Endless bad luck

Irishcrx

I'm usually one for staying upbeat and positive, always have been but lately I really feel like life is beating the hell out of me with a baseball bat and every time I try to get back up I get smacked again. The past couple of weeks has been one thing after another.

I'm in debt up to my eyes and it just seems to get deeper ,I'm having problems with my personal life/family , I had so many bills to pay this month that I ran out of money pretty quick, My car got clamped on Friday night after I left it for 10 mins I couldn't pay the release fee and had to borrow money from my parents to get it the next morning, I then drove home and had 50 euro in my wallet for food and petrol for the week, an hour later I dropped my wallet getting out of the car and lost it which left me with €0, had to walk 2 miles to work this morning.

I've been so stressed I can't focus in work, I sit there staring blankly at the screen getting given out to cause I keep screwing up everything probably because I hate my job and just can't keep at it anymore...there's so much more but I really feel like just going into a corner curling up into a ball and breaking down....at 21 I feel 40 and don't know how much more I can really take. Sorry for the rant.

Overheal

Are you living within your means? At 21 in this country and age what need have you for the car? And I've never heard of a car being clamped inside of 10 minutes. And how did you drop the wallet? Whats the job? What are your qualifications?

Irishcrx

I use the car for work and getting around really , well might have been twenty was in a friends apartment they have no visitor parking, didn't wanna put it in someones spot in case...here's the ironic part they clamped it, security reported it and a private company was down in mins. Living within my means, I try to but I have more going out than coming in, I don't really have any qualifications other than expierince working in what I'm doing for 3 years and my leaving cert...Job is to do with Maintenance Management..

sparkyjo

well mate i wouldn't worry about it to much you will probably come out of this ok after a while i know its hard i am the same way when i was younger i had a load of depts and always running out of money and was in a job i hated so what i dd to try and brake out of it was first i i sat down and looked at my depts and looked at which ones i got pay slower than others if there is a few pay off the one that are cost you more on interest quicker like visa and stuff or get one loan from your credit union and consolidate all dept first and start paying the maximun you can and get ride of it depts are a real stress and as long as you have them you will have nothing but bad luck and if you need to you think about a second job for a while that was another help to me whn i was getting myself out of dept like a bar or shop job cause when you are working the second job you won't be spending money but if you not wllling to do it the way i looked at it well there was no point in complaining there is always something you can do

good luck with sorting yourself out i hope it goes well

by the way when i was in really bad dept i was working 6 days as an apprentise and 6 nights as a barman and i loved working as a barman the crack you have is great and you don't have to pay for it.

good luck again

Overheal

Well at any rate, I would suggest you consult with a financial advisor/planner. Run down through all your expenses, luxury or otherwise, and see why are are leaking money like a seive. First port of call is luxury food items; drink; drugs; games; Heat & ESB; etc. etc. it should be no bother to drastically hash those expenses. Also consider your rent: could be worth looking into finding a cheaper place: even if you dont think one exists it wont hurt to look. Limit your driving to an as-needed basis: it should be your last option, really, before walking/cycling etc.

And have you consulted the bank for a loan? Or again, financial advice?

I'm incredulously broke at the moment myself and looking for favors to get me cross the country before monday and living off corn flakes and questionable tap water.. so I know what its like to care for every spare copper in your pocket.

Irishcrx

Thanks, I just feel like smashing everything I have, quiting my job and starting over...you know clean slate but it's just not possible to do, you feel like your chained to your debts and your job...If I had one wish it would to just go travelling, get the hell out of here and live free for a while....cause the way thing's are at the moment it'll end me, nice to know I'm not alone though.

Overheal

hate to break it to you but Ireland is one of the better places to be right now. I'm still hiding from the states until the whole recession thing blows over, which could be a good while.

Obviously smashing things wont do you any good; but selling things, might be an idea. Instead of cleaning your slate get rid of some of the crap you're handling. Personally I'd go with the car first; unless its an absolute necessity. Trade it in for a cheaper car to insure even.

RedXIV

Hey man, i feel for ya, i've been horribly broke for the last month or two and it sucks. i've got a job that pays monthly and i'm counting the minutes to my first paycheck but to try and fight poverty, i've also gone and got myself a second job. it sucks but a necessary evil i'm afraid. Chin up anyway man, whether you believe in it or not, karma exists and if you're getting screwed over now, something amazing is on the way

Overheal

RedXIV wrote: »

Hey man, i feel for ya, i've been horribly broke for the last month or two and it sucks. i've got a job that pays monthly and i'm counting the minutes to my first paycheck but to try and fight poverty, i've also gone and got myself a second job. it sucks but a necessary evil i'm afraid. Chin up anyway man, whether you believe in it or not, karma exists and if you're getting screwed over now, something amazing is on the way

Temporary Bank Overdraft? Short term they usually incur little to no interest. You could set up a standing limit for half your months pay, say.

Irishcrx

I hope something amazing is , I have something I am looking forward to that could solve all my worries but it just doesn't seem to be coming quick enough , I already have a bank overdraft it's at it's limit I don't know if they'd extend it a bit more.

tbh

Dude, if life has taught me anything it's that everything is temporary. This is a blessing as well as a curse. IF you're having a good time, enjoy it, cause there's always sh1t around the corner, but if you're having a sh1t time, don't sweat it cause there's always light at the end of the tunnel. Everything will be ok in the end, if it's not ok, it's not the end

RedXIV

Overheal wrote: »

Temporary Bank Overdraft? Short term they usually incur little to no interest. You could set up a standing limit for half your months pay, say.

