late payments- too many to remember, I've ruined my chances

spud30

Tine,

I just went and had a look at your Oldies Club - I want them all :rolleyes:

Superly_Vince

tine wrote: »

Right... your flat mate taking things "off your hands".... well this fills me with a little bit of dread... You're firstly NOT taking responcibility for things by passing them to someone else to be responcible for. Secondly - you are placing a LOT of trust in someone else being respocible for things that can in future come back to haunt you. What I think you should do is kepe it in your name and from YOUR account but have her pay the amount into your account to cover it. The house/flat/property is in you name right? By trusting her to pay it you're allowing control of the only tax that you can still end up in jail for not paying to go to someone else! And I bet you they won't care about a "gentlemens agreement" between you for her to pay it if your name is on the papers.
You want to join the police... then start proving to yourself you can take on these responcibilities and handle them. A lot of police work is dull paper work and form filling - if you do it wrong or "can't be bothered" then people who should be in jail can walk free... What if next time they DUI they kill someone? But last time they walked off with not even a warning because your paperwork was not on time or not filled in properly?
You have till next year to make these things second nature instead of a laborious task you want to pass on to someone else.
I'm possibly being a little harsh here, but I know several people in the police force, some are very good friends, and I can just see potential problems with this not taking responcibility for the bills (although well done for feeling the bank charges "were your own fault so why are you entitled to any back?" - I'd be inclined to agree, but I do think the charges applied are out of proportion to what charges or costs the bank incurs... Maybe I'd not feel so bad if when they are a day late applying funds to OUR accounts WE get to charge them... hmmm now THERE is an idea )

Looking through the thread I never made it clear I was applying for Specials, nevertheless, equal responsibility. Oh... and I'm female

Many thanks tine, all very, very true words, you're right in saying that i should take responsibiliy in paying for Council Tax, my intention was not to pass the buck, I think it was a feeble attempt to share out responsibility since EVERYTHING is in my name, and EVERYTHING comes out of my account, we're private tenants and I've lived here longer, my new flatmate moved in this month. I may have to retract my suggestion, I'm just trying to reduce the number of DD thats coming off my account. Would it be unreasonable to put both our names on the Council Tax then?

I'm still unsure as the bank charges senario, it's something I have to look in to further before I could give an answer. Refering to my converstion with the bank on friday where I expressed my worry about all the bank charges, the woman on the phone had a look at my account and she could tell I had the money in the account, it's the charges and the admin that is sending me over the agreed limit, her comment about it being a spiral is true, just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in! (I couldn't help it ). Its these occuring charges that keep biting me in the bum. It's a never ending cycle and I'm fed up.

Superly_Vince

can anyone else give me advice .

redsquirrel80

If I've read it right, you've been completely honest on your application form as to the information requested, and filled it in accurately as things stood at the time? If so, then try to stop worrying about that, and if you want to go ahead with applying at the moment, then go for it. Obviously I can't say for sure, but it doesn't sound to me as if your financial 'mistakes' are so serious as to affect your application. As it is, you can't change the past, so learn from it and try not to beat yourself up over it - I know this is easier said than done, but your energies are better put into trying to sort things out now.

Council Tax should be in the name of everyone in the property who is liable to pay it, I think? Whenever I've shared it's been in all names, and all are liable, no matter who's account it comes out of. As long as your flatmate pays her share of everything in time, and therefore the DDs are paid, then I can't see that it'd make much difference having less of them coming out of your account? You'd still be spending the same amount of money, and would have to fiddle about with her giving you money for some things and you giving her money for others. Alternatively for the CT, I wonder if the council would accept a DD from each of your accounts for half of the amount, could be worth asking?

Re your mobile, you could try phoning the company and saying you're struggling with the payments, and see if they'll move you to a lower cost package, I know others have done this.

Finally, you might find it helpful to break down the £160 for food etc into where it actually goes, does this include food/ drinks out or just supermarket shopping? I'm sure you could cut this back, even if it's just for a few months till you clear the debts and get on top of things.

Good luck

GingerSte

It sounds like you need to organise yourself a bit better with regards to your budget. From your SOA you seem to have enough coming in.

