We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Debt and Tears, Plz help!!!
Comments
-
Hi guys,
OMG just reading your replies have started the water works! Ok ummmm not too sure about a spending diary. Is this just holding on too all receipts and noting EVERYTHING down? Ek scary ok will look into that.
Have done the budget thing, do I use it ever week? Wasn't too sure how to use it to benefit, except to show how screwed up I am.
Regarding my SOA. My travelling expenses cannot be cut. That's monthly train tickets and SMARTcard for buses so I am getting as many savings as I can, plus getting connecting bus. I am actually saving as I am walking home in the evenings too so saving £3 taxi each night. (Thankgod for my ipod) lol.
Food shop I plan to get WAY down. We usually do a big shop which lasts about 2-3months but it's all the weekly stuff that adds up.
Mobile Bills. We are tided into contracts for 18 months (have like 15 or so months to go) I already looked into reducing this online, no can do. Do you think if I rang them it would help? I so want this down!!!
Sky/Setanta: We have to have basic sky otherwise no tv (v bad signal). Partner has said he would get rid of sky sport/movies if he could get setanta freeview (doubt we'd get signal). We did use Extravison(Blockbuster) alot so decided to get Sky to save us huge amounts, so far so good. Will have to drop one tho. Sky Internet is only £5.00 a month so keeping it, otherwise I won't be on here! lol
Cigs: Partner happy to cut down, go onto rollies to save huge bills here!
Debts: I know due to xmas etc they have been sorely neglected and plan to get back within the credit limits next week once more money comes in. From then on planning to raise payments to more than minimum payments (already done this with Egg).
Total outgoings: £1831.99! Also paid bro-in-law £500.00 so thats £2331.99! OMG!
Amber0 -
Amber,
Yes, a spending diary is where u account for every single penny u spend, be it in a debit card or cash.... even if its just a newspaper, still include it.
Mobile bills.... if u give them a cal they may be able to put u on a cheaper tarif, and try not to use them as much....
Basic Sky is £16ish a month... if u just kept that and Setanta, that would take it down to £30ish a month, which is better..... Have u been with them for more than 12 months? If u have, call and tell them ur leaving and see what deal they can do for you..... don't let OH do it tho, I asked mine to and we ended up getting Sky HD instead!!!
I would also suggest that u talk to ur bro in law and see if u can hold off paying him back for a wghile.... that £500 u paid him is £500 u can't afford right now!
The other thing I meant to say, and forgot was, as ur OH is paid weekly, u could divide all the bills by 52 weeks to see how much per week he needs to put by for the bills, that may or may not help!
Sarah x'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars' - Oscar Wilde0 -
Hi guys,
OMG just reading your replies have started the water works! Ok ummmm not too sure about a spending diary. Is this just holding on too all receipts and noting EVERYTHING down? Ek scary ok will look into that.
Have done the budget thing, do I use it ever week? Wasn't too sure how to use it to benefit, except to show how screwed up I am.
Regarding my SOA. My travelling expenses cannot be cut. That's monthly train tickets and SMARTcard for buses so I am getting as many savings as I can, plus getting connecting bus. I am actually saving as I am walking home in the evenings too so saving £3 taxi each night. (Thankgod for my ipod) lol.
Food shop I plan to get WAY down. We usually do a big shop which lasts about 2-3months but it's all the weekly stuff that adds up.
Mobile Bills. We are tided into contracts for 18 months (have like 15 or so months to go) I already looked into reducing this online, no can do. Do you think if I rang them it would help? I so want this down!!!
Sky/Setanta: We have to have basic sky otherwise no tv (v bad signal). Partner has said he would get rid of sky sport/movies if he could get setanta freeview (doubt we'd get signal). We did use Extravison(Blockbuster) alot so decided to get Sky to save us huge amounts, so far so good. Will have to drop one tho. Sky Internet is only £5.00 a month so keeping it, otherwise I won't be on here! lol
Cigs: Partner happy to cut down, go onto rollies to save huge bills here!
