Can't afford minimum payment -advice please?

[daysmustgetbetter]

I know I'm a idiot
When I moved into my house I had nothing
I got my appliances /sofa from littlewoods
I put them on buy now pay later but now I'm struggling.
I get £1,000 a month
£460 is rent £100 is gas /electric £90 council tax and I pay them £240
I'm left with £110 for food
It's killing me
I've asked if I can set up a payment plan they said no
I honestly don't know what to do
If I don't pay the full amount will they pass me to a debt collection agency ?

They are easy to understand and it's clear on the statement how much interest will be added and what date that will happen if you don't clear all of it.

I don't think you have many options OP other than get a second job, see if you're entitled to any benefits or get your kids to tip up for a bit.

This 🙄
Three adults living on one part time job = poverty. It’s not complicated maths.
The priority here is paying bills not going travelling! Get yourselves sorted-they can go next year.

Why is that degrading? You're being rude, actually. It's an honest paycheck.

Your grown children are adults and should be paying towards utilities, IMO.

I’d contact CAP - Christian’s against poverty and see if they can help. They are really knowledgable and supportive.

Before you go down the road of screwing up your credit score, are you able to get a 0% credit card? You could use that to pay off littlewoods. Your payments should be more affordable. At the very least, you won't pay any more interest.

Doesn't matter if you've been 'an idiot.' It's what you do now that matters.

Yes you'll go to debt collection easily, in the situation you've described.
From what you've said they're unlikely to give you a break unless you go through a debt charity - potentially screwing your credit in the process.

Situation with the adult offspring really should change and sadly people are correct that you'll struggle to get the assistance you need from debt help agencies once they realize you have two adults living there not paying their way, But it's your life, decisions, and choices, so if you're determined to not to charge them, then it's about getting more work fast.
I understand about avoiding care work.

I know you want admin work, (don't blame you) but if it isn't coming your way, consider night working for short term instant work to get out of financial trouble.
It might sound daunting, but honestly you get used to it fast.

Before disability stopped me, nighttime economy was my fallback, vacancies are frequent, and decent workers do well, especially English speakers tbh.

Unskilled generally pays between £12 - £16 ph (esp w/end shifts) for supermarket warehouse pickers, supermarket shelf fillers, parcel sorters, cleaners, fast food prep workers, etc.
Some of them you can easily pick up shift leader wages if you apply yourself.

Night pickers/palletizers/date checkers/stock takers working the chiller depts for supermarkets, airlines, ect is usually just under £20ph with 4 on 4 off - 6pm to 6am shifts for swift debt busting.

Semi skilled - Hotel night staff, Driving, Waking caretaker, Support workers, Concierge (basic - really night receptionist covering security) Petrol station cashiers, CCTV operators, range from £12 to £22 ph average. (*Often desperate and will take on anyone with common sense skills and English speaking)

There are a couple of options - but you won’t like them. It’s just the same as everyone else has said.

1. you get a second job - any job, you aren’t in a position to be picky.

2. your children make a contribution.

Those are the choices. Yes Littlewoods added on a lot of interest after you failed to pay it off in time, but they would have said that at the time of purchase. As someone who is good at administration you should have made a note to pay it in time.

Hi OP,
I'm sorry for your position. The buy now pay later really piles on the interest if you miss the deadline. Personally I don't know how the celebrities that advertise for these companies (celebrities that have plenty of cash from other work) can think this is an ethical thing to be involved with.

I second the suggestion to contact Stepchange or CAP (Christians against Poverty) and they should be able to help you to write to your creditor with a budget plan offering an amount that you can afford. They help you work through the budget including all annual bills for example as the lenders know if they take you to court the court will also only order what you can afford to pay - so if it is all you can afford then it is all you can afford and they tend to accept it when you have been advised by these charities. Please don't pay for debt advice or use a company that charges to administrate your payments.

I get the impression you like your job - as you said you are wary of jacking it in for a job you potentially don't like. I know how you feel as I like my job a lot (I work nights in care) and although I am potentially interested in changing my job for more family friendly hours etc I am worried about leaving a job I like to find I don't like a new job.

You have been through a lot (losing your mum recently) and I would suggest you keep your job that you enjoy and probably plays a part in keeping you well and getting up in the morning and instead look at supplementing your hours with a second job.

You were quite scathing of a suggestion of looking outside your area of expertise but I think possibly unfairly so. I appreciate care is off the table for you for personal reasons but there is no reason not to consider retail or hospitality. Yes you haven't worked in these areas before but don't forget that they take people on all the time without experience in the sector and they are soon up to speed on the repetitive parts of the job. There is a reason that retail can take on xmas temps for example is that you can be a fairly effective member of staff after a week or two - and ask for help from an experienced colleague when new things arise.

As you work in admin I'm guessing you work within the Monday - Friday 9-5 so perhaps a couple of evenings in a pub/restaurant or shop would be ideal. I think you might be surprised to find it can be pretty enjoyable/sociable work especially if you are doing fairly short shifts.

