I found out she had lung cancer.
She died at home with me on Friday 27th April 2007.
it was going to be her 73rd birthday on the 29th April.

Now I'm on my own, and having just received my housing benefit/council tax benefit decision, it would appear I'm stuffed.
They've given me £21 off my rent, but no reduction for my council tax ( apart from the 25% single person reduction of which I should be grateful I suppose )

I've just fought hard to keep the house ( the housing association told me less than a week after mum had died that they where going to put me into a one bedroomed flat ) Anyways long story short, doctors involvement, living up to my MSE name, I am now allowed to remain in the house I've lived in since I was 10yrs old. ( phew relief, or so I thought until i seen what extra's I now need to pay for )

here's my SOA... ( I've done it monthly for you to keep it simple.

INCOME TOTAL = £767 ( Incapacity +REA max rate, +Ind Inj 20% )

EXPENSES are:-
Rent ( after rebate ) £286
Water £21.78
Council Tax £68.12
Gas £40 <-- see note below
Electric £46 <-- see note below
Contents Insurance £17 <-- see note below !
BT line rental £13.33 ( I cant pay DD )
Internet £16.50 <- this is my ONLY social interaction and pastime.
Mobile phone £10 <-- 300 texts worth £30 so thats £20 saved as I use them.
TV Licence £11.29
Medicines/Prescriptions £4 <-- Ibuprofen as I dont get it on NHS
Contact Lenses £20 including fluids <-- really cannot wear glasses
Clothing/Footwear £10
Haircut once a month £5 <-- i used to do it myself but i look awful!
Entertainment £5 <-- erm the odd 35p telly book and lottery ticket
Sundries/Emergency money set aside £5 <- not enough really

FOOD and Housekeeping £140

TRANSPORT ( i live in the sticks you see I'm no city dweller )
Car spares and servicing £20 inc MOT <-- really ought to be double that
Road Tax £17 <-- i do 2 x 6 months as never have the full 12 available
Car Insurance £14 <-- as low as a low TPFT ( TPO is no cheaper for me )
Fuel and Parking £30

Total expenditure £795.02 ( yes it's higher than my income )

DEBTS
total current debt = £13,851

Citibank credit card OS £1.572 min £45
Lloyds TSB creditcard OS £3,696 min £75
Tesco credit card OS £8,583 min £253

All debts are at the regular %APR's and infact, they've all just increased the rate ( BAS***DS ) which makes shuffling pointless and accademic now considering my finances as they are.

When mum was alive, things where'nt too bad, the intrest rates where almost bearable, and I was just struggling to pay the monthly minimums. I've never missed a payment and my current credit score is 94/100

It's taken a good 15 years to acrue this debt, from living expenses, transport costs getting mum around ( she did'nt qualify for benefits there ) and general emergency stuff, bad purchases... stuff thats broken now, etc.

There's no way i can pay any of the increased living costs, so I'm basically screwed. Bankrupcy is the only option. Mum knew this was going to happen and had left me £350 cash in an envelope. :A

Mum left no will, and she has no life insurance policy etc, and she left around £6,000 debts ( yes I know I wont have to pay them, just send the debt company her death cert etc, which is a little relief, I just wish i knew what she'd spent the money on as there's nothing of value in the house )

We ( myself and sister ) are still in the process of applying for help with mums funeral costs ( £2350 ) as we just dont have it.
Thats it I think?

Note... npower gas and electric paid via budget card. ( i cant do it DD )
Mum used to pay £40 gas £40 electric per month
Since she died, I KNOW i've been using an average of 6.5 kwh a day lecky,
I gave meter readings to nPower showing i'm using two thirds what we used to use, and they've put the monthly amount I pay UP !!! I rang to say I was miffed about it, and if anything they need to put it down, and they just said give it 6 months to level out! ( money I dont have though :mad: )
The gas payment has remained the same but I am hoping to see a huge reduction as i've NOT had the heating on since the end of April. Any gas used has only been for the occasional oven cooked pizza ( Aldo Carlos 99p ) and whenever I do the dishes as the water is gas heated by the central heating combi boiler. Still.. they say give it about three months then they will adjust my gas payments. Grrrrr. :mad:

I dont use the telephone, I just need the line for my internet so I'm on the basic BT package.

