Poor Family Support Tribe- NO DEBATE - Page 41

[Dillpicklechip]

Oh my...all I can say is, hugs to all the mamas who posted today! Some of you are really dealing with some pretty awful stuff right now...my heart goes out to you.

[mamamoo]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I haven't been able to stop crying all evening. I'm so sorry I even told my parents about the debt- if I'd known they couldn't/wouldn't help me, I wouldn't have bothered.

So what are my options now? The debt is almost as high as my annual income (about $8,000). There is simply no way I can possibly pay this off. There's nobody else I can borrow from.

What can the debt collection agency do to me if I can't pay?

It's been about 8 years since I last declared bankrupcy, and I can't pay for a lawyer right now either.

It sounds liek you need to file a small claims suit against your "friend" it is not very expensive to file, and you just represent yourself, so no lawyers, etc.

I am so sorry she is flaking on you. That sucks!!

[Ruthla]

But if I take her to court, how long will it be until I get the money? And how do I deal with the creditor in the meantime?

[2Sweeties1Angel]

What can the debt collection agency do to me if I can't pay?

Not a damn thing if your annual income is only around $8,000. Isn't your income from disability or something anyway? They can't touch that.

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by 2Sweeties1Angel

Not a damn thing if your annual income is only around $8,000. Isn't your income from disability or something anyway? They can't touch that.

Income's from Child Support. Disibility is still pending.

[mamamoo]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

But if I take her to court, how long will it be until I get the money? And how do I deal with the creditor in the meantime?

I'm not really sure how long it would take, and you would just have to tell the creditor what is going on. If your only income is from cs and/or disablility, they can't garnish you. I'm so sorry mama.

Originally Posted by Ruthla

Income's from Child Support. Disibility is still pending.

[faerierose]

Hi again, I'm wishing everyone the best of luck. DP decided not to take the second job because he didn't want to drive into seattle everyday (gas and wear on the car). Things have been so up in the air lately and I've been so stressed about everything. I can't take it anymore, dp partner and I have been fighting because we are both so stressed. We keep making plans and I keep changing them 'cause I just can't stop second guessing everything and stressing out.
It looks like I will not be getting my teeth fixed anytime in the near future so I'm through worrying about it for now, there just isn't anything more I can do.
Ds has a few appointment at children's hospital this summer so he can get a diagnosis. I should have a decision about his ssi claim by the end of summer as well. I'm trying to work w/ the college about finishing the last class to get my AA, hopefully I will be able to get the tuition covered. I can't stay in this area, we will never get ahead here it's just to expensive. We are moving to OK with my sister (different sister). Me and the kids are going at the end of August and dp will be down 6 months later, he is staying behind for work. I'm trying so hard not to worry but it's so hard. We are taking our stuff but not our furniture because we can't afford to rent a truck. I'm going to rent a trailer and drive the van down there. My sister is going to help me find a place to rent (I'll still have the housing assistance) and get some furniture. If all goes well I will have the $ dp sends, ds's ssi, and I will be babysitting for my sister. Half of me is terrified and the other half is super excited It feels right, like we are getting a new start. Now I just need some creative idea's on how to raise more $ for the move....I'm not stressing (repeat 12x)

[DreamsInDigital]

I'm joining this thread *really* late but I misinterpreted the thread title as "[People who have little or no] (poor) family support" which is not me. We have great family support. We're just really poor financially speaking.
DH just had a job interview for a management position that would double our income and almost get us out of poverty for good. I lost my job due to absences from childcare issues (not being able to find anyone to watch my kids part time) and so I was really scared about how to pay our bills. I'm hoping he gets this job and it will be the answer to all my prayers.
He got a second interview which he goes for at 11am tomorrow.

If he doesn't get it, I'm not sure what will happen first. The car getting repo'd, the electric getting shut off or getting evicted from our apartment.

So any prayers, positive thoughts or good vibes for my DH tomorrow would be greatly appreciated!

[LankyLizards]

try freecycle, half the people in the world, it seems, have a crib lurking somewhere.

Um...I do! Are you in FL, by any chance?

