Dealing with debts/arrears (was a query about TV/broadband!)
- Thread starter scully
- Start date
CCOVICH said:Maybe we should just call it "Scully's Thread"?
i'd likek that lol, that way i can ask all my questions lol
Well i did have a discussion with my partner, and we have decided to get rid of eircom all together.
Now we both want broadband kept in, so partner will try get some solo gigs in order to keep payments with that.
Chorus digital will be down graded to just cable.
Im just going to work out and see how much savings that would make.
This would save us an extra 200 every 2 months.
D
daltonr
Guest
If you can afford to keep it I'd hold on to Broadband. I suspect there might be other non essentials you could get rid of first, and you seem to be doing that.
The reason I'd keep broadband is the very thing you're doing right now, learning. If you do decide to keep your internet connection then use it to the full. Your finances are not hard to get the hang of, an hour or two in front of the computer will do wonders.
Keep asking questions on AAM and make use of GOOGLE and OASIS.GOV.IE and other wegsites.
As for your various debts. Dig out the paper work or ring the people you got the loans from and ask them for:
The APR (Annual Percent Rate)
The Expected Finish Date (For the loan. Doesn't apply to the overdraft).
Check if you're paying payment protection on the loan, you might be. You probably don't need it. You could save a bit by cancelling that.
-Rd
The reason I'd keep broadband is the very thing you're doing right now, learning. If you do decide to keep your internet connection then use it to the full. Your finances are not hard to get the hang of, an hour or two in front of the computer will do wonders.
Keep asking questions on AAM and make use of GOOGLE and OASIS.GOV.IE and other wegsites.
As for your various debts. Dig out the paper work or ring the people you got the loans from and ask them for:
The APR (Annual Percent Rate)
The Expected Finish Date (For the loan. Doesn't apply to the overdraft).
Check if you're paying payment protection on the loan, you might be. You probably don't need it. You could save a bit by cancelling that.
-Rd
DrMoriarty
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If you want to shave a few more quid off your monthly outgoings, you might also consider cutting the Chorus subscription altogether. First check out the small print in your T&Cs as to who exactly "owns" the satellite dish and other paraphernalia, after all these years. It may well be that it still "belongs" to Chorus and they'll (eventually!) send a bod out to remove it all. But in the meantime you can pick up the necessary replacement hardware very cheaply on the second-hand market and then pick up all the BBC channels (1,2,3 and 4) plus a whole host of other channels (some crap, others good) for nowt. And — pending future developments — you should be able to get all the Irish channels on an old-fashioned analogue aerial. If you really miss ITV and Channel 4, you could get someone in the UK to order, activate and forward on an old Sky FTV card. See the "satellite" forum on Boards.ie for further details. Thereafter, your only recurring outlay is the price of the annual Tee-vee licence (of which I'll say nothing here!scully said:
)Just saying this 'cause I went that route myself, a couple of years ago. So far it's saved me about €600/€900, and €300 p.a. from here on... — and the kids still have a vast range of TV channels to choose from (ad-free, in the case of the Beeb!) Sayonara, Sky One/Nick Jr.!
Now, if only I could block out the bloody six-out-of-every-twenty-minutes ads on RTÉ... daltonr said:
Chorus will be downgrades to 29.99 a month for basic, but they also do cable broadband, that needs no line rental. If we cut eircom off altogether or only bills would be Chorus TV & Broadand for 65 and ESB which usually works out at between 60 - 80 every 2 months. On a weekly income we would need to put 25 away for bills then.
I will look for the paperwork, but the loan finish date would be August 2009.
But im planning to have the loan finished by Summer 2006.
Yes, Im paying an extra 25 for payment protection every month. So if i kept paying this it would cost me 1200 over the course of the loan. I rang GE Money, and they said i could cancel it, but i need it in writing.
DrMoriarty said:
Its chorus digital that we have, there is no satelite dish involved.
But in the meantime you can pick up the necessary replacement hardware very cheaply on the second-hand market and then pick up all the BBC channels (1,2,3 and 4) plus a whole host of other channels (some crap, others good) for nowt. And — pending future developments — you should be able to get all the Irish channels on an old-fashioned analogue aerial. If you really miss ITV and Channel 4, you could get someone in the UK to order, activate and forward on an old Sky FTV card. See the "satellite" forum on Boards.ie for further details. Thereafter, your only recurring outlay is the price of the annual Tee-vee licence (of which I'll say nothing here!
Were living in a rented 2nd floor building, and were not left touch the outside walls as we are living on a main street which is owned by the council. plus the building is so old were not left install anything for fear of breaking.
As for TV Licence, I think partner gets that free for life with his disability. Would need to check up on that.
About the Ads, partner watches WWE wrestling, and the amount of ads on it is unbelievable.
DrMoriarty
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You mean they "need" it in writing... Do it, and fast! Scrap what I said earlier about the digital satellite options, since you probably don't have control over that...scully said:
DrMoriarty
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They're just doing their job, which is to rack up as much profit as possible. Caveat emptor, and all that...
I thought your partner was blind? I also thought that you were trying to cut back on your non essential spending?scully said:
ClubMan said:
Yes my partner is blind, but not fully blind. Its called Stargradts Disease. He cant see out through the centre of his eyes, but peripheral. He can only see shapes but not what the image is. If you understand what i mean. When your vision is at a certain level you are legally blind. I think his vision is either 200/200 or 400/600 something like that. Its in the hundreds anyway.
Dont worry he sees an eye doctor every year and everything he qualifies for has been means tested. He has this since a young child. And throughout the years it gets worse and to a certain stage. Im not sure if he becomes fully blind, but i quess it will deteriate like with any person as they get older.
As part of chorus digital we had sky sports 1.2.3 and all 9 movie channels. This is where he would have watched wrestling. But since we are taking out the sports and movies, we just have basic cable with about 20 or so channels for 29.99 a month. When he watches tv he looks through a viewing glass. As glasses wont help him.