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 ?

I have just put your figures into the entitled to website... it says you are entitled to £66 a week universal credit... I'd suggest you apply.

I included your two kids guessing 19/20 so it wouldn't necessarily exclude you. If they do then I agree you need them to contribute... even if it was £50 a month it would help.

@daysmustgetbetter
You simply cannot afford for your adult children not to contribute, regardless of what they are saving for. Travel is a luxury, paying bills is a necessity.
Paying for their own food is absolutely not enough.
If they keep buying their own food, then £200 per month per child. If they eat your food so you can buy in bulk, then £250.
This would literally solve your problems!

Could you apply for a 0% credit card for 18 months and transfer the debt onto the card for now. Hope you get it sorted OP.

You say your adult kids work but are saving to go travelling - I take it they live at home ? Do they use the appliances and sit on the sofa then I am sure they could pay a little bit more than just their food to help you out rather than see you struggle have you told them about this ?

You need to take £150 off each child per month, still very low (£200 is still only £50 a week) problem solved

Why are you only earning £1000 a month? Even minimum wage in a full time job is about £1500 per month.

Increase your hours, and get your adult children to contribute as well.

To all those suggesting 0% credit card, OP is very unlikely to get one with £4500 credit limit based on her PT salary of £12k a year, there would also be a roughly 3% fee.

I agree the interest charges are exhorbitant, but you knew what the deal was when you took it on and it's hardly reasonable to expect them to wait longer for their money when you can easily raise it via charging the DCs a modest rent

Put simply you can't afford to sub them as you're doing no matter how much you may want to, so changes will need to be made

It sounds like you've had your head in the sand about this but now are being forced to confront it. The worst thing you can do is let it affect your credit rating, so you need to find a way to pay this. You're going to have to ask for a contribution from your children. UC would expect you to be getting money from your working adult children, which is why you will be entitled to little if anything. I second (or third) the suggestion of getting a 0% interest credit card asap and only use it to pay off this debt. You don't have time to wait to find another job.

It’s not the only way to pay for big purchases. In the ‘good old days’ people used to save up for things, and in the mean time made do with second hand.

Easy credit and instant gratification is a more recent thing.

Have you tried applying for jobs in local government or NHS? I know a few people who work in public sector and they’re always saying how they struggle to get candidates to apply and there’s plenty of admin roles. Also I can see you mentioned that you couldn’t do care work because of your mum but there’s actually quite a lot of roles in this sector that don’t involve working with the elderly. Check out UKCIL, there’s lots of opportunities to work with young adults who need a carer to help them gain independence and learn independence skills. You don’t always need experience, just the right attitude and I’ve seen flexible roles advertised up to £15 an hour. Good luck, I hope you find something that works for you.

Surely it would be better to use kids savings and pay them back rather than an extra £2.5k interest??!!!

Are your children actually coming home eating the food they decide to buy themselves and watching you struggle?

Are you hiding it from them?

If I was the adult child in this situation I would not respect someone who is getting into debt to play at being wealthy when I could have chucked them £25 a week or so and still be able to save most of my wage because that is a bargain price for a bills paid roof over my head.

If it helps, I know millionaires who make their children pay towards their keep, because they believe you need to value the money you have and not see your earnings as pocket money.

Maybe not entitled because the household income including the other adults living in the house is much higher. Why should UC fill the gap when there are adults in the home not contributing and saving for holidays instead?

I understand not wanting to charge your children but there's nothing wrong with doing that.

However if you don't want to do that, then your best bet is to get a few evening or weekend hours in a shop/McDonalds/pub. Short term until you either find more admin hours or you pay off the debt. My friend did exactly this for a year to pay off her credit card, she worked in a local pub on Fri/Sat nights.

Citizens advice op. If you cannot afford it ask for the account to be put on hold while you get advice.

Lovely, very helpful 👌

All of this stress to yourself is caused by some very bizarre choices of yours...

Choosing to only work 3 days a week. That is a choice in the current climate, there's jobs everywhere. You've chosen to not work at mcds because you have no experience? Absurd. You're only looking for a job you'll be good at. Again. Absurd given your situation. Take any job.

I started work at McDonald's and in a pub when I was 16. Of course I didn't have experience.

But it's your choice. Continue to survive on £100 a month if McDonalds is beneath you, but you can't really complain about it.

Subsidising other adults who have jobs. Another really strange decision.

You garnered sympathy from me in your op, which is disingenuous given there is actually 3 working adults in your house.

Don’t apply on Indeed. Use it to find jobs, but then go to the company’s website to apply directly.

Indeed make it so easy to apply for a job at the click of a button, with very little effort. This means that employers get inundated with loads of entirely unsuitable applicants, and the decent ones get lost amongst them.

Apply on the company’s website, and a bit more effort is required. It filters out the dross and give you a much better chance to sell yourself to the employer.

I have a 20% success rate of getting an interview when applying through indeed. That went up to 90% when I started applying directly.

So you’re too good for McDonald’s it you can’t afford to live on your current wage? You’re getting yourself into more and more debt yet won’t consider something that you see as beneath you as a temporary measure? I can see why you’re in this predicament 🤷‍♀️

... when you’re on a low income, the only way to pay for big purchases like a fridge or washing machine is to do it through a catalogue/loan/credit card which charges interest

Never heard of secondhand Trulyme?

Many of us managed perfectly well with it when we couldn't afford anything else, but then many of us didn't expect everything NOW

The OP only currently works 25 hours per week. (But is looking for more.)

You'll likely still be entitled to some UC due to your income and you may be able to get assistance with housing costs too. Google entitled to benefits calculator.

“They work but are saving to go travelling in summer and I won't dip in to their savings.”

Are they usually this selfish? Or have they offered and you’ve declined? Their parent needs help to pay for things I’m sure they also use the items and they don’t want to dip into savings!! If you don’t want to charge them anything to contribute to the household expenses then that’s your business but clearly you need more money. I did read your looking for full time work but you need the money now, not in a few months time!

Why didnt't you just take out 0% interest credit card and pay off the balance at 12 months (prior to them applying the interest? Then you'd have had another 12-24 months depending on the card offer, the clear this debt.