Life is becoming such a struggle :(

joeblack066

What kind of work is your OH looking for?

janegresty

he is looking for anything at the moment, anything that will pay the bills. only problem is he has had so many jobs in the past that people don't interview him because of the list on his cv!!
i'm trying to stay calm, but its getting harder and harder!!!
i am nearly out of food in the cupoards, and the dogs have nothing to eat. we havent a single penny to our name until the 13th. its my birthday on the 17th which will be spent stuck inside with nothing to do yet again!
so many people are threatening to take us to court / turn off our electric / evict us from our home etc... i just cant take it anymore.

MrsTinks

monthly incomings - £740.00

outgoings -
rent - £450 Keep paying - this is second only to council tax.
council tax - £130 Keep paying - are you entitled to discounts? Check.
electric - 30 Can you reduce - check uswitch and then change using quidco and get cash back.
gas - 30 Ditto
tv licence - 30 Monthly??? or is this because of arrears?
brighthouse - 250 I see your point, yet still it's a lot of money right now... my head says loose it - tough. But I know I'd find the money too if you have already paid a lot for them... then again please don't ever buy from these places again! Way over priced!

owed
personal debt (to family member) - 8,458 Right now low priority...
housing benefits repayments - 1,231 Call them and tell them you have only one income and present your SOA to show here your money is going.
lloyds tsb credit card - 618 Call them and offer a £1 token payment. Again offer a copy of your SOA.
lloyds tsb overdraft - 216 Ditto
rbos credit card - 585 Ditto
capital one credit card - 200 Ditto
other credit card - 521 Ditto
bt - 188 Ditto
3g contract phone - 268 (HOW MUCH? and Ditto)
o2 contract phone - 97.52 Ditto
tv licence - 52.68 Ditto
electric - 90 Ditto
gas - 30 Ditto
water - 200 Ditto
bright house - 298 left to pay Still undecided...
rent - 300 Pay as a higher priority when you can.

Ok there is no allowance for food there but if you are getting help from family on this then it would be hard to assign a budget...
Your OH - if there is no work around he needs to do something else. Either dog walking, gardening, DIY for people, bar work, even baby sitting (it's the holidays!) and anything you guys can think of. Scrubbing floors if need be! You need a second income no matter how small.

Good luck and I am sure you will manage to get through this

MrsTinks

As for the dogs... Can you find a temporary foster home that would take them in? Friends? Family? If not then what would you do if something happened to one of them? I have pets of my own and I'd never consider giving my babies up, but right now you have to weigh up everything and what will happen to them if something went wrong, what if you or your partner got sick? One of the dogs got injured or sick?
I knwo you don't want to loose them, but these are things you need to consider...

misspoppy

Hi

I'm really sorry to hear your situation, regarding the dogs why don't you call your local pet charities and explain the situation and ask if there is anyway they could give you some food to get you through this difficult time then have a look online for any free samples of dog food and apply for all you can to keep in the cupboard for emergencies.

I would contact CCCS again and explain the situation as far as I understand they don't have a lower limit on debt and you are by no means in a situation where the debt is too low.

Have you spoken to the housing dept about your present situation they may be able to lower your payments you can't pay what you don't have.

re your other half ask him to call every bar and takeaway in your area and ask if they have any jobs, someone must need a bit of extra help to cover holidays I know its not legal but he might be able to get paid cash for a nights work which would at least feed you both while you get the other problems sorted. If you lived anywhere near me I'd drop around the dog food and a meal for tonight.

take care

Snaggles

Hiya, if his CV is a problem, could he revamp it - it's HIS cv, so if he only chooses to list his last 2 or 3 employers, that's up to him. Prospective employers are only interested in the last couple anyway, and a lot of jobs (particularly those classes as unskilled/semi-skilled manual work) will accept one employer reference and one character reference.

If he's not fussy about what sort of work he will do, agencies will probably be able to find work most days for him - maybe even some long term contract work or temp to perm job. My husband has done this before, and yes, he had to work at a landfill site for a few days which isn't exactly glamorous work, but he swallowed his pride and did it, to support his family. He had hardly any days when he was at home because they had nothing for him. (He's just been made redundant again, and will do the same again this time if necessary).

Snaggles

Oh, and if people like Lloyds etc threaten you with taking you to court, try not to worry - a judge would see that you haven't got the money to pay them, and would only make you pay what you can afford, even if that is £1 a month.

As others have said though, make your rent and council tax the priorities, as these are the ones that will cause a problem if you dont pay them.

lemma1968

On the 13th make the last payment on the laptop and then sell it to pay off some of your bills. I know it will not cover them all but it is a luxury you can ill afford at the moment.

Your OH has only been trying for 1 week to get a job, has he been down to the jobcentre and also signed on with agencies? Mine has had to do this cos we are in a similar situation. The supermarkets are usually always taking people on, even part time, as are pubs and bars. he can earn something and every little helps. Just a few hours in a pub or supermarket and he will have the cash for the final laptop/tv payment.

Also contact the utilities people and tell them about your circs and see if you can go on a monthly budget plan to include the arrears.

You should also be able to get some help with the council tax situation.

On your income you must be entitled to some benefits and your OH can definitely get Jobseekers unless he left his job voluntarily.

You must ring them all up and send them a copy of your SOA's as a matter of urgency.

lemma1968

Another thing, you have a lot of bank debt etc, how old is this debt?

Ask them for copies for all the original credit agreements - and send them a S.A.R - Subject Access Request for each one as this will let you see how much you have been overcharged.

If you go onto the https://www.consumeractiongroup.com website and go onto the general debt section and you will get loads of help, i'm sure as well as from this fab site.

Good Luck.

rayday2

Even if CCCS or Payplan have turned you down you can do it yourself via the national debt helpline.

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/

I am assuming you live in Wales or England if its Scotland go the homepage and select Scotland. On this site you have template letters and a budget planner sheet you send to the people you owe money to.

First thing you need to do is make sure you have a bank account which is not connected to anyone you owe money too, then write to companies (with one of the templates) telling them you are in difficulties ask for a balance adn to freeze interest and charges.

28 days later send them an offer of payment, and along with this I sent the first payment whether they agreed or not, it sort of helps force there hands.

If you want any more help about a self managed DMP just ask several of us do it and its alot easier than worrying about everything!