[Clarity]

[Анонимен]

I am opening this thread after reading a suggestion by icandothis . I think I would be right in saying that probably most of us on here have debt. It might be an idea to share little ways we save money each day. Does anyone know if you can ring your credit card company and make tiny payments like a for a couple of euro whenever you don’t buy something silly. If I could put something small in each day it would work for me I think. Does it cost to do this?

[vera]

I would say there is no charge for making small payments Sad, but you would need to check with the CC company. I have money in a current account in the Bank. I keep checking it online to make sure it’s safe. Yesterday I noticed two deductions €31 and €15 , for Notified fees and „interest“ or some such silly expensive nonsense. I have to get my money out of that account fast…
I’m going to live a frugal life from next week onwards. I have a few „expensive“ events planned. A party and a trip to the theatre (Pride and Prejudice in the Gate) I invited 5! After that I will be like Scrooge.
Im thinking of investing in a new car . Only THINKING now! It would mean paying €300 per month. So I would not have that much left and would have something to show for my work. I have gambled the price of ten cars at least!

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I just did something sensible I think. I paid up two missed payments on my visa and although the money is not in my account it is now in my visa if I am really stuck , and i am avoiding late charges and interest. At the start of next month I am clearing the balance and that is my first ( tiny only three hundred limit) credit card cleared.i am making sure my husband holds on to the card as I cannot trust myself.so next month i start on credit card two. (Four hundred limit) . If I could clear all smaller ones by the summer, I would be doing well. The bigger ones are already on repayment plans, and I could throw a bit more at them perhaps. So I suppose the tip is forget minimum payment. Pay whatever you can and if you are stuck it is available. For me this is the only card I have . All other were cut up months ago but if I am really stuck i can order new card.

[sam.sam]

Hi. I had a two currant accounts and bye signing for on line banking I could transfer money from any of the to the other one. They were no charge on any account there for i guess you could do that, and any time you feel you can put some money on one of them, or even transfer to you saving account. I think your Idea is very good. I hope it works for you. all the best.

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Feeling really panicked. Debt collectors on phone. Anyone know if they can call your work? The thing is i am repaying monthly to this credit card so I am not sure why I have to deal with debt collectors too. I asked the credit card company yesterday and they said just Keep the debt collector informed, but i got the impression i was onto one of those foreign call centres and they hadn’t a clue what i was talking about.Thinking of offering them small settlement figure as I feel kinda like I am being treated unfairly. I have always been adamant about repaying in full what I owe, and have never looked for smaller settlements. But I can’t be dealing with intrusive calls. I will end up having a heart attack from the stress.I will let you know how it goes. Maybe honesty is not the best policy…maybe paying less to get them off my back is.

[sam.sam]

Hi Sad68,
I am glad to see you are seeking help to solve the problems with debt, as it could be another excuse for our gambling mind to go for another try to make money. That is the way I was thinking before. There are help available. One of the best places you can ask for help is this web site that i will leave the address for you. They help you by giving you appointment on the phone. you need to tell them a phone number and 1 hour of your time to take the information from you about your situation. and then they will send you all the form that you would need, with ready made letters to send to people you owe money to. call them please they are very very helpful. do not let the debt collector and their letter make you feel weak and restless. one of my friend said no matter how much you owe, if you can save £100 a month and you can show to this people that it is what left after your expenditure, they can even make it their job to deal with debt collector and no one will even call you again. Other wise if you can not pay more than a pound on any debt you have, then let it be that. so do not worry, just contact them and follow their advice. here is the website(recently they have changed their name but it is the same. http://www.stepchange.org before it was (cccs ). Today is a good day, I will go to laundry and for a walk in the park. God bless you with all the good things in life. take a good care of yourself. we are all here to be with you in your recovery.

[sam.sam]

Creditors are entitled to contact you to collect unpaid debts. They can contact you by letter, phone call or home visit.

But they have to act within the law and obey a number of guidelines that are set down by the Office of Fair Trading.

