My Debt Diary, the ramblings of JCD

EagerLearner

Go get 'em! I know what you mean about the hard work, but so much more liberating when you know the hard work YOu put in will benefit YOU rather than some company or greedy boss ;o))) Good luck

JCD_Capulet

When life hands you lemons.....you chop them up to make lemonade, forget what you've done moments earlier and rub your itchy eye! GAH! The nipping stops soon though, so it's back to making lemonade

I was busily taking pictures of the jewellery I have to list for ebay when I realised that neither my camera nor myself could take decent pictures. So I made comment on another forum I use about more than likely needing someone to take pictures for me. Chap I talk to has offered help.

After an hour or so of discussing what I need and what he could do for me, we've provisionally shook hands on a deal. I have thirty one items to sell. Each of which will be photographed by him (professional photographer) with propper lighting ect, put into photoshop and tweaked where required, then popped on CD for me to take home. I told him I could do with having only fifteen pictures taken for the time being, the most expensive items, to help claw back as much as £300 before the end of the month. He'll do the fifteen for £20. Can't complain, good pictures will help me sell my items alot more than my poopy blurry shots. So, if all fifteen sell before the 30th (ten days to go!) that makes aprox £414.92 before ebay and paypal fees.

As I've said before (and I keep repeating myself to help drum it into my head) it'll go like this:
Sell items->collect funds->purchase another small lot->deposit excess funds after fees into Credit union.

***excuse me whilst I work out some figures and leave them posted here to encourage me along***

Small package - £260 inc VAT+postage
RRP £991. Estimated resale - £600
Cash (estimated) after fees - £500
=£240 proffit.
2000 divided by 240 = 8.3

So, I should be able to do this in nine sales........with enough left over for a fish and chips treat :rolleyes:.


Repeat, rinse, repeat, rinse, if shampoo gets in your eye flush it out with cold water :rotfl:

Dug out an A4 notebook I bought from ye olde poundshope, I'll use that for keeping track of each individual ebay auction. I'll also be setting myself weekly and montly targets within it a-la the coloured box system (Thanks, Hypno's DD x)

Hmm, it's bin day today but I've got a bit of a cramp going on and heading out in the rain to Urban Scavenge isn't quite floating my boat.

Today (I count today as being Wednesday as opposed to Thursday. The day isn't over untill I've had my sleep....odd, I've had this mentality since I was a child) I paid my weekly housing arrears early by two days, and also an additional £5 towards it. Topped up my electricity meter too and another £5 overpayment to the debt on that. Starting from October I'll be banning myself from using the home land line phone to call mobiles/0845/0870 numbers. If I can completely remove theese calls from my phonebill I'll see my bill drop to £30pcm (this includes broadband, I don't have TV services). If I really need to call such numbers I'll use a phonebox, besides, the bill dropping to £30pcm is a drop of around £20pcm, so a saving of an otherwise wasted £240 in twelve months!

Still aiming to make £2,000 for December! If I can do that, I'll be waving bye-bye to a big chunk of the debts. A debt free 2008 would-be-fabulous! :T

hypno06

Morning hun, I hope you have had a reasonable amount of sleep by the time you read this!

Sorry the big lots didn't sell but I am sure that you will sell them individually - these things are sent to try us!

Good luck too with the photos - will you be able to use the same photos over and over again? If so, you will really get your moneys worth.

Have a good day xx

chevalier

Hi JCD I am not sure about the visiontolearn stuff and benefits. For a start off it is all done as and when you have a mo, and it is all done over the internet, so you don't go to college or anything. They do set you up with a tutor (because someone has to mark your work), but nothing else, it is all online. So if you did it in the evenings, when you are looking for day work, I can't see how this would affect your benefits.
chev

JCD_Capulet

hypno06 wrote: »

Morning hun, I hope you have had a reasonable amount of sleep by the time you read this!

Sorry the big lots didn't sell but I am sure that you will sell them individually - these things are sent to try us!

Good luck too with the photos - will you be able to use the same photos over and over again? If so, you will really get your moneys worth.

Have a good day xx

Heya you. I slept untill 1pm after getting to bed at 5.30am, so it was more than enough really. I almost had a bit of a wobbler today, I'll explain more in my update. And thanks, yeah I'll be able to reuse the same pictures over again because it's the same stock I shoul be buying in. Every little helps Hope you're having a good day hon xx
Ooh! I've not sent you thoose cartridges yet, I know they're here somewhere, just need to find them.

chevalier wrote: »

Hi JCD I am not sure about the visiontolearn stuff and benefits. For a start off it is all done as and when you have a mo, and it is all done over the internet, so you don't go to college or anything. They do set you up with a tutor (because someone has to mark your work), but nothing else, it is all online. So if you did it in the evenings, when you are looking for day work, I can't see how this would affect your benefits.
chev

That's brilliant Chev, thanks for letting me know

JCD_Capulet

Remember the letter I got from Scottish Power back in August telling me my bill stands at £479.19?

