Just a bit of advice really.

StueyB_2

Hi peeps.

I had a meeting with CCCS a while back and I have to admit I really didnt want to take that route as I value my credit score. The helpful lady on the phone was really kind of the same opinion as me, in that the amount I owe is not big enough really to warrent a debt management plan.

Although since speaking to them, I have found a £2,800 extra debt. So here goes. I have made some big steps, including reducing my mortgage by £100, and cut £40 from misc bills.

However here is whats left.

Outgoings:

Mortgage £450.
Council tax £95
Water £30 (want to get on a meter if I can)
Electric/Gas £30
Gym £15 per month (month to month contract)
NTL TV/Phone/Internet £35
Mobile phone £35 (not used at all, complete waste)
Petrol £80
Sandwiches £20 (Keep trying to cut out, but time and laziness)
Cahoot Loan £50, (1500 still outstanding approx 6%)
Barclayloan £25 (£780is still outstanding @ 18% !!!!)
Egg Card £70 (double the monthly min - £2279 outstanding approx 11%)
Egg Loan £77 (£774 remaining 7.7%)
Student Loan £112 (2585 outstanding)
Car Insurance (paid for this year)
Tax (paid until December)
Apple laptop (£35 per month. £700 in total)
Pub lunch on a friday with workmates £6.
Pension (£70, started today as work had a pension meeting)
Overdraught £2400. Costs £10 a month maintainance fee + 6%

On top of all this I owe the parents £800 (paid as and when)

There are other things too like the frequent trips to the shops (food shopping) and the G/F is on a diet so our food bills are massive, like £160 a month (Asda) before you even start to think about milk from the corner shop and things.

My income currently stands at £1650 after tax and deductions. I cannot really get an evening job in a pub as I am hard of hearing so its kinda awkward.

I have reduced some of the bills ie the mortgage etc but my thoughts are:

MY orange contract is coming up to 6 months, so i can reduce it to the minimum to £15ish. However this may jepordise my £1 line rental deal (Send in the 6th - 12 th months bill and the form that I lost and I get 3 checks for £50.

Also I plan to get a water meter fitted asap,and that should halve the cost.

Get rid of the phone line and cable tv (but keep internet and moan until they let me have the £9.99 deal for new customers or get yer !!!!!! out my house! ) Should save £25ish. Got a freeview box already but no aerial.

The bright side is:

I got a better Northern Rock CC at a much better rate than egg, although they will only give me £1000 limit. I was hoping to transfer the egg cc and save about £10 but I figure I need to get rid of the barclayloan first at 18% Robing dogs, preyin on me when I had no money because I had been burgled.

Also the insurance should be through soon, but they are replacing goods with goods rather than cash !

The other problem is the g/f likes to spend and go out all the time and doesnt realise petrol isnt free ! she makes very little contribution to the bills at all 2 weeks shopping, I pay for EVERYTHING else. She did offer to pay more but only if she could go on the mortgage. I dont intend for her to be round all that long so she aint getting my house.

Any constructive advice appreciated

delboypass

I think you need to sit down and start speaking to your GF as that seems to be your only problem from the analysis. You seem to be very level headed about tackling and reducing hte rest of your outgoings.
OK spend on them when times are good, but if you cant and shes only staying for the free ride is she worth it?

You might want to cut your pension payments and use this to snowball all your debts. I think in the short term this would be a better contribution but a carefully thought through plan would be required.

You know how easy it is to make sandwiches? I reckon you could save yourself £16 a week if you really wanted to put the effort in. Making a sandwich takes 30 seconds. Making £4 after tax etc takes....??? 30minutes maybe?

Little_Miss_Winner

HI.

Well done for saving £140 a month already.
My initial thoughts are; do you really need the gym? You are spending £180 a year, can you not go, walking, jogging, running instead?
£160 a months for shopping - If you g/f needs all the diet foods, why doesn't she buy it!
£20 a week would do you, thats inc milk/bread throughout the week.
By telling her to do her own shopping you would save over £80 a month thats £960.00 per year! (another debt paid off)
If your not planning on her being around that long, why not say *BYE* now.
You would save a hell of a lot of money.

This is what I would do for starters!

delboypass

Hmmm binning the GF might increase other costs though. Like what to do to replace the time taking up talking every evening (bickering). Might lead to more drinking etc.

Little_Miss_Winner

yeah thats true!

Just going on the subject (slightly) You know when you reply to a post, how the h3ll do you find it after just took me five minutes to get back here!

nelly_2

potogold wrote:

yeah thats true!

Just going on the subject (slightly) You know when you reply to a post, how the h3ll do you find it after just took me five minutes to get back here!

just click on your name and in the drop down, find more posts by
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/search.html?searchid=652614

Bossyboots

StueyB if I may speak plainly, its not just the banks that fit this description "Robing dogs, preyin on me". I cannot believe you are buying your girlfriend's food. I am assuming she is living with you. Does she not understand the concept of paying her way. she should be paying towards the bills, food and petrol. That is basic common decency and a fact of life. It does not entitle her to a share in the property. If she was contributing to the mortgage then she might have a point but otherwise she is still presumably using hot water, electricity, telephone and of course eating. If she lived anywhere else, she would have to pay for those things and probably rent on top. If she is not living with you then that makes matters worse as she certainly should be buying her own food. You either need to get her to pull her weight or get rid of her.

Other than that, you seem to be doing well with your assessment your problems so you are just making things unnecessarily difficult for yourself having such a drain on your resources. Freeing up that extra cash will help you clear your debts much more quickly.

Little_Miss_Winner

Nelly, your'e a star

elona

Pot of Gold

Tell her you are about to lose your job - she will be out of there faster than a dose of salts.

System

Bossyboots, you are very correct in what you say. What I didnt mention is that I also over the period of a couple of years have lent her £2k which I dont ever expect to see because a) I gave her cash b) she gets all arsey when I mention it.

I have figured out if she went I would have at LEAST £120 per month. I would even get rid of the car, for where I work, I can easily get the bus or even cycle. She is a long story but surfice to say before all this I was EXTREMELY careful with money and never had a problem, but I kinda caught her bad ways eventually. She needs to go but wont leave and makes my life so difficult when I try to get her to go !!!!

She even made me cry on my 28th birthday and want to top myself. Now do you feel sad for me Seriously she did !

rchddap1

No-one is worth that. I am with my partner because I love him very deeply. He makes me happy. If he made me want to top myself he would be outta there faster than I could throw his stuff out of the window. On the sharing bills front he does contribute and he wouldn't feel right if he didn't (mortgage in my name).

Sounds to me like you don't actually love her and do want her to leave.

Step 1: Tell her precisely how you feel. If you don't care for her, tell her so. Don't hold anything back. If you can't stand her tell her so. If she is making your life a misery tell her so.
Step 2: If she won't leave make up a rent book and start to charge her. She may not give you the money, but it would get the message across.
Step 3: If you don't need the car then get shot of it. She can complain all she likes, but its your car. If you don't want her there, and you're only keeping the car for her, then sell it, give it away, scrap it...whatever (might give her a hint).
Step 4: Stop buying her food and other bits & peices. Only buy what YOU need. If she needs something tell her to go and get it herself.
Step 5: If you are paying any bills for her (ie, these bills must be in her name only) stop doing it. Let her handle it.
Step 6: Ask for your money back...continually...every day.
Step 7: If she still won't leave...throw her out and change the locks.

No-one is worth topping yourself for. Absolutely no-one. If this is how she is making you feel, then in my opinion she isn't worth worrying over.

Good luck