I'm making a bad decision this month

[disneyspendingmoney]

I've had to pay legal fees of £1k this month (child arrangement and contact orders) and my half of the supervised contact fees (that hurt as I'm the resident parent), then got stung by my utility provider for the quarterly bill. It's bottomed me out. After rent I'll be left with £540, till next payday in the middle of Feb.

I have to pay £79 for a train ticket for a business meeting and 4 lots of £25 for after-school club.

That leaves me with £12 44 each day for me and the dcs. Seeing it like that, £12 is easily enough for the three of us to be ok.

I doubt if I will get child maintenance this month, so I'm not going to factor that in.

So my bad decision, will be not to pay any further debts this month as they amount to £457.

February, I get my half yearly bonus on top of my wages, which will easily clear the 15 days late debts and be 15 days before the next payments are due.

It's not the best way to be, but as long as there isn't any extra surprises, we get by.

I think I'll call each of the debts the day before they are due to say I can't pay.

I'm not happy that I have to do this (not pay rather than have to call). But I think it's the most painless way to get by.

Can you call the creditors to negotiate a break?

Hi OP - ahead over to the debt free wannabe forum on the money saving expert board, they will be able to advise you the beat action to take in this situation. (I think you may be better to pay each creditor £1, rather than nothing?)

I've rung them and because I'm up to date there is nothing that can be done until payment fails and it gets passed to collection in 21 days after payment date.

If I can pay before thenI won't be penalised.

I can only offer £1 or another amount once collection have attempted to contact me.

Can you put your food on a credit card or arrange an overdraft. Both are perfect solutions for short term cash flow issues like this and only get you into trouble if you rely on them more than occasionally.