Had a really bad year, SOA, please be gentle

Retireby40

Why are you paying £720 for rent when its only 1 person in the household. Could you not find somewhere cheaper as your rent is taking up a huge chunk of your money.

BabyStepper

Your petrol expenses should be down to zero for the next 3 months at least, possibly longer, and your gym should be giving you an automatic 3 month holiday since the gyms are all now closed. That frees up £190 per month. 
You're right about your benefits, my understanding also is that your benefits should be increasing by £1,000 per year which roughly works out at £20 per week/£90 (ish) per month. 
All of this, when it kicks in, gives you £276.33 per month for debt repayment. 
You still won't be solvent, but you're closer than you were before, and in your position I would do as warby suggests and take full advantage of the current situation to phone all your creditors and ask for a payment holiday for 3 months. If even just your car finance and laptop finance would agree to this, then you could use the surplus to start sorting out the other debts. 
Good news is that your debts individually are all small, and you will be able to clear them one by one as our months in lockdown progress. 
Does this make sense? Sound workable? 
Also still wondering, how have you been paying your debts for the last 12 months? Are you going to be ok in all this?   

honeybee1234

Retireby40 said:

Why are you paying £720 for rent when its only 1 person in the household. Could you not find somewhere cheaper as your rent is taking up a huge chunk of your money.

When I moved, I moved with my children. However they're now living elsewhere. What I've been looking at, as someone has mentioned, is taking in a lodger, if my landlord is good with this. 

honeybee1234

BabyStepper said:

Your petrol expenses should be down to zero for the next 3 months at least, possibly longer, and your gym should be giving you an automatic 3 month holiday since the gyms are all now closed. That frees up £190 per month. 
Your right about your benefits, my understanding also is that your benefits should be increasing by £1,000 per year which roughly works out at £20 per week/£90 (ish) per month. 
All of this, when it kicks in, gives you £276.33 per month for debt repayment. 
You still won't be solvent, but you're closer than you were before, and in your position I would do as warby suggests and take full advantage of the current situation to phone all your creditors and ask for a payment holiday for 3 months. If even just your car finance and laptop finance would agree to this, then you could use the surplus to start sorting out the other debts. 
Good news is that your debts individually are all small, and you will be able to clear them one by one as our months in lockdown progress. 
Does this make sense? Sound workable? 
Also still wondering, how have you been paying your debts for the last 12 months? Are you going to be ok in all this?   

Gym membership is indeed suspended. I'll need a minimal amount of petrol to get to the shop so that can get cut. 

I have only had debts for the last 8 months. And these have been accrued gradually over this time rather than me taking out everything in one go, which is how I've managed up til now. Plus initially I was still working so had a fair bit extra than I do now. Then obviously I had more money also because I had the kids with me.

I'll definitely try with the payment holidays for the car and the laptop and see what I can sort out. 

I'm very low at the moment, having a serious mental health crisis 😔 Seeing replies is helping me have something to focus on so thankyou people 🙏 I really need to keep on top of this. I'm trying to think of this period of time as constructive time and the benefits it can have, ie sorting out my finances.

Love to all, hope everyone is coping well xxx

BabyStepper

I know lots of people find going to the gym helpful when they're not feeling great emotionally, it might be a struggle for you to go without. There are lots of exercise classes on youtube, if that would help you, maybe others have other ideas? 
Moving house and/or taking in a lodger are not so realistic at the moment, but maybe once this crisis is over you can make that happen. 
You are definitely not the only one struggling just now. I hope the increase to your benefits happens quickly and that your creditors are sympathetic. Keep us posted, we're here. 

honeybee1234

BabyStepper said:

I know lots of people find going to the gym helpful when they're not feeling great emotionally, it might be a struggle for you to go without. There are lots of exercise classes on youtube, if that would help you, maybe others have other ideas? 
Moving house and/or taking in a lodger are not so realistic at the moment, but maybe once this crisis is over you can make that happen. 
You are definitely not the only one struggling just now. I hope the increase to your benefits happens quickly and that your creditors are sympathetic. Keep us posted, we're here. 

Thankyou ☺️

Today is going to be really hard. My boyfriend and I have split, he's been staying with me while I've been having my mental health crisis, but is going home today. It's amicable but more his decision than mine so I'm pretty upset. He's said I can call and message whenever, and we're still going to see each other for certain things we've discussed, and eventually when the gym opens again, but I'm gutted. I know he's upset but he's very logical about it, that's his way. 

The other thing is I just got my PIP letter following my face to face assessment. They've decided they cannot award me anything. I'm devastated. Some of the information in the letter is wrong, and some doesn't fit how I actually am nor what I said at the assessment 🤷‍♀️ Major elements of my difficulties they've said I am fine with, despite there being evidence in the letters I submitted to the contrary and me explaining in the assessment. I'm floored. 

EimearF

Im so sorry that has happened in your personal life its very hard time to be dealing with a break up.
Re the PIP assessment, they lie on the forms! My Mum - who was not seeking any money, just a parking badge- had all sorts of lies on her form. Contact Citizens advice or your MP to help you with an appeal (our area the MPs office deal with this type of thing but not every area is the same). A lot of appeals are successful so dont allow this set back to dishearten you from getting what you are entitled to. 

abc.xyz

How long do you have left on your rental contract? Since your partner doesn't live with you, and if the kids aren't going to be back with you for the foreseeable, have you thought about temporarily moving to a shared house? You can easily get a nice one for working professionals and/or mature people for £450 p/m - all bills and council tax included. That would save you £450 p/m...

KxMx

Unfortunately all too often disability benefits assessments have that outcome. 

When you are feeling stronger read up on the appeals process and the points criteria to see where you fit.

A good place to start is to go through the report and note anything which is incorrect, contradicts your forms, verbal account and evidence. 

Link any evidence to the points criteria as an example of how you qualify. 

Type it out in small, manageable chunks if it seems too overwhelming. 

honeybee1234

Thankyou all. I was so upset when I read the PIP letter. There's a number of inaccuracies that have clearly prohibited me from scoring points where I believe I should have. Another major issue is that I've been assessed on several aspects on how I came across on that day, when a major part of my mental health is that my mood fluctuates from hour to hour, and day to day quite extremely, and therefore affects many different aspects of my life. I have major panic attacks and barely go out on my own, certainly never alone to an unfamiliar place. I explained I was anxious that day, yet apparently that doesn't matter because I presented as calm, and they decided I can do activities most of the time that I certain cannot. The frustration is immense.