I reduced my internet from £21.99 to £16.50 and I'm not going any lower as this is my only hobby/pastime and social interaction as I jusyt DO NOT go out socially and have'nt done since my accident 17 years ago.
I dont smoke and dont drink.

House Contents Insurance... I was shocked, it ran out a few days ago.
Mum had an AXA renewal for £52 but I cant use that as she's no longer here and that means the insurance would'nt be valid if I just paid the £52.
I shopped around online with the comparison sites and found they where all coming to around £200 for me! ( same cover mum had value wise, inc accidental damage etc ) so that's another £148 over what I thought I'd have to pay out.

I've used CCCS's £140 food and household figure and it's quite tight I think.
I worked it out and I spend £17 a month on shampoo ( morrisons own ), conditioner, shower gel, deoderant, cheap disposable razors ( aldi ), shave gel, etc, all shops own brand ( Morrisons and Aldi ) then there's cleaning products for around the home ( bleach, loo roll, air freshner, furnature polish washing up liquid ) etc etc. also included in that £140 is the window cleaners monthly £5 as I cant get to the outside of the windows, especially the upper ones.

Transport.... eeeek I know you're going to shoot me down here.
I drive my sisters old ( 1990 ) Pugeout 405.
Due to the way i am / condition /ailment, I have trouble being out and about, lack physical energy etc I dont qualify for transport help and no, before you ask.. there are NO buses, I am not on a bus route and there are no buses that go to the places I need to be at the times I need to be there. I use the car to get around, go to the supermarket, do the recycling and i go to my sisters ( who lives in a village ) once a week to babysit so she has one night of respite from her disabled son. I do less than 3,000 miels year.
As an alternative to the car, I have a 13 year old motorbike I'm fixing up as when it's done it does 50mpg, costs £110 insurance a year and £46 tax! ( i'm about £100 away from having it finished so need to sell more stuff if I can find anything else to sell! ) No good for lifts though, it'll be a bit limited for shopping and I'd be a bit stuck in winter.

I dont go on holiday, I dont buy expensive clothes ( no brand labels here )
and as I said, I dont drink or smoke ( see my sig )

ANY SUGGESTIONS ???? ( apart from get to C.A.B FAST )

p.s. I forgot to mention my upcoming DENTAL costs!
FINALLY after about 6 years there's a new dentist in town taking on patients....
but. Now I've NO MONEY to get any work done ! aaaaargh. see old post http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=351726 if you want the details.

Penny2myName

SeriouslyStressed wrote: »

here's my SOA... ( I've done it monthly for you to keep it simple.

INCOME TOTAL = £767 ( Incapacity +REA max rate, +Ind Inj 20% )

EXPENSES are:-
Rent ( after rebate ) £286
Water £21.78
Council Tax £68.12
Gas £40 <-- see note below
Electric £46 <-- see note below
Contents Insurance £17 <-- see note below !
BT line rental £13.33 ( I cant pay DD )
Internet £16.50 <This and your phone line can be added together. companies such as talktalk for £20
Mobile phone £10 <-- 300 texts worth £30 so thats £20 saved as I use them.
TV Licence £11.29
Medicines/Prescriptions £4 <-- Ibuprofen as I dont get it on NHS
Contact Lenses £20 including fluids <-- really cannot wear glasses
Clothing/Footwear £10
Haircut once a month £5 <cut this down to every other month if you can
Entertainment £5 <-- erm the odd 35p telly book and lottery ticket
Sundries/Emergency money set aside £5 <- not enough really

FOOD and Housekeeping £140 If I am correct there is just you now, food shopping can easily be done at £15 a week. Stardrops cleans everything. a 24 tablet box of wash powder should last you a month atleast, and you only need one tablet a wash.

TRANSPORT ( i live in the sticks you see I'm no city dweller )
Car spares and servicing £20 inc MOT <-- really ought to be double that
Road Tax £17 <-- i do 2 x 6 months as never have the full 12 available
Car Insurance £14 <-- as low as a low TPFT ( TPO is no cheaper for me )
Fuel and Parking £30

Total expenditure £795.02 ( yes it's higher than my income )
Guessing you live in a 2bed min house, get a lodger in.