You can probably get your payments dropped to a token amount and interest frozen by working with a debt charity but I think now that your kids are over 18 doing some other work, and having more money, will probably enhance your quality of life rather than take away from it.

I don’t think your dc paying for food is enough of a contribution you clearly can’t afford to keep them. I think it’s nuts to struggle and incur debt whilst they save up presumably thousands given they are living off free. Charge them dig money it was a third of Salary when I was starting work.

Ignore those judging you . You are not the first & won’t be the last to find yourself in financial difficulties. Contact Citizens Advice ASAP , they will help you to negotiate affordable repayments .

The horse has bolted but instead of new appliances and furniture you could have settled for second hand stuff which is cheap from charity places or free on sites like Freecycle. I mean until you can afford newer stuff. So, if one way out is to return things then look at this. I don't know how Littlewoods credit works.

Your DC need to contribute to household expenses. You are not in a position to subsidise their travel plans at the cost of putting yourself into worsening debt and gaining a bad credit record. Talk to them, they're adults and should help with more than food.

Your children should be contributing more than just food costs.

Also think out of the box re work choices. I’m admin secretarial and the demand for jobs has increased ten fold in the past year or so so unless you retrain (one of my friends at 50 is retraining free with the government fo be an English teacher, wfh online) you’ll just find it harder to get a job unless maybe you know someone who’s hiring.

See if you can get a 0% credit card and put the debt onto there. It will give you 12 months to clear the debt of the card. Which for £2000 is £166 a month less than your 240 also if you only pay £100 you'll only be paying lower interest on the remaining £800.

Double check on entitled to. For benefits. It's accurate for me anyways

I think you are entitled to UC, OP.

£460 rent + £390 standard allowance gives a max entitlement of £850.

£850 - £550 (55% of net pay) = £300.

Even if your LHA rate was £100 a month less than your actual rent, you'd still be entitled to £200 a month.

Disclaimer: this calculation was done in my head, because I'm too lazy to get off my arse and get my work laptop which has the benefit calculation software installed, so it may not be 100% accurate. But it shouldn't be far out.

It is not enough of a contribution, if they lived elsewhere they would have to find rent/council tax and utilities. They need to make a contribution towards those, especially as you are struggling, having furnished their home. Part of being an adult.

OP, can you children contribute £25 each every month to help clear the debt? Presumably they are using the appliances too

And you could sign up to survey websites while you keep applying for jobs

look here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/cost_of_living/4921590-how-can-i-earn-money-right-now

People keep asking if your kids contribute. Do they?

Sorry but it's just ridiculous your kids only buy their food.

If they were renting a house share, they'd be paying a LOT more.

You need to treat them as adults.

They use heating, water, the washing machine, the sofa, no doubt the TV/ internet/ subscriptions.

Their holiday fund is what they have AFTER they have paid for their living costs.

You've spoiled them.

Sit down and have an adult talk about how this has got to change.

Tonight!

Depending on their income, something like £100 a week each is not out of order.

She said no. They buy their own food that's all.

As other have said, you adult working children need to be paying much more instead of saving for their jollies while you can barely afford to feed yourself.

You also need to increase your hours to bring in more income.

The solution is not for Littlewoods to lower your payments, you will just spiral further and further into debt paying their high interest.

My DS used to work at Tesco.

Quite a few of his collegues had full time professional jobs working 9-5 and then worked 6-10 in the evening at Tesco to get extra cash.

It's not degrading to work where you can get it, if you need extra cash.

Agree with this. Cannot understand your snobby attitude to a previous suggestion of looking at McDonald’s for work (and your stupid comment about a plumber trying ballroom dancing 🙄), you’re skint and getting yourself into a hole because of your current poor choices. Maybe it wasn’t the most sensible buying lots on buy now, pay later but I can understand it being the only option at the time. What I can’t understand is not taking any reasonable steps to resolve your situation now.

Your children need to step up and start paying rent.

I know they want to save and travel, I know you don't want to ask but life isn't fair. You have already paid a huge amount in interest you can't afford more. They should each pay at least £100 a month, more would be fairer.

Sorry about the loss of your mother. To have been her carer at the end of her life must've been hard, and 3 months is hardly any time at all to have passed since losing her.

I think it's already been mentioned, but can you get a 0% interest credit card & pay off the debt with that? Check on Money Saving Expert. The repayments would be much more manageable.

Also, re. Your adult children, if you view it as teaching them valuable life skills regarding paying their way, then perhaps it'll sit more comfortably with you?

They work but are saving to go travelling in summer and I won't dip in to their savings.
They pay for their own food which I think is more than enough of a contribution

Many people would disagree with you on both counts.

You are effectively paying for their travelling if you aren't taking a contribution towards their board and lodging from them.
Just paying for their own food each is much more expensive than collective shopping and cooking would be. Born for the food, and the cost of cooking it.