Completely Skint!Pro Rata Payments or Bankruptcy?

Bismarck

Hi,

Lot to digest here...I'll be back later but thanks for the background information..I know a lot more about where you're coming from.

nimbo

if i could get as much in benifits as you do i'd be better off on JSA too.

surely if you were that serious sbout paying off your debts you could work part time while your doctor friend was at lectures, and surely as s/he is going to medical school for 5 years they are seriously planning a career in medicine, they'll have no spare time when they become a HO or SHO... i've worked in a hospital for years and have seen grown men cry because they are so tired due to the stress of the workload.

it might seem like a cop out to you but surely one day you' like to own a house, have 2.4 children (That REALLY isn't my bag) but if you wanted that then you surely can't afford to go BR now???

lets face it for £1000 a week there are many people on here (Including me i'd even go on one of those awful singing ones, although they'd probably pay me to get opf the air!!!!) who would bare theit souls on a reality TV show, so working behind the scenes would be a dream job...

and forgive me but lets face it it'll be just as shallow, back stabbing, and soul destroying in the music business... people will be just as faluse, and evil as they are in TV. that would only stop if you were the next Elton John (was trying to thing of a bloke by himself who was really talanted and couldn't face the thought of saying James Blunt, but maybe would have been better saying Will Young???), and surely if you were that goo you'd have been snapped up by a record company to whom you'd sent off a demo...

Rimmer

hi there

i'm in an up and coming band and we're doing ok, hopefully have a single out this year. all five of us have full time jobs and the idea of one of us not working would just be weird - how do you survive?

i'm the drummer and my drum teacher teaches full time and is also in a band - you should seriously consider giving lessons, you could easily make £60 a day for 4 hours work (after tax).

and some grounding on planet earth: your friends and colleagues are bound to say you're good - i know ours do! you need to start sending off demos to reviewers and get a live band pronto to impress agents.

its VERY competitive and VERY bit*hy out there. not a million miles away from any popular "creative" industry.

sdbanotts

Hi Rimmer,

Surviving by the sking of my teeth.Not too much food on the table.

My problem is getting job that will give me £1366 which is the same as my total benefits for the month.

My rent is so high (1018.33), but fortunately housing benefit cover £975 or it.If I worked I would need to pay the lot myself.

I'm not being lazy, I could move out and get a cheaper place, but the catch 22 is that no job prob means no letting agent will let me move into a new property.

I'm starting a new deal for musicians course via the dole, and if I goto work I don't qualify for the course.By being on the course I meet a music industry person who can offer advice, and help with my stuff, so again if I work in a regular job, I will forfeit this opportunity, which seems great.

A couple of record labels have said they love my stuff, but want me to play live with a full band before offering any kind of deal.

I know the industry is competitive, I dealt with record labels and bands on a dily basis whilst I worked on various TV shows.

I need a drummer and bassist right now!, then I can see if we can cut it live, and see if I' beig realistic..

Anyone???

Rimmer

i actually think you should downgrade your flat and think about giving music lessons full time - you shouldn't be on benefits if you're able to work. you should be able to cover your rent and have extra money on top of this. i can understand why you might struggle to find somewhere but i'm sure somehow this can be achieved.

personally, i'm reasonably sceptical about these new deal courses so i wouldn't advise it, esp if you think your music is good enough to get noticed. and yes, labels take pretty much no interest unless you can cut it live.

good luck with it all though.

Ames

Don't forget the money you'll need to keep a band going - hire and petrol for vans for a start, and you don't get paid for gigs when you're starting out. I also wouldn't expect to get far in industry if you're self taught, my sister's doing a music tech degree and still expecting to start at the bottom and work up when she's in industry, although she thinks she'll need a masters to get a job in the first place.

Bismarck

Ames wrote: »

Don't forget the money you'll need to keep a band going - hire and petrol for vans for a start, and you don't get paid for gigs when you're starting out. I also wouldn't expect to get far in industry if you're self taught, my sister's doing a music tech degree and still expecting to start at the bottom and work up when she's in industry, although she thinks she'll need a masters to get a job in the first place.

thanks for keeping the thread going...meant to get back to it earlier. Why does it need a master degree?

Agree with the earlier poster.....seems like your now stuck partly because of the beneficial rent thing...it's a kind of limbo that isn't doing you any favours really even though you feel lucky to have it.

The point about your guitarist is spot on: they're already busy with their career and it doesn't seem compatible with yours - what happens when you need them to commit more time and it's not there? What if they "move on" professionally or domestically?

dudleyboy

sdbanotts wrote: »

The majority of my outgoings (1018.33) out of a total of £1264, is on rent.I live in a two bedroom flat in North London.My flat mate moved out before Aug 2006, when I could afford to pay the whole rent myself.

The 2nd bedroom has been advertised ever since, and no-one has wanted to move in.It's small and has a window the size of a prison window.

As a result the Housing Benefit have genourously decided to contribute £975 towards the rent per month.

Am I the only person here thoroughly appalled by this??

sdbanotts, I appreciate you're entitled to whatever you're entitled to so this isn't (entirely) directed towards you - it's more an expression of absolute dismay at the useless, clueless shower that is our current government - but this is almost TWICE what I have to pay each month in rent and my partner and I have to work bloody hard for it too! In fact, your monthly handout is MORE than my partner earns and she works 5-6 days a week, 8-10 hours a day. Unbelievable. She's not doing her dream job either but she understands and appreciates that bills still have to be paid while goals are pursued.

