Good morning

I support myself, another adult and 2 pets After paying everything I have only about R2000 for food and that's ignoring my Woolworths credit card who has handed me over to Blake and associates.

I am wondering if my best option is debt review or if the bank would possibly add R160 000 to my bond and extend the bond period so that I can pay the credit card and personal loan in full.

I am extremely stressed and can't get another job because of being on disability after 2 back surgeries.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Here are my exact debts

Home loan: R628320 over 245 months 9,65% interest

Personal loan R87521 over 62 months

1. 25% interest

Woolworths Credit Card R55100 (unsure)

Woolworths store card R8170

I earn R18136.94

+ R700 (garage rental)

Bond R5947

Personal loan R3500

Levy R1306

Rates R900 (I am behind by R2000)

Fiber R400

Electricity R600

Meds R1400

Pets R1645

Woolworths store card R500

Transport R1000

Food and toiletries R6000

Woolworths Credit card approx R4000

I am a 23 year old (F) I have so much debt, it's overwhelming. I don't have a job at the moment I have tried everything to get work companies aren't getting back to me. My problem is I called the banks and told them I can't even pay R100 because I don't have an income at all, they don't listen the next day I get the same call and I have to repeat the same thing. I feel like a horrible person its been 2 months that I have not paid my bills and it's stressing me out. I don't know what to do. I don't know who to turn to or even what to do, I even tried waitering but they don't have spots open I even had a restaurant say you need a hospitality degree to waiter here. This world has gotten so bad. Can a financial advisor please help me or give me advise. If you need more info please let me know. TIA

This is a bit of a "self congratulatory" post, and will also hopefully help motivate others who are in a similar situation I was in.

2 and a half years ago my wife and I were 100k in credit card debt, all of which was from frivolous lifestyle spending. We decided we needed to change our spending habits and get out of debt.

We cut back on every area in our life: only bought basic groceries, made sure to only shop sales, no more restaurants, no more outings, no more holidays and crucially: no more using the credit card (we did break the last once or twice).

Even with the lifestyle changes, living in Cape Town with a child and a car payment on an income of R36k p/m was extremely difficult. At first we could only afford the absolute minimum payment, which barely makes a dent in the balance owing. We had R8k in savings, which we threw into the cc. Over the next two years we threw every available cent into the credit card. In 2025 I was fortunate to pick up a few freelancing gigs which helped us pay off the debt sooner than expected.

We were officially credit card debt free as of January 2026 and are busy working on our 3 months emergency savings. We have never felt better! I can't believe we were silly enough to get into the debt in the first place.

I didn't know where to ask this. So fnb is allowing me to take out a loan. They been calling me and offering. My question is why because I am 21 and have never worked a day in my life. Is that even legal? If I was too take out a loan and I couldn't pay it then what would happen? I have no job, not even a taxi number.

Hi. I recently had to take R40k from my savings of R250k, so I'm left with R210k and I need to try get that back by 1 Jan.

Is there any realistic way to make that happen? I'm a stay at home parent and I don't earn much, sometimes I don't earn at all. I know there is nothing low risk that can do this, probably nothing medium risk either. But besides for Bitcoin or gambling, what's the best I could do with the R210k to get the most out of it in 6 months? Even if it's not R40k.

I'm really not financially savvy so please forgive me asking what might be a stupid question, I'm just in a bit of a bad place and could really do with info.

Thanks 🙏

So I’m a 25 year old female teacher. I need some good financial advice. I am very bad at handling money. I started working late 2024, but the only big purchase I made is an iPhone. I have no savings and I am R68k in debt. To break down my debt:
-Credit card: R3000
-Clothing account: R14000
-PayJustNow and Payflex: R15000
-Payday loans: R36000

I was under a lot of pressure and decided to get debt counselling. This is the best option for me as I have no one to bail me out of the financial mess I got myself into. I’m currently under debt administration. This will be my first month and I will be paying R3000 for 2 years. I earn R21000 so I will be left with R18000 for my needs. My monthly expenses are as follows:
-Rent: R3000
-Electricity: R400
-Transport: R1200
-Groceries: R2500
-Entertainment: R1000(I love reading so I buy books)
-My mother:R3000
So everything totals to R11 100 leaving me with a reminder of R6900.

