Oh gill what can i say hun , except big hugs ,thinking of you , i hope what ZB has suggested opens up another avenue for you xxdk

hugs from all of us,,,xxx ps Im sure you will come up with something,,,you always do, your a smart gall, xxx

So sorry Gill expect you are fed up with hearing that word,I really don't know what to suggest to you.Just sending loads of positive vibes and (((Hugs))).xx

I don't know what to say Gill, nothing I can say will help , just sending big ((((HUGS)))) to you.
Christine

Thanks to everyone who's replied so far, you must be getting sick of my constant troubles.
What ZB has suggested is already in place. I get the max Jobseekers and if I didn't have a mortgage, bank loan and credit card I could survive on that. It's my application for mortgage assistance that is in doubt plus there is a limit to what they will pay. They have agreed that it meets the criteria regarding affordability when I took it out, they now have all my payslips too to back it up, but they think I may be getting money from my ex (quite the reverse - the thieving b***** took £116k off me that he'd made no contribution to) so I have to rake all that up again to prove I don't.
There is still a deficit. I am waiting for an appointment with MABS who apparently are very good at striking deals with creditors and I am not in arrears yet with anything plus I pay much more than minimum on my credit card each month so I might be able to drag things out a bit longer. It can't go on indefinitely though. I seem to have the following options......
1. Sell a few hundred books - outside my control although I have 800 sitting here
2. Sell a share of the house to an investor to reduce the mortgage (risky and not done over here)
3. Hope that my MIL passes away (that's an awful thing to think let alone say but I am still a beneficiary)
4. Let the inevitable happen, move back in with my ex (don't even go there! )
5. Throw myself in the river (it's only a foot deep here and cold and murky so maybe not)
6. Find the money to do what Scorpio suggested and build a secure run off the back door and find any job however far away and leave Deccy at home all day (at least I will be solvent but I'll have a lonely unhappy boy and would it be fair to get him a companion from the pound? Fair on the rescue dog, that is...)
7. Find a job and take Deccy and leave him in the car all day (also not a great idea)
8. Find a solvent boyfriend who will at least take my mind off things (it's never going to happen)
9. Win the Lotto (at odds of 8 million to 1 it's not worth the expense of the ticket)
10. Give up.

I am going to do some serious job hunting today and cross the bridge of dog care if I actually get a job.

It's just a nightmare.

Another idea that might work is for you to have a look around for a different mortgage company then remortgage your house on an extended the length and with lower repayment rates.

Good luck!

If you have more than one bedroom could you advertise to get a lodger? That could help you bring you in an extra income of up to £350 a month? (sorry dont know the equivilant conversion!) and i think the first £4000 or maybe even £4500 is non taxable - you would have to check the rules over there though.
It might not be too fun at first but they might turn into a great friend plus its some company for you and maybe even Deccy if the lodger works different times to you? Could help to solve 2 problems at the same time?

Sorry cant think of anything else to suggest but keep your head up and we're thinking of you xxxx

Unfortunately, Irish banks (there are no building societies here as such) will only lend on the basis that people retire at 65 so I can't repay over more than the current period of 13 years. Also, I am paying interest only at the moment so there is no room for lowering payments at all.
No bank will contemplate taking over a mortgage when the mortage holder is unemployed.

Regarding lodgers, unfortunately it's a no go for the following reasons:
1. I have two spare bedrooms both ensuite but they are both shells and one of the ensuites is the bathroom I use myself as it is the only one functioning/complete. I can't afford to finish the rooms, let alone carpet/furnish them.
2. If I take in lodgers I will lose all my benefit
3. I am in a remote location so unlikely to find any
4. I've done it before and there comes a point where you want to kill them
5. The vast majority of people in this area would not tolerate a dog in the house and would expect Deccy to be in a kennel outside permanently.
6. The rest of the house is unfinished and therefore not fully functioning
7. It would invalidate my house contents insurance
8. I don't want a stranger in my house since if there was an incident, no-one would hear me shout for help as the nearest neighbour is a quarter of a mile away so I wouldn't feel safe.

i was thinking lodger or maybe b&b....to help bring in cash....maybe also fostering children, i do know you get paid upto £200 a week if you foster a child...

Alex
xx