[kytheria]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I haven't been able to stop crying all evening. I'm so sorry I even told my parents about the debt- if I'd known they couldn't/wouldn't help me, I wouldn't have bothered.

So what are my options now? The debt is almost as high as my annual income (about $8,000). There is simply no way I can possibly pay this off. There's nobody else I can borrow from.

What can the debt collection agency do to me if I can't pay?

It's been about 8 years since I last declared bankrupcy, and I can't pay for a lawyer right now either.

Ruth, I'm so sorry.

There's not much the credit agency can do to you. They can't garnish your wages. They can't even call you anymore if you send them a cease and desist letter. They CAN put the debt on your credit report so that's shot, but they can't take anything from you in order to collect. (Unless it's a student loan... it's not, is it?)

Chances are good you can't even collect through small claims court. State guidelines vary, but small claims has a limit of $1,000-$7,000....usually in the middle, around $3,000. There's very little chance of you recovering even half of the debt. If the friend isn't willing to use credit cards or some other method of paying this off right away, you may have to sue her. You can see if Legal Aid can help you, if not, there may be an attorney who would be willing to take the fees from any judgement against your "friend".

Personally, I'd give her 48 hours to have a cashiers check in my hand or that balance put on her credit cards before proceeding with some kind of legal action. And if she tried to lie her way out of it, I'd drop that to 24 hours.



I wish I were a lawyer. I'd represent you for free.

[UberMama]

My positive for the day. We got our garbage bill, which is $60 for two months. You pay in advance. So since we're moving out, I get to go into the office tomorrow and ask them to change the bill to just two weeks (instead of two months!). So we'll owe a lot less.

Bad for the day - we had to run DH's vehicle through emissions to get him new tags. $75. Not as bad as some states charge at least!

Once we move, if it's into a single family home, I've decided to take on one child (besides my own! lol) to get a bit of extra income. I want to watch just one full time. I am pondering how much to charge though. This in a way will be a benefit to us, not only financially but a playmate for our kids (I'm only going to accept a toddler aged child). I want to help out a family that can't necessarily afford the $100/week others charge, but don't qualify for help either. Eventually I'd like to get state certified (I don't have to be in order to watch one child). I have my CPR/first aid certs already. Oh well, I have some time to think about it I guess.

Amanda - {{HUGS}} My DH inherited bad teeth (no matter what he does to take care of them, doesn't matter.. sigh) and he too is having to put things off. In fact, he's put off certain things for his teeth for almost 2-3 years now. UGH. I hate that he's having to do that. I know what you mean about a new beginning. I wish you a LOT of luck. I've sold a ton of stuff on CraigsList and eBay to make $ for our move! I'd suggest that, if you have anything at all to sell.

DiD - I HOPE he gets the job, I really do. Wow, I can't imagine how stressed you must be. Positive thoughts coming to you and esp him! I pray you have a good update for us tomorrow. Or will he not find out so soon? {{HUGS}}

Ruth - Do you happen to know ANY lawyers at all? We have a lawyer friend (of DH's) that once wrote a letter to an insurance company for us. It scared the ins. co. into giving in instead of dealing with the courts, which is what we were threatening. You may try calling around, seeing if you can find a lawyer that will do this for free.. it's rare, but some do it! The letter may scare her enough, you never know.

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by kytheria

Ruth, I'm so sorry.

There's not much the credit agency can do to you. They can't garnish your wages. They can't even call you anymore if you send them a cease and desist letter. They CAN put the debt on your credit report so that's shot, but they can't take anything from you in order to collect. (Unless it's a student loan... it's not, is it?)

nope, it's a credit card that went into collections.

Chances are good you can't even collect through small claims court. State guidelines vary, but small claims has a limit of $1,000-$7,000....usually in the middle, around $3,000. There's very little chance of you recovering even half of the debt. If the friend isn't willing to use credit cards or some other method of paying this off right away, you may have to sue her. You can see if Legal Aid can help you, if not, there may be an attorney who would be willing to take the fees from any judgement against your "friend".

So even if I don't officially declare bancruptcy (which requires paying a lawyer) they still can't make me pay?

