Help....i'm in such a mess

ecoelle

stupidsusie wrote: »

Hi, this is where I am...

Mortgage = 1,400
SL = 915
House insurance = 76 Have you checked this with ither companies, some are doing reduced rates on home and contecnts together at the moment, it's worth checking around
Council tax = 90
Mortgage payment policy = 119
Car insurance = 44 Again, check out whether this can be reduced on comparison site or by ringing the freephone numbers for insurance companies
Car tax / MOT = 30
Gas = 95 This seems really high to me, i live in a 3 bed victorian terrrace and ours is only 30 a month
Electric = 33 This also seems quite high, check out if you can swap lightbulbs for energy saving, also always turn off appliances at the socket (not the fridge or freezer though:) ) as they will draw electricity even when off, ours is 14 a month
Water = 20
BT = 40 What is this, if just phone line why not bundle your phone in with your virgin and get a better deal?
TV Licence = 12
Virgin including broadband = 30 could you switch to just phone and broadband, i think this is only 20 pounds
Mobile = 30 (will be cancelling at end of contract in May)
Union subs = 10
Petrol / travel = 100
groceries = 175 This is huge, is it just you? try doing a weekly menu and always go to the shop with a list
hairdresser = 30
housekeeping / maintenance = 100
medical = 25
clothes and dry cleaning = 50
social = 25
contingencies = 50
token payments of £5 to each creditor if agreed = 40

if you got rid of the virgin tv, switched to the 2 for 20 for phone and broadband then you could save £50 a month on your phone and internet bill.

Definately check out the old style board for menu ideas, i invested in a student cook book as the meals were cheap and easy to do, plus everything was explained well and nutritious.

cantcope

If it helps my grocery bill also included cleaning and toiletries but i used vouchers for a lot of it.
If you can join pinecone you earn £4 worth of luncheon vouchers for each survey. I've got £28 in the last 2 months which would easily do a weeks shopping. I started buying the store brand cleaning products and saved a packet for a product that was just as good, sometimes better. And also a product called stardrops which i used for almost everything!
Toiletries were bought with boots vouchers i'd earned from pigsback (there's a thread on the freebies board) and only ever bought something if it was on BOGOF. With £10 i could get toiletries for a few months.

Toiletires were also subsidised with freebies, i've got a box full ready for when i move of shampoos'/conditioners/big shower gel from original source.
It's definitely worth spending 5 minutes a day to get these things free.


As for your hair, have you tried the clairol touch up kit? Might save you some money. I went from paying a fortune for my hair cut and colour to getting it cut somewhere cheaper. Cut now costs £14 every 6 weeks and i colour at home every 2 months, or just yank the grey hair out if i cant be bothered/afford it.

Definitely don't pay for a counsellor, especially as it doesnt seem to be helping. I would strongly advise putting gamblock (approx £35 a year) on your pc though, so even when you are tempted you cant do it anyway! Or, get someone to put a child lock on your computer and not tell you the password, these are mostly free and my folks have that on this pc so i cant gamble. I think its called K9.


If you ever want to talk about the gambling issues please feel free to PM me. I log on most evenings and am happy to help. I've been off a bet for almost 2 years and have no desire (at the moment) to gamble. but there's no way i could have done it on my own. Please don't spend too much time wondering why you do it. In my experience all you find is an excuse.

G-G_4

Hey Susie,

Just thought I would come back and see how you are doing. Looks like you have had some great advice so far.

The only thing I noticed was PayPlan, do they charge? I'm sure you might be better speaking to a debt charity, I spoke to the National Debtline, they are impartial, and they do not charge.. This may be better to give you an overall picture of what you might be up against. I know it's scary, but some honest, impartial advice can be quite a relief sometimes because at least you know where you stand.

As for the house, well, maybe you would be better off renting. With the negative equity though I am guessing this is only going to happen if you go bankrupt though, due to the secured loan. So I see why it isn't as easy as just selling up and renting to save money.

I would seriously consider your options. Struggling along each month is no fun and certainly won't help you to recover from your gambling addiction. x

I wish you all the best xx

G-G_4

Ah, I have been informed by a good friend that PayPlan are fine sorry to confuse, just didn't want to see you ripped off or anything

Cleosmum

stupidsusie wrote: »

Hi, this is where I am...

