DMP Mutual Support Thread - Part 7

Hi all the newbies! I've not been on here for ages until yesterday when I had a question to ask.

I just wanted to give you some perspective from someone who has been through all this (still some years to go!) and to assure you it does get better.

My husband eventually told me about the debt he had racked up towards the end of 2008. It was a huge shock (even huger amount!) but it was a relief to finally be able to get it sorted. I had known something wasn't quite right for ages but couldn't get to the bottom of it. Anyway, after asking about remortgaging on the MSE website sometime told me that was NOT the answer!! Instead they very kindly told me about Debt Management Plans.

This may or may not be the right thing for you, but my advice (as a bit of an old timer at this is if you are still at the stage of wondering what to do for the best, to contact CCCS or PayPlan (both charities so will not charge a penny) and talk it through.

I phoned the CCCS myself initially, although the debt was all in my husband's name, not mine, and they were fabulous and let me blub on the phone for ages. (yes unexpected buckets of tears started) and it was then I realised that NOTHING is too difficult to solve.

I explained to my husband what the process was and he plucked up the courage to phone them. They are not judgmental, they are there to help.

It took a little while to set up the DMP, in the meantime we got a new bank account, and sent token £1 payments to each creditor and the relief was enormous.

In the early months it felt pretty scarey with some sending threatening letters and telling us all sorts of rubbish, but we stood our ground got advice from the CCCS at each stage and came through the worst.

Probably the worst for us was when one creditor jumped straight in and got a CCJ. We thought it was completely unnecessary as he was at that point on the DMP. At first we were terrified, but to be honest, it was not an issue and it meant they could no longer pile on interest, and now when he increases payments each year, they don't get a penny more... so their loss.

We still get the odd letter, and we get the credit card companies trying to increase interest periodically (currently fighting one at the moment), but we got through it, and with hindsight we shouldn't have been so worried. My hubby still has another 4 or so years to go, but I think we are better off now than we have ever been because he is paying an amount that doesn't leave him broke every month and we can actually live a normal life.

Sorry this has been so long, just wanted to give some hope, as people did for me 3 years ago.

I am happy to answer any questions if I can as I know people have loads at the beginning :-)

A xxxxxx