[Satori]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

nope, it's a credit card that went into collections.

So even if I don't officially declare bancruptcy (which requires paying a lawyer) they still can't make me pay?

nope, they can take you to court but unless you own property your pretty much judgment proof at $8k a year income.

[kytheria]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

nope, it's a credit card that went into collections.

So even if I don't officially declare bancruptcy (which requires paying a lawyer) they still can't make me pay?

The absolute worst they can do to you is sue you. Usually they don't bother. If they see they aren't getting the money from you, they will usually sell the debt to another collection agency who will try again to collect. Being sued is NOT the norm, but it is an option- and it usually happens after several YEARS, not a few weeks. By the time they get around to doing that, you can almost always settle on a lower amount, sometimes as low as 50%. Hopefully if it ever gets to that point, your friend will have stopped screwing you over and will have paid something.

I found this page that gives some good info.

[DreamsInDigital]

Originally Posted by UberMama

DiD - I HOPE he gets the job, I really do. Wow, I can't imagine how stressed you must be. Positive thoughts coming to you and esp him! I pray you have a good update for us tomorrow. Or will he not find out so soon? {{HUGS}}

There is a chance he could find out if he gets a third interview tomorrow. The senior manager in charge of making the final decision told him that he may not insist on a third interview and just make an offer outright to the final four chosen for the open positions. He's one of about 20 applying for 4 spots.

Hopefully I'll have a good update for you tomorrow but if not I'll keep you updated as soon as we know.

Thanks for your prayers.

[Satori]

Well mama's after I pay rent and car payment I'm back to BROKE I'll basically have about $2000 to live off of until Sept and no clue how I'm going to pull it off. ok, I do but it means every things going to get late for a month or 2. I'm hoping get a part time babysitting gig and that my app for SSI for the girls gets approved. I do have to admit though that I feel in a much better position then I was a month ago when I had extra money and was able to replace some major appliances (fridge/ upright freezer and A/C) which has made my life a lot easier so I don't feel one iota of guilt over buying them (after 3 years in this place I deserve them! ) I've put in a potted garden so we'll have fresh veggies this summer and if I follow my menu planning we'll be fine for food. Its everything else I gotta worry about. At least I can think positive about it

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by Satori

nope, they can take you to court but unless you own property your pretty much judgment proof at $8k a year income.

I don't own squat. I have a vehicle in my name, no savings account, and just barely enough in checking to cover bills. Oh, and an apartmentful of second hand furniture and clothes for the family.

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by kytheria

The absolute worst they can do to you is sue you. Usually they don't bother. If they see they aren't getting the money from you, they will usually sell the debt to another collection agency who will try again to collect. Being sued is NOT the norm, but it is an option- and it usually happens after several YEARS, not a few weeks. By the time they get around to doing that, you can almost always settle on a lower amount, sometimes as low as 50%. Hopefully if it ever gets to that point, your friend will have stopped screwing you over and will have paid something.

I found this page that gives some good info.

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I will call the debt collector tomorrow (before he has a chance to harass my family any longer) and tell him I was unable to find anybody to borrow the money from, I don't have it, I can't pay it, please stop calling me. But they do have permission to contact F regarding this debt if they want to.

[Ruthla]

I started a new thead for June.

[kytheria]

Here's a sample cease and desist letter from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace. Send it certified mail, with signature required.

[Date] _____

[From]
_________
_________
_________

VIA: Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested

[To]
_________
_________
_________

RE:____________

Dear _________ :

This letter will serve as your legal notice under federal law that regulates the activities of collection agencies and their legal representatives.

You are hereby notified under provisions of Public Law 95-109, Section 805-C, THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT, to CEASE AND DESIST in any and all attempts to collect the above debt.

Your failure to do so WILL result in charges being filed against you with the state and federal regulatory agencies empowered with enforcement.

Please be further warned that if ANY derogatory information is placed on any credit reports after receipt of this notice, it too will result in action being taken against you.

PLEASE GIVE THIS MATTER THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES.

Yours truly,

__________