Up sh*t creak without a paddle. Advice needed.

chevalier

melissa'smoney wrote: »

I will def ring water company.

I know a lodger is the sensible idea just hate the thought. And it's not just them, its if they have friends round, family, partners, conquests!!? :eek:

x

that is why you have rules that are agreed in advance. That way the lodger knows what is ok and what isn't, so not one night stands, or over night stays or whatever
chev

skint_spice

Hi Melissa, about the lodger - could you not treat it as an experiment and think how much it will bring in? even if you only did it till from jan to jun and then reassess the situation that might bring in a fair bit.

steve_r123

As you are not keen on a 2nd job, how about selling things on ebay as a sideline? If not as a sideline, is there some stuff lying around that you dont use anymore that you could sell? I sold an old laptop that was gathering dust,a couple of mobile phones and a few other bits n bobs last month and made £500, it's surprising how a little soon adds up.:money:

:j

Soubrette

Hairdressing? don't shout £79 every 8 weeks, this is my only indulgance, i dont smoke or drink

This really stood out to me as it seems that you actually have several indulgences, the gym, your pets, magazines etc etc. When it comes to getting control of your finances it's about deciding what's necessary and what is unnecessary and then choosing to put what's left over to your indulgences.

Nobody is going to shout at what you choose to spend your money on, everyone will offer suggestions which you may or may not take on board but your ultimate challenge is for you to balance your budget.

Re the water meter - I'm surprised that Yorkshire Water were so negative, do they do that thing where you can trial a water meter for a year?

If you are a school nurse - are you expected to work during the school holidays? If not, could you do bank work then rather than on the weekend when you are tired from a full weeks work?

Try phoning the gym and explaining that you now not able to afford your payments and ask if they would cancel your subscription as a gesture of goodwill. If you are lucky they might reduce it. Walk the dog more instead

Do you work locally, rather than pay a dogwalker would it be possible for you to pop back home at lunchtime once or twice a week?

For your hair - is it possible for you to do some of it yourself (I wouldn't touch my hair with a barge pole but some people are very good at home dying etc), could you change the style so it only needs a trim for a while, could you see if the hairdressers or college do a student night?

I managed to reduce my tv/broadband/phone by phoning virgin and quoting the latest sky offer. I made sure I did some homework on the sky offer and was able to answer the virgin guy's questions about coverage etc and reduced my monthly payments by £12 - he also threw in free weekend and evening calls for a year as a good will gesture. There is a thread on the phones part of the forum about doing this.

Do you use quidco or other cashback sites when changing insurance?

Start a spending diary so you know exactly what you spend and where (it also helps keep you on the straight and narrow).

Have you read Martin's excellent article on the difference between wanting and needing something?

Good luck

and forgive me for being so bossy

Sou

Scarlett.1974

C32AMG wrote: »

From your 4,800 compensation I would do the following:-

Pay off ALL of your tesco card (Then cut it up!)
Pay off your overdraft (assuming this is 1000 as per your original post)
Pay off 2400 of your MBNA card
Pay the 100 pound parking fine!

This'll mean your minimum payment on your MBNA will be about 50-60 and you won't have a min payment for Tesco. Also, your Overdraft should be a bit better.

Then try to cut down on the expenses as I've outlined above to lower your monthly costs, and try to live on 'cash' (ie your bank account) rather than on credit cards.

I definitely agree with this

You're actually in a pretty good position you know, compared to a lot of people on here You have the opportunity to really grab your debt by the balls, so to speak! Don't forget to cancel the Tesco card and OD then - this is where a LOT of people 'slip up' and re-spend on their 'empty' CCs and OD.

How is your credit rating at the moment? If it's good, then you could apply for one of the 0% cards, transfer your MBNA balance to that (again, chop up and cancel the MBNA card) and with some hard work and taking on board the advice you've had here, you could have it cleared in no time

belfastgirl23

Soubrette makes some really good points. You will probably either have to take on something you don't really want (extra work or a lodger) and/or give up some of the things you do want (haircuts, dogwalker, food shopping). So it's about figuring out which is more important to you. As a dog lover I'd say the dog walker should be one of the first things to go, if he managed the other four days he'll manage on that one. Also I know it's only £5 a month but do you need life insurance if you have no dependants?

To go back to the lodger issue I think the ideal for you would be someone whose main home is elsewhere and who is looking for lodgings M-F for work. They would be much less likely to have people home with them etc. here's a website www.mondaytofriday.com

I also agree that you get to set the rules as landlady. Some people would be very glad of the rules you've suggested!

melissa'smoney

Scarlett.1974 wrote: »

I definitely agree with this

You're actually in a pretty good position you know, compared to a lot of people on here You have the opportunity to really grab your debt by the balls, so to speak! Don't forget to cancel the Tesco card and OD then - this is where a LOT of people 'slip up' and re-spend on their 'empty' CCs and OD.

How is your credit rating at the moment? If it's good, then you could apply for one of the 0% cards, transfer your MBNA balance to that (again, chop up and cancel the MBNA card) and with some hard work and taking on board the advice you've had here, you could have it cleared in no time

yes i know i'm lucky to have recieved this money and why im posting on here as i dont want to mess it up. Ive paid off CC before and made the mistake of reapplying when things have got hard and i dont want to do it again...

I dont think i have a Credit rating:rotfl: i tried applying for a barclaycard at o% to shift current debt but got refused!!!

thanks xxx

bandraoi

What happens if you move out of your house and rent a one bed place and rent out your whole house to some other people?

You still get to live alone, but you get more money than from a lodger.

Little_Mama

Hi Melissa,

Have you looked into the possibility of transferring your gym membership to someone else? My OH was able to do this for a cost of about £20 for the 'admin' (he was working away at the time and was then coming home so belonging to a gym £100 miles away was going to be daft).

Also, if you've no dependants, do you really need the life cover? I know it's only £5 but it all helps.

Good luck
LM

melissa'smoney

steve_r123 wrote: »

As you are not keen on a 2nd job, how about selling things on ebay as a sideline? If not as a sideline, is there some stuff lying around that you dont use anymore that you could sell? I sold an old laptop that was gathering dust,a couple of mobile phones and a few other bits n bobs last month and made £500, it's surprising how a little soon adds up.:money:

:j

Hi yes i already do this. Nothing ever gets thrown unless i've tried to sell it first. If i buy new clothes i sell old ones, furniture etc...i've made lots of money! :money:
My problem is that i havent used it to my advantage and ive carried on spending!!

Thank you though x