Unfair debt collection
The OFT have set out guidelines on what they consider to be unfair debt collection practices. These include:

Calling you at work without permission
Discussing your debts with an employer or family member
Refusing to deal with advice agencies like us
Pressuring you to borrow more money to pay off debts
Pretending to have legal powers they do not have
Adding unreasonable charges
Continuing to contact you when the debt is being disputed
If a creditor repeatedly fails to follow these guidelines, the OFT can issue a warning, impose a fine or withdraw their credit licence.

The guidance is available to download free from the OFT website.

Debt advice
If you need any help or advice on how to deal with your creditors we provide free, impartial and expert advice.

For an online assessment of your situation and instant advice, you can use our online Debt Remedy tool. If you’d prefer to talk to one of our expert advisors, call our free Helpline on 0800 138 1111.

[Анонимен]

Sam, thank you. I called them. I spoke to a really nice lady. She went through my expenditure and I have to pay ten pounds a month. I am so relieved. Actually she wanted me to pay less but I insisted on ten. It will probably be ten pounds for ten years!! No it is such a relief. And you are right, I was thinking if I could only win the money. Oh people are so good, and I feel God at work in this. I am trying hard not to cry with relief. I think that is all my debts under control. I mean I am managing to pay everything at the moment, but living a frugal life. Next problem is my car will need to be renewed soon but I will cross that bridge when it comes. Thank you. Vanquis bank has rang my work before and left messages with my boss. I have been
so embarrassed.

[Анонимен]

Ps tip for the day…speak to the people you owe money to.If you get a nasty one hang up (I did today) and ring back and speak with someone else!!

[icandothis]

Sad, I am glad you are taking positive steps concerning your finances. Thanks for sharing and starting this thread. So like me to come up with ideas and then never follow through. Something I should work on!!!
Vera, I think if we have the money, then it is important to splurge every now and then. I think our goal is to have a healthy relationship with money. „Healthy Finances“ I think many of us are guilty of spending tons and tons of money gambling and then denying ourselves in other areas of our lives. I think a good question to ask is „Is it WORTH the money spent?“, after, „Can we afford it?“ lol My last gamble…$400 spent in 3 hours. Was it worth the money spent? New Year’s Eve I splurged on a dinner for my husband and I…worth every penny! I also think that if we become more aware of how we spend our money, we will find it says a lot about who we are, and that is a good thing. Like being generous with our money and taking others to the theatre. Before I started gambling, I would love to spend money on other people and give to different organizations where I believed in their cause. I would look at the checks and it really did say a lot about who I was, what I thought was important, and what I believed in. I know I can’t spend that kind of money again, who knows maybe some day I can, but I can look for ways to be more generous with what I do have and what I can give.
I think this thread will be very helpful. Thanks again, Sad!

[Анонимен]

This is too weird. Another debt collection agency on phone tonight when I have not defaulted. This one is trying to get me a refund because he has never dealt with a case like mine before and cant figure out why I have been referred.he thinks I have been charged fees I should not have been. I have been in touch with the company and they can’t say why I was referred. Their manager is going to review. I think myself it is God getting my debts reduced. It too strange :Two different debt collectors from two different companies for two accounts that were never defaulted. It is bad when I am hoping for more debt collectors to call! Lol

[charles]

My biggest tip would be to not stick our head in the sand, it never helps and ignoring things just makes them worse.

Only carry the cash you need on a daily basis. That of course is a good barrier against gambling but it also helps save money. It stops us making impulse buys that we later regret. It also stops us buying extra snacks, chocolates, wine on the way home etc – In fact the „no cash diet“ is probably as least as good as any slimming plan out there 😉

Then when we have stopped gambling, battle inertia. How long have we been with our utility supplier? How long have whatever savings we have been in that account earning next to no interest? What better deals are out there?

For those with debts there is a lot of help out there as well, much of it free, if we can’t get things to a manageable position ourselves then use that help.

Good idea for a thread.