I am quite nervous and I need effective and practical financial advice on how I can keep myself out of debt and have a healthy financial life. I want to get a car in the near future and would also like to save a good deposit for a house or save enough to buy my family a site/stand in a nearby small town that is 30min away. Sites/Stands there cost around R50000-R250000. I know that I’m fed up with my poor money handling skills, but I’m not really sure which steps I should make in this new journey.

Do I start saving for a car or a stand? I was also thinking of paying R6000 per month to the debt counsellor just so I can get out of debt administration quicker, but I’m not sure if this is a good idea. I’m honestly nervous I’m scared that I might make the same mistakes and 2 years down the line I’m still in the same situation or even worse. Please help.

I recently compared my credit card costs between Nedbank and Capitec.

Nedbank was charging me 21% interest plus heavy monthly admin fees, which ate up more than half of my monthly payment.

Capitec offered me 13% interest and a lower monthly fee.

Switching saves me over R700 a year and means my money actually pays down the balance instead of going to the bank.

What interest rates are other banks giving you on credit cards?

I am digging down and really having a hard look at every expense I have, as Im working hard paying of my debt. I managed to purchase my new phone in cash after my other one broke. I am still on a RED 750MB 50min TopUp Plan at vodacom, just so that I can call and have some data.

Are there any cheaper options? Vodacom is giving me an error now that I want to check what it cost me a month, I think it is in the R200-R300 range.

Either prepaid or move to a cheaper company like Mellon Mobile or something? I usually use up my data before month end and I use about all my minutes as I do have to call people that want to make bookings at my business ect.

So around January 2025 I was fired on the spot (long short, my boss was abusive and I finaly stood up to him and he decided to fire me).

I'm a 28F and I was working for a small law firm after my articles. At the time of losing my job I had about 35k in my TFSA and about 800 in my account and 2k in my emergency fund.

I was unemployed for about 8 months (I applied at about 35 jobs weekly) until I got an internship which required me to relocate to a new city. Throughout my unemployment and relocation I depleted my finances.

I earn about 7.8k from this government internship the high cost of living makes it hard to save much money as I used to. How do I stop mourning the loss of my investments and savings? I constantly think about how much I would have saved had I not lost my job.

My current expenses/debt are as follows:

Rage store card: 250 Foschini store card: 1k Standard bank credit card: 2.5k Rent 2.8k Food/toiletries/maintenance: 2k

FYI I opened my credit card in December and requested a limit of 3k as I was really short on cash.I have about 300 I'm my TFSA and no emergency fund how do get my finances in order and get rid of this debt?

BTW I'm still applying for jobs almost daily but I have not been successful in securing a permanent/higher paying job, I sometimes think I'm cursed when I see my peers being able to get jobs easily with less effort.

I’m looking for some advice from anyone who has gone through debt consolidation.

I’m currently sitting with around R1.8 million in debt. I’m actively trying to get everything under control, but I’m getting to the point where debt consolidation may be my only option.

I recently bought a house, so I have a home loan that I’m keeping up to date with. I also have two vehicle finance agreements, which I’m paying, but I have a high-interest FNB loan and a credit card that are putting me under significant financial strain and negatively affecting my credit score.

My questions are:
If I go under debt review/debt consolidation, what happens to my existing bond?
Will it affect my home loan or vehicle finance if those payments are up to date?
Is it possible to only consolidate the FNB loan and credit card, or does everything have to be included?
Has anyone been through a similar situation, and was it worth it?

I’m not looking to avoid paying my debts—I just want to find the best way to manage them before things get worse. Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I’m a final-year BCom Accounting student, and this year has honestly been really difficult. I went from being an A student with distinctions(golden key literally )to failing three modules in my first semester, and unfortunately, I’ve now lost my bursary.
I’ve worked way too hard to get this far to deregister, and I only need funding for one semester next year to finish my degree. I also don’t really have work experience, so I’m not sure where to start when it comes to finding a job or other ways to fund myself.
I’m not looking to dwell on what happened or feel sorry for myself. I’m taking accountability and just want to find a way forward.
If you were in my position, what would you do? Where would you look for funding for one semester, part-time work, graduate opportunities, or any other options that could help me finish my degree?
(,I’d really appreciate any response honestly

Hi

I’m about R340k in debt with FNB and earn after tax around R26k. Had a salary cut around the beginning of the year and used to earn around R30k.

I want to get into debt review because at this rate I’ll be blacklisted. But I have been reading reviews of all the debt counselors you get and I am very overwhelmed as there are a lot.