Mortgage = 1,400 I would get someone in to value your house so you know how much its worth, then decide if selling is best. I would sell rather than be repossessed as you will get more. On JSA you would be entitled to housing benefit if you rented.
SL = 915
House insurance = 76 Thats huge! Ive just got a quote for mine and it was £16 a month and I thought that was ridiculous.
Council tax = 90 Can you get help with this? On JSA you should get quite a bit of council tax benefit.
Mortgage payment policy = 119 Cheaper elsewhere?
Car insurance = 44
Car tax / MOT = 30
Gas = 95 Ouch and switch
Electric = 33 Not as bad as the gas but see if you can switch
Water = 20
BT = 40 I'm with talk talk and pay £25 pm and that includes broadband and most of my calls.
TV Licence = 12
Virgin including broadband = 30 See BT comment
Mobile = 30 (will be cancelling at end of contract in May)
Union subs = 10 What is this for?
Petrol / travel = 100 Thats very high as you arent working
groceries = 175 I feed a family of 5 on £200 pm, so you can get groceries much much lower if you are single.
hairdresser = 30 I spend £15 on a cut every 3 months and you can colour at home, costs no more than a fiver.
housekeeping / maintenance = 100 Whats this for?
medical = 25 Whats this for?
clothes and dry cleaning = 50 Is this new clothes allowance. Can you wear things that dont need dry cleaning for now?
social = 25
contingencies = 50
token payments of £5 to each creditor if agreed = 40

A total of 3,514

Income = 2,255 per month

Shortfall = 1,259 per month

With the £5,000 I have in the bank plus car sale proceeds of £10,000 this can be sustained for a while but it's only stalling the inevitable I guess, unless I get a very well paid job very quickly. If you have £5000 in the bank then get it paid off something with high interest.
As I mentioned, my only hope of avoiding BR from what I can see is if I get the settlement from my previous employer. Does anyone know what kind of lump sum figure might work in an IVA situation (unsecured debts just over £100,000).

All advice gratefully accepted! SS xxx

I would seriously get some estate agents in to value your home, and look at lowering your outgoings a month.

G-G_4

Oh, as for your roots (hair cuts etc), can you not get your hair coloured more towards your natural colour, and so this would mean you could cut down on hairdressing.

I know it's crap, but hard times call for tough measures...

POSSETTE

well you have just helped me if thats any help to you!!
I have seen those free bet ads, and £10 free go at bingo sites..i have been tempted,but not now i read your story..thank you!

G-G_4

POSSETTE wrote: »

well you have just helped me if thats any help to you!!
I have seen those free bet ads, and £10 free go at bingo sites..i have been tempted,but not now i read your story..thank you!

Well done xx

I have done the free Bingo, but luckily for me gambling isn't a problem.. neither is drinking actually, but food and cars, bikes, snowboarding etc, well, they take all my money up :rolleyes:

I have a lot of sympathy for Gambling, Alcoholic Addictions etc.. as I can see how they can very quickly ruin your life. x

Pollydaydream

Hi Susie

stupidsusie wrote: »

This is my first post on this site, i've been 'lurking' for a while and the advice and support are brilliant. Any advice on my situation would be fantastic, although I don't really think I deserve it because everything is totally my own fault. I feel so ashamed.

In January 2006 everything was going well for me.....good job, lovely new home and car, savings in the bank and so on. A few months later I received one of those 'free bet' offers from a gambling site.....and two years later my life is in ruins. From hardly ever having gambled, in those first few months I racked up over £100,000 of debt. I still can't believe I got so hooked so quickly. I would stay up night after night gambling, I hardly ate or slept, and lived on coffee, cigarettes and adrenaline (I was still putting in 12 hour days at the office).

I can't really add anything to the good advice you've been given. I just want to say that your story sounds so similar to mine (the debts in my signature are only a small part of it, plus the thousands of my own money I spent first). I too can't believe I could be so stupid - I would never stand in front of real fruit machine and put more than a fiver in, yet I clicked away hundreds of pounds in minutes.

I too have gambled for hours on end (with me it was wine, cigarettes and adrenaline - an addiction to something healthy and cheap would be nice, wouldn't it?). Because I earn a reasonable wage and had lots of credit, it was manageable financially, then my father was in intensive care and, to block it out (just the same as you) I gambled away, well let's say half of what I paid for a house when I was married.:eek: At this point, the repayments became unmanageable.

I've been struggling to sort out this mess for over a year, I have to be honest and say I fell off the wagon sometimes (mostly due to the "I'm going to be retired before I can pay this off, I'll have to win it back" thoughts). I am so proud of you for getting help and going to counselling. Don't think you're stupid - these sites are designed to get us to do exactly what we did.

Pandapaws - I love your idea of MSE as your homepage. Why didn't I think of that? :rolleyes:

love

Polly

MrsTinks

An addiction is an addiction - my stepfather is as I type in a treatment facility for alcohol addiction and it's tough...
FOr those put off the free bingo offers then it should always be highlighted that you should not EVER use your own money. Gambling is NOT moneysaving! Gambling with THEIR money and withdrawing the winnings CAN be moneysaving IF you can resist the temptation to gamble. If in doubt then don't do it.