DMP Mutual Support Thread (Part 6)

mrs:optimist_2

thestealer wrote: »

First post in this quite brilliant thread so...hello

I am planning to start a DMP with CCCS shortly, they have sent me the initial pack following a telephone appointment but I have since realised I have woefully underbudgeted (as a bloke I was blissfully unaware how much women's haircuts cost...blimey) so much tweaking of the budget is required. I also have since realised I have debt which I forgot about, student loans. I hadn't even considered it bcause it's been deferred so no payments are made but I presume it's all debt so should be included right?

First plan is to open a open a basic joint bank account, I'm assuming basic accounts can be joint ones anyway and start moving essential direct debits over, stage 2 is negotiate a more realistic budget with CCCS, stage 3 is send the token payments and covering letter.

Stage 4.......sigh of relief.

I hope to post regularly, speak to you all soon

Good luck with it all! Yes it definitely pays to be realistic with your budget as then you don't have any nasty surprises. As for haircuts, they don't have to be expensive!

I used to go to Tony&Guy and pay about £50 (at least) for a cut but now I have a mobile hairdresser that comes to my home for £12. You can get them for even less (£5 or so) if you go to a college to get the done.

Anyway, basic accounts can be joint, we just opened one with the Co-op and they have been great so far.

HTH

thestealer

mrs:optimist wrote: »

Good luck with it all! Yes it definitely pays to be realistic with your budget as then you don't have any nasty surprises. As for haircuts, they don't have to be expensive!

Thanks, I appreciate it.

In a masochistic sort of way I'm actually looking forward to hearing from my creditors, however they decide to communicate. My plan is simple, talk to anyone and if they are polite and respectful then I will be too...if not, I can be a really snippy, casutic so-and-so when I want to be

I have also promised myself (and family) that this whole process will be completed with a smile on my face fuelled by the knowledge that in x years I'll be......DEBT FREE :eek:

Hopefully I'll be able to raise a smile or two here too.

symesd

BLIP

My tax credits have been reduced by £313 per month due to my increased income and reduced childcare..... but effectively my income has gone down now so I have had a review with CCCS and they have decided that my monthly payment has now reduced from £300 to £86 per month..... (started off at £424 in Sep 2008) and just seems to keep going down, I do not have any way of increasing my income at the moment so feeling pretty low, fell apart at work in my 1 to 1 with my boss and have been referred to welfare for councelling. Didn't want work to know about it but was trying to get my hours changed so I can reduce my chlidcare so had to give them a reason for wanting this change - opens the flood gates told them everything hoping they would change the hours, but no no hours available for now - great now work know all the stuff I was trying to keep away from them, plus they know I am a quivering wreck outside of work and keep asking if I am ok...

What a mess... feel like will never get out of debt. Debt Free Date about 20 years in the distant future. How rubish is that.

I have so many idea's to make money and have tried loads of stuff - but everything just seems to go wrong or costs me money rather than making money - I hate money.

I am so fed up of being in Debt. why can't I win just a little bit on lottery don't want Millions just enough to clear the debts and get a fresh start.

Anyway thats my rant for the day - I've got 3 days off work now & kids are at school all day - hubbie at work. I'll be all alone with the house work but don't feel like doing anything but playing on the computer or watching TV.

I know what my sister would say - it will get better and stop wallowing in self pitty - bit difficult after so many years in the mud of debt.

Hope you all have a great day

Will be eating lots of home made chocolate cake too.

mummum2

symesd wrote: »

BLIP

My tax credits have been reduced by £313 per month due to my increased income and reduced childcare..... but effectively my income has gone down now so I have had a review with CCCS and they have decided that my monthly payment has now reduced from £300 to £86 per month..... (started off at £424 in Sep 2008) and just seems to keep going down, I do not have any way of increasing my income at the moment so feeling pretty low, fell apart at work in my 1 to 1 with my boss and have been referred to welfare for councelling. Didn't want work to know about it but was trying to get my hours changed so I can reduce my chlidcare so had to give them a reason for wanting this change - opens the flood gates told them everything hoping they would change the hours, but no no hours available for now - great now work know all the stuff I was trying to keep away from them, plus they know I am a quivering wreck outside of work and keep asking if I am ok...

What a mess... feel like will never get out of debt. Debt Free Date about 20 years in the distant future. How rubish is that.

I have so many idea's to make money and have tried loads of stuff - but everything just seems to go wrong or costs me money rather than making money - I hate money.

I am so fed up of being in Debt. why can't I win just a little bit on lottery don't want Millions just enough to clear the debts and get a fresh start.

Anyway thats my rant for the day - I've got 3 days off work now & kids are at school all day - hubbie at work. I'll be all alone with the house work but don't feel like doing anything but playing on the computer or watching TV.

I know what my sister would say - it will get better and stop wallowing in self pitty - bit difficult after so many years in the mud of debt.

Hope you all have a great day

Will be eating lots of home made chocolate cake too.

Big hug to you! have nothing to add, but wanted to send you a visual hug. Take it easy.

MM2 x

pure_dead_dopey

symesd wrote: »

BLIP

My tax credits have been reduced by £313 per month due to my increased income and reduced childcare..... but effectively my income has gone down now so I have had a review with CCCS and they have decided that my monthly payment has now reduced from £300 to £86 per month..... (started off at £424 in Sep 2008) and just seems to keep going down, I do not have any way of increasing my income at the moment so feeling pretty low, fell apart at work in my 1 to 1 with my boss and have been referred to welfare for councelling. Didn't want work to know about it but was trying to get my hours changed so I can reduce my chlidcare so had to give them a reason for wanting this change - opens the flood gates told them everything hoping they would change the hours, but no no hours available for now - great now work know all the stuff I was trying to keep away from them, plus they know I am a quivering wreck outside of work and keep asking if I am ok...