It certainly is a generous sum and I'm sure that every low paid worker reading this board, struggling to make ends meet with the rising cost of living and who've just seen their income tax increase with the abolishment of the 10p tax rate, will want to wish you all the best in your rainbow chasing endeavours... irrespective of the fact that they're personally funding it.

sdbanotts wrote: »

My Dad moaned all his life about working hard,in a job he hated and blaming it all on everyone else.He was always skint, never did anything to change his career.He didn't have the balls.

Well that's gratitude. Rather than not having balls have you stopped to consider that he was working hard to put a roof over your head? I'm sure he had dreams and goals of his own that he had to sacrifice to support his family. Perhaps you'll appreciate this one day.

sdbanotts wrote: »

My problem is getting job that will give me £1366 which is the same as my total benefits for the month.
My rent is so high (1018.33), but fortunately housing benefit cover £975 or it.If I worked I would need to pay the lot myself.
I'm not being lazy, I could move out and get a cheaper place, but the catch 22 is that no job prob means no letting agent will let me move into a new property.

I can see your dilemma but, again, have little sympathy. There needs to be a crack down on the UK's benefits system and this is a prime example as to why. I thought welfare was supposed to be there for those who can't physically work not for those who are just too good for it or who are waiting for destiny to knock on their front door.

sdbanotts wrote: »

I'll let you know how I get on, and pray that not everyone on this board is as bitter and narrow minded as you. Christ this Country would have no musicians or artists et al, if it was up to you, would they.

I think mum2one was just trying to give an alternative perspective. Biting her head off was completely uncalled for!

I appreciate you've come here for advice on your debts, rather than a reality check, but based upon the information provided I can offer only a few suggestions:

1. Get a job.
2. Repay your debts.
3. Don't leave that job until you've got another one to go to.

I'm expecting a barrage of insults to follow this post but I'm not here for an argument. I just wanted to say what I think had to be said: perhaps what everyone else was thinking but are too polite/astonished/withdrawn to say.

I honestly hope you do achieve your ambitions and fulfil your goals. Even if you don't become a huge star, I hope it provides you with an income that can sustain the lifestyle you want (whatever that may be) and provide you with the job satisfaction we all deserve. But I think you also have to appreciate that you're no more unique or "meant for greater things" than anyone else: not everyone gets to achieve their lifelong goals - for reasons other than having no "balls" or drive.

I see you've set yourself a deadline of August. If you haven't got to where you want to be by then, don't regard yourself as a failure... and if you have, don't regard everyone else as one instead.

Rimmer

well i totally agree with dudleyboy but this forum is more about support than pointing fingers so i was trying to bite my lip.

sdbanotts also receives a monthly income from his mum. sorry mate, but you need to wake up and take responsiblity. all of my band either rent or have mortgages, all have full time jobs and (as far as i know) none rely on their parents for any income.

you need to learn to become a lot more independent - its very hard to feel sympathy for someone in your situation.

sdbanotts

dudleyboy,

Thanks for your considered response.
First point I would like to clarify.

The response regarding 'narrow mindedess' wasnt't directed at mum2one.It was in response to a chap who had posted a number of insulting posts aimed at me.They have consequently been deleted, and were inbetween mum2one and mine.

Secondly, no I stand by my statement regarding my dad. It was my mum who was forced to work seven days a week to keep a roof over my family's head. My dad was more interested in spending money at the bookies. If it wasn't for my mother's support and hard graft, I would never have been encouraged to goto University in the first place.

I love my dad, and do apprecite what he did whilst he was around, but please don't pass judgement on my feelings for him, it's rather insincere of you to do so when you don't know the full facts-And nor do I expect you too.

I totally agree with all comments regarding feeling upset about the amount of benefits I receive. It astounds me, but to cut this story short now, fortunately I have now found another job, and will be paying my £1,100 per month loan/credit card payments back asap.

I'm also moving out of my flat whilst I have to opportunity, to save on rent, and will concentrate on my music as and when I have the time.

Rimmer- I don't receive a monthly income from my mum. She offered to make a payment for this month, and a few more months whilst I considered making pro rata payments. For 3 years I had given her £200 a month from my wages towards her mortgage. Maybe she felt that she wanted to help me out for a while, in the same way I did whilst I could. It didn't make me feel good accepting her offer, but it was one option.

It's a very interesting study of people's felling's must admit.

The associated problems of debt affect everybody, regardless or background or class, and the stress,isolation,depsrssion and feelings of failure from being unable to pay it off is the same for everybody.

I just could not afford to make my monthly payments any more, and debts built up from making payments from my credit cards to pay my loans. I have not once missed a payment, and my credit rating today stands at 971/1000.

I posted on this forum, only asking for some impartial advice from you guys, and most have made their feelings clear.

I don't want to be a huge star. I just want to play music and earn a decent living, doing something that I've worked hard on, having left a decent career behind to make a go of it. In the end, if it fails, I just wanted to be able live with myself,knowing that at least I tried.

Thanks For All Your Comments. We're all in debt here, I would assume, and all for different reasons. You won't find expensive TV's or gadgets, or flashy cars in my flat. All I have is my guitar, an amp, and my laptop. I haven't had a holiday for 10 years, and I don't have an expensive coke habit like most in the media. Don't get the violins out, I'm not looking for any sympathy.

I'm crap with money, and that's been my problem. But I now have a new job and I will be looking to pay off as much as I can.

My debts spiralled out of control, due to interest charges, and living costs and all the other reasons, and I have 'not cut my cloth according to it's width' for many years. It's a huge mistake on my part, one I don't feel proud of, and I look forward to the day (probably 2025), when it's all gone.