Help, advice or a hiya needed!

SkintSio

Hi everybody,

I'm finally about to pull my head out the sand and start dealing with my debts, from my big signature thing I've made, you'll be able to see my problems!
I'm not working at the moment and only receiving tax credits for my two children so I'm going to write to my creditors and offer token payments of about £2.00 per week by standing order to my smaller debts and a bit more to my bank.
I was wanting to see if anybody knows if its ok for me to write to Provident and offer a lower weekly or monthly payment? I've not fell behind with them yet but the weekly payments are a struggle to keep up with. I'm not sure if I can do that as I'm not in arrears or anything with them yet but I won't be able to start sorting things out if I'm paying £60 a month to them, it wont leave much to offer other creditors.
I'm writing letters to them at the moment and fingers crossed they accept my offer, it's all I can do at the moment.

Any advice or encouragement anyone could offer me would be gladly received.

Many thanks in advance

Little_Pickle

I wish you luck in your journey... you could always post up an SOA and we can look at your incomings / outgoings...to see where you could make cut backs?
LP
xox

taxi73

Hi there firstly you need to do a soa ..this is a list of ougoings/incomings..please see SS thread at the top of the page and then we may be able to help you..also what other benefits are you getting?

kizzykizzywizzy

All I can do is give you a Hiya:hello: as I really don't know the answer.

Good luck with your creditors.
You really don't owe much, but I know, with no income as such it must be a worry.
I'm sure someone will be along soon to give you some advice

consultant31

Hi there and welcome.

You'll get lots of support and encouragement on this board, and it really does help if you list your incomings and outgoings so people can go through them and help you shave them to the knuckle .

SkintSio

Hi, and thanks to everybody that replied to me so quickly. I've filled in a personal budget sheet I got off the national debtline website that I'm going to copy and send with the letter to my creditors, hopefully when they'll see that, they'll see I'm unable to offer more at the moment.
The only luxury I spend money on is my cable tv/broadband which is £46 a month but as I'm in the house all week I'd go mad without it! My house phone got cut off as I missed a bill, another one got added on top of it and I just couldn't get it paid off.
I've been trying to watch what I spend on food shopping, writing a list so I get what we need and don't spend unnecessarily. Even with careful spending, £110pw doesnt go far and things will be even tighter if my creditors accept my offers!
Unfortunately I'm claiming everything we'd be entitled to. I've just had a wee (almost) bouncing baby boy in August so am not ready to go back to work yet.
Its a daunting thought trying to get everything sorted but I'll feel better once its started.

Does anyone know if Provident are likely to accept a lower offer of payment if I'm not really in arrears? I've only missed about 3 weekly payments at the moment but I can't keep up with it and the woman will probably be at my door tonight.

Thanks again to everybody, and if there's a forum or post that would suit my circumstances or questions then please feel free to direct me (finding the forums a bit confusing just now, trying to find my way about!)

Sea78

This forum is perfect for these questions

Welcome!

I would recommend perhaps making an app with your local CAB for further advice - they could help make sure you're getting all the benefits and help you are entitled to, as well as ensuring that you aren't offering too much to your creditors. You can only give what you can afford, so really provident have no choice but to take the reduced amount. if they were to take you to court, they would look at he incomings/outgoings and see that you were paying what you can afford and not misleading anyone, so they wouldn't get far! Do post your SOA on here - mightbe ways we can help?

Sea xx

doodledo_2

Hi and welcome to the forum.

As you are at home have you got much stuff you could ebay or put on Amazon to bring a few quid in. Be amazed what sells and you may soon be able to shift those smaller debts with some good sales. :j

Snaggles

Hello, welcome to DFW!

Firstly, congratulations on your baby. :T And well done for facing up to the debts.

I don't honestly know the answer as to whether they would accept lower monthly payments - it will most likely affect your credit rating if you do pay them less than you originally agreed. Do you know what your credit rating is like at the moment?

In_Search_Of_Me

Hi and welcome. The boards do take a while to get used to and there's something for everyone! Have a look at the old style boards for cutting down on shopping etc. As suggested I would get your soa posted if you can. Also do you have a freecycle etc, anything to sell on ebay? I used to have cable & now just have the freeview chanels and do fine without them - its all tat tv anyway isnt it eh! Also try debtplan/cccs/cab for the debt advice...when do you think you will be able to go back to work? Not sure from posts whether you have a partner & whether they contribute? Anway, welcome to DFW!