Should i get a wonga loan

matttye

You have not had your lightbulb moment yet.

You have utility arrears, council tax arrears and mortgage arrears yet you're clinging onto luxuries like your caravan and your son's hot dinners with an iron fist.

If you get rid of these luxuries now, you can pay off the arrears and become financially solvent faster. Once you're out of debt, you can re-buy these things - with your own money.

Selling these luxuries now will speed up your return to solvency and freedom from debt.

When you're in arrears with all of your priority debts and bills, you can not afford luxuries. Sell anything that isn't bolted down.

Selling one of the Xboxes might seem cruel, but your sons will get over it. You're the parent and it's down to you to get the family finances back in order. They can have an Xbox each and a TV each once they're earning their own money.

I feel for your situation but you're not taking this seriously.

pickle_me

Summer, may I ask, the £250 that you were short of for February, plus the money you needed to redeem your rings - have you been able to find this from somewhere?

laurel7172

summer33 wrote: »

Hi laurel7172
Fingers crossed they can move the 2 of them as then they starting the new school together rather than the middle 1 starting on his own, and then the elder starting in sept with none of his friends in senior school

Thanks for advice

Is the new school holding a place for your child in September? Sorry-I know that I live in a place of *acute* school place shortage, but there is no way a place could be reserved in that way here. Not for six months. Not for a week.

I'm sure you do have it all under control, but please do be absolutely certain about places before making plans. I've known people come horribly unstuck...

jayhab

Hello, some more advice for you and please believe me when I say that this is not a personal attack on you!

Firstly, contact Sky: explain your situation and advise that you simply cannot afford to continue paying them £36 a month. If you believe you cannot live without Sky's services, ask them if there is anything at all they can do for you with your monthly bill - there are numerous offers available to new and existing customers (half price for x months etc), you could explain that you would rather not bounce their payment completely, though it is looking like you may have to. Alternatively ask them if they are able to release you from your contract early in order to be able to cancel.

Secondly, the mobile phone: again contact the provider, explain the situation, ask if they can do anything for you - they may release you early - the worst they can say is 'no'. Ask if they can reduce your tariff to the bare minimum - even if this means re-contracting. If they will release you and a mobile phone is essential, rather than PAYG which will require top-ups, why not consider Ovivo mobile?

Thirdly, the child's school dinner must stop - I understand your point that you want to know he's had a meal but the packed lunch you provide will probably be better for him than the one the school provides! A packed lunch doesn't have to mean boring food! As a start why not meet him half way? One week dinners, one week packed lunches. Or packed lunches all the way and he can earn school dinners for doing jobs around the house?

Water rates - I believe it has been mentioned previously, but contact your local water board and get a meter installed - you will be amazed at the reduction in your bills!

Next - the 2 xboxes - I again understand that these were gifts, but having 1 xbox is a luxury, having 2 in the house when there are such financial problems is crazy! Unfortunately, 1 of them should go - it is even more unfortunate that given the age of the xbox platform - there won't be much cash realised from the sale - however - it is cash that you do not have right now! I would suggest that the remaining xbox is moved to the living room and becomes the 'family xbox' where all of the family can use it TOGETHER (possibly in place of sky etc etc)

It is excellent that you are looking to reduce your grocery shopping by using Lidl/Aldi etc - keep at this and look to reduce further if you can - I won't try to point out the obvious but buy in bulk/when on offer etc to maximise savings!

Your petrol spend is high (same for everyone I think!) but make sure your car is as fuel efficient as possible - check tyre pressures are correct, drive with windows closed, don't use air-con etc etc

As soon as your Gas and Elec arrears are cleared, you must make enquiries to come off of pre-payment meter - these are quite often stacked in the Utility company's favour and charge far more then quarterly/monthly billed customers. £160 for G&E is probably about £60-£70 a month over the average for a property of your size.

I haven't mentioned it yet, but here goes - The Caravan: can only echo what others have said, though I agree with you it is currently a symbol of 'good times' for when you can 'get away from it all'. Unfortunately, no matter how cheap the weekends away are, unless they are completely free or paid for by someone else, they are a luxury that you cannot afford right now. You can look forward to holidays abroad in 4* hotels for you and your family..... when you are debt free. Right now your priority for yourself and your children is to pay off all your debts and not to have weekends away as if everything is ok! (things probably seem even worse when you get back to reality from weekends away?) Selling the caravan now will realise essential funds that can start to get you out of your awful situation. It will mean getting rid of your 'symbol of hope' but would mean that you are able to clear at least 1 of your debts - this should be celebrated!! As with each of your other debts as and when you clear them! The stark reality is if your situation should decline and you become Insolvent, you will be in danger of losing your house, mobile phones, sky tv, xboxes and the caravan - All of these assets will be sold at auction for as much as can be raised on the day - probably far less than they are actually worth.

