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

chevalier

I think the others have taken apart your SOA quite well, so I will not go over it again, except to say that you can get your council tax payments to be over 12 months not 10, to spread the load. Also if you are unemployed then you should be getting council tax benefit, have you applied?

Secondly I totally understand about the gambling. I had a small scale taste of what you are describing, when I won £800 on a site. I managed to keep £450 of it by withdrawing £45 a day, but at one point I was up to £2000. How sick did I feel when I realised I had 'lost' nearly £1600. Horrible, ashamed, really shocked that I had got so carried away. (I haven't even been in a bookies before for example). The only plus was that I was able to stop before I went into debt. Even so it genuinely scared me how easy it was for my usual careful approach to money, to be turned over by a online site.

Finally can you get another job to try and help with the income side? What about ebaying everything you haven't used in 6 months, selling books on amazon, greenmetropolis.com etc, doing car boots?

http://www.gamblock.com/?gclid=CO6HjZTR7pECFQMauwodHEzcpw

This is the website for the anti gambling site software.

best of luck going forwards

chev

robbstudd

Hi Sussie, Hope your well,

Below is a copy of a reply to a post that I replied to earlier on a thread this morning about my experiance with an IVA that I went through four and a half years ago, it may help.

I didn't want to go down the BR route as I didn't want to lose my house etc and was only £25,000 in debt through credit cards, bank loans and the like.

Heres what I have copied and pasted:

Anyway here goes, I suggest you reads Martins GUIDE TO IVA's,on is web site, its really helpful.

I personally four and a half years ago went through an IVA, which I completed two and a Half years later, it still naffs your credit rating for 5 years but so then does going BC or getting CCJ's.

If you want to keep your house then i suggest an IVA, if you ain't bothered about your house , car, any saving, bank accounts etc then go BC because everything you have of value will be turned into cash to pay your creditors.

So with a BC they take every thing of value, with an IVA you still get to live and we found that we kept our house, car, bank accounts, etc.

I personally would go down the IVA route (you will probably find that your creditors would also because they will get more of what you owe them back, typically 50p in the £ compared to say 10 - 20p in the £ if you went BC) and stop paying all none essential household bills like bank loans, credit cards and the like to keep my house and a roof over my head.

I would try and pay the arrears on your mortgage, utility bills and council tax that way you can live, try talking to your mortgage company and I am sure they will come to an agreement about the outstanding arrears, don't forget it costs them money to take you to court, they want the easy option.

No judge or court will make you homeless if you got children and if your up to date with your mortgage neither will your mortgage company.

You need to take professional advice so as already suggested try the CCC'S, Citizens advice or the National Debt Line, (contact details in Martins GUIDE TO IVA's) on his web site.

If you go down the IVA route the first thing that will happen and this will happen very very quickly is that your IVA company will go to court to stop your creditors making you BC, this will also stop your creditors ringing you, sending you nasty letters, calling at your door and also threating court action. (A great relief in its self, no more dreading the morning post or the knock on the door)

The down side I found with an IVA is that when I settled it two and a half years later (I owed £25,000 and paid back £20,000 by re mortgaging my house, so saving myself £5,000) was that the IVA company took £7,000 in fees out of the $20,000 settlement Fee

Talk about making money out of other peoples misery.

Theres money to be made out of other peoples misfortune I suppose that why all these IVA companies are on TV to sign you up.

We personally used Debt Free Direct and found them very helpful but there are other companies with lower fee perhaps. I am sure CCC's and the like can help you on this.

Hope the above helps and good luck for the future, I know what your going through but there is light at the end of the tunnel and after all your CREDITORS can't have what you ain't got.


Rob.

Keeping_Motivated

Although selling your house is an option and you would still be in control rather than it being repossessed etc but also it sounds like you live on your own from your posts and with the value of your home also sounds like you have the room so would a lodger be an option to help cover some of the mortgage payments?

I also take it that when employed you have the ability/qualifications to be a high earner? Is it difficult to get a job in your industry or do you think you could be back in employment fairly soon?

I suppose a lodger and work would put a whole different light onto which route to take and your options.

