What can i do?

[M8CKN]

Keep focused on the important things in life, your family.

I had a bad time last year with one thing and another and I could have VERY easily been sat here now a single man.

Luckily friends, TSN and more importantly my wife listened to my problems and I am a much happier person now than I was 6 months ago.

[randellp]

I found that chopping out a lot of things you think are necessary helps a great deal. Although painful initially, it can reap rewards quickly, but you have to realise you are in for the long haul. There are always alternatives to the stuff we want, and once you have sorted out the drastic immediate issues, by cutting out "luxuries" then you can start bringing them back again, if you really want to.

The following, helped me repay about £10k of debt in one year. It hurt, but I realised I was spending money on crap I didn't need and was close to being in very big trouble. I was able to save, qualify for a mortgage, and as a result now have a lot less sleepless nights.

Give up smoking = £1800 pa

Give up Sky = £360+ pa

Sell car (gf had one so we shared cost) and cycle to work (3k for sale of car, £1.5k on insurance, tax & servicing)

Give up gym (run & cycle everywhere instead)= £540 pa

Switch from pay monthly to pay as you go mobile: £240 pa

Learn to cook - save on getting takeaways: £250pa

Get your mates round one night a week a fri/sat instead of going out - £600pa

Work 2-3 nights a week in a bar - £3500pa

I think food is a real areas of saving money. I find it amazing that so called "poor" people in this country are so overweight! During the most drastic time, I would buy a massive bag of pasta, stock up on veggies, tins of toms and a few spicy things to make things interesting, and live on that. That cost pennies a day, and was still relatively good for me.

I wish you luck mate, as you both have some tough times ahead but I reckon anyone with some discipline can get through it and actually start to do well out the other side. The other important thing that saved me was to stay away from obtaining any form of credit. Just pay for what you have saved for and can afford. That's probably the hardest thing to learn nowadays.

[M8CKN]

[ QUOTE ]

I found that chopping out a lot of things you think are necessary helps a great deal. Although painful initially, it can reap rewards quickly, but you have to realise you are in for the long haul. There are always alternatives to the stuff we want, and once you have sorted out the drastic immediate issues, by cutting out "luxuries" then you can start bringing them back again, if you really want to.

The following, helped me repay about £10k of debt in one year. It hurt, but I realised I was spending money on crap I didn't need and was close to being in very big trouble. I was able to save, qualify for a mortgage, and as a result now have a lot less sleepless nights.

Give up smoking = £1800 pa

Give up Sky = £360+ pa

Sell car (gf had one so we shared cost) and cycle to work (3k for sale of car, £1.5k on insurance, tax & servicing)

Give up gym (run & cycle everywhere instead)= £540 pa

Switch from pay monthly to pay as you go mobile: £240 pa

Learn to cook - save on getting takeaways: £250pa

Get your mates round one night a week a fri/sat instead of going out - £600pa

Work 2-3 nights a week in a bar - £3500pa

I think food is a real areas of saving money. I find it amazing that so called "poor" people in this country are so overweight! During the most drastic time, I would buy a massive bag of pasta, stock up on veggies, tins of toms and a few spicy things to make things interesting, and live on that. That cost pennies a day, and was still relatively good for me.

I wish you luck mate, as you both have some tough times ahead but I reckon anyone with some discipline can get through it and actually start to do well out the other side. The other important thing that saved me was to stay away from obtaining any form of credit. Just pay for what you have saved for and can afford. That's probably the hardest thing to learn nowadays.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is the most common sense I have heard by anyone in such a long time.

My job is in debt collection, and when suing someone you would be surprised to see how many people put on their income/expenditure forms mobile phone bills, sky tv, cars (even 1).

When you are in debt you should strip your life back to the bones and start again when finances allow.

[collease]

Had a good weekend. I gave Mrs C the new band (pointed out that i had not just gone out and bought it. She loved it. Made her weekend i think. Never seen such a big smile. Anywho we actualy spent most of the weekend chatting about whats going and what we could do to help ourselves. We have come up with this list.

Things to go.

Stopping all memberships (gym, National trust, NAAS

Selling her car as its in the best shap and my boot is bigger(her idea not mine)

Buying supermarket brands instead of brand names.

This is just a begging to see what happens.

We are also going to have a meeting with the CAB about what is needed to start our own child care business weather it be child minding or an actuall preschool.

Mrs C has the knowledge of the everyday running and has taken her preschool from a satisfactory report to a good ofstead report in a year. The idea is to take over her preschool as a company nistead of the charity it is at the mo and open it all day. They have never tried this befor and the amount of parents asking about it has increased over the last 6 months. So if this can be got off the ground as we dont have to buy it and only have to rent out the hall for the rest of the day (extra 50 a week) it will only cost us a very small amount. If we can get a good business plan together we should be onto a winner. I'm still going to look for a new job as that is most important as the preschool idea is still that an idea.

people opinions please.

[cruiser647]

[ QUOTE ]

Buying supermarket brands instead of brand names.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just drop to the Supermarket brands (not the basic/value pack crap). If you do not notice the difference, then keep to it. If you do notice, then try a different brand!

No point in actually suffering twice for it!

Gym membership will make a BIG difference.

[collease]

it will fecking £400 a year for the 2 of us. Fecking joke. think i went 6 times last year and tat was to drop off the Mrs.

[Bounce]

i knew the new wedding band would rasie a smile

[collease]

The smile was so good to see. Mrs C is at present a very happy lady. still getting a bit stressed but she does seem to have a more positive mood at present. mine on the other hand has plumited as the kids are little 's and i now know just how much work they are.

Why oh why did we have two.

[collease]

right been talking to the CAB and they reckon they way we are going we will be ok. Not got to many more big bills to pay off in the near future so thats good. They have given us some good ideas of places to go and get help with certain things but thats anther story. Now i need a bit of help. We need to do a business plan but have not got a clue how to start it off. We got a general idea of what the aim is but we dont know how to set it out. Can anyone give us some ideas on how we can get ourselves started.