I got a letter from Scottish power saying the following:
Balance on your account before this bill - £297.45
Your Electricity charges - £32.04
Other charges - £25
Vat - £1.60.
Your total now due is £338.09

What 'other' charges exactly? On the second page of the bill it goes on to say:
An electricity prepayment meter has been installed at your home.
Your meter is set to collect a fixed charge of £6.15 per week, this consists of:

• the standing charge of £1.16
• the debt recovery rate of £5

In addition, the meter will collect payment for the electricity you use. If you insert enough credit into your meter each week, we expect your debt of £479.13 will be paid by 05/06/09. Please note that due to a difference in the calculation periods there may be a slight variation between this debt and the value of the balance on your bill.

Taken from this debt diary entry *here*

WELL Imagine my utter disbelief when I came across a bill from them today. Clio, the wee darling that she is, must have thought she was being helpfull when she hid the post in my bed :rolleyes:. Anyway!

The letter NOW states the following:
An electricity prepayment meter has been installed at your home.
Your meter is set to collect a fixed charge of £16.15 per week, this consists of:

• the standing charge of £1.16
• the debt recovery rate of £15

In addition, the meter will collect payment for the electricity you use. If you insert enough credit into your meter each week, we expect your debt of £507.50 will be paid by 12/5/08. Please note that due to a difference in the calculation periods there may be a slight variation between this debt and the value of the balance on your bill.

So they've decided that, without asking how much income I have, nor consulting me firstly, they'd just up my weekly repayments by an additional £10?! I've so far been just getting by on paying £10 per week with £5 of that being debt repayment, so only using £5pw to keep the flat ticking over.

Tomorow will be a shouty day. !!!!!!! :mad:

chevalier

That is absolutely mad. Surely they know you are on benefits, or else you would not be having a meter to pay this off. I would be complaining pretty loudly. I am assuming that the extra £10 they want you to pay is what you feed yourself with? And what about any other creditors.

In fact rather than have a shout (which I know would make you feel better), send them an income and expenditure sheet, so you can show them you don't have the money, and that therefore they are in effect cutting you off! And send a copy of the letter of complaint to the chief executive and maybe the newspaper?
and then have a good shout!

Indeed isn't there something about when you are on benefits creditors not being able to take more than a certain proportion because JSA is considered the minimum you can live on? Perhaps someone on here will know?
chev

JCD_Capulet

chevalier wrote: »

That is absolutely mad. Surely they know you are on benefits, or else you would not be having a meter to pay this off. I would be complaining pretty loudly. I am assuming that the extra £10 they want you to pay is what you feed yourself with? And what about any other creditors.

In fact rather than have a shout (which I know would make you feel better), send them an income and expenditure sheet, so you can show them you don't have the money, and that therefore they are in effect cutting you off! And send a copy of the letter of complaint to the chief executive and maybe the newspaper?
and then have a good shout!

Indeed isn't there something about when you are on benefits creditors not being able to take more than a certain proportion because JSA is considered the minimum you can live on? Perhaps someone on here will know?
chev

I've no idea, Chev. When the chap fitted the box into my flat, he aske dif I had proof of benefits so he could put me on a certain rate. I've got housing, council tax, gas and electric arrears. So there's no way in hell they can just dictate to me how much they're taking per week. For ages now I've been feeding myself and my cats for £10 per week, I cannot cut the food budget anymore than I have done already, and when ever I can, I save for a week or two so that I can buy my BF and i a pizza or takeaway now and then. I'm not the frivelous spender I used to be, gnaar! This has really gotten my back up.

Example! Yesterday I found out that by buying UHT milk from asda I can save up to 40p per litre compared to normal milk. Fair enough it's quite ming, but I'm doing my best to save when and where I can to shift theese fu**ing debts!

RARRRRR¬! :mad:

Conrad

Hello, can someone tell me whether I can advertise a villa for rent on ebay?

I have no knowledge of ebay, just hear it's an effective marketing tool.
Apologies if this is the wrong place for such a request.

JCD_Capulet

Conrad wrote: »

Hello, can someone tell me whether I can advertise a villa for rent on ebay?

I have no knowledge of ebay, just hear it's an effective marketing tool.
Apologies if this is the wrong place for such a request.

Hi Conrad. eBay now run a 'services' function where you can place ads for things such as tradesmen, couriers ect. have a look at this link. I don't know much about it but I hope it helps

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/Local-Services___services_W0QQ_nkwZservicesQQ_trksidZp3913Q2ec44Q2em24Q2el1104