Debts: I know due to xmas etc they have been sorely neglected and plan to get back within the credit limits next week once more money comes in. From then on planning to raise payments to more than minimum payments (already done this with Egg).
Total outgoings: £1831.99! Also paid bro-in-law £500.00 so thats £2331.99! OMG!
Amber0 -
Hi,
If you signed up for contracts recently, do you still have your old phones? You can sell them on ebay or trade them in with companies like envirophone. There's an article about that also on the site.
It wouldn't hurt to call the mobile phone company anyway and see if you could cut back to a less expensive package/tariff.
You are fairly close to losing control of your finances by the look of it so it's best to go easy on the money for a while and only buy the absolute necessities. Only buy the groceries you need etc. Ebay what you can, or try amazoning stuff.
I'd recommend getting rid of 'Next' asap if you're paying 30% interest.
Tamara0 -
Whoops I posted too many times there, sorry! Thankyou for all your brill advise. Tomorrow is going to be the start of the new me(us), maybe I sound like the OH isn't onboard so to speak but he is, he is concerned and hates it when I cry and get upset. I like to talk about it and find solutions all the time whereas he just wants to get paid and throw all money we have at bills and debts and less talk. lol My downfall i guess. He is brill and taking some action. Your points that have been made will give me more amunition.
Amber0 -
It's great your OH is supportive - that's half the battle won! It's easier to solve money problems when both people work together to sort it out.Almost debt-free, but certainly even with the Banks!0
-
Im glad to hear OH on board because at first it sounded as you got to do all the sacrificing. If that were true them I would say make sure its your debts that get prioritised.
Not sure if anyone has posted this link or not to a spending diary online
http://www.spendingdiary.com/:jMay 2013 new beginnings:j0 -
Im glad to hear OH on board because at first it sounded as you got to do all the sacrificing. If that were true them I would say make sure its your debts that get prioritised.
Not sure if anyone has posted this link or not to a spending diary online
http://www.spendingdiary.com/
Wow thanks for that! Makes my life a whole lot easier. Great link!
More good news guys! Spoke to the OH last night and he has agreed to cut Sky way down to basic and keep the setanta! So happy I'm saving money!!! lol Going to ring them in the morning and give mobile ppl a ring too.
I got a call today (10am) :mad: from someone offering debt consolidation. I have looked into it a bit. Really wasn't too sure about it all as I don't really want to be tided into debt for 5yrs, would rather work hard at it for a year to try and get it paid off. I have checked out my credit reports of Experian and Equifax and all seems ok there, its not brill but no missed payments so it's FAIR/GOOD. Have been refused a loan tho so don't want to try anything else to mark my credit file. What do you guys recommend????????
Amber0 -
The chances are it was a fee chargeing company, so stay away! If u talk to CCCS or Payplan or National Debtline, they maybe able to offer u the same thing, but all the money goes directly to ur creditors.....Amberamber80 wrote: »Wow thanks for that! Makes my life a whole lot easier. Great link!
More good news guys! Spoke to the OH last night and he has agreed to cut Sky way down to basic and keep the setanta! So happy I'm saving money!!! lol Going to ring them in the morning and give mobile ppl a ring too.
I got a call today (10am) :mad: from someone offering debt consolidation. I have looked into it a bit. Really wasn't too sure about it all as I don't really want to be tided into debt for 5yrs, would rather work hard at it for a year to try and get it paid off. I have checked out my credit reports of Experian and Equifax and all seems ok there, its not brill but no missed payments so it's FAIR/GOOD. Have been refused a loan tho so don't want to try anything else to mark my credit file. What do you guys recommend????????
Amber'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars' - Oscar Wilde0 -
Ditto Sarah,if you do need to go down a payment plan route then go to the ones she has suggested. Hopefully as long as you can meet minimum repayments and not need to take on anymore debt you will not need them.:jMay 2013 new beginnings:j0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 352.5K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.7K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454.4K Spending & Discounts
- 245.5K Work, Benefits & Business
- 601.4K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.6K Life & Family
- 259.4K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards