How has this website helped you?

catmiaow

I just wondered how this website has helped people.

For me, I managed to get £600 back from PPI claim and £220 back from credit card charges. I have won the odd comp and got some great freebies like an ipod scuffle and Amazon vouchers.

The best thing it has helped me with is spending less and becoming debt free this year

Forgot to mention this site and the people on it introduced me to Cashback sites where I have made over £500 in the last year. Also introduced me to Tesco deals which I have used on mag subscriptions, restaurants, days out, goldsmith vouchers and more

Big thanks to everyone on here for their huge support :j:j:j

cockers

well for me , i dont post a lot ( but will be soon ), but websites like are a great source of information , and it has helped me understand finances so much , our family way of life has changed for the better.
i used to be quite carefree with money , but since my child came along , and i wanted a better life for us all , i seem to be better of finacially , spend less but get more from it.

i should be debt free (except mortgage) within another 12 months , and it all thanks to help and guidance from (mainly ) this website , and people on it , and willpower.
this is a big thanks:T:T , to all who post more , and i hope to help more in the future.:D
a cheers to all , keep it up.:beer:

UnderPressure

Well dont know where to start here I am still quite new on my journey here but so far have gained more than I ever could have imagined

Help with spiralling debts and all sorts of debt related problems, being made to question my spending and understanding just where my money goes and a lot of the time wasted, a new hobby in comping, finding and using vouchers, applying for freebies the list is endless this place for me has been a shining light to a certain extent, I have some huge debt problems and the advice I have been given by some fantastic individuals that give their time freely has been awesome

I now try to give back as much as I can with my limited knowledge I think this is also important, I have been given some excellent advice freely so if I can help out with my new knowledge then all the better..........

This place may have Martin Lewis's name at the top but for me (no offence intended martin ) it is the members of this fantastic community that make it the awesome place it is and I for one feel very lucky to be a part of it

There we go I dont often say thanks enough here but I am very grateful to all of you

Sugarhunny1

How has this website helped me?

Well, approx 6 years ago I was unemployed, on benefits and had approx 6k of debt including Provi loans etc as to me that was only £5 a week, I was also living in a council house in a really run down area with my children.

I then started to realise that I didnt want this life anymore and started gaining more self esteem etc and went for a job which I got! How surprised was I? It wasnt an excellent job (working in a local supermarket) but this gave me more confidence etc and I then slowly cleared off my debt through the info from this site about how best to go about it. I then moved on to working with the NHS and now have a quite well paid job (for someone without a degree etc) Roll on 4 years and I was debt free and had a wee bit of savings.

Last year we decided to bite the bullet and buy a house. This site again has spurred my partner and I to try and pay it off early. (see my sig below)

Not only has this site helped me with money issues, my previous posts have been about coping with difficult times with my OH. He is a recovering alcoholic but lately other things have happened and we are now attending counselling, this is through advice given on one of the many other useful threads.

We have also saved a packet on presents etc through grabbing a bargain! OH reclaimed over 1k of bank charges for his account and also reclaimed over 3k on mis sold PPI for a friend.

Sugar xxx

Numpty_Monkey

On the practical side, made about £1800 in free money:D mainly clicks;)
saved me a good few £££'s on bills:cool:
I''ve picked loads of tips and ideas and not just moneysaving
Learnt some of the ways to deal with debts,and debt collectors, so I'm not frightened by them anymore:p

On the personal side
This site has kept me alive, when I joined I was going back into the dark depths of depression
due to money and personal things, no one judged me and the people gave me the help and support I needed and still do:A:T

I've seen more of this country going on meets than I ever had before:o
and made some real life friends and met some really great people:T:beer::j:A

andrea1968_2

Its made me realise that I'm not the only person in the world who thought they knew what they were doing but still managed to get themselves into a shed load of debt.

Reading about everyone else's situation makes you feel that its possible to climb out a really bad situation and also thank god that you're not in as bad a mess as a lot of the others who open up on here.

The fab suggestions from posters and also my personal saviour the snowball calculator means my debt free month is next March and I couldn't have imagined saying that a few months ago.

I might not post a great deal but I read this forum everyday, and I know I'll continue do so even when I'm debt free - its the equivelant of an AA meeting and the best way to keep me in check.

savingmummy

I was addicted to catologues and run a huge debt up (huge for me anyway) despite having no income
I found this forum and after doing a SOA, taking advise and seeing what mess i would be in if i continued - i became debtfree this year:j

People may think it is hard to get out of debts when not working but i reduced our monthly income to a min, stopped luxeries, reduced utility bills and also done surveys and freebie offers which helped save and also pay debt.
I WILLnever go back and so far have remained DF :T

Nottoobadyet

I was already working on paying back my debt, but I was doing a rubbish job of it and only putting what I had left each month towards it. Through the focus and example of people here, I've moved up my debt free date by more than two years and have become much better at handling what I do have.

Thanks, everyone!

bertman

We had a business that collapsed on us leaving us with over £80k of debts, when this happened we really thought that the world had collapsed around us. Thanks to the people and advice on this site we are now sorting ourselves out, we have a long way to go but we will get there - we have found fantastic ways to save money, again thanks to some great posters.

What this site also made me realise was that we are not alone which is really important as the banks make you feel like you are the only ones that have got in a mess. One day we will not owe a penny to anyone - and that is the day we stick two fingers up to the whole banking system....

pixiechick_2

On the practical side, I've saved money through using the cashback sites, taking tips re switching energy suppliers etc and the site has spurred me on to selling unwanted things on ebay for the make £10 a day challenges.

On a more emotional level, this site is great support and makes you realise that you're not alone. I felt stupid that, as supposed intelligent person, I had made such a mess of my finances, but I haven't been judged but helped. I have made some great friends :A

January20

I got a lot of charges back from my (ex) bank.
I saved money through cash back websites.
I've learned to shop around for deals when I'm renewing insurances, etc.
I've learned to not buy something straight away - amazing the number of items I have forgotten to go back to the shop for.
I've learned to start paying extra on my mortgage.
Most importantly, after my LBM (one day I'll post about that) I became in control of my financial situation and therefore my life.
I have found a place (in the forums) where I can alway find some advice if I need it, and many nice people who think like me... and some who don't (but that adds to the fun)