It's all such a mess and I don't know where to turn

Scarlett.1974

Floss wrote: »

Hi Scarlett,

Hope the birthday & brace went ok....look forward to hearing from you tomorrow how you're getting on.

Love Floss xx

Hi Floss,

Thanks for remembering Son has had a lovely day and daughter is okay with the braces, just taking a bit of getting used to, bless her


I didn't think I'd get back on here this evening, but here I am again, I think I maybe getting slightly addicted!

Right - Sky & the NSPCC DD have been cancelled. I feel (stupidly I know) a bit sad about losing Sky, we never go out (no money to obviously!) and it was our main source of entertainment - but hey, it needed to be done and in the future if things ever turn around for us you never know.......

Rosie - thanks for you advice re the house and BR, you're right, it does sound very complicated and obviously something I need a lot more advice on, but the phone call to Payplan is all planned for tomorrow morning, so we'll see what they say

Princess - thank you for your reply (I feel quite honoured that I was the reason for your 1st post!) - we're not on a water meter no. To be honest I don't know anything about them, but it's definitely something I'll be looking into, thanks <adds Water to ever-growing 'to do' list!>

Alan - thanks again for your good advice, almost all of your points are my list!

Buffythedebtslayer

Can I just chip in to say I think you are doing brilliantly you really are inspirational!
Buffyxx

Scarlett.1974

Buffythedebtslayer wrote: »

Can I just chip in to say I think you are doing brilliantly you really are inspirational!
Buffyxx

Oh god, I'm not really but how very lovely of you to say so

Apart from cancelling Sky & the NSPCC DD and doing my cheapy-cheap food shop on-line this morning and stacks of research about cheaper utilities and insurances I haven't really achieved anything yet

I'm wary of actually changing anything yet (gas, electric etc....) only because I want to wait until I speak to Payplan tomorrow because *if* I go down the DMP route I'll more than likely need to change my bank account because approx. 75% of my debt is with my bank (CC & OD) and from what happened to H when he did it, one of the 1st things Payplan told him to do was open a new bank account because it was extremely likely his bank (same as mine) would close his accounts. So..... I don't want to go to all the hassel of changing suppliers, giving them my bank details, to only have to give them new ones in a week or 2, it seems silly and a bit of a waste of time.

I applied for a Nat West "Step" account yesterday (forgot to tell you guys this!) and it was 'agreed in principle', so just waiting for the paperwork etc... to come through

But, buffy, thanks again for your kind words, you've made me blush and smile

oops_a_daisy

Hi Scarlet - I have been watching this thread and just wanted to say well done on everything you have done so far and good luck for tomorrow. I think you have started to turn things around but just wanted to say that a few posters have advised you to consolodate DO NOT CONSOLODATE - you will end up in more debt and it is not the answer. Keep trying to reduce your outgoings, increase your incomings, speak to Payplan.

Keep posting and let us know how you get on tomorrow

all the best xoopsx

Tustastic

Just wanted to say well done for contacting Payplan, doing a great value online shop and cancelling Sky and NSPCC. Oh and happy birthday to your son.
Re water meters, I live in the Thames Water region. Thames will let you try out a water meter to see if it saves you money -but you can change back to water rates if you cancel in the first twelve months.
I've seen posts on MSE from someone who lives alone and pays only £6 a month for water, so that gives you an idea of what you might pay as a family with obviously higher consumption. Great incentive to take more showers, keep clothes cleaner and wash the car with a bucket, not the hosepipe.
HTH

Scarlett.1974

oops-a-daisy - don't worry, consolidation is the VERY last thing on my mind now. Even if we wanted to (which we do not) we couldn't anyway, no-one would lend us so much as a tin of beans I reckon, our credit rating is in tatters now <wry smile>. Thanks for your lovely words of support

Tustastic - thank you, he's finally asleep now, it's been a LONG day lol! Am definitely going to look into the water meter idea, every little helps right? Look after the pennies and all that (if only I'd taken that advice more in the past!).

Thank you

Scarlett xx

Scarlett.1974

Oooooh, just checked my stuff on ebay I have 11 items listed at the moment (about at least another 20 to go on) and 4 are selling and there's still 4/5 days left

Scarlett.1974

Good morning all you lovely DFWers,

A bit of an update from me:

I have this morning spoken to a lovely, lovely lady at Payplan who listened to my waffling (and actually made sense of it), helped me dry my eyes (the crying started the minute I started talking) and was generally very helpful and surprisingly (to me) quite positive than there IS a way out of this mess.

To start with:
We've added me onto H's existing Payplan agreement (apparently this will make everything quicker)
I've emailed her over my SOA (she was most impressed that I already had this to hand!) and details of all my creditors.

She's going to have a look at it all and call me back tomorrow morning - she could have called this evening, but I'm working, so that was no good.

She's also going to refer us to a company called "Who's Lending" (anyone got any experience of these people?) who work closely with Payplan to help people like us who have a lot of unmanageable secured debt - she said they might be able to help us lump the mortgage & First Plus loan into 1 payment a LOT lower than we're currently paying now. Basically she said, if anyone can help, it's them So, just waiting to hear from them now.

I think that's about it for now

I'm so glad I called them. I was awake at 5.30am this morning with my stomach in knots at the thought of it, I was SO scared. I was a bit naughty this morning after I got back from school and kept putting making the call off (oh, I'll just make a coffee; oh I'll just get this washing out of the machine; oh, look the machine is about to spin, better not call right now, they won't be able to hear me etc etc etc....) but finally I could put it off no longer and silly me, of course it wasn't any where near as bad as I thought it would be, I wish I'd done it first thing now!

Floss

Glad you hear you took the plunge & made the call!

Love Floss xx

Scarlett.1974

Floss wrote: »

Glad you hear you took the plunge & made the call!

Love Floss xx

Thanks Floss

Am feeling silly for putting it off now!