I would suggest that you set up a spreadsheet to keep track of your budget. Usually the simple ones work better (IMO) than the more complicated ones. If you also have to pay the bills manually (as against Direct Debit), I would firstly include the dates in your spreadsheet, and secondly make some reminders for yourself (put it in a diary, on a calendar, or use something like Outlook on your PC).

I would also suggest that you set aside a couple of hours every week or so, to sit down with your bills and sort out your finances. Make it enjoyable: put on a bit of (not too loud) music, promise yourself a glass of wine afterwards, etc. Once you've done this two or three times it will get a lot easier. After a while you will be as sad as some of us and you'll be telling people about how you've saved £5 a month off your leccy!

Hope this helps

Superly_Vince

redsquirrel80 wrote: »

Re your mobile, you could try phoning the company and saying you're struggling with the payments, and see if they'll move you to a lower cost package, I know others have done this.

Good luck

Unfortunately I can't reduce it until December, this is when I will be in 6 months if an 18 month contract. I might call them again to put my point accross a bit more firmly.

Finally, you might find it helpful to break down the £160 for food etc into where it actually goes, does this include food/ drinks out or just supermarket shopping? I'm sure you could cut this back, even if it's just for a few months till you clear the debts and get on top of things.

I hope to reduce this cost hugely! I think I can get by on taking my lunch to work instead of spending £5 a time :eek:, Starbucks and treats are going to have to wait, may be I'll loose a couple of stuborn pounds?

I'm making an attempt to walk home in the evenings while it's still warm, £5 a week, £20 extra pound a month sounds alright.

Superly_Vince

GingerSte wrote: »

It sounds like you need to organise yourself a bit better with regards to your budget. From your SOA you seem to have enough coming in.

Once I get things sorted I want to stop all these charges, I was looking at my statements last night, I was shocked at the amount of charges I've had over the past two years for two intrest paying accounts with RBS, it made me pretty angry :mad:, if I could sort that out it would be a HUGE help.

I would suggest that you set up a spreadsheet to keep track of your budget. Usually the simple ones work better (IMO) than the more complicated ones. If you also have to pay the bills manually (as against Direct Debit), I would firstly include the dates in your spreadsheet, and secondly make some reminders for yourself (put it in a diary, on a calendar, or use something like Outlook on your PC).

For sake of simplicity in the mean time I'm going to pay everything DD, and keep close track when these thing leave the account. Almost all the bills leave the account within the first week of being paid, my charges are at the end of the month... my pay then goes in to cover the charges (cycle!)

I would also suggest that you set aside a couple of hours every week or so, to sit down with your bills and sort out your finances. Make it enjoyable: put on a bit of (not too loud) music, promise yourself a glass of wine afterwards, etc. Once you've done this two or three times it will get a lot easier. After a while you will be as sad as some of us and you'll be telling people about how you've saved £5 a month off your leccy!

Hope this helps

I really must be more disiplined.

GingerSte

It sounds like you've got yourself a plan Superly Vince!

I agree that paying stuff by DD makes things easier, and you're less likely to forget. Most of my bills are paid through DD, except the credit cards (they only take minimum or full payments - nothing in between). I'll just re-iterate that it's in your best interests to keep an eye on them.

And believe me, it's much nicer sorting your bills out at 7pm with a bit of music and a glass of vino than it lying in bed at 4 in the morning worrying whether you've paid something off, which is what I used to do.

You do realise that I'm going to have to get myself a bottle for tonight now!

Superly_Vince

Just a quick update to let you know what I've done since yesterday.

I called the Coucil after receiving a letter advising of the installment arrangement, Initially I asked for this over two months which equated to £186.00 X 2, this was too much so I asked to have this spread over 3 months so I can pay £125 X 3.

I called the debt collection agency with regard to the £140.00 I was told if I didn't pay in full by 31st it would be passed on to the solictors to be taken to court!:eek: I inisted that I couldn't pay full so the guy on the phone said he'd do me a "favour" by allowing me to pay in two installments.

Also, I went to the bank to arrange a review of my account, I'll be back in on Tuesday to have a look of things. Right now I' £84 over my authorised overdraft! :mad: I also very slyly asked for all my statements to be printed out, I said I only had them for over the past 2-3 years with a few missing here and there.... tee hee! I can't handle all these charges! They're eating away at my salary, I could have done with that £84.00