To be drowning in debt

[Nohelpoutthere]

It doesn't matter how many hours I work, I never earn enough.

I'm in so much trouble.

Right, where to start.

I'm miles behind in my council tax and electricity.
I owe money to bailiffs because of historic parking tickets. I have to pay one this morning and it will leave me with about £30 for the rest of the week.
Just not managing.

Fed up of it all. Never seems to end,

Have you got a budget?

Why are you getting so many parking tickets? Can you get rid of your car and use public transport?

Can I ask what debts you have e.g. Credit cards, mortgage , etc

As it depends on the type of debt you have to the help that can be given

I've got one credit cards, that's just about under control.

It's not really loads of parking tickets but I paidmone off ages ago and another one has resurfaced. Just fed up of it. I can't get rid of the car really. It was when I had a job I needed the car for.

How many parking tickets do you have outstanding and have you approached them to make a payment plan?

It is far far better to speak to the bailiffs now than to wait for them to appear at your door

Have you written out a budget?

No, they don't listen - hence my name.

you need to prioritize

things like council tax and avoiding bailiffs should be at the top of your list

high interest accruing debts near the top too

putting your head in the sand wont help- speak to the people you owe money to and come up with a plan

your sole focus is to get your debt to be manageable- people like citizens advice can help you

Council tax needs to be your priority. It's the only one you can go to prison for not paying.

Do you have anyone you trust who can sit down and help you make a plan? Help you contact people?

Are you working? Receiving any benefits? Do you have children?

I work, no benefits (just CB) two children.

I've made an arrangement for this years council tax. Last years is with a collection team though

I don't have any money now because of this PT.

Is the credit card on a 0%? It will be more difficult to get a balance transfer if your credit rating is poor but it may be worth a look on the money saving expert site - it was much easier than I thought and now we have no interest building up. There may even be some offers on cashback sites where if you transfer via them you get a bit of money back

Have you worked out how much you owe in total?

If you're struggling with debt, speak to Stepchange. I make a token payment towards my debts each month, and my creditors don't bother me anymore.

You need to be calling a debt management company. They will go through all debts with you and your incomings and outgoings without debts. Then they will see how much realistically you can afford and negotiate that on your behalf. Some charge a fee per month but that comes off what you pay in. There are free ones too. They can get the interest frozen and you can stop panicking about bailiffs turning up on the door.

Stepchange weren't very helpful unfortunately.

Have you spoken to citizens advice?

I did about the council tax. They just said not to open the door to bailiffs, which I knew.

Prioritise bills and food, contact debt companies and negotiate repayments. Sit down, plan a budget and stick to it.

Contact Stepchange or your local CAB or Community Debt advice, all will help with this and help you to manage your budget. In my work I refer people all the time and the relief of getting finances more in control is wonderful to see.
Good luck

Unfortunately stepchange weren't helpful as I don't have a fixed income - it varies.

Have you tried christians against poverty?
They are pretty good.

What did step change say?

I do know that feeling of being on a hill of sand and every time you take a step forward you end up sliding back again.

Positives are your job, your car. Can you ask for a meeting with your boss and ask if there are any possibilities of promotion or short term extra hours? Do you have anyone who could take the kids while you do an evening shift or a saturday job for a few months? Do you have anything to sell in the short term?

Contact these people: Payplan who will help you without charge.
You need to do something urgently (been there, done that) and it will be a great weight off your mind once you do. Payplan will advise you what are priority debts and what aren't and negotiate with creditors on your behalf.
Also, don't park where you shouldn't. That's not meant to sound mean, but parking tickets are fairly easily avoidable.

I know twofingers it was pretty difficult though, as it was my job. I'm already working weekends and taking the kids with me. Not ideal but what can you do

Prioritise the bailiff debt and council tax - if you don't pay that you're in serious trouble. An ex-flat mate of mine didn't pay his and ended up with a court summons which would have ended in a prison stay if he hadn't managed to borrow money at the last minute.

Things like electric - are you on a meter or do you pay by DD? Are there any outgoings you no longer need - car, broadband, SKY or phone contracts you can cancel?

Are you on the cheapest tarrifs for everything? Can the DC's stop their activities for a while or can their father step up and pay or help you out with their uniforms or something so you have a bit of relief?

Payplan literally saved my life. Took us 6 years to pay everything off but we did it. They were brilliant.

Is it just you earning or do you have a partner?

Just me, no partner.