Just throwing ideas around hope it helps.

jet77

Well done on posting your SOA so quickly. Ecoelle n Cleosmum have given you great advice ... as well as everyone else. Please keep posting and let us know how you're getting on ((HUGS)) xx

stupidsusie

H everyone and thanks for all the good advice on my SOA. Before the gambling started / being made redundant, I had a lot of disposable income (maybe £2,000 per month) and as a result was probably far too 'relaxed' about spending generally. Not really 'big' items, I don't have loads of designer clothes or huge plasma TVs or anything, more 'little bits' that really do add up. For example because I used to commute to London a couple of days per week (6 hour round trip) plus put in 10 hours in the office, I spent a fortune on coffees, lunches, and similar, and then expensive food at the supermarket so I could eat quickly but healthily (or try to anyway!). I hope that this experience will make me better with money for the rest of my life, even if I do earn well with no debts in the future, because I am going to have to learn to watch every pound now. You've all given me some great ideas on this, so thank you!

Of course the problem is at the moment that even with cutting back to the absolute minimum, I will still have a huge monthly shortfall. I spoke to the Insolvency Helpline yesterday, and they are recommending bankruptcy. I've also booked an appointment with CCCS for tomorrow. I'm still hoping to buy myself time with token payments for a few months, to give me time to start work and so on. The good news is I applied for a great job yesterday....the bad news is though that the salary would not even cover my mortgage.....in fact I would be worse off than getting JSA plus mortgage payment protection. So my thinking is that I should sell my house :-( and rent, and see what additional benefits I might be entitled to.

A couple of people have mentioned putting Gamblock on my computer.....I did this ages ago and it's still installed! My latest lapse was.....mobile phone gambling. Unfortunately you can't get software to sort this, so i've dug out my very old and basic mobile and sold my posh one on eBay to avoid that temptation in the future. It seems whenever I take steps to stop myself gambling, a new way of doing it pops up. That said, in the same way I wouldn't blame alcohol companies for people drinking, I don't blame gambling companies for people gambling. So I have to sort myself out....off to GA tonight.

I still have loads of questions about bankruptcy...probably best put on the bankruptcy board though, will do that now.

Susie

cantcope

Good luck at your meeting tonight Susie. Can you call the compayn you are using on your mobile and askm them to cancel your account for life?
I had to do this with the online sites as although i have all the necessary blocks at home that didnt stop me gambling at work. I specifically asked for life as its too easy to cancel the account and then re-open in a moment of weakness

Good luck

jessicad_2

Hi Susie

I haven't really got anything to add to the excellent advice that you've already received. I just wanted to send you my very best wishes, you will get through this situation, as long as you have your health and your family you will be fine. It sounds like you have a very close relationship with your parents and sister and I hope they can support you, whatever happens they will always love you and that is more valuable than any possessions.

I have been made redundant four times over a two year period and always managed to find a job, don't settle for second best out of any desperation because a new job will be out there, focus on your job search as if it were 9-5 employment, also depending on your industry could you consider contracting/freelancing/consultancy whilst your looking for permanent employment. Not only could this be a higher rates of pay, but it could introduce you to either potential employers or clients.

Anyway, I wish you lots of luck, this will be sorted and you will come out of the other side. Best wishes to you
xxx

saffronflowers

Just caught up with this thread and wanted to add that I think that you have been extremely brave and honest.

My one reservation regarding bankcruptcy is that it would free up some income not a lot but can you be sure that you would not use that on fruit machines the bookies?

I hope that you get the info that you need to help you and wish you the best of success in whatever you decide to do.

SFx

phoenixchick

Hi Susie,
Well done for posting - that really is a hard first step. Unfortunately I can't really help with the debts etc except to offer my support.:grouphug:

Some suggestions about your hair. For cuts, have you tried one of the big salons' academies, or a local college? They will often cut your hair very cheaply from about £5. They are fully supervised so you don't have to worry about a scary cut! For colour, I have been colouring my hair, on and off, for about the past 20 years (oh my god that makes me sound really old!). Depending on the colour you are going for, Clairol Colour expert is very good for blonde hair, and the highlights work well - I wouldn't recommend it for brown hair as the highlights are rather orange (as my sister found ). If you are dying it dark I have always found Loreal Excellence to work well, the colour lasts and it doesn't mess up the condition (at least no more than any colouring). You shouldn't be colouring it every month, the products recommend every 6 weeks, but I reckon that you can leave it at least 2 months before it starts to show - and that would be better for your hair.

I think that any employer who didn't take you on because your roots are showing is probably not the type of place you want to work. Keep plugging away and make sure your CV really sells you and your skills.

Best of luck.

kyh

Susie Well done for posting here and being brave about finally admitting the problems your gambling has caused you - this is the first but a big step! I don't have nay specifi advice there are others on here far more experienced and qualified than I am but I just wanted to wish you luck with whatever you decide and let you know we are here for you.

KYH