I'm on the verge of just giving up

ahrimaniac

All great advice - I shall ring again at lunch and be firm but fair - I do have a disarming manner on the phone so hopefully a bit of charm might win out!

As for my partner - that's the one great thing - we never argue. In fact, battening down the hatches together makes us even closer!

saver03

:grouphug: (This is a group hug nothing indecent!)

Just wanted to say hi and let you know you have definately done the right thing posting on here. There are so many people who are in a similar situation if makes you feel less alone. I also find it helps to come on here and just rant, as they say better out than in.

I know what you mean about the council tax people they are idiots :mad: It is things like this that annoy me as this wonderful system of ours seems to fail you if you if you actually go out and work It does baffle me as they are always complaining about unemployment being high but when people seem to be better off not working then they won't :mad: RANT OVER :rotfl:

SingleSue

Whatever you do ahrimaniac, don't give up your job! I am a single parent stuck at home (due to care issues with 2 disabled children) and believe me it is absolutely soul destroying. Yes the council tax may get paid for you but the amount you are actually left to live on is not that great (contrary to popular belief) and things are just as tight if not more so.

To me though, I would give anything to be able to get back into work, not for financial reasons (although that would help!) but for my own self esteem and feeling of self worth. Whilst working you have an identity, you have respect from most of your peers, you have a reason to be alive.....when stuck at home, you have no identity, you have no respect from your peers (in fact you are treated worse than dog doo doo on the bottom of a shoe) and there is no reason for being.

I'm sorry I can't give more practical help apart from the feelings side of things.

Edited to add - Also if you give up your job, the debts don't magically disappear, you still have to pay them out of the meagre amount you are given...and that includes old council tax (although this can be taken at a reduced amount, other companies are not so accomodating!)

sdooley

Don't give up.

Council tax does need to be paid as unlike other debts it is an offence to avoid it. I assume as the council are asking for the amount to be paid up this relates to last year's tax. Make sure you are on a payment plan for this year's tax so it doesn't mount up while you dispute last years.

As you are on a low wage have you looked into working tax credits? Also council tax benefit. Both of these can be backdated & at least while your council tax benefit claim is being processed you should get some respite from the council. Consider whether you can defer repayments on your other debts as council tax is a priority debt (not paying it will be a breach of your tenancy and if your landlord found out he could have you out).

The long term solution as you are aware will be to upgrade your earnings - if employers are not taking you on now have you considered a course? Also the fact you are getting interviews is great - many people don't even get that far. Keep it up and good luck.

beverleyhills

Re: Council Tax speak to your local councillor who should be able to speak to the right person on your behalf. His or her name can be found at the local library or ring the Council Office and ask.
Your local MP is there to help you with local problems and holds regular surgergies that you can attend.

Re: Career. What would you like to like to do? Perhaps someone at Learn Direct http://www.learndirect.co.uk/aboutus/could help you match your knowledge, skills and aspirations.

Re: Extra income. Can you do a part time job?

Good luck

Northern_girl_2

ahrimaniac wrote: »

The rent thing is a nightmare itself - I chose the first place I could get because of the situation I found myself in, and it was £600. It's a lovely flat, in Newcastle on the Quayside, but I didn't pick it to be gratutious. Thing is, we want to move into a smaller, cheaper place but it's a catch 22 - we need the deposit and fees in order to switch properties and we just don't have that at the moment, so it's cheaper (at the moment) to stay where we are!

Hi there,

Sounds like you are having a tough time of it at the moment.

As another poster said I think you need to look at different accomodation as soon as you can. I've been based in NEwcastle for serveral years and have rented in different areas before finally buying in Gateshead.

£600 is quite a lot of money for up here. I've done a quick search and there are still flats in Gateshead to rent for £300 per month including studios on the Quayside for £400. You can probably get about the same in Fenham. It could probably get even cheaper going direct through a landlord rather than an agency too. I know there not necessarily the most desirable of areas but Fenham and Bensham I've lived in both and never had a problem - for some reason Bensham seems to have a lot of lesbian and gay people living there too (I'm a gay woman).

At £300 per month assuming a 1 month deposit and 1 month in advance you need to find £600. I wouldn't normally recommend it but could you not put this on a credit card - you would be saving £300 a month so could pay it back in two months (maybe three to cover the interest) and every month afterwards have an extra £300 to throw at debts.

At that rate you would have it paid off in no time!

count_rostov

You've already had some great advice here and I don't have much to add, other than to say that you sound very happy and lucky in your relationship and that is worth more than gold. (Even if a lack of gold is really stressful!)
My only suggestion, following on from northern girl's, is that Virgin do credit cards with 0% on balance transfers for 15 months. These cards are issued by MBNA which is one of the few credit card providers to allow you to do balance transfers to your current account. If you got one with a limit of £2500 you could do a balance transfer of £2400 which would give you enough cash to pay the council tax arrears and put a deposit and rent in advance on a new flat. Over 15 months, you would pay back £160 a month and this would clear the debt in its interest-free period. If your rent dropped by £300 then this should be comfortable. Of course, you would have to be very careful not to spend on the card as different interest rates apply then. Also, you should do a balance transfer rather than a cash transfer, as these draw very high interest rates. Martin's article on the best balance transfers will explain it better http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cards/balance-transfer-credit-cards#best If credit cards are used properly then they are a very cheap way to borrow money, you just have to be strong enough to resist temptation!
I wouldn't normally suggest this but it sounds as if your main problem is high rent and the tax bill, rather than living beyond your means. Your day to day spending sounds very organised and moderate.

duchy

Get in touch with your tax office and get THEM to chase your old agency for the P45. Amazing how that works as they don't want the tax office taking an interest in them

misspoppy

Hi
if you don't have a P45 you should have been asked to complete a P46 and your employer can complete them online and have the tax code there and then, thats what I do for our staff.

Northern_girl_2

Oh, just thought of something else I should have added earlier - you mentioned you pay £100 for travel and it was all on public transport. Have you looked at the Network Travel ticket?

An all zone pass (on metro, bus and shields ferry) is £71 a month. I don't know where you work but the area covered is quite extensive so might be worth looking into. The pass is in zones so you're not travelling too far for work you might be able to get it cheaper than that.