any help would be amazing please please please!

[always poor]

ok so me and hubby have been struggling to make ends meet as I was forced to give up due to my employer refusing to support new working arrangements after maternity leave. We have gone down the highest earner wage now and we are literally down to pennies each month.
After the month from hell that has included the washing machine breaking down and a scary phone bill (coz hubby had to change his number and I didnt update my magic numbers) my bank have just wiped me out! I had £150 for bills and they took it all! The didn't notify me of it because the terms and conditions of the account say that they take charges 22 days after the end of the statement in which it occurred" - only problem is that i don;t get statements as I'm an internet banker with paperless billing. i don't get emails about statements either so I ahve no idea when each statement is due as the date appears to change each time. Then they ok'd transactions when they shouldn't have, I thought i had the money as it was in my available balance but apparently there were pending transaction that weren't in my pending transaction and therefore my available balance wasn't available.

I literally have £2.61 left to last me til next friday when the problems get worse. I managed after a great struggle to get a food bank voucher but that doesnt help me with money for the ele and gas meters and nappies and baby milk and petrol for the car so hubby can go to work.

My bank tell me that it's up to me to make sure I have enough to cover transactions and charges but how can I?! everytime I claw my way back so we can just scrape by they take all my money and i'm back to square one again. we already live off £30 per week for food/milk/ele/gas/nappies - I cannot cut back anymore!

we don't have iphones or ipads or holidays we literally just pay rent, council tax, water, car insurance, home insurance (really rough area so we need it) tv licence and car payments which will end in nov.
I can't believe that the bank can just do this! help me please!

[Debt Camel]

Re: any help would be amazing please please please!

(posted in error)

[Debt Camel]

Re: any help would be amazing please please please!

we already live off £30 per week for food/milk/ele/gas/nappies - I cannot cut back anymore!

obviously not, it isn't possible to live on that for more than a few weeks.

You have to increase your income somehow. Are you getting all the benefits that you are entitled to? Child benefit, child tax credit, council tax support, housing benefit? Benefit calculator here: http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

Could you go back to work and husband look after little one if you used to earn more?

Could you get a part time job in the evenings or at the weekends when husband can look after baby so you don't get child care costs or need a second car?

Apart from your overdraft, do you have other debts? The car payment, is it HP or just a loan?

You are going to need to move to another bank. Get a basic bank account with no overdraft. get husbands's salary and all your benefits paid in there - the old overdraft becomes just another debt you offer to pay off at £5 a month. Overdraft charges can be so high that it is cheaper to take out a payday loan!

You should have an emergency amount on your gas and electric meters. Can you manage without the gas at all for a week? Cut the electric down by getting up when it gets light and going to bed when it gets dark for a week. Unplug absolutely everything not essential.

Could you and baby go and stay with relatives for a week?

Could your husband get an advance from next months wages from HR?

Consider turning up at you bank with an unfed baby in tow and insisting on seeing the manager.

Ask any relatives that would have given you or the baby Christmas presents to give you cash now instead.

None of these are nice options, it's a question of piecing together a few that will get you through.

[PAWS]

Re: any help would be amazing please please please!

AP (I won’t call you always poor because you won’t be)
Have a look on this site – www.odesk.com it is an agency for freelancers across the world. Tons of jobs you can do at home and although it does not always pay a lot there are no scams. Based In the US and paid through PayPal. It kept the wolf from our door a few years ago and I actually wound up getting really good contracts.
Remember you have sites like this to help –there is always someone online here when a crisis hits and do check out Debt Camels advice especially on the Tax Credits and other extras. If you have any other debts they can also be prioritised and dealt with in a way that will give you a fighting chance. Now here is a hug to get you started!:_tighthug__by_darkm

[PAWS]

Re: any help would be amazing please please please!

By the way AP; you mention the bank take ‘charges’ from your account. Are these for an OD facility or other credit agreement? As far as the payments to utilities; these are taken from your account by the providers and to be honest has b’ all to do with the bank. They are pulled rather than pushed from your account if you know what I mean! Now another good idea is to ask if you can change some of your payment dates- for example; if your hubby gets paid on the 25^th of the month and some standing orders and DD’s go out onthe 1^st to the 25^th ask if you can move them to the 28^th.Then for the first month you will have a bit extra to get you through. If they all go out on the last day of the month this may not be of any use but it is just a thought. :thumb:

[Johnboy007]

Re: any help would be amazing please please please!

Well you really are struggling.
Maybe a debt advisor would be able to help you cope better with what you have coming into the house.
Try and prioritise your debts, such as Rent/mortgage payment, = roof over your head.
Essentials for your baby, and for the family, followed by gas and electric money. = food and heating.
Petrol for the car = a job.
Go see the bank manager and explain your predicament, offer a smaller payment schedule.
If he doesn't accept it, then shut the account and open a bog standard account elsewhere.
Sure you will still owe the debt, but at least you can then offer to pay it at a much reduced rate.
Do make sure you are getting any state benefits that you are entitled too.
Citizens advice can help you on this subject.
Good luck

[seduraed]

Re: any help would be amazing please please please!

Are a member of a church or other community or similar . They Often funds for members in financial need . The piece about opening another bank account is good . Bulding society or similar . Just make sure that it is not connected to the bank you are with .

If there are only a few payments to go on the car talk to the finance company they may be able to give you a i month payment holiday which might help things along .

Are there any old clothes toys etc that are no longer needed . A yard sale may raise a few pounds and get you out of a hole . DO NOT TAKE A PAYDAY LOAN. Nothing good lies down that route . Do you a friend parent etc who can lend you £20 for the baby .

If you have a house with fireplaces then it is time to warm things on an open fire or use the camping stove if you have one .

The baby may get you more sympathy than you would get for yourself . Ask when you go to the food bank if there is a a nappy and baby milk scheme ; there are some around .

[Johnboy007]

Re: any help would be amazing please please please!

Are a member of a church or other community or similar . They Often funds for members in financial need . The piece about opening another bank account is good . Bulding society or similar . Just make sure that it is not connected to the bank you are with .

If there are only a few payments to go on the car talk to the finance company they may be able to give you a i month payment holiday which might help things along .

Are there any old clothes toys etc that are no longer needed . A yard sale may raise a few pounds and get you out of a hole . DO NOT TAKE A PAYDAY LOAN. Nothing good lies down that route . Do you a friend parent etc who can lend you £20 for the baby .

If you have a house with fireplaces then it is time to warm things on an open fire or use the camping stove if you have one .

The baby may get you more sympathy than you would get for yourself . Ask when you go to the food bank if there is a a nappy and baby milk scheme ; there are some around .

Bloody sad and terrible, that this country has come down to this sort of thing.
You are absolutely right about the Pay-day Loan. You get instant relief for a while, and then instant grief when you find you can't pay it back.
Get your priories in order and then sod the debts.
Your home and family are more important than any money debts you may have.
And remember, apart from court orders for fines, or income tax etc; They can't put you in prison for debt.
And they cannot take from you what you are lawfully allowed in order to live.
If you need more help then please let us know.

[PAWS]

Re: any help would be amazing please please please!

Bloody sad and terrible, that this country has come down tothis sort of thing.

Well said!

AP, I know it doesn’t seem great at the moment but trust me,we have all been there and when you reach the bottom the only way is up. As Johnboy said you have something that is priceless; a family that loves you. Get fighting and badgering. You and your family are worth it.