Back again and STILL in debt :( - my new SOA HELP :(

sara_501

mrsspendalot wrote: »

is he going to start paying maintenance again at some point? have you contacted the CSA? he shouldn't get away with not paying while you are in debt - its just not right!

I know, believe me I totally agree - but he stopped paying the CSA back in April and when they enquired he said he was in education doing a MSc and not earning, they sent him numerous letters which he didn't respond to and then they said they would do a trace on his employers but I've not had any contact from them since and to be honest I got fed up with chasing as if he isn't earning (god knows how he's supporting himself) they wont be able to get any maintenance out of him....

wish I had the opportunity to totally give up work to be able to "better myself" :huh:

mrsspendalot

hmmmmm - I see.

you don't need to give up work to better yourself either hun, have you thought of open university? I am just about to graduate this year and have done my degree while bringing up 3 children. You wouldnt have to pay for your fees on your income - in fact you would get grants given to you for doing it.

sara_501

mrsspendalot wrote: »

hmmmmm - I see.

you don't need to give up work to better yourself either hun, have you thought of open university? I am just about to graduate this year and have done my degree while bringing up 3 children. You wouldnt have to pay for your fees on your income - in fact you would get grants given to you for doing it.

Hi MrsSpendalot :beer: well done on your studies with the Open Uni I tried it myself this year but found that I was lacking in the basic skills required, essay writing etc. I'm also suffering with depression at the moment so the combination made it pretty impossible....to be honest I think I would be better suited with a face to face course at a lower level in the first - who knows...

benbenandme

Have a look at quidco for your insurances ... often the contents ones end up paying you money to take them out iyswim .... I think when I did mine it was with barcleys and they paid me £80 to take out the policy ... and the policy cost £70 for the year :j :j So in effect they paid me a tenner to insure me

mrsspendalot

yeah i went with LLoyds TSB - £120 cashback for a £60 a year policy

sara_501

benbenandme wrote: »

Have a look at quidco for your insurances ... often the contents ones end up paying you money to take them out iyswim .... I think when I did mine it was with barcleys and they paid me £80 to take out the policy ... and the policy cost £70 for the year :j :j So in effect they paid me a tenner to insure me

What a great idea - I will look into it - Thanks very much!:A

sara_501

OK well I worked out it'll take me 30-odd months to pay off the CC at the current rate per month, which means the 0% intro rate will have long since passed, so I'm guessing it's balance transfer time again :eek:

Jenna

Hey Sara,

Just a couple of quick thoughts. Have you applied for the single person discount on your council tax? This would bring it down I think by 25% p/year, although I'm sure someone else would know the figure better than me!! Also is this spread over 10 months or 12? If it's 10 you can spread it over 12 months, thus giving you a bit more cash to throw at the debts.

The mobile is definitely really expensive, who are you with at the moment? I pay £25 / month for 400 anytime any network mins, 200 free texts plus video calls / MMS and 5MB of data (e.g. emails, internet access) use. There's a guide in the articles on this site somewhere about how best to negotiate a better mobile deal, definitely talk to them - I'm with Orange and was paying £10 a month more for way less than what I'm getting now - I just called and said, look I'd like to stay with you but my bill's not really value for money anymore as X network are offering X deal.

Oh - and well done on being so determined to sort things out for you and your daughter :T

sara_501

Jenna wrote: »

Hey Sara,

Just a couple of quick thoughts. Have you applied for the single person discount on your council tax? This would bring it down I think by 25% p/year, although I'm sure someone else would know the figure better than me!! Also is this spread over 10 months or 12? If it's 10 you can spread it over 12 months, thus giving you a bit more cash to throw at the debts.

I already have the discount so unfortunately I can't save any money on this - good idea though.

Jenna wrote: »

The mobile is definitely really expensive, who are you with at the moment? I pay £25 / month for 400 anytime any network mins, 200 free texts plus video calls / MMS and 5MB of data (e.g. emails, internet access) use. There's a guide in the articles on this site somewhere about how best to negotiate a better mobile deal, definitely talk to them - I'm with Orange and was paying £10 a month more for way less than what I'm getting now - I just called and said, look I'd like to stay with you but my bill's not really value for money anymore as X network are offering X deal.

I'm with O2 at the moment for £35 per month I get 500 free texts and 500 off-peak minutes per month. Somehow I keep managing to rack up huge bills, the contract expires in November thankfully, until then I've stuck an address label on the back of it with a huge "£" sign on it hopefully should remind me to cut back I don't know if the deal I'm on is good or not, I've never been able to fathom all these tarriffs n suchlike :S

Jenna wrote: »

Oh - and well done on being so determined to sort things out for you and your daughter :T

Thanks Jenna, I really appreciate all your advice it's given me some food for thought, first things first I'm going to email O2 and find out exactly what I'm getting for my money (incase I missed anything out) and also to find out when my contract expires and how to proceed from then on .....I think it's a place I could make a real saving.:j

catcressa

hiya maybe search for a cheaper mobile contract, Keep up the goood work .
cat