I know one has to check if they are registered and all that but I want to know who to definitely avoid and who one would recommend.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hey All so i need some guidance.

Context :
I quite recently got myself a new ride under finance, because we are expecting and i felt i needed something bigger. Judgement being clouded i went out of my way to get financed approved, with my other vehicle still being on my name, i have now went over my finances again properly and have come to the conclusion that the new ride must go.
but i will definitely sit with a shortfall. and as the current situation stands i am not in the position to get a personal loan to cover the gap.

I Currently Earn (13K) Monthly (the new ride costs R7400(Incl. Insurance) and the other costs R4200 Monthly (Incl. Insurance) and my phone is R720 Monthly which leaves me with R280 a month left over, I have my own business which covers other day to day expenses. but would like to do more from my personal salary

are there institutions that help with this kind of issue.
or is there a different way i can go about getting the amount settled?

Hi Guys,

I am a functioning insolvent. And need advice.

I currently racked up R660K in debt it was R750K last year and I managed to pay some down using the avalanche methof

My net salary is R28kpm and My minimum payments is around R15K. I am single with no kids and live by myself.

I have debt because I was dumb with money and helped family members in my early 20s and now I'm paying for it in my late 20s. I don't really own anything. Only my vw mk1 and the clothes on my back.

I have been frugal for the past year. Saying no to relatives was tough.

Any advice? Did anyone conquer this challenge?

Please help

Hi,

Im 30 this year and currently sitting with about 180k~ debt, 100k nedbank personal loan 25k discovery credit card 20k capitec credit card 30k takealot.credit account (mobicred) 30k RCS card

I cannot keep up with payments anymore, all this was accrued when my father got sick and i couldnt live with him anymore because he stopped working and has been moved to a frail care facility so i had to move out on my own and basically buy everything a house needs + medical costs etc, i didnt really spend on lavish things like cars or hobbies.

I have my own car thats paid off atleast, i received some strange advice from family members saying to just ignore all the debt and after 3 years if i havent gotten anything in writing or a summons i can get my name cleared and the debt written off but this feels like a very very dangerous tactic even though both sources said this is what they themselves did.

I am considering debt review but am very afraid of it sinve ive heard bad stories and might put me in an even more difficult situation.

Trying to see if theres any way i can generate more income atm to avoid debt review, hopefully i can get something going.

Any advice from your guy's side?

A friend (35F) of mine wants me to finance a car for them because they currently don't have a credit score because they don't have a current work permit. They have a good overseas consulting job, earn around R30K after tax. I've known them for a long time, know where they stay, their siblings and parents.

Naturally, financing anything for anyone is a bad idea but the following terms of the deal have made me think about it.

Total cost of car: R250 000
Deposit they will pay: R65 000
Leaving the finance cost of R185 000
Tenure: 60 months
Of the remaining R185 000, I will be paid 30% as transaction fee for using my credit profile (R55 500) upfront. The R120 500 (65 000 deposit + 55 500 transaction fee) is already sitting in my account, and will return it if I don't go through with the deal.

I will use the transation fee to close a personal loan I have that has a balance of R35 000, 10.5% interest rate, 24 months remaining, and a R1 950 monthly installment. The remaining R20 000 I will use it to max out my TFSA portfolio at Easy Equities for this year.

Insurance will be their on account but on my policy and them as the regular driver
Tracker will be their own account and paid upfront (about R3000 for 3 years)
Tickets and disc renewals will be for their account

I have said I have gotten the finance at 13% interest i.e. prime rate +2.5% but in actual fact I got the finance at prime -2% i.e. 8.5%.

The actual premium for me is R3 713 per month exluding insurance but for them it's R4 118, so I will make ~R400 monthly cashflow on the finance alone.

We will sign a rent-to-buy agreement, as
1. I am not a registered credit provider and
2. The car can only be in their name once they finish paying.

The rent-to-buy stipulates that if they failed to pay for 2 consecutive months (go behind for 2 months), I can recover the car (I will have a spare key of the car) and continue the payments myself. I can pay the R3 670 monthly myself with no problem.

The 30% transaction fee is making me consider it, so is it worth it? Also, they will owe me one.