Taking hard and cruel action right now will ensure that you are guaranteed a happy and debt-free future, unfortunately only taking small steps will only extend the problem and increase the risk that you will fall deeper into debt.

Please take my advice as being in good faith - it is not meant as a dig or personal attack on you, but you do need to make some tough decisions and act swiftly - GOOD LUCK!!!

Carfal

Why is your son so determined to continue with packed lunches?

1. Is it because he prefers the food, in which case change the choice you are giving him from hot meal vs packed lunch to what goes into the packed lunch. Make the choice to be from 2/3 affordable, nutritious options, not the entire contents of the fridge/ supermarket.

2. Does he genuinely prefer a hot meal? So give him soup or pasta.

3. Do his friends have hot dinners and he wants to sit with them for lunch? Or is there some other advantage to having school dinners, like being off the playground -away from certain other children- for longer? The change of school would help with this, or he needs to get over it and sit with other children. Someone he knows and gets on with will be having packed lunch. If there is a real issue and he is genuinely unhappy, then you'll need to work with the school to solve it.

4. Is there a culture within school of children stealing, commenting on or out-doing each other with regard to their food? Same solution as 3.

5. Is he unaware of how serious your situation is and this is how he can help? As a child he doesn't need all the details, but should be aware that there is a limit to what your family can afford. Could you compromise, e.g. Packed lunch most days but school dinners once a week on his favourite meal-day or lunchtime club day.

6. Is/are your child(ren) really in charge in your house, rather than the adults? In which case, you need to reassess how your household works or you'll never get out of debt. Is this how you've ended up with school trip debts, by not being able to say "no" (assuming your child is at a state school, therefore the only compulsory school trip costs are for residentials or special extras)?


Oh, and forget the SATs stuff. It makes not a difference for the children. He should be doing his best at school, with your support, to get a good education, not to achieve some arbitrary level.

dancingfairy

Hi, I hope you have managed to find that 250 you needed? Perhaps you can cancel some DDs for now and then reinstate them later on?
What I would do is to pay all your regular payments plus the mortgage catch up plan. For the moment I would sacrifice the tv catch up plan and the school trip catch up plan and pay 1 pound to all your other creditors whist you can catch up on the essential priorities (mortgage and water I think it was)? In a few months when they are under control you can then focus on catching up with other things like the tv licence, like the school trip, and all your other debts.
df

dancingfairy

I *think* you are actually going forward but because of the catch up plans it feels like you are going backwards. By this I think you are paying 500 off the debts each month but going backwards by 111 (according to your SOA) so you are actually going forward by just under 400 a month (from what I can tell, someone will tell me if my maths if off here!).
What this means is you can either slow the rate of repayment so that it balances with what you actually have available per month or you accept that although you are taking on more unsecured debts, credit cards and loans you are actually winning. The only problem with this second approach is that you have run out of reasonably cheap credit and are thinking of taking a wonga loan which will be hideously expensive.
Anyway you're doing great and you've obviously had loads of ideas and suggestions, some of which you can implement.
I can understand it's a bit of a shock for you at the moment so try the ideas you can but understand that the more controversial ideas (selling the caravan and giving up the school dinners can always be kept in reserve for a later date). You can review the situation in a few months and see how you feel about things then (hopefully you won't be in a such a stressed situation and you can see things a bit clearer). BTW I'm not saying you should or shouldn't sell the caravan just with everything going on it can be hard to see what's what.
Best of Luck
df

summer33

pickle_me wrote: »

Summer, may I ask, the £250 that you were short of for February, plus the money you needed to redeem your rings - have you been able to find this from somewhere?

Hi Pickle Me,

Thanks for the question, no I never got all the money together. I got enough for the mortgage plus the arrears payment, so paid the full £536. So that is the most important one

I am short for the nursery, and the buyer from ebay let me down so never collected item, so never had that money, so in the process of that being relisted today:)

Thanks

summer33

laurel7172 wrote: »

Is the new school holding a place for your child in September? Sorry-I know that I live in a place of *acute* school place shortage, but there is no way a place could be reserved in that way here. Not for six months. Not for a week.

I'm sure you do have it all under control, but please do be absolutely certain about places before making plans. I've known people come horribly unstuck...

Yes the school is holding the place for my middle child for Sept. Forms for him and my youngest been filled in. Checking tomorrow if we can move eldest son there also, and if can move them both sooner

summer33

jayhab wrote: »

Hello, some more advice for you and please believe me when I say that this is not a personal attack on you!