DEBTS
total current debt = £13,851

Citibank credit card OS £1.572 min £45
Lloyds TSB creditcard OS £3,696 min £75
Tesco credit card OS £8,583 min £253

All debts are at the regular %APR's and infact, they've all just increased the rate ( BAS***DS ) which makes shuffling pointless and accademic now considering my finances as they are.

When mum was alive, things where'nt too bad, the intrest rates where almost bearable, and I was just struggling to pay the monthly minimums. I've never missed a payment and my current credit score is 94/100

It's taken a good 15 years to acrue this debt, from living expenses, transport costs getting mum around ( she did'nt qualify for benefits there ) and general emergency stuff, bad purchases... stuff thats broken now, etc.

There's no way i can pay any of the increased living costs, so I'm basically screwed. Bankrupcy is the only option. Mum knew this was going to happen and had left me £350 cash in an envelope. :A

Mum left no will, and she has no life insurance policy etc, and she left around £6,000 debts ( yes I know I wont have to pay them, just send the debt company her death cert etc, which is a little relief, I just wish i knew what she'd spent the money on as there's nothing of value in the house )

We ( myself and sister ) are still in the process of applying for help with mums funeral costs ( £2350 ) as we just dont have it.
Thats it I think?

Note... npower gas and electric paid via budget card. ( i cant do it DD )
Mum used to pay £40 gas £40 electric per month
Since she died, I KNOW i've been using an average of 6.5 kwh a day lecky,
I gave meter readings to nPower showing i'm using two thirds what we used to use, and they've put the monthly amount I pay UP !!! I rang to say I was miffed about it, and if anything they need to put it down, and they just said give it 6 months to level out! ( money I dont have though :mad: )
The gas payment has remained the same but I am hoping to see a huge reduction as i've NOT had the heating on since the end of April. Any gas used has only been for the occasional oven cooked pizza ( Aldo Carlos 99p ) and whenever I do the dishes as the water is gas heated by the central heating combi boiler. Still.. they say give it about three months then they will adjust my gas payments. Grrrrr. :mad:

I dont use the telephone, I just need the line for my internet so I'm on the basic BT package.

I reduced my internet from £21.99 to £16.50 and I'm not going any lower as this is my only hobby/pastime and social interaction as I jusyt DO NOT go out socially and have'nt done since my accident 17 years ago.
I dont smoke and dont drink.

House Contents Insurance... I was shocked, it ran out a few days ago.
Mum had an AXA renewal for £52 but I cant use that as she's no longer here and that means the insurance would'nt be valid if I just paid the £52.
I shopped around online with the comparison sites and found they where all coming to around £200 for me! ( same cover mum had value wise, inc accidental damage etc ) so that's another £148 over what I thought I'd have to pay out.

I've used CCCS's £140 food and household figure and it's quite tight I think.
I worked it out and I spend £17 a month on shampoo ( morrisons own ), conditioner, shower gel, deoderant, cheap disposable razors ( aldi ), shave gel, etc, all shops own brand ( Morrisons and Aldi ) then there's cleaning products for around the home ( bleach, loo roll, air freshner, furnature polish washing up liquid ) etc etc. also included in that £140 is the window cleaners monthly £5 as I cant get to the outside of the windows, especially the upper ones.

Transport.... eeeek I know you're going to shoot me down here.
I drive my sisters old ( 1990 ) Pugeout 405.
Due to the way i am / condition /ailment, I have trouble being out and about, lack physical energy etc I dont qualify for transport help and no, before you ask.. there are NO buses, I am not on a bus route and there are no buses that go to the places I need to be at the times I need to be there. I use the car to get around, go to the supermarket, do the recycling and i go to my sisters ( who lives in a village ) once a week to babysit so she has one night of respite from her disabled son. I do less than 3,000 miels year.
As an alternative to the car, I have a 13 year old motorbike I'm fixing up as when it's done it does 50mpg, costs £110 insurance a year and £46 tax! ( i'm about £100 away from having it finished so need to sell more stuff if I can find anything else to sell! ) No good for lifts though, it'll be a bit limited for shopping and I'd be a bit stuck in winter.

I dont go on holiday, I dont buy expensive clothes ( no brand labels here )
and as I said, I dont drink or smoke ( see my sig )

ANY SUGGESTIONS ???? ( apart from get to C.A.B FAST )

p.s. I forgot to mention my upcoming DENTAL costs!
FINALLY after about 6 years there's a new dentist in town taking on patients....
but. Now I've NO MONEY to get any work done ! aaaaargh. see old post http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=351726 if you want the details.

