DMP Mutual Support Thread - Part 7

sickasachip13

Hey up everyone,

Last week, following a chat with Pavan from CCCS, I got all technical and 'down with the youth' and did one of those blogs... it's in two parts and is about my DMP experience so far. You'll find it here if you fancy a read:

http://moneyaware.co.uk/2011/09/my-debt-hell/

http://moneyaware.co.uk/2011/09/my-debt-help-2/

Hope everyone is going ok and not too chilly in this autumnal weather.

solidair

sickasachip13 wrote: »

Hey up everyone,

Last week, following a chat with Pavan from CCCS, I got all technical and 'down with the youth' and did one of those blogs... it's in two parts and is about my DMP experience so far. You'll find it here if you fancy a read:


Hope everyone is going ok and not too chilly in this autumnal weather.

Just read the blogs and just wanted to say thanks for sharing that. As someone who has posted out letters to creditors this week, it really helped to hear some positive experiences of a DMP. We had a card burning ceremony last night and agreed that although being fairly intelligent people, we are rubbish with credit and have decided to live without it.

Twit_Head

solidair wrote: »

Just read the blogs and just wanted to say thanks for sharing that. As someone who has posted out letters to creditors this week, it really helped to hear some positive experiences of a DMP. We had a card burning ceremony last night and agreed that although being fairly intelligent people, we are rubbish with credit and have decided to live without it.

Excellent aren't they?
I think most people's experience living on a DMP has more positives than negatives.
And if you're going on a DMP you'll have to live without credit! Big no-no to take on more. It's a bit scary to live without the 'comfort blanket' of plastic, but on the whole it's a big, life-changing experience for the better.
Sure you will soon get the hang of it all, but lots of help here if needed.

'Twitty'

Mooglet71

Twit_Head wrote: »

Excellent aren't they?
I think most people's experience living on a DMP has more positives than negatives.
And if you're going on a DMP you'll have to live without credit! Big no-no to take on more. It's a bit scary to live without the 'comfort blanket' of plastic, but on the whole it's a big, life-changing experience for the better.
Sure you will soon get the hang of it all, but lots of help here if needed.

'Twitty'

For me the scary part has been living with credit and I am really looking forward to being without it. I definitely won't miss the phonecalls, one particular creditor rings me 4 times a day on the mobile and around 8 times on the home phone.

I am at the point of sending letters to creditors, is there any particular department I should be addressing them to, assuming they don't have a 'Department for people who are useless with money/credit' (well I suppose they do, collections!)

ianmak

Funny thing, living without credit.

Rightly or wrongly, I was talking to the OH the other day and said that when we live together, and I was debt free, I said I didn't want to rely on credit (bar say a £300 limit CC each...), and she was horrified! She asked how was she to pay for stuff online, buy stuff etc (She didn't quite hyper ventilate, but weren't far off!), and I replied to use savings, to save for things the old fashioned way. She just wouldn't have it, and said I didn't trust her (of course this is not the case).

Now although she does have CCs, she repays them in full each month, so is still in control, but that to me is still debt in a way?

It is funny how we live in the credit run society, and to live any other way is now foreign to us...

So a question to those out there who are paying off their own DMPs (and not doing joint ones) - how will you carry on living post DMP?

Mooglet71

See I have never got the whole use a CC but pay it off at the end of each month (d'oh obviously or else I wouldn't be in this mess now). I figure if you have the money why bother using a CC?

Post DMP, I am never going to have credit again. I am going to have a good few years without it and I never want to go back to the following:

- having to put a £5 of petrol in my car because that is all I had
- having to raid my DD's piggy bank for change to pay for school dinners
- ignoring my phone every time an 0845 number flashes up
- feeling worried sick about what the postie is going to bring
- panicking about how I am going to get to the end of the month

and the list goes on....

solidair

Yep Mooglet I had all those.

I think one of the reasons that pushed me into going for a DMP was spending the New Year in a posh hotel complete with hot tub (all on the CC of course...) and wondering how we could survive the rest of January. Totally ruined the experience of course and we returned to find a pile of envelopes on the doorstep.

ajs88

sickasachip13 wrote: »

Hey up everyone,

Last week, following a chat with Pavan from CCCS, I got all technical and 'down with the youth' and did one of those blogs... it's in two parts and is about my DMP experience so far. You'll find it here if you fancy a read:

http://moneyaware.co.uk/2011/09/my-debt-hell/

http://moneyaware.co.uk/2011/09/my-debt-help-2/

Hope everyone is going ok and not too chilly in this autumnal weather.

I really like your blogs posts and 'But we realised quickly that a safety net provided by the banks and other organisations was never really a safety net – it was more like a trap' describes perfectly how debt works

thank you

secretshopper75

Great blog..well done on writing it and thanks for sharing

Twit_Head

Mooglet71 wrote: »

For me the scary part has been living with credit and I am really looking forward to being without it. I definitely won't miss the phonecalls, one particular creditor rings me 4 times a day on the mobile and around 8 times on the home phone.

I am at the point of sending letters to creditors, is there any particular department I should be addressing them to, assuming they don't have a 'Department for people who are useless with money/credit' (well I suppose they do, collections!)

Hi
Would send them to the last address on your statements (keep copies!)and send registered post, but be prepared for procrastination and confusion from your creditors.....:(
One department won't know what the other one is doing initially, so it will be a bit of a pig's ear at first.
If you are strong enough to have your facts to hand, know you will keep calm and can maintain a friendly manner under pressure, then answering the phone might be a way forward. You could possibly cut through some of the red tape this way. (Some on here prefer this way) If you are using the phone always get the name of the person you are speaking to, log the time/date of the call and what was said.
If you are being bothered by calls try this excellent link from fermi:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/11571227#Comment_11571227

Hope this might help a little

'Twitty'