Firstly, contact Sky: explain your situation and advise that you simply cannot afford to continue paying them £36 a month. If you believe you cannot live without Sky's services, ask them if there is anything at all they can do for you with your monthly bill - there are numerous offers available to new and existing customers (half price for x months etc), you could explain that you would rather not bounce their payment completely, though it is looking like you may have to. Alternatively ask them if they are able to release you from your contract early in order to be able to cancel.

Secondly, the mobile phone: again contact the provider, explain the situation, ask if they can do anything for you - they may release you early - the worst they can say is 'no'. Ask if they can reduce your tariff to the bare minimum - even if this means re-contracting. If they will release you and a mobile phone is essential, rather than PAYG which will require top-ups, why not consider Ovivo mobile?

Thirdly, the child's school dinner must stop - I understand your point that you want to know he's had a meal but the packed lunch you provide will probably be better for him than the one the school provides! A packed lunch doesn't have to mean boring food! As a start why not meet him half way? One week dinners, one week packed lunches. Or packed lunches all the way and he can earn school dinners for doing jobs around the house?

Water rates - I believe it has been mentioned previously, but contact your local water board and get a meter installed - you will be amazed at the reduction in your bills!

Next - the 2 xboxes - I again understand that these were gifts, but having 1 xbox is a luxury, having 2 in the house when there are such financial problems is crazy! Unfortunately, 1 of them should go - it is even more unfortunate that given the age of the xbox platform - there won't be much cash realised from the sale - however - it is cash that you do not have right now! I would suggest that the remaining xbox is moved to the living room and becomes the 'family xbox' where all of the family can use it TOGETHER (possibly in place of sky etc etc)

It is excellent that you are looking to reduce your grocery shopping by using Lidl/Aldi etc - keep at this and look to reduce further if you can - I won't try to point out the obvious but buy in bulk/when on offer etc to maximise savings!

Your petrol spend is high (same for everyone I think!) but make sure your car is as fuel efficient as possible - check tyre pressures are correct, drive with windows closed, don't use air-con etc etc

As soon as your Gas and Elec arrears are cleared, you must make enquiries to come off of pre-payment meter - these are quite often stacked in the Utility company's favour and charge far more then quarterly/monthly billed customers. £160 for G&E is probably about £60-£70 a month over the average for a property of your size.

I haven't mentioned it yet, but here goes - The Caravan: can only echo what others have said, though I agree with you it is currently a symbol of 'good times' for when you can 'get away from it all'. Unfortunately, no matter how cheap the weekends away are, unless they are completely free or paid for by someone else, they are a luxury that you cannot afford right now. You can look forward to holidays abroad in 4* hotels for you and your family..... when you are debt free. Right now your priority for yourself and your children is to pay off all your debts and not to have weekends away as if everything is ok! (things probably seem even worse when you get back to reality from weekends away?) Selling the caravan now will realise essential funds that can start to get you out of your awful situation. It will mean getting rid of your 'symbol of hope' but would mean that you are able to clear at least 1 of your debts - this should be celebrated!! As with each of your other debts as and when you clear them! The stark reality is if your situation should decline and you become Insolvent, you will be in danger of losing your house, mobile phones, sky tv, xboxes and the caravan - All of these assets will be sold at auction for as much as can be raised on the day - probably far less than they are actually worth.

Taking hard and cruel action right now will ensure that you are guaranteed a happy and debt-free future, unfortunately only taking small steps will only extend the problem and increase the risk that you will fall deeper into debt.

Please take my advice as being in good faith - it is not meant as a dig or personal attack on you, but you do need to make some tough decisions and act swiftly - GOOD LUCK!!!

Hi

Thanks for all your ideas and comments, and I will certainly ring vigin and the phone company and see if there is anyway these can be reduced in the meantime of our hardship:) Will post tomorrow if any joy.

School dinner for 1 of the boys is not going to stop, i have had full conversation to the in's and out's and he wants hot dinner as oppose to packed lunch. I have worked out the maths with what I have spent on packaged lunch this weekend and to double up, would be saving approx £20. I am new as I say to aldi, so maybe in a few weeks that saving would increase, but for time being 1 is packed lunch the other is hot dinner.

There are no arrears with the gas and elec, completly upto date, as I have said before find it easier to budget topping the meters up each week when hubbie gets paid.

Caravan not getting sold. I am selling a lot of other stuff that I have sorted over the weekend on gumtree, and my friend is letting me use her ebay account, so I can sell a lot more things

I know your comments are not directed personally..thanks anyway