My SSOA

Need_To_Sort_It

No, I havent got it wrong, I have renamed it - my Sorry State of Affairs,

Following yesterdays major blow - you can read about it here if you like shrunklink.com/akuu
I am posting my details to see what anyone can help me get down.

All figures monthly

Income - Child benefit, child tax credit, incapcity beneift, DLA

Total £1201

Outgoings

Mortgage interest only £558 this includes £50 a month arrears for 8 months but in Dec 08 my repayment rises to 2% above base rate at todays rates would be £648 interest only
Council tax £85 single parent reduction, will get this free in 38 weeks time when I become eligible for income support
Gas £48
Elec £40
Water £34
House insurance £24
Term Life + CI insurance £51
Car insurance £25
TV licence £13
Sky contracted £21
BT contracted £30
Orange contracts reduced £40
Food for 3 £140 this includes £1 per day top on the kids free school dinners £1.70 isnt enough, they wont take packed lunch
Fuel £100 - I do over 150 miles a week to college + essential only journeys
Credit debts total £12

Outgoings £1221

Creditors 12 of them no interest or charges total £36600 - biggest £22000 others from £3700 down to £200

2 creditors can not provide CCA and 7 of them have accepted token payments of £1 for the next 6 months

Lots of this debt was taken out when I was not of sound mind, I am seeing my shrink shortly to ask if he can help, any pointers on this would be helpful, my creditors did not know I was not of sound mind.

In 38 weeks time I will qualify for help with the interest on my mortgage, it was £200 last time cos they will only help with original purchase price but in Dec the payments go up by £150

So whose got a magic wand or a gun?

Gemmzie

That's fine hun, £20 a month to find is definitely do-able and going into the warmer (we hope) months your gas/leccy might drop a bit too

TangledMemories_2

just noticed you have CI cover....can you not claim on it for whatever makes u claim incapacity?

not meaning that nastily in any way because I obviously don't know your circumstances!

Elliesmum

Need_To_Sort_It wrote: »

No, I havent got it wrong, I have renamed it - my Sorry State of Affairs,

All figures monthly

Income - Child benefit, child tax credit, incapcity beneift, DLA

Total £1201

Outgoings

Mortgage interest only £558 this includes £50 a month arrears for 8 months but in Dec 08 my repayment rises to 2% above base rate at todays rates would be £648 interest only
Council tax £85 single parent reduction, will get this free in 38 weeks time when I become eligible for income support
Gas £48 - can you hop on the comparison sites to see if this can come down a bit? The switching light is green at the mo!
Elec £40 - same as for gas
Water £34
House insurance £24 - I've just managed to drop my house insurance by £6 a month with the post offce, that includes the £50 discount but not quidco amount so that's a bonus
Term Life + CI insurance £51 - I've shopped around for our life insurance recently and have got the monthly premium down from £13 to £8 a month with Quidco cashback as extra.
Car insurance £25 -
TV licence £13
Sky contracted £21
BT contracted £30
Orange contracts reduced £40
Food for 3 £140 this includes £1 per day top on the kids free school dinners £1.70 isnt enough, they wont take packed lunch - our school meals are £1.80, so you are making up the difference? The OS board could get your food down a little bit more.....
Fuel £100 - I do over 150 miles a week to college + essential only journeys - if you are at college are you not able to get any grants, hardship grants, student loans?
Credit debts total £12

Outgoings £1221

Creditors 12 of them no interest or charges total £36600 - biggest £22000 others from £3700 down to £200

2 creditors can not provide CCA and 7 of them have accepted token payments of £1 for the next 6 months

Lots of this debt was taken out when I was not of sound mind, I am seeing my shrink shortly to ask if he can help, any pointers on this would be helpful, my creditors did not know I was not of sound mind.

In 38 weeks time I will qualify for help with the interest on my mortgage, it was £200 last time cos they will only help with original purchase price but in Dec the payments go up by £150

So whose got a magic wand or a gun?

Hope that helps!!! There will be many others who are much more experienced than me to give advice I wish you all the luck in the world to help you further.

EM xx

Need_To_Sort_It

Gemmzie wrote: »

That's fine hun, £20 a month to find is definitely do-able and going into the warmer (we hope) months your gas/leccy might drop a bit too

Well we are on a major economy drive, poor kids are getting fed up of going round in the dark lol

Need_To_Sort_It

TangledMemories wrote: »

just noticed you have CI cover....can you not claim on it for whatever makes u claim incapacity?

not meaning that nastily in any way because I obviously don't know your circumstances!

Not taken nastily at all hin, thanks for taking the time to read and help.

Sadly I cant claim, I am simply mad and madness is not critical I'm afraid, although when the downers come they seem pretty critical to me :-(

mummytofour

Do any of these reason apply to you? For help with mortgage? I am a carer and mine would kick in after 8 weeks.

When will I get the first payment?

