Hi, thanks for reading. I will keep this brief so as not to bore anyone but basically at the age of 43 I am still paying off debt built up over my twenties and early thirties. This is not because of a frivolous lifestyle or gambling/drug addiction, or anything exciting, but just the result of coming from a family that could not afford to help with money through university and then living in cities like Bristol and London to have a career (in the terribly paid public sector).

I got my act together around 10 years ago and consolidated debts, shopped around for better interest rates constantly, and built my credit score up to ‘Excellent’, but I am still paying out more than 90% of my income every month on loan and credit card payments, rent, childcare, bills… to the point where the cost-of-living crisis has meant that with increased energy bills (etc.) I am at serious risk of falling back into overdrafts and will start missing payments (UPDATE: back in the overdrafts and getting worse each month now).

It frustrates me immensely that I have been paying back so much for so long and I’m still years away from being clear of debt and because of the rise in living costs I’m also at risk of having to move to a smaller house/further away from work (already a 90 min commute)… all while not being able to provide the quality of life I want for my children (UPDATE: G-3yrs and B-6 Months).

If I can get 10,000 people to throw in a buck my family’s lives will improve immeasurably as we will finally be able to stop worrying about losing the roof over our heads, and maybe even save for a deposit for a home of our own.

Without turning to a sob story approach, I also cannot afford to visit my father as often as I would like due to the cost of travel. He is living with MSA which has a life expectancy of 7-9 years and due to the distance between us and the cost of travel he barely gets to see his grandchildren and it breaks my heart knowing that when he’s gone, I’ll regret not spending more time with him, and all because money was too tight.

If anyone wants a picture of a delightful house rabbit I will gladly oblige!

Peace and Love… Happy Dude xxx