DMP Mutual Support Thread (Part 4)

sarriep

Tell me about it hula! I've buried my head for so long thinking we'd cope, paying off cards with more cards, consolidating like there's no tomorrow and now, well, we're dealing with it! I didn't realise the likes of cccs existed and had never heard of a DMP until a few weeks ago! Now things are getting sorted!

hula-hoops

Hi Sarrie

Your debt is a similar amount to mine - can I ask what your monthly payment will be and how long they think it will take you to clear?

sarriep

Hi hula,
We're paying £536 a month and hoping to clear the debt in about 8 years. I am hoping we can increase the payments eventually and reduce the time it takes though. It seems a long way away but at least there is an end in sight! MBNA have written to us today agreeing to our DMP payments an to stop interest for the next 12 months, then review! :j I'm sure not every creditor will be as amicable but here's hoping!

symesd

HI ALL

Couple of questions if anyone can help please?

1. Have made 2 payments of £427 to CCCS, nothing has been paid to creditors yet, money with CCCS doing nothing (started DMP Oct 2008) 1st Payment should have gone to creditors by now - is there something wrong.....
2. I am finding it really difficult to cope on a budget, have not paid nursery for 3 weeks (£306) so am in arrears with them now, what can I do, have about £40 left this week and will only have about £166 a week until next pay day (15th November) need to pay £102 each week to nursery & still buy food and petrol aaahhhhhh! NOT VERY GOOD WITH BUDGETTING - ANY ADVICE PLEASE
3. My car needs MOT asap, I am sure it will fail, and my Road Tax Due 31/10/08 £115. Don't know what to do.... have chq for £337 waiting to clear from refund from PPI INS, should I use this money to pay off childcare arrears or pay for the car to get done
4. should I forget about getting the car done & try to get a new one which we are thinking of doing as it is kinda getting unreliable, but will we be able to get credit.

I feel like we are going backwards, crisis time again, getting worked up at nothing losing my temper at everyone and my Husband doesn't understand we are on a budget and doesn't get involved in the money side. I keep telling him to stop spending, but he just says its only a fiver or it's just a couple of quid. He will not sit down and look at the figures, I have told him we only have XXX money to spend each week, he keeps coming home with stuff. WHat can I do. I feel like leaving him. Even though the debts are all my fault I feel like he has also been partly to blame as he just buys stuff never checks if we actually have any money.

I am at the end of my teather and don't know what to do , I am sick of living in a crap house with no money, not being able to get nice things living on "basics" food and telling everyone we cannot go out or we are busy (because I'm fed up with saying we cannot visit cause we don't have enough petrol). I am so fed up I want to jump off the world......

I think I am having a bad day.

Some support please before I totally loose it.

please please please tell me there is a light at the end as at the moment it doesn't feel like it its all black black black and more black

ald65

Dear Symesd

please hang in there. there is light at the end of the tunnel.
It has taken us a year to get to grips fully with the whole DMP thing and now it is so much better, however there has been times of total blackness during the year. car breaking down, failing MOT, arguing over a couple of quid!!! etc,etc.
Luckily these moments do pass quickly and then we just look to the future.

I too get fed up of buying basics however the old style board have some great recipes and ebay is pretty good for extras.


wish you all the best, it will get better

ald65

Symesd-oops got a bit carried away and never actually answered your questions
1. I cannot answer for CCCS as I am with Payplan, but Im sure its just a start of DMP thing, give them a ring on Monday and it will put your mind at rest
2. I would approach nursery and ask if you can spread the money due over the next few weeks, then try and save money from your food budget by using old style forum to help meet the payments to nursery
3. then use refund money for car

Im sure someone else will come along soon with some more ideas

symesd

Hi all thanks for your help, since last post have had a great big row, which has cleared the air a bit, have sat down and worked a few things out.

We only have to pay childcare until June next year , so have worked out all the payments due and taken off the direct payments from my wages & divided this by 9 mths giving a monthly payment of £211 to pay nursery - will go and have a chat with them on Monday to see if they will accept this as a monthly payment set up standing order each month so the money goes out of our salary on a monthly basis so that all the meony we get weekly from tax credits (£166) to pay for food petrol & bus fares, hopefully they will go for this.

Only need to June then we will have no more childcare for the little one, but then the tax credits will go so will need to re-assess again.

Hopefully willl be able to get a payrise or promotion at work too, things are thankfully going well at work for now....
#

ald65

sounds like a plan!
glad that things appear a bit better

skintandscared_2

Symesd, I am with CCCS and I am yet to make my first payment (I have a 1 Dec start) BUT I have read on their literature that they may payments out to creditors on or around the 25th of the month, despite asking for your payment by the 1st of the month. I would imagine that, seeing as they are a completely free service and don't take a penny of your payment for themselves, they keep the interest on the monies they hold for that time. Don't worry - your payments aren't due to creditors yet and they will have had plenty of experience with CCCS and know when their payments are coming.

You should speak to someone at CCCS about lowering your payments - maybe with a low-start DMP. You obviously cannot manage on the budget that you have set yourself.

You could always try giving your hubby a budget! It might only be a fiver there and a couple of quid there, but if he only has £x a week in cash to spend then he might think twice when those small items take a chunk out of his pocket money.

Do you use the car regularly? Is there any way you can manage without it for a while? It is not illegal for a car not to have an MOT as long as it's NOT DRIVEN!!! However, you cannot have a break in tax. If you can manage for a couple of months without a car you could wait to do the MOT and register your car as SORN until you can afford to re-tax it. It needs to be insured throughout though, if you intend re-taxing it again soon.

ianmak

I had a lot of trouble at the start of mine, so many years of not going without, then living on a budget. The £2 here and there build up very quickly, and I think you need to look at it that way. Also see if you can make any further cutbacks. £10 a month saved here and there do make all the difference. I'm slowly getting there, paying back people for bits and pieces I've borrowed, and paying back payday loans, and my mob phone contract finally ends next month and I can go onto a £10 a month sim only contract.

Just hang in there, but learn to budget if you can, otherwise it won't work...