[sam.sam]

Hi sad68. I am glad they were able to help and give you some advice. When they ask you to pay less than £10 They have taken your situation in to account(with the information that you have given about your financial situation) so they believe that you can not afford more. Do not try to pay more than you realistically can. I know you want to show that you are ready to pay what is available. But do not forget, the money adviser taken everything into account before advising you. Do not feel embarrassed about how your boss may feel. It has been done, and you can not change that, so concentrate on now, and know that all people get in to financial problem for gambling reasons or some thing else. Be strong and concentrate on your recovery. All the best and have a good week end.

[icandothis]

I have written down all our debt…credit card, car, borrowed money, student loans, etc. January’s bills and all expenses. A tedious and daunting job. Well, we owe about $120,000, not including our house debt, which including the cottage is over $500,000. I am sharing this personal information because I truly believe that this year we can begin to turn things around and someday live a debt-free life! In order to do this, we can not continue to bury our heads in the sand. Knowledge is power and we must be honest about where we stand. I know we are earning less than what we spend because we regularly withdrawal from our IRA savings. Not a wise thing for people in their 50’s. So, we begin this year with the goal of NOT taking money out of this savings in 2014, and to begin paying off our debts one by one. I have a personal goal of NOT taking out any money from any ATM.
I am trying to keep a positive attitude about this and even believe we can enjoy the process. I tried unsuccessfully to have fun giving our money away. Now, instead of being the biggest part of our financial problems, it feels good to be part of working on some solutions. I cannot change the mistakes of my past, but I can begin to change the future by making good choices today. Instead of hiding behind my husband’s back and not taking responsibility for my spending, I am going to find ways to earn more and spend less. This I can also do…One Day at a Time!

[icandothis]

My husband and I switched from our bank to a Federal Credit Union. They offer benefits for clients over 55, like free checks and no monthly service fees. Having a new checking account also feels like a new beginning, wiping the slate clean. No more record of my ATM withdrawals for or at the casino. Seeing those statements was like a knife to my heart and, weirdly, made me want to gamble all the more. Also, it feels good to be working on this together. My husband has always been the major bread winner and has kept me out of the finances. Even when I told him about my losses, he just took care of it and we never discussed it. Of course, we both knew the damage being done to our marriage and our finances. My gambling was not the only reason our finances went south. I think as things got worse, I gambled more. Some crazy fantasy of being able to save the day. No more fantasies.
We also opened up a credit card account at the Credit Union and have transferred most of our credit card debt from other cards to that account. The interest rate for our new card is less than half of what it is with the other credit card companies.

[p]

I can, way to go on the finance decision and switching to a better plan for you. Good on you, ugh, yes i remember those withdrawals on the statements all too well.. yikes.. horrible times, but now things are looking up hey, so good you dont have any on this statement and you are living gamble free today

P

[lizbeth4]

I went to credit counseling and found a company who condensed all of our bills into one monthly payment. They stopped the interest and any other fees. I paid for 2 years till everything was paid off. Now I have a automatic withdrawal from my checking account into my savings account every month. I don’t miss the money and it adds up fast and makes more interest. My new goal for 2014 is to put more money into my saving!

[icandothis]

I am reading, MONEY, A LOVE STORY…Untangle Your Financial Woes and Create the Life You Really Want. by Kate Northrup. I have read it through once, and now I am reading it again and working through the exercises. It really makes you look at your relationship with money. I thought I might share a quote that struck me and provide you with some food for thought.
„Money is simply a stand-in for what we value, and often it’s a stand-in for how much we value ourselves. Somebody who is barely getting by and spends his last two dollars on a winning lottery ticket is not hard-wired for abundance, and the sudden influx of money isn’t enough to re-do his wiring….Money flows to those who value themselves. Plain and simple…The most important asset you have in life is you, so why not bring out the big guns and just start there?“

[icandothis]

I just finished paying our bills electronically. Not a big savings, just postage, but I am kind of proud of being able to figure it out and then doing it. Our credit union made it very easy. My recovery is anything but perfect, but when I look at where I am, I have to see that some positive changes have been made. I also paid off one of our credit cards…one down and two to go!

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