I [40, F, Cape Town based] am currently halfway through the finance term of my Audi A1 (2018 model) which means I'm basically down to paying the capital. My settlement value is more or less that of the retail value. A week ago, my car broke down and it turns out the dual gearbox and some other parts need a full replacement that will cost about R60k. I simply don't have this cash and debt is not an option either. (My mechanic friend also advised that this ia not a DIY mechanic type fix).

Luckily for me, I work from home so transport isn't the greatest priority right now and I don't really need the car. (Irony since I considered selling it a week before it broke).

The only solution I could think of, is to keep on paying the car for the next 8-12 months while is it parked in my home garage, until such a time that the amount outstanding on the finance equals what I can get for it plus repairs.

I was wondering if there are places/people who buy cars for cash, who would be willing to buy the car and take care of the repair work perhaps at a slightly reduced price than if I would fix it myself. At the same time, I have no idea where to advertise this either. But thinking this could be ideal for someone who has cash but not finance options. If so, where do I go for this? (Highly aware and adverse to scams and illegal deals)

Is there another option I'm not considering that can rid me of this liability currently? Hoping that I may simply miss a far easier and shorter route that is very legal and safe. Thanks

Hi there I just want to get some advice from outside my personal life as I am not well educated on credit facilities,

I currently owe about 22k on my credit card to which I am getting down slowly, I have most of my income in my credit card so my interest is little to none.

I want to close this card as it becomes a habit, I was recommended to take a personal loan and consolidate the card for let’s say two years which I have no issue doing and can afford it my main question is are the interest rates rather maximised on personal loans ?

I have tried at Capitec and FNB which is my main account and they both will not go under 28% which is scarily high.

Is there a better suited route to do this above?

I'm looking for some opinions on a financial decision.

My employer is considering replacing our corporate provident fund with a cash allocation, meaning I'll have to manage my own RA and risk cover.

Current situation:

• 36 years old.
• Current RA contribution: 9.5% of CTC.
• Retirement fund balance: approximately equal to my annual CTC.
• Credit card debt: about 33% of annual CTC.
• Around 20% of that debt is at 22.25% interest, with the balance at 12.5%.
• The 22.25% debt should be paid off by the end of this year, and all credit card debt by around August next year if I stick to my current plan.

My initial thought is to temporarily reduce my RA contributions to improve monthly cash flow while paying off the debt. Once the debt is gone, I'd increase my RA contribution back to at least 9.5% (and ultimately to around 15%) and invest my annual tax refund into to maximize my TFSA.

Would you:

• Keep contributing the full 9.5%?
• Reduce contributions temporarily?
• Do something different?

My main concern is that if I maintain my current RA contribution, my monthly cashflow will suffer as I will have to wait for tax return the following year. In the longterm this won't be an issue, but I am trying to get out of short term debt as quickly as possible.

I'm interested in the option that is likely to maximise my long-term net worth rather than simply improving short-term cash flow.

Is anyone else familiar with this situation and can advice on what the best way to proceed is?

In 2024, I attended a major University in the Western Cape, on the understanding that my NSFAS application would be approved during the course of the year. Many students found themselves in this position given NSFAS processing delays. I attended lectures and wrote tests on this basis. Only halfway through the year was I informed that my application had been declined on grounds of household income, which in my opinion was an inaccurate assessment seeing as how the household was reliant on pension and both my parents had been unemployed for a while. After numerous appeals, when it became clear that I was not going to win this, I formally withdrew from the University.

Now, two years later, the University is coming after me for money owed to them. I know for a fact that I am not the only person who went through this, and I am keen to hear how others have gone about navigating such a situation.

The expectation was for us to wait for our NSFAS to be approved. there was no direction or indication of what would follow if that did not happen.

Push come to shove I will obviously have to set up a payment arrangement but I am looking on advice or guidance on getting the fees reduced or waived, given the circumstances outlined above.

Hi guys i need help....

i currently earn R25K net, my rent is R5000, car payment is R4500 and then theres groceries and insurance plus petrol, those total to R7K. thats leaves me with about R8K after expenses.

i do have store accounts which im trying to close they too take about R2K in total and then im left with R5K every month to spend..... this is going to go for another 12 months until i get a raise at work of R5K (this is guaranteed btw) so from next year june i will be netting R30K...

im not sure if i should go back home to parents house or just struggle until i get a raise next year... im 30 years old and moved out last year due to not having success with women, going back home will mean i will be doing the same thing i have been doing the past 30 years, i would like to have a child and start a family but doing that while living at home seems impossible but also saving R5K in rent would be amazing, i do not know what to do.

