The Money Thread...

[Glowy69]

Well you don't need 3D do you? And what's the extra box for?

[Joer]

The 3D is free apparently. And it's for the bedroom. I've got one in the living room and one in the bedroom.

[Glowy69]

The 3D is free apparently. And it's for the bedroom. I've got one in the living room and one in the bedroom.

So scrap the bedroom one and like lucien said, use netflix?

I used to be like that, I had to have it, but if you really want to save money, just get rid of it.

[Grumpy David]

Noddle is a fantastic website.

I check it all the time. My understanding is that simply logging into Noddle doesn't even leave a soft search on your report. A hard search is a credit search a lender does that all other lenders can see, a soft search is something like a Mortgage in principle decision from Halifax, the Lloyds banking group can see the search and it'll show on a credit report but other lenders won't see it. Lenders don't see the same credit report we see, their one doesn't show soft searches.

Credit cards, loans, more cards, spending hundreds of pounds on clothes, nights out, casino text.I had 3 mobile phones. One day nearly all the companies I had cards with reduced my limits and I knew I was strawberry floated. So I went looking for help. It was awful. Paid back £350 a month for 5 years, paid back about 22k in total. So i was happy. It's gone, doesn't affect credit anymore.

It may affect your ability to get a mortgage if the lender's question is "have you ever had an IVA" rather than "Is there an IVA on your credit report". Someone like Santander asks the first question and if the answer is yes then they will automatically decline the application.

[Glowy69]

The IVA isn't on my report mate, it was 8 years ago, stays on for 6. I'll be able to apply for a mortgage soon.

They also ask if you're currently in an IVA, not whether you have ever had one.

[Joer]

I don't have anything to stream on in the bedroom. Just got a PS2 for games/DVD's and the Sky box for TV. It's an extra £11.25 i'm paying for that though so I might cancel it, move the Wii in to the bedroom and just pay a couple of extra quid to include the streaming on my Lovefilm bundle. Would it be worth giving Sky a call about the cost i'm paying for the sports package or will they tell me to get lost as i'm in a contract?

[Lotus]

strawberry float me, no wonder Sky's raking it in. I'm guessing that's one of the more expensive packages (but even so...)

Do you need multi-room? Would that lower the price if you got rid of it? Seems a mental amount.

My monthly out-goings:

Mortgage - £735
Phone/internet - £25
Mobile - £10
Petrol - £160
Food/other - £80-100, depending on what needs buying
Gas/elec - ~£120 a quarter

[Grumpy David]

The IVA isn't on my report mate, it was 8 years ago, stays on for 6. I'll be able to apply for a mortgage soon.

True, it won't show up on the report anymore. Someone like American Express (if you had credit from them during your IVA years) will have blacklisted you internally however.

And if you were to answer the question as "no" to "have you ever had an IVA" you'd have committed mortgage fraud.

[Joer]

Decided to just cancel the multi-room as I probably watch it one night a week as it is. Even comparing my gas & electric bills to yours, Lotus, makes mine look pricey again. I'm paying £120 a quarter just for gas, then about another £40 a month for electric on top of that!

[Glowy69]

The IVA isn't on my report mate, it was 8 years ago, stays on for 6. I'll be able to apply for a mortgage soon.

True, it won't show up on the report anymore. Someone like American Express (if you had credit from them during your IVA years) will have blacklisted you internally however.

And if you were to answer the question as "no" to "have you ever had an IVA" you'd have committed mortgage fraud.

I did edit it mate, sorry.

Also there's no such thing as black listed.

Captial one were one of my creditors I owed money too, 8 years have passed and I successfully applied for one of their credit cards. They are only allowed to hold record on you for 6 years. No longer. They won't ever ask you if you've had one. Only if you're in one. I've sat in on a mortgage appointment.

Man are they dull.

[Lotus]

Decided to just cancel the multi-room as I probably watch it one night a week as it is. Even comparing my gas & electric bills to yours, Lotus, makes mine look pricey again. I'm paying £120 a quarter just for gas, then about another £40 a month for electric on top of that!

Nice one on the multi-room, sounds like some good money saved.

In terms of gas/electricity...who's your supplier(s)? How do you pay? How old's the place you live in? (I'm thinking insulation). Do you know what kind of tariff you're on? When did you last change?

All those can affect how much you're paying. This is going to sound really patronising (sorry) but with everything - energy, internet, phone, TV, all kinds of insurance (travel, contents, building, car), etc - never just renew automatically, and always shop around and change provider if you get a significant saving (or even a small one, depending on how hot on it you are).