Think till your new bill amounts come in your going to have to go for value price foods wether you like it or not. for £1.78 a very large lasagne can be made fresh using asda's smartprice, or bough ready made frozen for 50p, 4 pies 74p, a large bag of frozen chips 44p, beans 17p. If you have a farm/veg shop you can get to abotu £5 for a full size sack of spuds, these will easily last a month, roast/mash/jacket/boiled.

Prudent

I have broadband internet with aol and it costs £9.99 per month. Changing to this package would save you about £75 a year and still give you a decent connection.

Prudent

Prudent wrote: »

I have broadband internet with aol and it costs £9.99 per month. Changing to this package would save you about £75 a year and still give you a decent connection.

Try joining us on the comps board to get some little luxuries in your life, as its sound like you could do with a morale boost just now.

anniestar

Firstly can I send my condolences to you on the loss of your Mum. I also lost my mum to Lung cancer my heart goes out to you in your loss. Looking through your SOA I have to say(sorry!) that your food expenditure is rather high. The OP is right, stardrops is fantastic and can be used all over the house. If you cook from scratch, honestly you will be able to come in hugely under budget. Also, look for BOGOFS on shampoos and other such stuff. And why not register for Pigsback which will let you earn points htat can be exchanged for vouchers(ie Boots)so that you could get some treats for yourself. Might be a nice cheer you up kind of treat. Do take care its very early days and try not to get TOO stresed out. Good luck.

SeriouslyStressed

Hi Annie, and thanks everone else too.
I should have pointed out the Food part £140 also covers toiletries, household cleaning stuff etc.. ( yes I think it's a bit high too I thought more £112 myself, but I put £140 as thats what CCCS said it should be so as not to push myself too hard ( remember this is'nt a short termer budget, this is for the rest of my life! and i have to allow for inflation etc ) I also had to add an amount in there to put towards my dental costs ( see link in original post as to why.. it's a huge problems thats NOT going to go away ) I only buy my shampoo and deoderant and conditioner when they are on offer already ( usually cheapest at Morrisons buy one get one free )
I can go back to cutting my own hair, and prob just get a £5'er every 8 weeks to get it back to something like normal. ( poor barber )

Re talk talk.... we used to have this for a while but they charge extra a month if you cant do it DD ( whch i cant really ) plus the service was awful.
I'm happy with my plusnet BB now as I get really good speeds for the stuff I do online, and hopefully I will eventually be using my internet to make some money when this is all calmed down a bit ( nothing illegal but will require a fast connection, and the package I'm on now GIVES that fast connection, yet if I stop or switch I cannot go back to it as it's no longer offered by plusnet ( PAYG )

As I'm a sad bloke who's not really done shopping in the real sense, I'll have to go find out what stardrops are. As for cooking! OMG! I guess I better learn. I have pretty limited likes ( and it's not for posh food ) and dislikes and it's not due to dietry/medical requirements, just personal taste i suppose.
I try only to cook stuff in the oven on a cold day, so I get the added benefit of the heat from the oven to keep me warm, equally I'll sit in front of the dryer if drying clothes so I get some heat! warm/regular days I'll have something cold or microwaved. I've stopped having hot drinks to save on lecky.

I went to CAB yesterday with my printed out inc/exp sheet etc from CCCS website. After a two hour wait I seen a lady who I'd say looked a bit lost!
She looked at my paperstuff, I explained my situation as best i could ( living on cards now ) and she said i should write to the card companies and say I cant pay them. She made no mention of the fact I'm already short ( even if I did'nt pay cards ) which I thought was a bit odd.

My worry is... as soon as I've contacted the card companies saying I cant pay, they freeze the cards and issue default notices, so what am I to live on? I knew this was coming, but not in such a huge way, from just finding enough to pay minimums each month ( after having sold what I can etc and having mum give me the cash money fro the shopping so I could use it to pay the cards ) to now... having all the sudden extra expense of a household, ( i used to pay £85 keep to mum per week )
now I have RENT, COUNCIL TAX, WATER, ELECTRIC, GAS, etc etc it's quite a shock financially and I have no buffer, it's frightening, and all going a bit too fast.