People over 60 are entitled to help immediately, but there are waiting periods for everyone else. If you took out your mortgage after 2 October 1995, payments normally won't start until 39 weeks after you claim. How ever, you may get payments sooner if:

• you got your mortgage before 2 October 1995
• you are a carer and the person you look after is eligible for certain benefits
• you are a single parent whose partner has died or left
• you are an offender and are waiting for a trial or sentence
• your have mortgage protection insurance but it won't pay because of a medical condition you already had when you took out the insurance
• your mortgage replaces a previous mortgage on the same property, which was taken out with the same lender on or before 2 October 1995

If you are in one of these situations, you will probably be eligible for no interest at all for the first 8 weeks, half of the interest for the next 18 weeks, and all of the interest after 26 weeks. You will have to pay for any interest that is not covered from any income or savings you may have.

I see you go to college (me too, harder second time around eh?) Can you get any help with fares from college and is it possible at all to get the train? I was driving a sI dint think it possibe to train it, however I finally managed to find a way and its fab I have almost 2 hrs a day sitting on the training reading instead of driving! I get a dicouted rail ticket as I have an NUS card.

Need_To_Sort_It

Elliesmum wrote: »

Hope that helps!!! There will be many others who are much more experienced than me to give advice I wish you all the luck in the world to help you further.

EM xx

Wow thanks EM.

Ok, I have to keep flicking screens here so bear with me.

Life cover - no one will take me on any more because I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, thankfully I got term cover before I was diagnosed.

Yes old style board is fab but I am finding it incredibly difficult to feed 2 strapping teenage boys on £30 a week, really hard.

Its the food bills that have been slashed the most but even doing that doesn't allow for their birthdays or Christmas, I cant even think about right now. 1 son had his birthday a little while ago and I had received CSA money then, the other son doesn have his 16th until the end of the year, I could win the lottery by then couldnt I? No actually I couldnt, I dont do it lol

College is great, they gave me a hardship grant a month or so ago for travel costs until the end of this academic year, but it wasnt enough. I had to do an extra day a wekk until recently to catch up and it paid for that, so at least it was a help.

I have a grant of £450 coming in April - had forgotten about that! My course doesnt qualify me for loans, lol thank the lord for that, I have enough of those to see me out!

Their free dinner allowance is £1.70 a day and its not enough to feed the hollow legged creatures, and gone are the days of seconds in our schools. To be honest they could do with having £3.70 a day but as it is they have £2.70, but again thats only term time, I forgot about that.

Need_To_Sort_It

mummytofour wrote: »

Do any of these reason apply to you? For help with mortgage? I am a carer and mine would kick in after 8 weeks.

When will I get the first payment?

People over 60 are entitled to help immediately, but there are waiting periods for everyone else. If you took out your mortgage after 2 October 1995, payments normally won't start until 39 weeks after you claim. How ever, you may get payments sooner if:

• you got your mortgage before 2 October 1995
• you are a carer and the person you look after is eligible for certain benefits
• you are a single parent whose partner has died or left
• you are an offender and are waiting for a trial or sentence
• your have mortgage protection insurance but it won't pay because of a medical condition you already had when you took out the insurance
• your mortgage replaces a previous mortgage on the same property, which was taken out with the same lender on or before 2 October 1995

If you are in one of these situations, you will probably be eligible for no interest at all for the first 8 weeks, half of the interest for the next 18 weeks, and all of the interest after 26 weeks. You will have to pay for any interest that is not covered from any income or savings you may have.

I see you go to college (me too, harder second time around eh?) Can you get any help with fares from college and is it possible at all to get the train? I was driving a sI dint think it possibe to train it, however I finally managed to find a way and its fab I have almost 2 hrs a day sitting on the training reading instead of driving! I get a dicouted rail ticket as I have an NUS card.

Thanks Mum24

I dont fit the criteria for 8 week waiting, I have missed out on the 26 week child support linking period by 7 days - someone doesnt like me.

Public transport is out for college sadly, I have a 9.30 start, the kids don leave the house until 8.30 and living at the back of beyond where we have 2 buses a day I cant to college unless I leave the night before!

tylersbabe

Hi newbie here and have just read your post,

just wanted to say you are not "simply mad" you are SIMPLY AMAZING for coping with everthing that has happened.
(Sorry of no practicle help tho)

Elliesmum

Hey - you are welcome. 2 teenage sons - gosh you do have your work cut out for you. Spuds, pasta anything filling then? I appreciate this must be very hard.

The other suggestions would be, cash back sites, pigsback for clicks, TNS are not bad for surveys and give nectar points which could ease christmas and birthdays a little. It is horrible being constantly skint, I do know.

Can the kids get a job for a few hours a week? Just to give themselves some spending money and to take the pressure off yourself a bit. I'm not saying you give them pocket money, but if they can afford to buy their own DVD's etc, you might not feel so bad?

Are they at college? Do they get EMA? If they are they should get the maximum which I think is £30 a week.

EM xx