Without a paddle... support for anyone starting a DMP in 2010 (part2)

chocolates

Hi everyone,hope your all ok! Just wanted to come and have a moan!
Im having a terrible month,got paid on friday but hardly got any money left and just had to ring cccs and delay my DMP payment! Ive had lots of birthdays this month and had to pay out for check up and filling at dentist. I hate having no money,its getting me down.

Hopelessly_Hopeful

NB - The crux is when did you write to them, I think you have to give them 5-6 weeks to respond. Also whats the timelag from your letter asking them and when they now say they will update you?

Meph - don't kill yourself with a second job or you'll be too poorly to do the first. DMPs are more cross country than quick sprints.

Teds - great to hear from you. Was worried and missed ya! Costco can be ace. Best if you know someone else with a card you can accompany them on to save you the annual fee. It's like a posh makro with more choice. There's a thread here that goes through latest deals. Yesterday I bought soap powder, dishwasher tablets and loo rolls in bulk for 50% of what I would buy in Asda or Tesco. Depends on what deals there are of course and it will mean a lean month for me but if you are able to look at grocery spend over a few months rather than month to month you can save considerably. Good for otherthings too, 9p off first class stamps. I bought a fab saute pan a few months ago for £16 that is easily John Lewis £100 quality. They do packs of cards too for £9.49 plus vat, works out at 38p a card and they are lovely handmade ones that look special. Gone are the £3.95 cards for me!

Choc, sorry to hear you are on a downer. Sometimes it feels it will go on forever doesn't it. Keeping posting and reading on here keeps me on track most of the time. I hate to think of the alternatives though so take comfort in knowing things are going forward, not staying the same or worse still going backwards. I just put my dentist off a month so I could do the Costco shop as I'm still within my recommended check up time I had room to do this now they don't insist on every 6 months etc. I don't mean to sound rude and I know it's tough going but do you need to revisit your budget planning? Essentials need to come before birthday presents which are considered a luxury on DMPs. It can still be done, sometimes it needs to be scaled down and certainly planned for in my experience. The lovely Teds pointed me in the right direction of the freebies and grabbit board. What a find, but you do have to be very quick! I wrote myself a list of Xmas and birthday pressies so I know what I have and need all year around. I decided to use some xmas money to prime the buy pressies fund ahead which allowed me to either buy a nicer presents or save money depending who it was for. Does that make sense? If you've fallen off track you won't be the first and I'm sure not the last. Pick yourself up and dust down, think about a list and move forwards. In the interim huge hug from me.

HHx

eyeopener2

chocolates wrote: »

Hi everyone,hope your all ok! Just wanted to come and have a moan!
Im having a terrible month,got paid on friday but hardly got any money left and just had to ring cccs and delay my DMP payment! Ive had lots of birthdays this month and had to pay out for check up and filling at dentist. I hate having no money,its getting me down.

Hi Choco!

Sorry to see your having a tough time. Maybe its also time to be tough on others and say no where birthdays/christmas/presents are concerned. It's very hard, I know, but you've probably got a long way to on this DMP thing so maybe you start looking after yourself, be a bit selfish and make your DMP life a bit easier on yourself. If you don't you really will struggle and make yourself ill.

Was the dentist budgeted for with CCCS? if it wasn't get it on there with a review. In fact, have another look at your whole budget and see if its realistic.

I know its horrible all this but you will be through it one day, its that thought that keeps me sane (and my golden OH).


One day we will be debt free.

E2

newbeginning_2

Hopelessly_Hopeful wrote: »

NB - The crux is when did you write to them, I think you have to give them 5-6 weeks to respond. Also whats the timelag from your letter asking them and when they now say they will update you?
HHx

It was January I originally wrote to them, I'll have to look on other computer for the exact date though. They said they'd be back in touch with me by the 14th of March and I've heard nothing though.

newbeginning_2

chocolates wrote: »

Hi everyone,hope your all ok! Just wanted to come and have a moan!
Im having a terrible month,got paid on friday but hardly got any money left and just had to ring cccs and delay my DMP payment! Ive had lots of birthdays this month and had to pay out for check up and filling at dentist. I hate having no money,its getting me down.

