From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2 · 7 September 2017 at 12:36AM

Busy at work! I've dug out the postage certificate again and checked the Royal Mail site to see if the tax credit claim has been delivered yet...it hasn't:(:(. I've looked up putting in a claim but it doesn't cover any consequential losses from their losing the letter, just a poatage refund. It's a bit disconcerting to think that there is a lot of personal information about my family somewhere lost in the postal system, a fact the RM advisor didn't answer or comment on during our live chat last week.

I have looked online to see if it can be done that way but the pages I looked at on yougov seemed to be an online calculator tool that if it deemed you were eligible, you still have to ring for a claim pack. All this is crazy when it's only giving them information that they already have. I will try and ring the TC office again on Friday to see what they suggest. Given that one claim pack has got lost in the post to me and one has got lost between posting and the TC office, my confidence in RM is diminishing!

helsbell · 7 September 2017 at 8:30PM

I'm sorry that this is still ongoing, it must be incredibly stressful. I'd forgotten that a pack had been lost en route to you as well. You must be doubly :mad: Good luck with the tax credits phone call tomorrow.

Cherryfudge · 8 September 2017 at 10:01PM

I'm catching up... alarmed to see RM is able to lose something as important as that! I do hope it gets found and delivered soon.

Honeysucklelou2 · 9 September 2017 at 11:25AM

I got through to the TC office yesterday and explained the whole situation to the advisor. She was very helpful and was able to explain why I can't do this over the phone...apparently it's because the ex and I have been separated for longer than 3 months. If I'd contacted them at Christmas, I could have done it over the phone. Ah well... now I know. The other advisors have never explained that before so that was helpful.
All she could do was to send out a third claim pack and suggest that I write in a covering letter explaining it all. Thankfully I have the receipt for recorded delivery sent on the 23rd which I can photocopy and put in with the letter and claim form. Realistically I have looking at a further 5 weeks minimum before any payments come in.

Yesterday I did swing between wild panic and the feeling that there is nothing more I can do. I am thankful I have a job and that at least I have that form of income...it would be far worse if the TCs were my only income. I have paid the mortgage, council tax, car tax and insurance and met the direct debits for this month. I might have to see the nursery to explain about the TCs as I was using those to pay the nursery fees. I've paid the first week but I think I will need to speak to them, if only to explain a delay until my next payday. I remember a comment on the diary ( thank you Spendless) that it will be sorted out in time and although 10 weeks without TCs seems a mountain at the moment, in the grand scheme of things we will hopefully look back and see it as a slight bump in the landscape!

DD2 has started college and now has her front of house and chef whites. It's good to know where the £205 has gone! She was very excited to make her first latte...and drink it.:rotfl:

I have done one thing that might seem a backward step...I did join the MSE club (that bit was a forward step!) and did the pre-eligibility thing and applied for a cc. Not what I want to do but I'm worried that though I'm eking out my salary I'm going to really struggle to get to the end of the month, especially given that DD1 moves to uni in 2 weeks time and given her health issues, it is important the move there is as supported and smooth as possible. The cc would give me a little leeway with diesel costs and getting her some food etc. As soon as the TCs are coming in ( with hopefully a back payment t to cover the weeks missed) it can be cleared and the card relegated to the freezer.

Nonnadiluca · 9 September 2017 at 3:22PM

I don't want to speak out of turn, but shouldn't your children's father be paying some maintenance?
You're doing an amazing job btw, you have my sincere admiration!

helsbell · 9 September 2017 at 4:01PM

Hopefully they will be able to rush the claim through as soon as possible. It must be reassuring that at least some of the basics are covered, like your mortgage for example.

I don't think that taking out a credit card is a backwards step. You plan to use it for an emergency situation, when there's a gap in the cash flow, and then repay as soon as that situation is resolved. That's different from using it to have a wild time that your income doesn't allow.

I'm glad that DD2 is enjoying college. I'm sure you'll find the same when DD1 goes to uni.

Well done, as ever, on making your money stretch so far.

Honeysucklelou2 · 9 September 2017 at 11:19PM

Hi Nonnadiluca - thanks for dropping by. Unfortunately the ex ( father to all of the children) didn't pay towards household expenses when he lived here. When I have raised concerns about our finances in the past I've been laughed at. During the marriage we always had separate finances, so I've ended paying the utilities, children's trips, costs of clothing etc. He does provide a meal in Wednesdays for the children. But beyond that it's very hit and miss. On occasion he will turn up with random things e.g. One week he gave a bag of bananas, a pack of oranges and a loaf of bread. He does have 2 income streams of his own. My solicitor is preparing an application for a judicial separation but we have yet to go to court, so I'm hoping for greater clarity when that happens.

A busy day here! Amazingly some washing dried, despite the heavy showers. Perhaps the wind helped in the drier parts of the day! Spent the morning clearing up and some of the afternoon doing stuff for work. Made homemade oven chips for tea, served up with fishfingers and peas and cooked Spicy apple muffins and a batch of flapjack for pudding/snacks. I did snatch 10 minutes to walk down the lane with the toddler and DD3. The toddler loves to look at the cows and we took the opportunity to pick a few more blackberries.

Cherryfudge · 10 September 2017 at 12:20AM

Why do I so often end up either dreaming of gardens or wanting to cook when I read your posts? Spicy apple muffins would just hit the spot right now...

Spendless · 10 September 2017 at 9:00AM

Re the mortgage, is there any chance of contacting the provider and explaining the situation and seeing if they would take reduced payments for a few months? I did this once and they agreed to 6 months of me paying 50% (get the agreement in writing!) and then contacted me after this time to ask about the arrears. Fortunately for me this co-incided with me finding another job, so I then offerred them double payments until I caught up with what was outstanding. There may be some reason you can't or don't want to do this but thought I'd throw it in as a suggestion.

The comment about your DD2 making her first latte and drinking it made me laugh! That's what my DS would be like. I don't know whether to be really excited that she's going to be able to help out cooking and make something from next to nothing for you to eat or think it will start being expensive in costly ingrediants. How do college course work, is it the same as if you take food as a subject at school and you have to supply ingrediants?

Honeysucklelou2 · 10 September 2017 at 10:45AM

Fortunately the food that DD2 will be cooking will be in the training kitchens at the college, so they cater for the general public in the restaurant and for their contemporaries in some of the kitchens around the college. I thought they only had the one training kitchen but DD2 spent most of last week on a tour of kitchens all over the campus!! So thankfully no ingredient costs. She also has to do 4 hours voluntarily in a commercial kitchen outside of college which I am hoping might give her the self confidence to look for a small part time job, especially as she now wants to drive as she turns 17 in the coming week.

Thanks for the thoughts about the mortgage, I'll have a think on that.

I did sign up for Prolific Academic to try and start getting a little from surveys. Thought it might help. I keep mulling over whether to look for a second job. I have looked on indeed and there seem to be some waitressing jobs but I don't like the idea of being out and needing to either get childcare cover or rely on DD2 to help out. Added to which, I bring work home with me in the evenings as it is from my main job which can't be compromised. My only other thought is to try and be more organised with the allotment. I have, in the past, been able to make £200 a year from plants which although doesn't sound much, is money I can earn without needing childcare, but there is a limit to what can be achieved with the toddler in tow!!

From debt to freedom...

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