Not Enough money..
Ask a Question
Feeling in a low mood as my car is broken down and is going to cost me £550 to get repaired.
I also have all my bills due on Friday and not enough money to cover everything as also had more unexpected costs, seems like everything has come at once.
How do people get through these bad times?
It can always be a struggle for people let alone having unexpected costs.
Any tips would be hugely appreciated?!
Is there anyway you can pay your car in installments? Or could you borrow it from family and pay them back? Or I know it isn't ideal but do you have an overdraft you could go into?
My husband and I have been known to lend money to his mum when she had an unexpected bill and pay car insurance for his brother when his wages just wouldn't cover it.
I'm not sure what else to advise. It sucks when something like this happens.
Well the man at the garage has said he is already doing it at a cash price rather than through the books as such and it’s awkward as I know him through work, could be worth asking the question though. I am waiting a call back from my mom bless her but like you say sometimes you have to rely on family to cover them unexpected costs. Thank you x
AliceBell64468 no harm in asking, he can only say no. It is a horrible situation to be in, hopefully your mum can help. I know it might not be possible but are there other things you can cur back on or maybe sell? We've been there before, husband got a £1000 bill for his car, we couldn't afford to buy another car and he needed it for work. We were lucky we just had enough in our savings and his granny helped us out god bless her. I really hope you get it sorted. If I see any cash comps I will tag you and hope you win! X
MrsCraig wow and I thought my bill was bad at £550 lol! I need mine for work too which is why I need it sorting as soon as possible. Thank you so much, really hoping for some good luck! x
AliceBell64468 we decided there and then that we were saving for a new car! It cost more to repair the car than it was worth, but it had to be done. Wishing you lots of luck x
I would prioritise and sort out the most important payments first.
So in your case, I would make paying your bills your top priority. Your car can get sorted out at any time. It's very nice to have, but you don't actually need it. Whereas you do need to pay your bills.
It's all about putting needs before wants.
I would also suggest winning a cash prize competition of at least £1,000.
Good luck!
Trouble is I need my vehicle for work, in the meantime I have been getting lifts here and there but that can’t be long term unfortunately. But there are other things that could be sacrificed but probably won’t stretch to the £550 to cover the bill! Ah yes trust me, I’m literally entering every cash competition, had so many things go wrong recently including my partner falling off a roof/his ladders at work and therefore not earning! I’m hoping some good karma comes our way!! thanks x
Is there any family you can borrow off? Other than that, I don't know. I have in the past been known to sell cds and dvds and anything to raise some funds. I never made the amount you need, but I did get a couple of bills paid with the money.
I think that’s what I will have to resort to I’m waiting for a call back from my mom bless her! I am entering every cash comp I can lol and might sell my pandora bracelets and charms to get a little bit of pocket change just feel like nothing else could go wrong at the moment but it probably will! Thank you x
AliceBell64468 good luck, I've been in these situations. Last year the electric downstairs lights stopped working, the cooker packed up, a fence panel blew down and my exercise bike broke all in 3 days. I just sat on the stairs and cried. If it helped I got through it. I just had to go without lights downstairs for several months, had to wait until my birthday to have my parents buy me a cooker, put an old door and other bits of wood up for a while until the fence was fixed (I had to have fence or else my neighbours would come round bitching about how the left hand side was my responsibility under law and threaten to let their dog run all over my garden) and had to save up amazon vouchers for an exercise bike.
ShellyAnn thank you. Omg! Quite a lot to go in a short space of time! Doesn’t help that you had not very nice neighbours either! I am thinking about trading in on my vouchers from my various survey sites, just to see me by until things get better! Thanks again x
Could you sell some clothes or household items on EBay? It is a great way of generating some cash. Hope you get sorted. Things will improve once your partner is back at work
Yes I think I might have a clear out of items I can list online, every little helps even if it is towards the food shopping! Yes he’s hoping to get back to work soon so hopefully things will look up then. Thank You x
Yes definitely going to see what I can put up for sale, might get rid of my pandora bracelets if they are worth anything! Time for a clear out! xx
Have you spoken to your bank? See what they can do to help?
musicmagpie is a site you can sell your unwanted dvds and cds. Use Selling sites and have a good clear out of unwanted items. Cash for clothes and Sell heavier clothing like unwanted jumpers or coats.
Could you do extra work until you sort out your finances?
