Freaking out about debts

asparagus1968

BlueMonbee wrote: »

unfortunatly I have no option but to take a bath the HO said if I want a shower to pay for it myself I am also behind on my water bill. as I have already said I AM going to reduce my virgin package. and I will be looking into my food spending I can't travel to a lidl or aldi.

I thought the pet bit was how much I pay out for my pet over the month I added the food and bedding up to get that number. as I said I switch all electrics exept for fridge off at night and when Im not using them. I hardly put the heating on even in winter.

I know you are all trying to help I just get so upset and frustrated.

ok then, leaving those aside, have you thought about trying to lower your mobile tariff if you are stuck in contract- just ring and ask.


reduce hair cuts to £10every two months instead of every month


cut your entertainment whilst you have a priority debt


look into pre payment prescriptions


Believe me, I know it's upsetting and frustrating.


This is a helpful forum,people want you to get sorted out. you don't have to use any of the advice. Try and focus on what you CAN do, you will get there, but it won't be easy. good luck.

BlueMonbee

Its the council Im most worried about. they have refused the amount I can afford £110 which I have paid regardless and told me I need to pay over £200 pm otherwise they won't set up any plan.

Pixie5740

Yes council tax is a priority bill which is why you need to get rid of every non-essential to ensure that it and your rent is paid. You can default on pretty much any other account but make sure your rent and council tax is paid and up to date.

asparagus1968

BlueMonbee wrote: »

Its the council Im most worried about. they have refused the amount I can afford £110 which I have paid regardless and told me I need to pay over £200 pm otherwise they won't set up any plan.

Hi,
so,just focus on that one for now- you need to cut back/ do without to the tune of £100 a month to add to the current £110 you are paying. you can, I believe, get in big trouble not getting council tax debt sorted asap.
have a look through my list from yesterday, see what you can change by the end of this week-the challenge is on! - it can be done, I have faith in you

BlueMonbee

asparagus1968 wrote: »

Hi,
so,just focus on that one for now- you need to cut back/ do without to the tune of £100 a month to add to the current £110 you are paying. you can, I believe, get in big trouble not getting council tax debt sorted asap.
have a look through my list from yesterday, see what you can change by the end of this week-the challenge is on! - it can be done, I have faith in you

My fault I know but i made a mistake on my soa. I wasn't sure how to change it without doing another so I wrote a note at thebottom. I missed off my travel. so I need to make up nearly £200 to give them what they want like you said the £100 is feasable but I'm not sure about £200

rockm87

Have you got anything you can sell?

foxgloves

Hi Bluemonbee,
Yes, it is scary when you've had lots of things happen at once which have affected your finances adversely, then suddenly debts seem to be growing & people are wanting their arrears. As others have said, Council Tax is a priority debt. They always come looking for repayment of arrears. It would be worth focusing everything on that debt first, with it being a priority one. You are on quite a tight budget, but there are tweaks you could make, some of which may mean temporary little lifestyle changes while you get back on track.
Groceries: We spend £200 a month to feed me, my big greedy husband & cat. This also covers all cleaning materials & household stuff such as loo rolls, cheap unbranded medicines, such as paracetamols, etc. Obviously using Aldi or Lidl instead of a standard supermarket can save money, but the main way of saving is to write a meal plan at the start of every week, use it to write your shopping list & that will be all you buy when you go shopping. If you buy a lot of ready meals, cook more from scratch, as this saves lots of money. As there is only you, make extra portions (most recipes serve 4) & freeze for a 'free' meal another time. Scale down to own brand or Basics, & have a look in the pound shops for toiletries. I would never have gone in the '99p Shop' before I embarked on debt-slaying (we owed about 30K at its worst), but I have found branded shampoos & conditioners for (obviously!) 99p each, plus packs of 5 perfectly good toothbrushes, & all sorts of everyday stuff I'd have paid full whack for in the past.
Cable TV - Not worth paying for a non-essential like this when you are so worried about getting this priority debt paid off. It needn't be for ever. When your finances improve & you have no debt, you'll be able to set out a new budget from which you can buy any service you can afford.
Entertainment - have a think about this. Given that you are really worried about the debt, is this £50 worth paying on entertainment at the moment? Always nice to go out & do stuff socially, but could you set yourself the challenge of only doing free stuff until your finances are in a position to maintain an entertainment budget? It won't be for ever. Just 4 months of this cutback alone would give you £200 to throw at your debts.
It's very early days, so at the moment everything seems very daunting as if it can't be done, but people on here have paid off huge amounts of debt. Most debt doesn't appear overnight, so it takes a while to get shot of it, but with the right attitude & necessary changes in lifestyle, it can be done. Think small, because small amounts add up. Every single £1 you save, whether by doing without an inessential grocery item, doing all your cleaning with 'Stardrops' (89p!) instead of buying several different branded cleaning products, taking a flask or a sandwich instead of buying a coffee or lunch out, etc (beause there are HUNDREDS of small savings to be made once you get going) is another £1 freed up to go towards getting shot of the debt.......which means getting shot of all the worry.
Focus, look at it as a challenge, you can do it if you truly set your mind to it.
Good luck,
f

[Deleted User]

When you say became "responsible for all bills", do you mean just household bills (eg. rent CT, water, gas, etc.) or debts as well?

BlueMonbee

just spoke to the council I wanted to keep in touch with them. I am still paying them something so they know I'm not ignoring the bills they have since added on more costs and will not accept a agreement below £240 which I can't do as it will immediately bounce.

BlueMonbee

rockm87 wrote: »

Have you got anything you can sell?

Unfortunatly my contract at work states we are not allowed to sell anything o ebay or sell at car boots as they caught people getting their discount of 50% (its a charity shop) and selling it on losing the charity money. I could potentially lose my job if i did. Which would make my situation even worse.