I can't cope

[fairyfly]

Hate to sound really moany and depressed but i feel like im going to have a stroke at any moment.
Im under an immense amount of emotional strain on my own and i cant get myself out of a hole.
I have spent all morning coming to arrangements for lower bills and have fought to pay the minimal ammounts. This is what i end up with
£71.00 per week bills
I recieve £110 per week

So i have to live off 39.00 a week. Can it be done. I feel like giving bloody up. I can't give my kids anything, and christmas is nearly seeing me off. I'm starting to get scared now that i will always live like this and it is getting so so tough. Sorry, im just loosing it a bit. Need to rant.

Oh Love, pat on the fetlock for you sorry to hear you are loosing it. Hope someone can come on and give you some practical advice xxxx

Is this for normal bills or debt FF ???

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tv. license fine 9.00
tv.license 4.50
Water 7.50
Elec 30
NTL 15

Its that

have you gone to the CAB and got them to double check you are getting all benefits and tax credits you may be entitled to?

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Will try to help. as am accountant but...

the figures you give adds up to £39 does rent make up the rest?

What is NTL? phone?

do you also pay council tax ff or are you exempt?

FF do you seriously pay £30 A WEEK for electric and £15 A WEEK for NTL. I only ask as these do seem quite high. I pay about £30 a month for electric and about £15 for NTK, but that is just phone not TV etc. Also at £4.50 a week for TV licence is about double what it is usually, are they making you pay a lot in advance??

Surely if you are on benefits you cannot be expected to live on £39 a week, I am sure you have been to the CAB already, but there must be something you are entitled too. I know your DH is an XXXXXX but do you get any maintenence?

Take care and big hugs as this amount seems far too low for at least 3 of you.

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sorry i left one off 5.oo catalogue
Have i done the calculations wrong, its not 35 is it?
I got caught without a t v license so that is my fine, i can got to court and fight my case, but i am not going back to court as i will have a nervous breakdown
Electric is 30 a week, i have a meter that eats up my cash, its not a bill.
Ntl, is for tv, phone and internet, i'm sure i can get it down from 15, if i come off the internet.
Been to cab, these are honestly the lowest
I have two boys 3 and 5
No maintenance, still waiting, applied in march.

Ff i have an electric meter too, but it only uses 10 pounds a week and we live in a 4 bed house. Are you sure it is set correctly ?? I would check cos my friends was set incorrectly and she got nearly 200 quid back from them.

that elec seems very very high to me!!! get it checked.

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FF your electric bill cannot possibly be £30 a week .. that's £1,560 a year

we live in a 4 bed victorian house and our electricity bill is less than half that

that needs checking .. it really does

FF that is total c**P I do understand the £15 for NTL, I mean what price could you put on MN But that meter is terrible. Why is it that people like you who are struggling so much have to use a meter that seems way way out of proportion to my bills for prbably a much larger house. Even counting my gas too (as we have both and you might not) I pay around £20 a week fo power.

Sorry I can help thing of anything and I am sure you feel down. Going to court wouldn't be fun either. This stinks really, as you are obviously trying your best getting every benefit possible etc. And chasing for that elusive money form your XXXXX ex.

FF huge hugs to you as I wish I could help.

I owe the electricity board one thousand pounds, when my x left he said he was still paying it for us, i got the bill and realised he was lying. It takes into account my debt.
I live in rented accomadation, yep. They pay for it all minus 20 pounds a month, which so far i haven't been billed with, the words head, sand and ostrich come to mind.

ff, I am wracking my brains and will post if I think of anything remotely constructive to say. xxx

But ff surely it isn't your debt. I know you got the benefit as well, but the bill was in your ex's name was it not? So they should be chasing him for it not just getting it from you because it's easy for them to do so.

I have cried down the phone to the water board electricity etc. it is the house and both our names, they wont touch him, i even gave his address. Im not trying to sound defetist (sp) its just the way it is

defeatist probably

Oh FF, am trying to think of some help but amstruggling.

It's odd that they have taken that attitude aboiut the water and elctric cos when we moved to our flat we owed water and when they chased me for it that asked if i was still with dp and said that if i wasn't the bill would get halved and then they would chase him for the other half.

Anyhow, i know what a pain in the ass the elctric companies are if you owe them money, they have just increased my repayments for debt from 12.00 a month to 40 .

If i think of anything helpfull, i'll be sure to let you know.

ff, that ntl, is that weekly? We pay 61.00 a month for cable, broadband (slightly higher spec than the basic bb I gather) and unlimited phone calls. That's through Telewest. I think you should go to the tv licencing people and tell them you can't afford to pay it and you want to negotiate it down to 3 or something a week. 9.50 is bloody ridiculous! Your electricity is extortionate too, as someone else said. Can't you get unmetered access? Ours (small 2 bed house) costs 50 odd a month! Oh just read your post and you are paying off debt I see too. I really think you need to re-negotiate (or get someone to re-negotiate, ME springs to mind) that payment. It's also bloody ridiculous. So here's an offer (if you want to do this): Contact me off board and give me details of the electricity and tv licence repayment stuff. You'll have to email them too to give them permission to discuss it with me. Let me get them down to a realistic (paltry) monthly amount. I'm fairly sure I'll manage it.

Prostitution?

Has anyone been in this mess and got out of it, i cant see a light anymore, i am sick of treading water. Can you turn your life around?