Can we have a nice, kind supportive gowd we are in so much debt type thread?

[grumpypants]

One where we can just be noice and not scathing? I am just always doing little sums in my head, about when things will be cleared, etc. We have sooo much debt. Interest only mortgage, can't afford repayment at the mo. Credit card - bought rubbish house, paid for work with 'real' money, living expenses on cards. Loan, car loan, overdraft etc. It's about £35k unsecured. We pay 1,000 each month in debt. I am so shocked by how this happened, but there are no expensive shoes peeking out the wardrobe; it's a combo of poor choice, me giving up work due to ill child, and the house falling apart just after we moved in...anyone else? I am trying so hard to cut down, and to pay stuff off - one day I really want to enjoy the money dh and I earn.

congrats QED - well done!

How's everyone doing? Anyone won the lottery or anything exciting?

My sales on Ebay are looking good. Totally £82 with 2 days to go (14 items in total).

Got a letter from HMRC sating I could have £20 because I wear a uniform to work (Thank you MSE)

My kids have been ill so I've bought a bottle or 2 of wine thins weekend, but that's all guv.

well done! whats a wine thin interested may be a possible purchase - not so great - extra pay not materialised so have that one to battle out this week. Plus car come in at almost double! But lovely parent will help out. Swings and roundabouts. Can also pay all of the gas bills for the quarter with the money saved for the gas bills. sort of okay. Waiting to do a boot fair - cannot face ebay again.

wine thin?

I meant I've bought wine this weekend. I may have stumbled across a money making idea though!

Ebay is doing my head in a bit. I forget the kind of daft questions and requests people make. At least at a bootfair it's one day, done and dusted; sold as seen.

Gutted. I thought they might be like alcoholic After Eights.
Yup, I hate the piles of stuff lying around for ebay and the postage thing. The Boot Fair is at dds school so trying to pluck up courage to go - very posh types who probably dont need cash iyswim.

Is there not another 'out of town' one you could go to? We have a couple of massive ones that involve travel and an entrance fee, but the turnout is huge!

yes - i think most of them start in the summer, so will have to just keep everything together. just lost my impetus with the whole pay thing i think - its disappointing. at least i can still get rid of the small overdraft - psychologically that will help.

The massive ones near us tend to start in April. Those are hardcore start at 6am types.

Just got the £20 cheque in the post from HMRC this morning for the uniform wearing rebate. Very quick and very easy to get done.

well done! you are really doing well. i managed to pay the gas bills and avoid buying anything exciting at the petrol station (usually paper, chocolate etc). Really want to notice a difference this year.

At what point does anyone think they'll really 'feel' a difference? For me it'll be not servicing a stupid £1300 overdraft @ £10 pcm. The rest is on 0% credit card for nearly 2 years, so although is much bigger (10.5k) it actually doesn't bother me as much IYKWIM.

I know what you mean re: overdraft. Determined not to use mine again after this month...fed up of it. Am going to reduce it too...then I wont be tempted!

Got one or two things at xmas that the dc either already have or dont/wont use that I will re-gift. My nephew will be ecstatic about the lego for his b day!!!

I have gone off e bay too...and am too lazy to do a car boot and dh would want far too much money for stuff anyway

January been a disaster money wise...new boiler and repairs to leaky conservatory roof (£3k) Just dont know where to cut back anymore

OMG - my dh is exactly the same [beca] - expects to receive £££ for some old tat!

I think I will feel a difference when one of the accounts is in credit - dh a/c always at 1500 od, jt always 3200 od and mine 200 od - once i have cancelled that facility i will feel so much better. still leaves the other ones, but still....

I am determined to avoid IVAs and Bankruptcy. Don't know why, just really want to do this myself.

(Actually I do know why - I can't practise if bankrupt)

gp I just have visions of someone asking me "how much for this bit of old fuse wire?" and my dh piping up "That'll be £40"

I know what you mean re: overdrafts btw...its a good place to start isnt it??? Level playing field every month would be great!

yep, this cost 40 quid ten years ago, so that'll be 35 quid now.....

HaHa - I'm like that about my stuff on Ebay - its' all got a 99p starting price, but if someone asks for Buy It Now - I suddenly become all 'Dragons Den'... Well you must really want it, and really want it now, so that fuse is suddenly £45 "and that's a fair price I think".

And funnily enough enough, they never want it, and the auction ends at £1.04.

Hello - more frustration with IVA stuff - the Insolvency Practitioners seem to think that the creditors probably wouldn't accept the offer so may be back to square one. Need to do my income and expenditure for the review team and see how much I will need to give extra per month. Hopefully not all I have been earning...

I am in a profession where being bankrupt would be very bad but an IVA is "OK". Although have to pay them some money when it is finished (had to have a disciplinary thing when took out the IVA).

Feel January hs gone on much too long. Got payslip for one of my jobs for tomorrow - a whole £9 . £5 holiday pay and £4 tax rebate. Will get a little more in February although not that much more. Am going to list some stuff on ebay soon I think.

marking place to read later

we are now both earning full time wages and we have never been so badly off! i am fed up, i work long long hours - shifts - dh works nights, and we seem to do nothing, afford nothing, i drive a 10 year old car, we have a tiny house, yet we seems to have stacks of bills, credit cards, and a loan. Again this is more of a throwback to when i worked part time and couldnt really afford to, but then it was work part time or work full time and pay childcare at astronomical costs! we seem never to win.

That's shit Vicar - you're in the police aren't you? So not really a 'sit back and earn money easily' type situation.

QED - When will you know if creditors will accept your offer?

thats right smaccapacca

i am living the dream. not.
i keep saying to DH, we will be ok in about 2years 6 months when the loan is paid off....
then i can tackle the overdraft
then i can tackle the credit cards
then we might actually have a life....you know, have the occasional holiday, buy a working newish car....

normality is tantalisingly close! (well, about 3 years off but close enough to keep me hanging on in there!)

smakapacca not sure we are going to make an offer now (is further complicated by having to discuss it with XH and also insolvency people being v hard to get hold of). Am just going to hope that at the annual review (which is just the insolvency people - doesn't get discussed directly with creditors) that I'll be able to keep some of the extra earnings I've been slaving for working hard for.

Tried calling review team on Thursday and got through to a switchboard who said they'd pass on the message but they are "very busy" and should call me on Friday. No call yet. Also emailed and no reply. Am trying hard to not feel dispirited and focusing on the fact that in 4 years at the most in one way or another it will be sorted.