Drowning in debt and cannot talk to people in Real Life? A problem shared is a problem brought into perspective - come and join the lens.

[Ta1kinPeace]

This thread is loosely linked to several previous ones on the same topic.

We live in a society that makes it horribly easy to get into debt but makes it incredibly hard to admit you have a problem and even harder to get out of debt.
Everybody is welcome to share problems, ideas, solutions, but not be judgemental please

I am not in debt, any more.
Here is a link to some spreadsheets that might help explain how
SPREADSHEETS-for-Debt-Control-Budgeting-Mortgages-etc

and lots of people use this
YouNeedABudget

The important things to remember are

• yesterday is as past as the Crimean War

( we will not judge how you got into debt, but we will support you on the way out )

• this is an anonymous forum

( we will not tell your employer, family or friends of the reality of your numbers and we are here day and night )

• this thread is about supporting people through the huge mindset changes needed to come out of debt

( feel free to offload all of the feelings that drive you to want to spend, that make it hard to save and that generally make life crap at times, including getting those closest to you to recognise the changes needed )

Join in, bare your soul and come out the other end.
Its worth it.
You are worth it
The long term results for you, your partner, your children, and your friends and family are worth it.

ilovewelsh you can open another account.
We were with Santander and constantly in a cycle of paying charges. Our credit is not good at all,but we wanted to get rid of the Santander account.
We opened a basic cash account (online so we didn't even need to go into a branch) with Lloyds. We get a Visa debit card but no cheque book or overdraft, which is fine by me!! We have to pay a minimum of £750 (I think) into it per month, otherwise there's a small charge, but DH's salary covers that.You can set up DD's and SO's too. Best thing we did-Santander have had hundreds off us over the years in charges and I was desperate to see the back of them!

I have some questions if noone minds

first of all lucys did you ever get anywhere with Scottish power? we have been with them for 4 months now and they haven't billed us for gas yet, saying there is a fault on the system and they appreciate my patience while they resolve it. I just want to know what I'm using and what I need to be paying.

secondly, some advice - When I started my job a year ago (junior accounts assistant in a Construction company) I was verbally advised I would be put through the training qualifications I want to proceed. I have now been advised the funding isn't there for this (in the North East and the closure of the Steelworks is really affecting us) but they have given me the details of the course provider who can offer me IAB certificates levels 2 and 3 at a reduced rate of £450. With £10k of debt would you advise my paying myself through this course, adding to the credit card (0%) if it meant once complete I could actually gain employment elsewhere with an annual salary increase of approx £3-4k?
Am due on maternity leave in march and wondering if I could do the study while on leave and look for work from there?!
Everyone seems so in control of their spending here and I'm just stuck wondering if adding to the debt now for long term gain is the right thing to do.

Qfor
but they have given me the details of the course provider who can offer me IAB certificates levels 2 and 3 at a reduced rate of £450.

They should pay it : staff training is good practice
If they pay for it then they get a tax deduction for it.

You could offer to reimburse the company for it out of your pre-tax salary.
If you pay it out of pre tax salary then you and they save on tax and NI

but frankly if they cannot afford £450 to up skill you, its time to move

talk I agree, and when I was told that they can no longer afford it I was rather annoyed to put it lightly, one of the main reasons I took the job was for the gain and training with professional qualifications.

I have a feeling they just don't want to pay due to me going on maternity leave, even though I've said I'd be happy to reimburse the costs if I was to leave within say 12 months of the training. So frustrating.

Well.
Things are not going exactly to plan!
Work is ok, boring nmw but ok. I've been ill though (nasty kidney infection) so my pittance of pay has been even more reduced.
Sadly it looks like Dhs work are being bastards and are going to shaft him again re promotion :(
Feel quite down ATM.

Badders Are you still NW Leics? we can apply for free trees off the council. It's two trees per house.

I had a leaflet today and nearly threw it out.

Hi fluffy.
Yes I am.
Free trees? Please explain! (Brain not working today!)
After my moany post of yesterday dh had a meeting at work and has been promoted :) it will mean more travel :( which means I will have to give up my weekend job but I'm ok with that. I'm finding it physically quite tough Tbh :(
By May 2016 it will mean £1k more per month :) also bonuses! :)
We are continuing with the plan for repayment of the cc which means it will be paid off by the time the 0% ends.
Obviously a spendy couple of months coming up (xmas etc) but am hoping we can actually start saving too!
Still feeling low but that's because I'm ill (again!!)
Hope everyone is ok?

Oh good I thought I'd tipped over into crazy stalker type.

www.nwleics.gov.uk/pages/free_trees_scheme. I don't know where you pick them up from, it doesn't say.

I'm quite interested in the hazelnut. Fab news on your dh's promotion.

Yes it is :)
Hoping it takes the pressure off a bit!
I shall look into the trees, thanks! :)

Ooooh Ive just ordered 2 trees!!
:)

Pretty sure I'm going for hazelenut, I shall wear a red carnation in my lapel on pick up day

I'll more likely be in my gardening jeans

I went for hazel and rowan.
I will be easy to spot.
I will probably fall over something and swear loudly :)

Badders Well done to your DH. And amazing well done at staying on track to clear that card.

I like the idea of free trees : I give away spare veg from my garden a lot : I could strike some tree cuttingsand do them too

Thanks tip :)
Think Dh is a bit down actually as he has realised this means we will lose the child benefit (£138 per month) and with Xmas coming up (and mot etc) we won't really see the benefit til after December.
But some April it will be a massive difference :)

Hello all.

Well, I am back on the wagon. A period of awful complacency followed by ill health has made me realise that I need to get a massive grip and get a handle on this once and for all.

I have put a budget plan in place and will be checking in to keep on the straight and narrow.

I'm now going to have a read and catch up.

badders great news on DHs promotion and being much better off! That's brilliant . The short term pain of the loss of CB will soon pass. I've been ill loads too - it's rubbish. Awful virus that set off the dreaded fibro means I've missed loads of work - stress I can do without. I hope you are feeling better now .

Hi kinky...fellow fibromyalgia sufferer here too...
Feel really rubbish atm and now have gastro troubles too! Had to take Imodium as we were traveling 2.5 hours today (unavoidable) so hoping that doesn't cause problems
Feeling quite sorry for myself

IBS is awful Badders. I hope you settle down.

No idea what it is tbh.
Feeling quite....fragile ATM, both physically and emotionally.
Both DC are on half term here and off to pils today. They are coming back early though as ds1 has to have his flu jab (asthmatic)
Feel quite sad about leaving my job even though the shifts were rubbish and so was the pay!
Have applied for a couple more pt NHS admin positions but I'm not hopeful.
I'm starting to wonder if my ill health recently (the last month) has been due to working shifts.
Hmm.
No plans for the week really. Might take boys to town tomorrow as ds1 has a book token to spend. They want to go to a local cafe for lunch tomorrow but it shouldn't cost too much and have budgeted £10.
My mum has given ds1 her old iPhone4 so I've got him a £5 sim (cheapest one) and when my contract is up in January I will do the same.
Last month was a bit of a disaster financially and this month is looking the same!
Lots of meds I had to buy (£30) and I messed up my car insurance and ended up paying £20 more than I thought I had to to my old provider.
And of course October is a 5 weeker. Grr.
My car indicator isn't working so we are going to try and fix it ourselves rather than take it to the garage.
I don't really think we will see much difference in Dhs raise til April next year, but then it should make a big difference.
Planning on Xmas shopping at end of November.
Dh and I have said we will have a monthly budget meeting to discuss spends - like clothes for the boys, car repairs etc
Must get boys ready now! Ds2 and I didn't get up til 8.45!

Don't know if its worth a try, but DHs IBS went away when we started 5:2 and has never come back ...... 24 hours with no solid food (just lots of tea) once or twice a week has worked wonders

I going to try going back on 16:8
It has,worked for me in the past

Just on here for a bit of a whinge. Am so pissed off.
Was down to our last £20 till Friday. Went to Asda for a few bits-withdrew the 20 from the cashpoint before I went in. Got to the checkout and couldn't find the money. Frantically looked everywhere-pockets, purse, bag.....no money.Retraced my steps round the shop but no sign of it. DD (12), bless her, had £10 on her that her nan had given her to go to town. "Use it Mum" she said " I just won't go to town" Needed the food so had to use her money,but she was so looking forward to going with her friends.
Anyway, I spoke to customer services and they checked the CCTV and apparently I didn't take the cash out of the machine-DD distracted me and I put my card back in my purse but didn't take the money. Seconds later, a man used the cashpoint and had an extra £20 bonus!
I'm gutted-I've got less than £1 in the bank, no petrol,not much food.....but what upsets me the most-and I cried- was DD giving up her cash and forgoing her trip to town. She didn't hesitate.
I've found money in cashpoints in the past and always handed it in...hope karma bites him on the arse!!

hookie
Contact the bank and complain A LOT
there is no way that the machine should have left the cash sitting there for the next person
the machines are meant to swallow the money back after a certain number of seconds and definitely the instant that his card touched the machine

tell them you want your account credited
or you report that machine to the regulator

but next time, do cashback at the till

Slinking in for a bit of advice please...... Having organised a 0% Virgin card for DH, he had no contact from them regarding statement being ready, due payment date etc which has meant a late payment......which has meant they've charged him a late payment fee and removed the 0% rate!!! When he rang to chase last month (and made the late payment even though he didn't know it was late because he'd had no text or paper statement) they didn't say this would happen but did agree to send a paper statement (which is what I've opened today)

What can we do???? Can he ring them and argue the case that as they didn't provide the payment info it's their fault and so should reinstate the 0%? It means a min payment of £200 a month instead of what was meant to be £70!!! And back to the cycle of high interest which we thought had been broken by getting this card at 0%

I have a Virgin card too, never had a problem with receiving the text reminders. I could throttle him!!!! even though he's bound to make out its my fault somehow or other

First off, formal complaint, by email to Virgin Head office, threaten to report them to the ombudsman
not communicating with customers is a big no no

then - go through the paperwork with a fine tooth comb - see what it says about statements
if they have breached their own terms
SLAM them

go in hard ball