Hugs from me too - I have days when I feel like this too, sometimes it all just seems to come at once, agree with the others though - maybe time to re-check that budget?

sazzledazzle

Well after several non starters of trying to sort out the debt and months of pretending to the OH that things are fine whilst trying to keep us above water my OH has seen what is going on and said enough is enough. So I have run the OH a bath for when he gets in, prepared a home made lasagna, found the last bottle of wine and plan to sit down together tonight and write a proper list of what we owe, what the rates are etc. I am then going to call CCCS tomorrow and give them all the official figures (we tried to do one a couple of months ago but was 100% sure what we had to pay.) Hopefully then we can get the plan underway and get ourselves back on track. We are also going to write a plan of action for my business that I set up last October and see if it really will pay in the long term or whether its time to pack it away and go back to employed work.
I have my concerns about going on a DMP and am hoping it helps rather than hinders our future. Wish me Luck!!

Hopelessly_Hopeful

sazzledazzle wrote: »

Well after several non starters of trying to sort out the debt and months of pretending to the OH that things are fine whilst trying to keep us above water my OH has seen what is going on and said enough is enough. So I have run the OH a bath for when he gets in, prepared a home made lasagna, found the last bottle of wine and plan to sit down together tonight and write a proper list of what we owe, what the rates are etc. I am then going to call CCCS tomorrow and give them all the official figures (we tried to do one a couple of months ago but was 100% sure what we had to pay.) Hopefully then we can get the plan underway and get ourselves back on track. We are also going to write a plan of action for my business that I set up last October and see if it really will pay in the long term or whether its time to pack it away and go back to employed work.
I have my concerns about going on a DMP and am hoping it helps rather than hinders our future. Wish me Luck!!

Welcome and good luck. I can highly recommend the CCCS online debt remedy tool. All anonymous so no harm in popping things in there to see where you are.

HHx

Hopelessly_Hopeful

newbeginning wrote: »

It was January I originally wrote to them, I'll have to look on other computer for the exact date though. They said they'd be back in touch with me by the 14th of March and I've heard nothing though.

I'd write again. Make it clear what all the dates are and that you are very concerned at their lack of communication. Ask then to respond to you within 10 working days. Then pass it on. Are you sending them recorded delivery? Worth a thought.

HHx

sazzledazzle

Thanks Hopelessly Helpful, I think we will have to go with the plan though as many of the accounts have got to the point of desperate, and many arent responding to me when i try to set up plans myself with them.

eyeopener2

sazzledazzle wrote: »

Well after several non starters of trying to sort out the debt and months of pretending to the OH that things are fine whilst trying to keep us above water my OH has seen what is going on and said enough is enough. So I have run the OH a bath for when he gets in, prepared a home made lasagna, found the last bottle of wine and plan to sit down together tonight and write a proper list of what we owe, what the rates are etc. I am then going to call CCCS tomorrow and give them all the official figures (we tried to do one a couple of months ago but was 100% sure what we had to pay.) Hopefully then we can get the plan underway and get ourselves back on track. We are also going to write a plan of action for my business that I set up last October and see if it really will pay in the long term or whether its time to pack it away and go back to employed work.
I have my concerns about going on a DMP and am hoping it helps rather than hinders our future. Wish me Luck!!

You will be fine. Starting is the biggest step (cliche alert!) but once your up and running and the intial couple of months of worry have passed you will be on the road to debt freedom. It may take a while but you will get there.

To be honest, if, like me, you are considering a DMP then really your at the point where you need some sort of help before it gets unresovable and I truly believe DMP is the way to go. Some go DIY, some use Payplan, I use CCCS and I cannot recommend them enough. You have to do a bit of work yourself but if you have any concerns, worries or hassle from creditors then ask a question on here because I guarantee one of will have been through it.

Enjoy your bottle of wine and look forward, no point looking back, thats done. All you have to do now is pay your dues.

Phew!

E2 (I very nearly typed my real name then!)