Getting to end of month without taking out a payday loan

Bluetonic123

I have been in a spiral of high interest payday debt for years now. I have managed to pay them off without defaulting (with a small loan from a friend who is my angel for some of them, very frugal living and selling everything I have of value on eBay except my laptop which I need for work) and I have paid off my last.

However, I have almost no money aside from rent to last me until 25th but I am determined not to take another high-interest loan.
The plan is:

• Cycle / walk to and from work
• I get free lunch at work so filling up on this and eating whatever yellow stickered food I can pick up from the supermarket in the evening
• See if I can sell anything else (doubtful but I will look)
• Missing a catalogue payment (not ideal but I would rather make up the payment next month than borrow at those high APRs again)
• Obviously no spending on treats even cheap things like coffees etc. – I have been dong this anyway.

This month will be my toughest yet but now my balance is zero I want to keep it that way.

Does anyone have any ideas? I would like to make some cash but now I have sold anything I am not sure how I can do so.

Rosemary7391

Have a wander to the old style board for food tips - they've got a wealth of cheap recipes and can give you ideas based on what you already have in your cupboards. Good luck!

[Deleted User]

It must be so hard to get out of the cycle of payday loans so good for you for deciding to tackle it.

It won't be easy which you are already fully aware of.

Do you do any online surveys?

I recently received 30.00 vouchers from one site & will be getting a 50.00 cheque from another September. It can take a while to build them up sometimes but if you have internet & the time to do them it can be a good way to make a wee bit more money.

Could you contact your catalogue to let them know that you are going to miss this payment due to an unexpected outgoing?? Might be better to keep them in the loop if they may charge you for a missing or late payment.

If I think of anything else I will be back to let you know.

Good luck!

Dxxx

MallyGirl

I echo the above - old style has loads of tips. If you could eat purely from storecupboard for breakfast/dinner/weekends would that leave you enough to pay the catalogue as well. Since you are getting free food for lunch you can concentrate on that being as nutritious as possible in case the rest of the meals are lacking in fresh fruit and veg. You aren't going to suffer from scurvy or malnutrition in a matter of 3 weeks even if every home meal was toast or porridge.

Muttipops

Maybe your angel friend could have you round for dinner a couple of times, because there are other ways of helping that are not cash in hand; maybe you could do some housework for her in exchange.

debbie_debt

Debt is so hard to get out of, as obviously it saps all of your free cash, particularly when it's these high-interest loans. So, well done for making the commitment to say 'never again'!

How long have you got until you'll have another wage coming in?

Living on virtually no money will be really challenging, but it's possible unless you've little ones to support at home. If it's just you, then you can choose to just go without and not feel too much hardship about it. A bag of 30p pasta can turn a bit of hard cheese or an old tin of chopped tomatoes into three or four meals. Same with a 40p bag of rice and some indian spices and an old onion/pepper etc. If you've got some flour and yeast in, you can easily make a pizza base and use some of that tin of chopped tomatoes and cheese to top it into a nice pizza. Feeding yourself doesn't have to be expensive.

Also, think about how you'll entertain yourself and make a plan. Boredom over a long weekend can easily change your mind about getting a payday loan. Look for free local events to go to and have a wander around. Do you have any tesco clubcard points to use? Either spend them on food if you need to, or maybe turn them into cinema tickets or something to entertain you so you don't feel the need to splurge. Also, if you've kept your TV, maybe ask friends to loan you DVDs or books to start a film and reading marathon. You could also join your local library where you can get books and DVDs for free for entertainment.

Can you get any extra shifts/overtime at work? Particularly if they feed you there, it means you've less time to be out spending, get a nutritious meal for free and will have a bigger pay packet at the end of the month.

If you get REALLY desperate, get on your bike and start going round phone boxes and generally in town looking for coins left in the machine or dropped on the floor. You'd be surprised what you find on the floor when you actually look. There's a forum on here called 'Remember you're a womble' with people reporting their finds, which can be mega! I saw one poster finding over a tenner in a day.

I'll keep thinking...

Debbie

sourcrates

Bluetonic123 wrote: »

I have been in a spiral of high interest payday debt for years now. I have managed to pay them off without defaulting (with a small loan from a friend who is my angel for some of them, very frugal living and selling everything I have of value on eBay except my laptop which I need for work) and I have paid off my last.

However, I have almost no money aside from rent to last me until 25th but I am determined not to take another high-interest loan.
The plan is:

• Cycle / walk to and from work
• I get free lunch at work so filling up on this and eating whatever yellow stickered food I can pick up from the supermarket in the evening
• See if I can sell anything else (doubtful but I will look)
• Missing a catalogue payment (not ideal but I would rather make up the payment next month than borrow at those high APRs again)
• Obviously no spending on treats even cheap things like coffees etc. – I have been dong this anyway.

This month will be my toughest yet but now my balance is zero I want to keep it that way.

Does anyone have any ideas? I would like to make some cash but now I have sold anything I am not sure how I can do so.

Hi OP,

Just as a side note, have you heard about the payday loan refunds for unaffordable lending ?

Lots of info here for you :

http://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/

Have a good read, see if any of these situations apply to you.

There is also a dedicated thread for help and advice on this forum :

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5289150

SailorSam

debbie_debt wrote: »

If you get REALLY desperate, get on your bike and start going round phone boxes and generally in town looking for coins left in the machine or dropped on the floor.

Debbie

Now you're really showing your age. How often are phone boxes used these days, and how long is it since we've had to push buttons A and B ? to get the coins out.

groovy_chick

You say you have sold everything of value, but if you are anything like me you might have a pile of old clothes lying around?? If you have a Cash for Clothes type shop near you, then they will buy clothes that might not necessarily be worth ebaying, but as long as they are clean and undamaged, then fashion or size doesn't come into it.

I would say to avoid the ones that come and collect, as I got stung after they took my clothes away and then said there were all sorts of quality issues, but if you can take them to a collection point yourself and get the money there and then it might add a few quid to the budget?

Good luck - it's less than 4 weeks to go :T

kazwookie

As you get meals at work, it might be worth asking the canteen what they do with the left over food at the end of that day, maybe take in your container and ask them to full it up for you, if you are allowed to that it, that can be dinner for that night.

Bluetonic123

Thanks Everyone!

I will have a look at the food tips today. I am so thankful I get free lunch! Annoyingly, free forms of transport like cycling make me hungrier!

My friend has done enough - I don't want her to resent me or feel like I am taking the mick! She has invited me over this weekend as she knows I am skint.

I live in London so there are plenty of free things to do, although free events tend to have a lot of temptations so spend cash! My job doesn't pay overtime sadly so getting extra cash from there isn't an option.

That payday refund looks interesting. I will take a look. They were definitely unaffordable but I do feel like they are my responsibility. I will look into it though. I definitely rolled over multiple times.

I will also look into cash for clothes.