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Debt-free wannabe

Mutual support and help for those on their journey to becoming debt-free.

Starting the process advise - SOA
Hi, I have been lurking on here and reading all the advice and experiences of DMP and am slowly accepting that I need to do one for myself. My question is, my husband and I have a joint mortgage and joint secured loan. Every part of our finances we manage jointly, from bank accounts to household bills. We have credit cards…
Preparing for self managed DMP
Hello, just thinking about this point in the instructions from this forum: "It is sensible to open a bank account unconnected with any of the banks that you hold debts with and move your pay and priority bills (mortgage, council tax, etc) to this new account to avoid your bank using your pay to pay your non-priority…
Council tax court summons for debt included in an IVA
I’ll explain this the best that I can but it’s a bit of a mess really! Completed and had an IVA accepted 8 months ago.. this IVA included £1800 debt of council tax. No further letters and I thought everything was going well until I received a court summons for the magistrate courts from council tax. Since the IVA I have…
Advice re debts please
Hi i have two questions re my debts. first is Lowell keep chasing me for debts i had with Barclays Bank from 2010, there was 2. They phone and write and email me. I haven’t made payments to one but I did to the other anfter they kept contacting me, I stopped payment in November 2023. Also I stupidly got in to debt again…
Moved: Drowning in debt, high interest mortgage and no income
This discussion has been moved.
Merged: What to do while waiting for each debt to default? Worried about Community Finance
This discussion has been merged.
Sanity check my plan please. Currently on Maternity leave and panicking about life and finances
Hi everyone, I have been lurking here for a while and found some excellent advice. I was hoping someone can also advise on my situation as I am now in a situation where I can't afford all my minimum repayments for unsecured debts. I have posted my SOA below. This is my current maternity leave income + my share of the…
Cabot financial want to send company called Orbit to my door
Really hoping someone can help please. I have had Cabot financial calling me I have not answered as they call during the day when I’m sleeping as I work nightshift. Now I’m getting messages from a company called orbit saying if I don’t contact Cabot that Orbit will send someone to my door. I’m in complete meltdown mode.…
Bailiffs, help!!
Hi, I had a ccj sent to my old address luckily I was given the letter and I paid it within 14 days. I paid the company in full however 2 days later I received a letter saying the bailiffs were going to come to my house, I rang the company and asked them if they could get in touch with the bailiffs to tell them that I had…
Charging order restriction.
Looking for some help advise of anyone please. I'll start with my debt issues 28k over 6 CCJ's 4 of which have charger order restrictions on them. CCJ's payments are all upto date And they were issued approx 2 years ago. Now my story For the last 7 years me and my partner have been going through hell basically. First 4…
Debts of £35k Wiped
Last October my brother-in-law mentioned that he was getting loads of text messages asking him to increase the money he was paying the debt collection companies, and it was causing him great anxiety. I do have some experience of dealing with debt collection companies from years ago – I asked him to share what they said he…
Credit card debts
Hello. I hope that I am asking in the right place? I am self employed and currently have approx £25,000.00 in credit card debs with 6 different cards. This all came about after my partner suffered an awful illness and neither of us could work for a long time. I have been making the payments ever since (6 years now) I have…
Debt repayment options
Hello, I'd appreciate your advice. Debt: I have credit card debt totalling £35k - most on 0% rates which I juggle and maintain by paying the minimum. Balance transfer deals are not guaranteed in the year ahead and I have £6k on 22%, and further 0% offers ending June and July 2025 totalling £15k. Remaining is on 0% card…
In Debt again but starting a DMP
Hi, long time lurker but thought it's about time I posted again. Been in debt on and off for the last 30 years or so, but it's happened again. Currently owe about £45k unsecured on various cards and loans. I've never missed a payment, i've never been late with a payment, the minimum payments are now over £1200 a month and…
Asking for ccj to be removed as the debt was over 6 years old when ccj registered
Update the one with the ccj I haven’t made any payments but the one that doesn’t have a ccj, I last made a payment in November 23. Lowell kept contacting me. Not sure if I can do anything now with having made some payments Hi I’m trying to sort out my debts. I have two ccjs that I believe were given by the court, more than…
Next stage of my self managed DMP
Hello! So back in July I stopped paying all my credit card debts. They have all written to me numerous times and called me but finally now they are all defaulting and all my letters are from various debt collection companies. My question is what do I do now?! Do I write to each one stating what I intend to pay each month?…
Snowball Calculator not allowing dates past 2025
The SOA Snowball Calculator's at lemonfool and stoozing are not allowing the entry of dates past 2025 ie. promo offer end date. Anyone got a functioning Snowball Calculator?
Cancelled direct debit loan payment and NatWest took it from my new bank anyway
So, I cancelled my direct debits for the two credit cards and two loans with NatWest that I’m currently in the process of setting up a DMP for (and in Breathing Space until 18 March) and I did this about ten days ago. I noticed one was showing on my new bank that I’d done the bank transfer process with yesterday and I…
SOA and Snowball Calculators at lemonfool.co.uk and stoozing.com
Hello I have not posted here for ages. I wrote the SOA and Snowball calculators on the websites above. Someone alerted me to a user reporting problems with saving the SOA on Chrome. It is working for me. However, more generally, are the calculators still being widely used here and are there any other issues that need…
Elderly neighbour credit card debt
Good morning. My housebound 80 yr old neighbour lives alone and is currently in hospital. When feeding her cat, I noticed a letter from a debt company asking her to get in touch about a credit card debt of over £9K. A further letter from the same company has since arrived, which obviously remains unopened. I believe that…

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MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

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