New year, new me!

laurag89

It really does help to have support
That is terrible about the landlord taking the mick wih your electric!!

I agree some of the challenges will really help just try not to put to much pressure on yourself at once, i am doing some this year also

I can't see much room for movement on your SOA all you can do until your payments creep down is maybe see if you can make some extra selling things on ebay? to create a little extra?

x

Time_to_face_the_music

cyberthrifty wrote: »

I have had lightbulb moments in the past, not that I did much about them back then, maybe the wattage was too low! This LBM has to be the serious one. Last week I was left with £15 for a weeks food after I paid my bills and at the moment there are 6 people living in my house. To say I had a momentary freak out is an understatement but after that moment I became determined to sort my life out!

I know exactly how things got to this point. I stupidly have ignored bills in the past or over committed (new mobile, full package virgin media etc) and then when unable to pay I just haven't. I ignored the letters and phone calls, they stopped when the phone was cut off of course. No excuses except that I was a moron.

Having plugged all my details into the Stepchange website, I have been advised to go for bankruptcy or a token payment plan. Eventually I would like to buy a house, but I am 34 years old and I think that ship might have sailed by the time I have a clean credit file and a decent enough job. I'll buy a field and a caravan instead, maybe eventually I'll get a log cabin on it... So I'd rather not go for bankruptcy, not that I can afford it anyway.

I'm currently not earning much (self employed cleaner, only 4 hours, always looking for new clients) but I am due a lump sum in January which I am going to put toward becoming a childminder, around £600 for all courses, certificates etc. But there is apparently a desperate need in my area. Hopefully I can be working by June 2015 depending on how long everything takes.

My to do list for the rest of December is:

1. Try not to get too stressed out
2. Enjoy Christmas
3. Send off for credit reports
4. Create a spreadsheet for next year
5. Stay positive - I can do this!

Ignore Stepchange on the bankruptcy and/or token payments plan, for some reason they always seem to forget there is another option. You look like a prime candidate for a Debt Relief Order (DRO), if you can raise £90 in January this unsecured debt could all be gone in just one year. Can you get to a CAB and make an appointment? In the meantime, check out:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/debt_w/debt_help_with_debt_e/debt_debt_relief_orders.htm
and
https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/37%20EW%20Debt%20relief%20orders%20(DROs)/Page-02.aspx?gclid=CKKE8_3y6MICFQGc2woda2gAuw

You may be able to get help with that water rates arrears issue, there are charitable trusts that offer aid but in any case, there is plenty of room within the £15,000 DRO limit for it to be included in there.

Your landlord is taking the pee with the electricity and your gas costs need looking at too. Again the CAB should be able to help you with both of these.

Make 2015 the year you get this sorted, you can do it.

TTFTM x

cyberthrifty

Thank you for your replies. DawnW TV licence is £24.25 per month, I think it then reduces to £12 something but I am changing my DD to quarterly after the New Year and then it will be £38 every 3 months so a bit better. And £160 is do-able just about. But it's not ideal.
Laurag89 I don't have much to sell really, I will be decluttering over the New Year and hopefully can make a bit, even just to put towards food will help.
Time to face the music The debts listed are the ones I am paying, I have in total around £21k so a DRO unfortunately is no good. Thank you for the information about the charities I will look into this further and hopefully can get some help to reduce it. The house is large and poorly constructed, it's only 8 years old but I have had to seal 2 windows in the living room due to huge gaps, I think he got second hand windows and they hardly fit. Over summer my costs reduce as he doesn't use his storage heaters and we don't use the heating so it will end up being £100 electric (he'll pay £20) and £50 gas at most. Roll on summer time!