Heading Towards a Problem

Sncjw · 16 April 2018 at 6:42PM

I!!!8217;m guessing it!!!8217;s a nursing course. When I did this course your uni work takes priority over outside work so I understand it!!!8217;s hard.

Also with your placements your doing professional development file, coursework and also studying for exams I totally get it.

Have you applied for council tax reduction based on being a nursing student? I!!!8217;m sure you can do this.

Does your travel to placements cost more than going to uni. If so you can claim the difference back from the uni. Do you not get form of bursary.

Have you applied for the low income scheme for nhs prescriptions?

I know it!!!8217;s not a lot but it could help towards some of the debts

Sncjw · 16 April 2018 at 6:43PM

Can I just also say your mobile phone bill is high. Could you get a sim only deal.

Also do you buy your course books if so I had a tip from lecturer use the books in the library first. See how often you use them to see if it!!!8217;s worth getting them.

Remember to use your nhs discounts where you can.

Sncjw · 16 April 2018 at 6:47PM

I can!!!8217;t seem to quote but cms the health related courses don!!!8217;t finish in may. Mine didn!!!8217;t finish until August and even then we only had two weeks off.

Healthcare courses are full on. Your do full time week at uni even if your not on they expect you to study full time. My course our timetable changed every week. We have coursework to complete, study for upcoming classes, studying for exams, then to complete professional development file which we need signing off. On this is also during the same time as placement if they are on placements. It!!!8217;s not like where uni you go in for a few days a week and then do what you like it!!!8217;s a full on course and you work the same shifts as the nurses on the ward. Like doing a late shift then having to go back in early no time to do uni work by the time you get in

cms-help · 16 April 2018 at 7:10PM

Sncjw wrote: »

I can!!!8217;t seem to quote but cms the health related courses don!!!8217;t finish in may. Mine didn!!!8217;t finish until August and even then we only had two weeks off.

Healthcare courses are full on. Your do full time week at uni even if your not on they expect you to study full time. My course our timetable changed every week. We have coursework to complete, study for upcoming classes, studying for exams, then to complete professional development file which we need signing off. On this is also during the same time as placement if they are on placements. It!!!8217;s not like where uni you go in for a few days a week and then do what you like it!!!8217;s a full on course and you work the same shifts as the nurses on the ward. Like doing a late shift then having to go back in early no time to do uni work by the time you get in

I asked because the poster said they picked up bank shifts as and when they could so wasn't sure what availability they had. Also don't know what sort of healthcare course it is - whether it is to become a qualified nurse or something else. Fully understand that uni work needs to come first but they also need to make ends meet for the next 18 months and are a long way from being able to do so if they wish to avoid a debt repayment arrangement (which seemed to be their aim). Hope that clarifies - I certainly wasn't trying to be dismissive of their workload, just trying to explore what opportunities they may have available to them to increase income.

braken2000 · 16 April 2018 at 7:19PM

Got it one Sncjw! Well almost, it is a paramedic course. Like you said, it varies week on week with very little time off. It is 45 weeks of study at uni/on placement per year. However, only a two year course so there is definately light at the end of the tunnel!

Will try and tackle the questions

Council Tax = It is on 12 month payments and already has the student reduction in place fortunately. The rates in my area are generally high unfortunately. The payments are however up to date which is good!

Phone Bill = it is extortionate I do agree. However we are locked into contracts (the above budget is for two people but even then it is high). It runs out in September I believe. It was taken out when I was earning a decent amount and before I even knew uni was an option.

Car Insurance = this is for two cars. I rely on my car to get to placements which can be a decent hour away. The other car is for my partner who uses this to get to work also.

Increasing Earnings = the £150 is an average. I have noticed the earnings go up and down like a yo-yo. Sometimes I am able to get a good few shifts in, and other months I get very little. It is not for lack of trying, the shifts are not endlessly available. I have however got at least 2 shifts a month booked in until September (after this point I will not know my whereabouts). My partner also sometimes earns more per month. But I am unsure of how to factor this in to a more solid budget.

Prescriptions = unaware of what this is! Will certainly look into it as even freeing up £10 a month will help.

Thank you everyone for your responses so far. I am trying to get on top of this with tomorrow seeing me go through bank statements and work out where every penny is going. I have done this before and will do it again!

In better news however, working out what the situation will be when I am earning means I can see when all debt will be paid off!

Trentenders · 16 April 2018 at 7:35PM

Can your partner perhaps get some evening work? Shifts in a pub, or something like that?

Can your partner obtain a consolidation loan in his name?

Hitting those high APR credit cards as quickly as you can will help no end. Throwing away the catalogues might be worth thinking about too...

braken2000 · 16 April 2018 at 7:44PM

Thanks Trentenders

Catalogues are firmly thrown away. They were used for when we moved house (washing machine to name one thing for example). But not in use anymore

.

Not thought of a consolidation loan in his name. He might go for it, but it would appear that his credit rating is also not great unfortunately. We have ordered his credit file (£2 one) to have a good look as to why. If we can it would be great!

The high APR is depressing. Just in that awful trap of not being able to replace it with anything else.

He also occasionally banks like I do, but his job can mean his time is not as available as we would like it. He does as much as he can in terms of overtime and night work etc. Once again it is just not as plentiful as we would like it.

beanielou · 16 April 2018 at 8:52PM

18 months is a long time to live on basically nothing.
I just cant see how you can do it other than entering a DMP.

braken2000 · 16 April 2018 at 8:55PM

I was thinking the same beanielou

. Although my partner will get a pay rise November time which will add potentially a couple of hundred £ a month also.

It is just trying to avoid getting dreaded defaults as that will scupper a mortgage straight off. But survival needs to happen also I guess.

beanielou · 16 April 2018 at 8:57PM

braken2000 wrote: »

I was thinking the same beanielou . Although my partner will get a pay rise November time which will add potentially a couple of hundred £ a month also.

It is just trying to avoid getting dreaded defaults as that will scupper a mortgage straight off. But survival needs to happen also I guess.

Remember that to get a mortgage you will need a deposit.
Also even if no defaults they will take into account your debts.

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