Terrifying Lightbulb Moment!

poppy10_2

scorpio04 wrote: »

Car Insurance - £96.20 (includes my son’s insurance – he has Asperger’s Syndrome and can’t work.)

Plenty of people with Asperger's have jobs. If your son is really medically unfit to work, he should be on DLA.

scorpio04

He does get DLA but only about £20 something a week as he's on the lowest level. Unfortunately he can't see numbers either and so jobs are difficult, can't do money etc. He's tried factory work but is usually too slow compared with more able people and can't put numbers in order for picking jobs etc. He gets so little it seems mean to ask him for any of it. His dad bought him a car as that really is his lifeline and means that he can get about. Public transport is a nightmare if you can't do numbers - timetables just don't make sense. I want him to have some quality if life. Just a shame that it's not a little run around but you know what Dads are. He does pay for petrol, rfl and any repairs himself.

Work today was much better than I thought so feeling a bit more positive. Sorry if I went on a bit this morning - hate whinging ;D

PS Thanks for all the support - it really helps.

KiKi

Hi there

Very well done for posting; you're not whinging, you're just not in a place to see past it yet, so don't worry.

Re your gas and elec, they both seem very high. Hop to www.moneysupermarket.com, go to utilities, enter your details, and put in what you spend each month / year on gas and elec. They will show you the cheapest options and you can switch through them. You could save £50 a month here. If you *do* switch, sign up to Quidco.com first and go through there as you can get cashback from MS.com by switching, and you can cashback through Quidco, too.

You don't need Sky - get a freeview box and lose Sky. Harsh, but if you need to save money, that's the way to go.

I spend about £80 a month on me and two cats (cats are a quarter of that grocery bill!) so you can definitely cut your food bill a little for two of you. The Old Style board (which someone else also mentioned) is great for money saving tips on cooking and grocery shopping.

Re your loans and credit cards: please post how many cards, who they're with and what the APR interest rates are on these (inc loan), and the minimum payment on each. We can then advise on how you might be able to cut those down.

Chin up - it will get better.

KiKi

supersavershal

scorpio04 wrote: »

He does get DLA but only about £20 something a week as he's on the lowest level. Unfortunately he can't see numbers either and so jobs are difficult, can't do money etc. He's tried factory work but is usually too slow compared with more able people and can't put numbers in order for picking jobs etc. He gets so little it seems mean to ask him for any of it. His dad bought him a car as that really is his lifeline and means that he can get about. Public transport is a nightmare if you can't do numbers - timetables just don't make sense. I want him to have some quality if life. Just a shame that it's not a little run around but you know what Dads are. He does pay for petrol, rfl and any repairs himself.

Work today was much better than I thought so feeling a bit more positive. Sorry if I went on a bit this morning - hate whinging ;D

PS Thanks for all the support - it really helps.

Im not being funny and am very sympathetic towards you but should your son be driving if he cant see numbers? How does he know what the speed limits etc are? You know sometimes signs say hazards for next 5 miles etc, or speed limits change in places on the same roads ive been on one that goes from 70 to 30 then 40 then back to 70 in less than a mile.

RAS

Hi

If you cut the debts, you would be OK but there may be some things missing from your SOA, like clothes, Christmas presents etc.

What sort of APRs are you paying on this loan and CCs? This is important, total debt, APR, Minimum payment and maximum limit for the CCS, do each one.

Have you checked whether you are entitled to any benefits with www.entitledto.com? If you son is on DLA, can he get any help with things like his portion of the CT, (assuming that he is not exempt)?

Since you are in this pickle.

Do you have anything that you can put on e-bay, take to a car boot sale?

Check all your utilty and insurances with th comparision sites and use ww.quidco.com to get cashbacks.

Contact Duchy by pm and see if there is an Asperger's Society that can give your son some extra support, help getting higher DLA allowance etc. Longer term, you are not going to be able to support him in the current way and you need to plan for this now.

Do a storecupboard challenge this month to see if you can get closer to parity. Longer term cut £50-£100 off the food bill for a while. Get rid of Sky ASAP.

Reduce the petrol costs.

talk to CCCS. If you take out a DMP it will affect your credit rating, but if you have a mortgage, it is better than an IVA for a small amount of debt.

However, it may be possible for them to help you reduce some of your costs or pay the debt more efficently.

Psykicpup

Hi ya

Dont normally lurk here these days but for some reason I did today.... I definately think you could cut back on the grocerys a bit - Come over to the Old Style board http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=33 & the lovely lots there will help you with rubber chickens & the like lol

Good Luck & chin-up!

piptom&AndyPandy

Hi
Not got a tonne of advice but as a recruitment consultant there are jobs that he could do like warehouse work, gardeners assistant, my partner is severely dsylexic with some other learning difficulties granted not AS (and I have worked with children with AS) but he makes a brilliant mechanic how about a mechanic's assistant? MOT assistant they help by carrying things, pushng pedals in car when asked etc. It;s just an idea?
What happened with the paycheck - surely that's not right?

Pippa
x

scorpio04

Thanks guys. Sorry, didn't explain it very well when I said he can't see number. He can see and recognise them and, of course, wouldn't have passed his test if he couldn't differentiate between different speed limits. He just can't count or do sequences if that makes any sense. He would get more help if he didn't live at home but don't think I should go to the extreme of kicking him out ;D He also has an OT that helps and we're getting more help at the job centre. Unfortunately, he gets really stressed in new situations so its a slow process.

I've changed my gas and electric over the years and apparently have never been charged correctly so now I'm playing catch up if that makes sense. Would like to pay the backlog off and change back to BG if I could !

If I get a box thing will I need to connect it to an arial or the sky disc or can I just plug it in? Only have the very basic sky having cut down and cut down but realise that a box would probably only cost me about two months subscription.

On the food front, I've included everything including not just food but am working on getting that down and have only spent about ten pounds this week. I'm one of those people that needs to have a full storecupboard (used to be ) so at least I've got stuff in to eat!

Great help on here - thanks so much. Is really helping me to come to grips with all this and stopping me from feeling quite so sorry for myself!

rog2

scorpio04 wrote: »

Have been trying everythink suggested to earn money from clicks etc thanks to all the great advice on here. Had more bad news on Friday when my salary cheque bounced. Spoke to employer who will sort it this week I'm sure but moved money from my credit card to cover only it hasn't gone through yet. Both accounts are with First Direct so can't see why it's taking so long. So I'm well over my OD limit already this month. Think I might have to contact CCCS but is that the same as an IVA. So worried and sick to my stomache. Back at work today and nerves are jangling at the thought of going in. Just want to crawl into a hole somewhere. Feel so stupid for having gotten myself into this state. Have nowhere to turn. If it was just me I could sell up and go off somewhere but difficult with 27 yr old son with AS. i know I should try and get an extra job but I'm so exhausted all the time and finding it really hard to make serious extra money online. Have made a bit and ex husband (good friend) is trying to help but living in Quatar at the moment so not easy. Truly depressed about whole thing and think that is blinkering me. Moods so up and down; one minute positive about finally tackling situation and next, black hole because I can't see a way out. Sorry if I sound whiney and for the long post.

Did you contact CCCS yet?

Did your employer sort out your wages?

How is your son? Are you getting any help, now?

And - how are you feeling?

debrag

why does your son get such a low DLA? A friend of mine has a heart problem but doesn't stop her working (she does that herself) and she gets £100+ a week