[Glowy69]

And use cashback sites!

[Grumpy David]

They are only allowed to hold record on you for 6 years. No longer. They won't ever ask you if you've had one. Only if you're in one. I've sat in on a mortgage appointment.

Man are they dull.

From Santander's website:

"If you answer yes to any of the following questions, unfortunately we will decline the application

has any customer on the application:
15. Ever had a property repossessed by a mortgage lender?
16. Ever been bankrupt or subject to an IVA?
17. Ever had a criminal conviction, unless the conviction is for a minor traffic offence, or spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974?"

So there are lenders who will ask the "have you ever" question, to which you would have to answer yes to, meaning you would be declined. To say "no" would be to commit mortgage fraud.

[Glowy69]

Hmm, ours is different at nationwide. Didn't know that dude.

However I'd like to think they wouldn't hold it against you, being as it was so long ago.

[Slayerx]

Hmm, ours is different at nationwide. Didn't know that dude.

However I'd like to think they wouldn't hold it against you, being as it was so long ago.

They wouldn't be allowed to hold it against you as the FCA wouldn't look to kindly on it.

Working for Nationwide eh our biggest rival

[Glowy69]

Hmm, ours is different at nationwide. Didn't know that dude.

However I'd like to think they wouldn't hold it against you, being as it was so long ago.

They wouldn't be allowed to hold it against you as the FCA wouldn't look to kindly on it.

Working for Nationwide eh our biggest rival

Really?

You work for a bank?

I don't do rivalries. We are doing well enough as a company. Just wish everyone would stop opening strawberry floating savings accounts with us.

[LewisD]

Paying off the last installment of my 5 year long bank loan this month...

I am however still a bit in the financial gooseberry fool however, as i owe a lot on a credit card.
I'm going to try and move that onto a balance transfer card though to try and shift it, because it feels like i'm only paying the interest at the moment, and barely making a dent in the amount i owe.

My outgoings are pretty high, but mostly because we're private renting a place in reading.

• Rent:- £875
• internet/landline:- £30
• Electricity:- £140 a month
• Credit Card:- £65
• Bank Loan:- £128 (last one!)
• His & Hers mobile phones:- £30-ish when combined.
• Food/Shopping:- £160-£180
• Petrol:- £50
• Council Tax:- £160

I've probably forgotten some there, but you get the idea.
Once the credit card is paid off, I can start trying to get some extra money in the black, which will be nice.

[Slayerx]

Hmm, ours is different at nationwide. Didn't know that dude.

However I'd like to think they wouldn't hold it against you, being as it was so long ago.

They wouldn't be allowed to hold it against you as the FCA wouldn't look to kindly on it.

Working for Nationwide eh our biggest rival

Really?

You work for a bank?

I don't do rivalries. We are doing well enough as a company. Just wish everyone would stop opening strawberry floating savings accounts with us.

No the 2nd biggest building society

[Glowy69]

Hmm, ours is different at nationwide. Didn't know that dude.

However I'd like to think they wouldn't hold it against you, being as it was so long ago.

They wouldn't be allowed to hold it against you as the FCA wouldn't look to kindly on it.

Working for Nationwide eh our biggest rival

Really?

You work for a bank?

I don't do rivalries. We are doing well enough as a company. Just wish everyone would stop opening strawberry floating savings accounts with us.

No the 2nd biggest building society

We are all on the same side. Who is the second biggest society?

Our biggest rival is lloyds.

[Lotus]

Paying off the last installment of my 5 year long bank loan this month...

I am however still a bit in the financial gooseberry fool however, as i owe a lot on a credit card.
I'm going to try and move that onto a balance transfer card though to try and shift it, because it feels like i'm only paying the interest at the moment, and barely making a dent in the amount i owe.

My outgoings are pretty high, but mostly because we're private renting a place in reading.

• Rent:- £875
• internet/landline:- £30
• Electricity:- £140 a month
• Credit Card:- £65
• Bank Loan:- £128 (last one!)
• His & Hers mobile phones:- £30-ish when combined.
• Food/Shopping:- £160-£180
• Petrol:- £50
• Council Tax:- £160

I've probably forgotten some there, but you get the idea.
Once the credit card is paid off, I can start trying to get some extra money in the black, which will be nice.

£140 a month on electricity?

I forgot council tax too, about £80 I pay (single person).