I have less than nothing in my bank account until 31 May

[iloveruby]

According to my bank account I will be £99 over my overdraft once all my direct debits are paid.

I don't get paid until the 31 May.

I have some available credit on credit cards but I don't want to use them because that will make next month's payments even higher.

So, what do I do? I've got to pay for fuel and food for the month.

I'm currently looking at things to sell.

Is there anyway to reduce credit card payments without it impacting my credit score?

Help me please!!!

I currently have half a tank of petrol which will last for a week or so

At least you have a horse. That’s free transport.

A horse?

How do you know the OP has a horse? Are you clairvoyant?

Do you have time or any skills like gardening, cleaning, ironing, moving stuff? Advertise on social media locally ie FB, ND & join task rabbit. They take about 48hrs to pay you & take a percentage.

Sell whatever you don't need on fb marketplace for a short term solution. Years ago we sold some memorabilia for extra cash and it helped tide us over.

Guessing advanced search

They have a horse?

And 400 in a single month puts them in the negative? Maybe horse ownership should be off the table?

Could you possibly do any babysitting or dog walking or anything?

Any Boots Advantage Card points/nectar card, etc?

We have a winner!

Quite. Let’s just hope the horse doesn’t need surgery or something one day.

Yes I do have a horse! I

am looking at ways to reduce all my outgoings and really appreciate all the advice so far. Lots to look into and I'm feeling a bit more optimistic now so thank you everyone.

Sorry posted too soon - i do have a horse but keep him as cheaply as possible (whilst making sure he has what he needs) and the only alternative to reduce that outgoing would be to PTS which I obviously really don't want to do.

I know I've got myself into a ridiculous situation but am finally trying to face up to it and address it.

I'm sure lots of us end in a pickle unintentionally at some points. You could say I was stupid getting in a fix over two school trips, but they was agreed when I was more flush. I'd have lost hundreds and the trips if I didn't pay them off. I had no idea ( stupidly) that the vast bulk of both was due in April. I hope I've learnt a lot from that. I really must, must MUST build up a £500 buffer. Which I will once I have replaced both of my front tyres. I got in a fix over a car repair last year as well. But now I also have some tools ready

I hope that the horse will be taken care of, food wise. From what I read on here, they cost a small fortune to keep.

They’ve really don’t depending on livery etc. They absolutely can cost a lot but you can keep costs to a minimum especially this time of year now the grass is coming through and they’ll eat less hay. Hard feed isn’t that expensive.

Vet bills and livery can be expensive but not everyone needs livery and vets are obviously usually not a monthly cost.

@LadyKenya yes the horse will absolutely have what he needs - I am lucky in so far that where I live I am able to do it as cheaply as possible.

@IncessantNameChanger thank you - yes, I have got myself into a mess and have no-one to blame but myself. I am now trying to sort that out and the advice has been really useful. It has also been a bit of a wake up call that I can't hide from this anymore!

@MynameisJune definitely no livery costs here, all DIY!!

This is the situation I’m finding myself in every month just now. I have a £500 overdraft and I’m at the bottom of it every month when I get paid so a huge chunk of my wage is already away 🤦🏼‍♀️ I got into vinted last month and ended up making £300ish with second hand baby clothes. I used some of the balance on there to buy my son some new clothes too, which I would of had to buy anyway full price but got them for a fraction of that! Have you got vinted? Are there are clothes you could sell? A lot of things are literally £1/2 but it adds up to a lot if you just sell loads of them

I know I've got myself into a ridiculous situation but am finally trying to face up to it and address it.

You’re far from on your own with it, honestly. If I were you, I’d invest a bit of time reading through the Debt-Free Wannabe boards on the moneysavingexpert site - just have a lurk around and get a feel for how people are advised to get out of these situations. It’ll either make you feel better or worse, but either way you’ll have more knowledge of what’s possible or likely or desirable.

Feel free to ask here too, or on the Money Matters board, but MSE is really the best place for experts on debt, and some camaraderie in knowing others aren’t perfect!

@iloveruby would selling your horse not be a better option than PTS if push came to shove? Not something you want to be doing though obviously. I have a horse too and it is a huge cost, there are some charities I’m sure you could reach out to for help with pet bills

No-one would buy him!! He had a really serious injury and is quite limited in what he can do (he is pain-free if managed carefully) and to be honest I would worry too much about him ending up in the wrong hands. He is also my absolute life and I don't know what I would do without him.

@NoSquirrels thank you for being so understanding - I'll have a look at MSE.

If I didn't have credit card repayments to make I would be absolutely fine!!

Also, you have to hold on to this, and what it means.

If you didn’t have DEBT you would be fine.

If you didn’t have debt you could afford an ‘unexpected’ £400 bill without starving or missing work.

The credit card repayments are an issue, but it’s the level of debt that makes them unaffordable.

Don’t keep struggling if you don’t 100% no issue NEED your ‘credit rating’ i.e. you work in a profession that bars you from earning if you have defaults, or some other Big Deal Issue.

If it’s more that it’s a case of ‘I can’t possibly trash my credit rating because I’ve spent so long debt-shuffling and how would I get good deals on debt-shifting again’ then you might have to accept you’re at the end of the road with that and that you just won’t be using credit any more going forward. You’ll live within your means on a budget that allows you not to need any credit.

Cross-posted - I really am very sympathetic to it. It was a long time ago for me and digging out was hard on a low income in a high cost of living place, but it’s possible.

(Word of warning, MSE will be very annoyed about the horse, if you post there. But they are tough but fair, and forewarned is useful!)