I'm same as the OP, my overdraft is already maxed out. Its annoying as hell but ya just gotta be conservative with your cash until this straightens out. It will because if you actually look at your problems described, they aren't monumental, just, as you say, bad luck. You'll bounce back OP, us irish lads are too hardy to be beaten by the system

LegacyUser

It doesn't sound like bad luck as such just more not doing the right things. Having your car clamped when you park it illegally isn't bad luck and losing your wallet is simply carelessness. And walking 2 miles to work is hardly going to kill you!

You need to start taking some responsibility about your position. If you have debts that you can't pay then you need to sit down with your bank, explain your situation and work something out. Sooner rather than later. If you don't like your job then look for something else. Blaming your situation on bad luck is not the answer.

Irishcrx

atwork wrote: »

It doesn't sound like bad luck as such just more not doing the right things. Having your car clamped when you park it illegally isn't bad luck and losing your wallet is simply carelessness. And walking 2 miles to work is hardly going to kill you!

You need to start taking some responsibility about your position. If you have debts that you can't pay then you need to sit down with your bank, explain your situation and work something out. Sooner rather than later. If you don't like your job then look for something else. Blaming your situation on bad luck is not the answer.

Well, the reason I parked my car where I did was because there were no available spaces in the complex and I didn't want to park in somebody else's who has paid for it, I also don't think it was parked illegally so i've appealed it.

I consider bad luck being several bad things happening in a row which is what happend to me, be some of my fault or not, life can be tough when you've alot going on hence why I dropped my wallet, it happens were not perfect.

I agree I should sit down with my bank and try sort something out.

tbh

these things happen, it's just bad timing that they all happened together. One at a time, you'd probably not give anything a second thought.

davyjose

atwork wrote: »

It doesn't sound like bad luck as such just more not doing the right things. Having your car clamped when you park it illegally isn't bad luck and losing your wallet is simply carelessness. And walking 2 miles to work is hardly going to kill you!

You need to start taking some responsibility about your position.

I'd agree with this. Also, getting in debt - that's not bad luck either, that's wanting more than you can handle. What the hell are you doing in debt at 21? No wonder you feel 40 - because you've given yourself responsibilities that a 40 year old has.

The way out of this is to put the head down and pay it off, be clever about your money, change the way you think about it. It's not a money diet - it's a lifestyle change.
The bad news here is that there is no easy way; the good news is it can easily be done. You have to decide what you want - if it's freedom and lack of stress, then you've been given all the advice you need already. you just have to do it.

Irishcrx

I want to clear all my debts , loans, credit cards, overdrafts and be able to travel without worrying about them and be able to make ends meet by the end of the month..

tbh

jaysus, if you figure out how to do that, let me know will ya?

Irishcrx

Ha ha yeah, Well I reckon if we stick both our wages together next month and buy lotto tickets with it all we might get lucky?...other than that...pretty screwed.

MagicMarker

First things first, sort out your outgoings.. Look at reducing the amount you pay on your debts, if you have more than one loan for different things, look into consolidating with the bank, include your overdraft in this. This will more than likely save you a few euros every month.

*edit* I see you have CC's, consolidate them with your loans and OD... you'll have one payment per month and it'll be a lot lower than what you're currently paying. Once the CC's are cleared..CANCEL them!!

Secondly, if you live 2 miles from work, then you don't NEED a car, sell it and use some of the money to buy a bike, it's coming into summer now so it'll even be a nice cycle as well as good exercise which alone will make you feel good. If you pay insurance by the month then you'll have one less payment to make, if you paid your insurance for the year then you'll get a nice lump sum back for the remainder.

Also, if you hate your job, then look for another one, but don't quit!! Who knows, you may find something you like that also pays better!!

What else can you cut down? You obviously have the internet, do you have most expensive package? If so, get the cheapest, likewise for any cable/satellite.

Shopping, where do you shop? What do you buy? Shop smart, look out for deals, plan you meals a week ahead, bring them to work with you. Keep a diary of what you spend on a daily basis, the odd bottle of coke here, bar there can add up to quite a lot over the period of a month.

Where do you live? Is the rent expensive? If so, look into moving somewhere a little cheaper.

And last but not least, try and find a 2nd job, look into working in a bar or a coffee shop or something. An extra 10-20 hours a week can help a lot! Plus it can be a lot of fun working in a job with no real responsabilities:)

Don't worry man, i know how you feel, i'm also in quite a lot of debt and currently don't have the money to pay it. In Canada i earn in a month what i'd earn in a fortnight in Ireland, and over 50% of it is needed to pay my debt. Obviously this isn't good because i need to pay my bills and rent, which also comes to over 50%... I did have a second job but they weren't giving me enough hours, so i'm looking once again.

Chin up man, just stay positive and stay focused and you'll be fine.

JuliusCaesar

Hi, dunno what your job is but once upon a time when I was working 9-5 in an office I had 3 jobs......I worked for an office cleaning agency in the evenings and in a shop on a Saturday. It cleared my debts, paid my car insurance, and then a bit to spare and I went back to just the main job. The cleaning job was a bit of gas!

Grawns

A second job is an ideal solution. You can make loads as a waiter/waitress. That's the only realistic way you're going to get out of this hole and still have money to have a life. Also You do not need a car ( bet you're paying a fortune in insurance and this contributes to your debts). Sell it! Pay off your debts.