Thinking about it

CAFCGirl

Hello

I've jus read the Newbies and Lurkers hread and it prompted me to suck it up and post.

Some background on our situation, I owe around £15k and DH owes around £18k.

DH is currently on a DMP with Payplan paying £425 a month, only started in Oc.

Although it pains me to admit, I have been ridiculous with my debts.

We moved to the other end of the country, and I stuck my head in the sand and didnt inform anyone we'd moved, and stopped making any payments to any of my debts as we basically had NO money. I was pregnant at the time and suffered extreme morning sickness, which meant I gave up work, we then moved, DH had a take home of around 900 and I was receiving MA.

Now our son has been born, we need to step up basically and take care of things.

My MA has now run out, and we're receiving CTC, CB, and were getting HB but apparently we were overpaid so now owe the council money too!

We've now decided the best thing we can do is get extreme with it all, and have asked my parents if we can move in with them for a while and get ourselves straight.

Therefore we'll have access to some childcare, so that both of us can work FT, or one FT and one high hour PT, so we can get some money together to pay to go BR. We're both applying fr jobs near my parents, and will be looking to sell a few items to streamline, and add those funds to the BR pot.

Now in short, I dont know how the process works, what I should do now, in a month or so when we've got jobs etc.

The wealth of information on this board is fantastic but I'll confess I'm really overwhelmed and a bit "wood for the trees"...

I need 2011 to be the year that we get ourselves sorted, we're parents now and need to think about our son's future as well as ours together as a family....

I'll be honest, Im a bit of a sensitive soul (and am diagosed with PND -just to add to the mess in my head!) so please be gentle :A

Many thanks in advance and a very merry christmas to all

Tupperware_Queen

well you have done the hardest thing, which is admitting the problem, and looking for help. You have my sympathy, I had very bad PND, indeed I have suffered on and off with depression and anxiety for several years, partly as a result of always being stressed about debt!!

I would sit down and work out where you money currently goes, and what you owe to everyone (scary, I know) and then you can begin to get straight. I found the CAB really helpful, and they helped me every step of the way.

Good luck, and enjoy Christmas with your little one...before the santa list looks like an edition of the argos book!!!

debtinfo

Hello and welcome to this board.

The first thing that everyone has to do is to get some advice from one of the debt charities first, even if you know which way you want to go, it is a requirement when you go to the court that you have taken some advice. The ones oft recomendd on here are the CAB, CCCS and national debtline

secondly start making a list of all your creditors, addresses amounts and ref numbers you will need this information to fill out the forms.

Thirdly is to start making a list of all your income and outgoings

hope that give you a start

DI

skylight

Hiya CAF - nice to see you; despite the circumstances!!

It will cost you around £500 each to go BR but you may get the court fee portion exemption - I cannot get the HMRC court site to work, but google COURT FEE EXEMPTION and there are some forms and leaflets to give you a better understanding. If you claim particular means tested benefits or on a low income then you can get help with the court costs.

If your OH didn't pay the DMP and ignored everything/contact etc then you should be able to get the money together within a couple of months.

*cough* The OR will now take ALL the surplus over £10 after your essential expenses. So if you and your OH work and you have little outgoings as you live with parents then you wont get to keep the extra money. Personally, I would suggest that you stay at home and enjoy your son (be it at your place or at your parents) and wait until your BR is over after 12 months and then think about going out and getting a job, starting again once the BR is over and done with. The surplus payment is an IPA and is payable for 3 years.

now

CAFCGirl wrote: »

Hello

I've jus read the Newbies and Lurkers hread and it prompted me to suck it up and post.

Some background on our situation, I owe around £15k and DH owes around £18k.

DH is currently on a DMP with Payplan paying £425 a month, only started in Oc.

Although it pains me to admit, I have been ridiculous with my debts.

We moved to the other end of the country, and I stuck my head in the sand and didnt inform anyone we'd moved, and stopped making any payments to any of my debts as we basically had NO money. I was pregnant at the time and suffered extreme morning sickness, which meant I gave up work, we then moved, DH had a take home of around 900 and I was receiving MA.

Now our son has been born, we need to step up basically and take care of things.

My MA has now run out, and we're receiving CTC, CB, and were getting HB but apparently we were overpaid so now owe the council money too!

We've now decided the best thing we can do is get extreme with it all, and have asked my parents if we can move in with them for a while and get ourselves straight.

Therefore we'll have access to some childcare, so that both of us can work FT, or one FT and one high hour PT, so we can get some money together to pay to go BR. We're both applying fr jobs near my parents, and will be looking to sell a few items to streamline, and add those funds to the BR pot.

Now in short, I dont know how the process works, what I should do now, in a month or so when we've got jobs etc.

The wealth of information on this board is fantastic but I'll confess I'm really overwhelmed and a bit "wood for the trees"...

I need 2011 to be the year that we get ourselves sorted, we're parents now and need to think about our son's future as well as ours together as a family....

I'll be honest, Im a bit of a sensitive soul (and am diagosed with PND -just to add to the mess in my head!) so please be gentle :A

Many thanks in advance and a very merry christmas to all

Well done on posting, go and speak to CAB or one of the others and then decide what you are going to do, the debt is not going to go away so if BR is the route then the sooner you do it the better.

sugarbabe-47

Hi CAFCgirl and welcome :wave:

I agree with all the above answers. I went to CAB and they helped me every step of the way! I even got my B/R fees paid for me by a water trust, this has to be done through CAB though. And my advisor came to court with me (as he put it for the experience as he knew that Bankruptcy was going to be a BIG part of their advisors time!)
It is a rollercoaster ride of emotions too but please come here and ask anything, we will ALL help and advise

We ALL know what its like and the people here are FANTASTIC:T

Take care and have a peaceful Christmas :xmassign:
Sugar xxx

Darnit_2

Hi CAFgirl

I think I used to see your posts on the DFW board? I had a different user name and changed it when BR, not to hide my ID, but because for some reason I couldn't get back in to my old account. But I am glad now, had a "fresh" start on BR board rather than facing embarssment of failing on the DFW board. I did try though.

In my experience, I wish I had done it sooner rather than trying for so long totally skint trying to pay everything. Then wasting a year on a DMP which got me no-where fast. Unless you can pay off all your debts within a couple of years, if you have no assets, it may be worth a fresh start.

Good luck

CAFCGirl

Thanks all....

DH and I have been going through figures etc, and going BR looks like an unlikely option for us. DH already has a DMP which sees him DF in 4 years at the current rate of payment.... which isnt too bad really....

Finding the money to go BR is an issue, as even though my parents will let us stay with them for a while, they want us gone pretty sharpish.....so its back to the drawin board although Im gad I asked you all and thankyou for the support. It was all very much appreciated.

Yes Darnit, I was a regular on the DFW board, and will be rejoining over there soon now I've put a rocket up my tucus (not literally but you get the idea)....

Thanks again to everyone and best wishes to all