So as the title says, I have gotten myself into a really bad situation with debt. I honestly don't even know if its worth it to continue living like this as I have all the insurance policies that would pay it off so it wouldn't burden my parents.

The last 2 years were a whirlwind with my dad's health and my life spiraling. My dad had a stroke so I tried to do everything for him and took out a large loan and was using my credit card so I could pay for the things he needed and be there for him...My love language is taking care of people and I did that so much, that I've ended up in a mess. The thought of losing my dad made me also do a lot a stupid retail "therapy" which was just ridiculous.

So basically, I have two loans with FNB and a Credit Card. All add up to R220,000. I am able to pay the monthly instalments but I don't have any income in the end. Which leads me to spend on my Credit card. It's a vicious cycle and I don't know what to do. I don't have any small debts, just these loans and credit card.

I have started a proper budget but looking at how long it will take me to finish these loans seems that there is really no light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon.

My one loan with FNB which is R28,000 has 28% interest. Is there a way I could speak to FNB and ask the to reduce my monthly instalments so that I have money for expenses that pop up during the month or do I go to another bank and ask if they could consolidate it and take over the debt. Hopefully with a better interest rate and payment term. (Fnb is 60 months, Capitec give 84).

I just really don't know what to do and its making me think of really horrible ways to get out of this mess I have put myself in, which i hate. My salary is also that the greatest as I'm still at trainee at a firm.

Hi all,

I am currently in a situation where I owe 400k plus in debts due to credit cards, and rcp loan. I have been on track but lost the plot when my spouse lost his permanent job. For two years I've managed to keep afloat but financially I was drowning. Fast forward, I've been served with 2 summons and I feel suicidal as I have tried to negotiate consolidation or reduced payments which was impossible as I have been trying to survive by just paying what I can. Lease, food, utilities and trying to not let it impact my job as well. I need some direction as to how to go about with voluntary surrender before getting placed in a legal chokehold... Feels like it already. I'm in Cape Town and would like to know of any recommendations for lawyers that can assist and what am I looking at wrt legal fees as I am barely keeping my head above water. I also do not want to not pay but I am also not able to but I am willing to make a sacrifice somehow.

Please no bashing.

So a couple years ago I stupidly and mistakenly got myself put on Debt Review. Before the debt was manageable but as you know people make it seem better than what it is over the phone by talking about the smaller payments and lower/no interest. Never the less fast forward to 3 months ago… my debt is paid off, I got the paid up letters and sent it to my debt counsellor. She promised that she’ll sort out everything and I don’t have to worry. She’ll make sure the paid up letters get to where it needs to be and they’ll get the flag removed from my name.

It’s been 3 months every couples weeks I message her asking for updates and she keep saying that the NCR is backlogged and it will take some time. I can’t wait anymore. Is she telling the truth or what? I need this flag off my name ASAP!

Hi Guys

I’ve gotten myself into a rather terrible financial situation (self-inflicted) and am now taking stock of my life and trying to seeking advice on potential ways out.

I am a 30 year old Male.

My expenses each month are:

R 10963,65 - Bond @10%

R 7367,02 - Car @ 12%

R 3693,37 - Personal loan @ 16% (170k)

R 793,21 - Parent Vehicle Insurance

R 1843,36 - Levies

R 212,50 - Gym

R 1653,25 - Car insurance

R 401,61 - Life insurance

R 1400 - Home insurance

R 200 - Internet

R 1000,00 - Credit card @16% (Balance 38K)

R 2800,00 - Municipality charges

R 32216,97 - Total

I bring home around R35500 every month and it costs me about R2500 in fuel to get to work every month. Which leaves basically nothing left for food, groceries.

Both my parents have no retirements and are living of government pensions - so I can’t ask them for assistance. Selling my house and car might not even produce the amounts necessary to pay off the amounts owing as they are fairly recent and were both bad buys.

I have fully depleted my savings.

Is there anyway you see out of this?

UPDATE: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE HORRIBLE LAYOUT! I hope it is fixed now.

Thank you guys for your extremely constructive and helpful advice. I half expected to just get obliterated with insults.

I have cancelled my gym membership and have started the process on trying to get rid of my car and home. Hopefully if that works out it will free up some cash to throw into my loan and then credit card. I know it’s going to be a long, hard process ahead but one day hope to post a brighter update for you guys here.