Debts

[blueboy89909]

i am in serious debt and feel like now i am working for nothig i earn an average of 1400 per month and am paying 380 to rent and 140 to council tax and owe wonga approx 700 this month this is without other debts of 445 to a company from years ago and also owewater rates of nealry 2000 pound i feel i just cant cope anymore with it all and wander if there is anything that i can do to help me manage the debt i am in

[rowanwitch]

contact national debtline free service and they ill help you with writing letters etc making arrangements... they helped me and I was in a worse position than you.... and no more instant loans....they make the problem worse

http://www.nationalde..._wales/contact_us.php

[bensmum]

You could also try CCCS - they make payment plans with you and deal with with creditors for you. Don't go to one of these debt management places that often advertise on TV, you end up paying them as well.
http://www.cccs.co.uk/

[NOX]

right first off, ditch the wonga loan- pay it off in full and try not to borrow again or if you have to just for a couple of days. Pay your rent, a roof over your head is more important than anything else. Screw the old debt for a bit, you need a breathing space and it'll take em an age to do anything about that anyway. Call the water supplier and tell them you are experiencing difficulty and cannot pay, whatever they suggest you pay tell them you can only afford half of that and don't budge- they will. Once you srat to take positive action you will feel much better. Next you have to think of a way to earn quick easy money which will not take up too much of your time. Without knowing your individual talents I can't help you much further yet, but there are endless ways- Ebay usually being the quickesat and simplest for most people. You could be debt free in a relatively short time, but you need to get away from the victim perspective of this whereby it's dragging you down to being soemone who is taking positive steps to do something about it, then you at least won't feel so bad.

[rubijoca]

I would suggest that you go at the crown court of your area and ask for the your personal bankrupcy. This is the best option if you do not intend to request credit for the next 6 years of your life. The advantage of the personal bankrupcy is that you will be free of all your debts and you can have a fresh start. There is some expenses that you have to pay to the civil court...maybe around 350 pounds and you have to deliver in hand all your bills, council, any contracts, credits etc...only student loans are not accepted, apart from that...all is accepted. Hope this help. Obviously this option is best to who owes a lot of money...you dnt owe more then 5000 it seams....so i dnt know if you should put your credit rate in the red line for the 6 years or so.

[owdhamer]

I know i shouldn't but you have my sympathy

[The-HouseHusband]

As others have already suggested you need to look at the important areas first and get them in order, keeping a roof over your head is the most important so make sure you pay the rent and council tax (have you spoken with the landlord to try and get a lower rental rate? some times you will get sympathetic people that would rather keep a tenant at a lower price rather than have the place empty and costing them money)

Short term lenders such as Wonga and Payday loans are the modern day doorstep loan sharks which ever way they try and dress it up on the TV. Try and get everything into one larger loan that you pay off over a longer timescale, if you do it soon enough you wont ruin your credit rating and should get a reasonable APR.

Again speak with your utility companies and work out a sensible amount to pay them each month and get a direct debit in place so you are not having to think about the payments, companies can again be sympathetic and work things out with customers. They can only do this however if they are informed of the problems in the first place. None of us mean to get into debt, however when the worst happens then you need to think as positively as possible and talk to people, don't dig a massive hole and try to hide away as the nasty companies will find you first and have you cornered!!

Try to stay positive and get advice for free before it is to late.

[boxtops]

I'd go to the Citizens Advice Bureau first, they can point you in the right direction, and you are far from being the only person in your situation at the moment. Ditch the payday loans and wonga, they are such a racket at a time when you can't afford it. Good for you, for recognising your problem and wanting to do something about it.

[EDDIE51]

For you a debit relife order may be better than bankrupcy, for a start it is free.
See this link
http://webarchive.nat...tivestobankruptcy.htm
Make sure you use the government insolvency service to do it , that is the link above they are free , some places try to charge you.

[EDDIE51]

Also check that you are not eligible for rent and council tax benefit, your wage seems quite low and you may be eligible for help, it is astounding how many people qualify but do not claim . It costs nothing to ask and you can lose nothing by asking. The CAB will help with the debit relief order and do a housing/council tax benefit check for you, all free.

[themas]

1. Bankruptcy normally costs £700. Your debts are much too small for it to be a sensible option. DRO costs £90 & may be worthwhile if you qualify. CAB or CCCS can advise on this.

2. Wonga may well have a "continuous payment authority" from you & be taking money each month without your agreement. If this is the case you must cancel the authority. You can do this by writing to your bank instructing them not to make any more payments to Wonga. Send a copy of the letter to Wonga with a covering letter telling them not to attempt to take any more payments. Send by recorded delivery; keep copies. Do not pay Wonga anything more at present.

3. Some water companies have charitable trust funds which can help with water debts (& sometimes other items). CAB/CCCS can advise you on which companies do this - you may be able to get help with your water debt.

[factor-fiction]

I notice Eddie51 says "Also check that you are not eligible for rent and council tax benefit, your wage seems quite low and you may be eligible for help"
Whilst I agree it's worth checking on entitlement to benefits and tax credits, I'm not sure that £1400 a month is a low wage, particularly if that is the 'net' figure.
It's difficult to get out of these situations and sometimes drastic action is needed- e.g. sell the car if you've got one, move to a smaller property/live with friends to slash rent costs, stop all non-essential expenditure, etc

[cathfromsaron]

ditto above answers!

with professional help you should be able to manage the new repayments and have something left over!