What a mess... feel like will never get out of debt. Debt Free Date about 20 years in the distant future. How rubish is that.

I have so many idea's to make money and have tried loads of stuff - but everything just seems to go wrong or costs me money rather than making money - I hate money.

I am so fed up of being in Debt. why can't I win just a little bit on lottery don't want Millions just enough to clear the debts and get a fresh start.

Anyway thats my rant for the day - I've got 3 days off work now & kids are at school all day - hubbie at work. I'll be all alone with the house work but don't feel like doing anything but playing on the computer or watching TV.

I know what my sister would say - it will get better and stop wallowing in self pitty - bit difficult after so many years in the mud of debt.

Hope you all have a great day

Will be eating lots of home made chocolate cake too.

so have a day in front of the telly, eat chocolate cake and chill out, sometimes it is just what you need and it won't cost anything:T and don't worry about the housework, it would only get dirty again if you did it so do it tomorrow and you've saved yourself one cleaning bout:T result:rotfl::rotfl:

cloudy-day

Hi, been on a self managed DMP since Aug last year - best thing I've ever done, well if I hadn't I'd be bankrupt.

All creditors have accepted (some after a fight) and stopped interest, but now I realise that I underestimated costs. Notably DS's shoes. He is 10 and has extra wide big feet - last pair of trainers cost £48 :eek: searched everywhere but that was the only pair I could find. Also the household fund has been hit by needing a new (well second hand) washing machine and roof repairs due to the heavy snow - didn't claim on the household insurance as it was below the excess but still enough to hit the budget.

My wages haven't increased this year (reviewed this month), fuel and council tax are the same but bus fares, food and clothes have all gone up.

So I need to reduce my payments by about 20%. No choice. Does anyone have experience of this?

Also, DH doesn't know (and never will - for reasons way too personal and complicated to reveal here). We both have a Tesco credit card, I've kept mine (don't use it, just pay the min) but I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and add it to the DMP. If I do that will it affect DH's?? Both at the same address but separate accounts.

Feeling v v low, just when I thought it was OK I realise that I can't survive on the amount I set. I don't go out, don't buy myself anything new and hate my job.

Can someone give me some words of wisdom to pull me out of this despair please?

lozzam

Sorry to hear things are not going too well for some of you (hugs to symesd and cloudy-day especially).

I've had a good few days and wanted to share with you.

First I got another letter from lloyds-tsb threatening to take me to court, but when I called and spoke to them they were lovely, told me not to worry, and said that the account would be defaulted and passed to a DCA in the next couple of months. Perfect, because I won't have to deal with them again.

I got a final bill from BT (I have just switched to a Virgin package) with a £70 termination charge. Looking at the paperwork this is correct because the package I was on was 'automatically' renewed in November. However I called them up and played dumb, and they agreed to remove the charge and are sending me a cheque for £65 instead. :T

Then my final bill from Atlantic Gas (I'm switching supplier) was over £450 :eek: My own fault because I had ignored 'hints' that I should be increasing the monthly payment over the last couple of years. So I called them up and they agreed that I could spread the cost over a few months.

Finally, I have just heard that all my background checks have been done, so I can start my new next monday. :j (It will mean I spend less time on the forum though )

So, just occasionally, things do come together!

thestealer

Went to the bank today to try to get a basic bank account set up...Clydesdale did everything in their power not to have us as customers, it really was unbelievable.

Me: I'd like to open a basic bank account please.
Clydesdale: Oh, ok, all our customer service staff are busy, you would have to wait about half an hour.
Me: That's ok, I've got plenty of time, I'll wait.
Clydesdale: Really? Oh, ok, well you would have to bring certain documentation.
Me: I know, I have it here.
Clydesdale: Do you? Hmmm, well do you have a months worth of statements from your last bank?
Me: No, sorry, you win. :wall:

Alliance and leicester were far easier to deal with and I have an appointment tomorrow morning to finalise things.

I actually had surprisingly few options for my choice of bank given the wide variety of creditors I have and I really need a high street branch type.

I really can't understand the Clydesdale's attitude given that if they were good to me during these hard times I would almost certainly continue to bank there after the DMP. Bizarre.

ianmak

thestealer wrote: »

Went to the bank today to try to get a basic bank account set up...Clydesdale did everything in their power not to have us as customers, it really was unbelievable.

Me: I'd like to open a basic bank account please.
Clydesdale: Oh, ok, all our customer service staff are busy, you would have to wait about half an hour.
Me: That's ok, I've got plenty of time, I'll wait.
Clydesdale: Really? Oh, ok, well you would have to bring certain documentation.
Me: I know, I have it here.
Clydesdale: Do you? Hmmm, well do you have a months worth of statements from your last bank?
Me: No, sorry, you win. :wall:

Alliance and leicester were far easier to deal with and I have an appointment tomorrow morning to finalise things.

I actually had surprisingly few options for my choice of bank given the wide variety of creditors I have and I really need a high street branch type.

I really can't understand the Clydesdale's attitude given that if they were good to me during these hard times I would almost certainly continue to bank there after the DMP. Bizarre.

Yeah but I guess it's all about the present, and there's nothing for them to make out of giving you a basic account!

Keep going and best of luck. I have a basic account with the Co-Op and I can't fault them, if that helps at all.

mrs:optimist_2

ianmak wrote: »

Yeah but I guess it's all about the present, and there's nothing for them to make out of giving you a basic account!

Keep going and best of luck. I have a basic account with the Co-Op and I can't fault them, if that helps at all.

I also have one with the Co-op and they have been great!