I hoped CAB would have the forms for me to sit down and fill in, but all the lady did was basically copy my SOA figures over to her CAB soa sheet which I think is'nt as clear as what goes where money-wise per month, in which she ( i dont know why ) INCREASED the food/household figure to £215 ! I said, whats the point in that? I'm already £38 short a month using the £140 figure! Oh I dont know !.. I kept on about bankrupcy being the only realistic option, but she was'nt keen at all, then today i get my cab SOA in the post and a note attatched saying I should offer £1 payments or nothing, or go down the bankrupcy route! aaaargh ! I KNOW!!! that's what i was GOING to do! Tsssssk... pen pushers! Wasted a day and £1.40 parking cost plus petrol to get there!

The lodger suggestion.... I have to make sure this is allowed, but quite honestly, I'm not too happy about having to share my home with a stranger. I have quite bad social phobia's ( being around people, talking to them, eating in front of them etc etc ) a lodger is only going to sresss me further I think, but I can obviously see the financial advantage ( but also would have to take into account increased lecky, gas, reduction in housing benefit, increased council tax etc etc to see IF it was financially viable )

Any hot single ladies good at cooking here? that fancy moving to the lake district ? :rotfl:

sorry to go on... I did'nt choose my MSE ID flippantly.

SeriouslyStressed

penny 2myname.... asda is 26 miles away, lasagne is horrible! and i already DO eat budget foods! not only do i try to get the cheapest.. but i even look to see HOW LONG it takes to cook! I have two Admirals Pie's in the freezer I cant bear to cook ( 45 minutes in the oven? for one meal?!! forget it! )

Tashja

Could you join Pigsback.

I do this and get £10 Boots vouchers and these pay for my toiletries, etc. With the help of the Boots Bargin Thread on here you should be able to maximise your vouchers and this in turn would reduce your £17.00 on shampoo, razors, etc.

Good luck and I hope someone can help you out soon.

T xx

Penny2myName

We know you didn't hun, and a lot of your financial strains are still fresh, and you need to get used to them. Oh and sorry but am a cold single lady that would cost you WAYYYYYYYYYYY to much in gas(so I like my heat).
Stardrops is a multi purpose cleaner that can go from pots to mopping to even washing clothes if necessary (hand wash) Think the only use not on the bottle is to use on ones person.

Penny2myName

I only say asda as that one is my local, and the prices where a rough guide. all the other supermarkets seem to have similar prices. by the way I agree over lasange (just my kids love it) but it was an example.

angelavdavis

Hi SS,

A couple of additions to the advice you have already received.

1) Contacts - many people say that Asda contact lenses are a really good buy. They start at £9.95 for monthlies or £6.95 for dailies and you get 3% moneyback through quidco.com.

2) Food - Have a look at the Old Style recipe index. Even post on there for some ideas on the forum, as they will provide you with some suggestions. It might be worth advertising on freecycle.org to see if anyone has a slow cooker they might let you have. You can then add one lamb chop, a chopped onion, couple of chopped carrots, a chopped stick of celery, couple of tablespoons of pearl barley, a bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cover with some chicken stock (made from a cube) and leave on low all day - hey presto! You have delicious lamb stew by the evening. You can use multiple chops and increase the veg and freeze one portion to have another day (and reheat in the microwave). Cooking in a slow cooker is equivalent to a light bulb worth of power.

3) Shopping - I don't know if there is a Lidl near you(?) They do a good deal on Ibuprofen (200s) and a box of washing tablets are £2.08. In addition, they offer really good deals on many products too and the quality is good (get there early as they sell out). I feed two of us for £175 per month (including cleaning materials, plus a few beers and couple of bottles of wine) so its worth looking to see if there is a Lidl nearby.

I understand where you are coming from ref your lodger, but you need to consider your situation and it may be your only option if you wish to keep the house and your head above water. The alternative, as awful as it may seem at the moment, is to move into a smaller flat that will be a lot cheaper to heat and insure but you don't have the flexibility of being able to increase your income through renting.

If you like to use the internet - how about seeing if you can get work with AQA next time they advertise for staff in UK? Keep checking daily here as demand is huge when they do advertise:

http://www.aqa.issuebits.com/vacancies.htm

You will be able to earn as and when you feel up to it.

Good luck