I don’t know if my bank will be able to help or not but good shout it’s worth a try. I am going to try and get some bits listed on eBay also to help out. And I am looking for jobs to see what is about! Hopefully I will get things sorted. Thank you x
AliceBell64468 Don't forget Gumtree, Alice - the fees for paypal and ebay can take a chunk from hard won profits. Hope things work out.
angemski yes and I have downloaded Shpock as well, see I can get rid of a few things. Maybe I should cash in on those vouchers for food!! haha! thank you x
AliceBell64468 I've just checked Mingle and they do cash transfer. (although the steak and Italian wine was lovely this week.....)
angemski I think I will definitely be cashing in on the vouchers, the cash transfers or paypal transfer ones are very helpful! I have managed to delay some of my bills also, so I’m hoping I will be okay, I always feel worse about in the mornings lol, anxious about what will happen I guess but I will get there, at least I have a roof over my head!! Thank you xx
AliceBell64468 We have all been there at some time in our lives. Worth having a look at the post offered by Johnny too as there are options listed that we sometimes forget.
angemski yes I guess we have, I’m hoping things will improve, onwards and upwards! Yes a massive list so I will definitely spend some time looking through, thanks x
It happens. In an ideal world you would save for such situations. Not always possible - i never seem able to. Would go on my credit card in this case and try and switch it to a 0% balance transfer.
Yeah I don’t know how people manage to successfully save, I Guess they are very strict with themselves! Good on anyone who does manage to save! Thanks x
All the very best darling...sending loads of positive vibes...I hope your worry and stress lessens very soon.
Thank you so much, I feel like not much more could go wrong!! Thanks for the positive wishes x x
Paying in installments and being able to pay it per month would be ideally. If your credit score is good, then you're eligible to apply for credit cards and some offer 0.5% cashback which is always a good thing.
AMEX offers 5% cashback for the early months, and despite that a lot don't accept AMEX you can bypass by using it via Curve (physical card though you manage it via an app on Android / iOS).
Careful that you pay always in time or the company (whichever) may charge you heavy fees.
You can ask a family member if he/she would loan you money, but he/she would have to obviously have it and trust you to hand it over.
Also, have you used Uber before? I made an account and was offered €5 credit for five rides. I don't think I'm gonna use it because I have my own car now.
By the way, Aqua is a good credit card company for those with financial difficulties.
Thank you very much for your advice, I will have a look into the Aqua credit card also, hopefully my mom should be able to sort things out for me as its easier to pay them back with no ridiculous interest rates. Thanks x
Ever since I started working I made sure to save money for unexpected cost. I never use that money for anything but it’s there incase something big needs replacing. maybe pay the most important bills first. or see if the garage will let you pay weekly for the repair. then when it’s all paid for put a little money away each week to save incase
A very sensible idea! I think I will look into setting up a savings account or putting a money aside for any future emergencies. Luckily my parents have borrowed me the money for my car repairs and I will pay them back each month. Thank you x
AliceBell64468 I'm glad you've found a temporary solution - I've been thinking about ways to generate cash for hours now. Btw I thought that one of our mutual survey sites was either voucher or cash transfer? (just a thought)
Would a credit card with a 0% opening offer help. As long as you endeavour to pay it off before the 0% period ends.
I will look to see if I can qualify for any cards like that as that would be a huge help. My parents have also given me so money for my vehicle repairs so I can them back monthly with no interest! Thank you x
Hi AliceBell64468 I truly hope things will improve for you and that you were able to get help with your bills x I've recently started thinking twice when buying things and have just done my first car boot sale and have starting to save a little. Also £1 coins in a tin that I can't open. I hope everything is ok with you and wish you lots of good luck and best wishes at this tough time
Thank you that’s kind of you. It really is a struggle with only one wage coming in. I managed to borrow the money for my car repairs but all my bills are going out today and there is no money to cover them! I will just wait for the calls and tell them to cut me off or whatever!
Sounds like you have a few things to help you out in times of emergency, well done!
Hi AliceBell64468 that's lovely to hear that you were able to borrow the money for you car. I'm hopeful that when they call about your bills that they will let you make smaller payments until you have 2 wages coming back in x I hope that you are ok and that everything will improve for you both very very soon
Dani1 yes luckily as I do need my car to get to work so it was essential it was repaired. My partner is going back to work this week which will help get things back to normal, and I have also managed to delay some bills for a couple of weeks to give me a chance to get the money together! Hopefully things will get better from here, thank you again for your kind wishes x x
AliceBell64468 that's great news that your partner will be going back to work and that you were able to delay some bills until you get ahead a bit. I'm really pleased for you and honestly there's no need to thank me, sending best wishes x
There are loads of ways to make extra money.
Here's a useful list of 50 ideas: https://www.moneywise.co.uk/work/earning-money/50-ways-make-money
Thank you Johnny, I will have a look through the list in detail. I worry about those lodger ones or renting a room as this day and age you never know who your letting into your home! Some brilliant money making tips though and I will have a read through, thanks again x
Join for free to get genuine deals, money saving advice and help from our friendly community
Chief Bargain Hunter