The road is long, with many a winding turn....

Jules28

Hello All,

After reading many other diaries on here and getting good advice from other people on here to start one myself, I thought I would take the plunge and committ my thoughts to a diary. I hadn't wanted to previously as I thought it wouldn't be interesting enough for anyone else to read!

A little about myself. I am 35, living with my lovely OH who has a gorgeous wee boy who stays with us part of the time. As you can see from my signature, I have a lot of debt that will take me a long time to clear but I am on a DMP and most of the time it runs pretty smoothly (today it isn't but that's for another post!). I got myself into bother initially helping out my family. I borrowed a lot of money for them and then when they couldn't pay me back, I had to live on credit cards to keep going. They did eventually pay me back but only the capital borrowed, not the interest (that is mainly what I am paying off now, plus loads of borrowing just to live on).

I don't blame my family, I blame myself for not looking into getting them help. I couldn't bear to see them in a mess and did what I thought was right - but of course, I couldn't have been more wrong in choosing the actions that I did. If only I had stopped it sooner and sought advice I wouldn't be dealing with DMPs, payday loans, car finance etc etc.

But the fact remains that I do have to deal with it, it will take a long time but I will get there! I have my health, have my family and best of all the loveliest OH in the world (I'm glad he can't read this, he'd be reaching for a bucket by now!).

So I plan to keep myself sane over the next 7.5 years until my debt is clear by writing a diary and continuing to get great advice from everyone on here (I wish I had found this site sooner!)

I hope I occasionally post something interesting enough for others to read!

Jules

Jules28

So I mentioned above that most days my DMP runs smoothly and apart from the £800 which speeds out of my account on payday, I don't really have to do much for it. On other days though, things do not go to plan.

To clarify, when I started my DMP last year, I put in all my credit cards, my loan and my overdraft. I didn't put in my LogBook loan as I was scared of the implications for my car, I didn't add my student loan as it's a government loan so you can't - and for reasons best known to myself, I did not add in my payday loans. In January this year I realised how mad it was not to include them (they were costing me a fortune every month). So I added them in and my previously smooth running DMP has been a nightmare ever since. One is now settled (they gave me a great F&F), one is about to be settled, one is fine and no bother at all with the DMP and the other 2 are being very, very difficult indeed. They insist they have not had the letter of authority from my DMC, my DMC say they are fed up sending it out to them. I get phonecalls and emails round the clock (I respond to all emails but don't answer the phone) and to cap it all, today, one of them has posted a card through the door saying they are coming out to the house. As I am going to be in the house on my own all day tomorrow and I will need to answer the door each time it goes as I am waiting in for 2 parcels, I can't say I am thrilled by this turn of events.

I have sent another email to them reiterating that I am dealing with a DMC, that they have been accepting monthly payments since the beginning of the year and that I am responding to all written correspondance (their issue that needs resolving with a home visit is that I apparently refuse to stay in contact with them).

So fingers crossed I do not open the door tomorrow confidently expecting to see my boyfriend's free keg of beer from Sky and actually come face to face with one of my creditors!

nonnie44

Didn't want to just read and run, you seem to be very positive and doing really well considering you only ended up in debt helping others! I'm also sure that there will be plenty of people on here that will give you lots of good advice, good luck and I look forward to catching up with your diary x

Jules28

Thanks nonnie44! I will try to put in stuff worth reading

Jules28

Well I have perked up a bit since dealing with the postcard (on closer inspection I am quite irritated about it cos it actually says on it I am to call about my outstanding debt - a bit much putting that on a postcard, no?).

But after that someone on eBay contacted me about a leather jacket which closed without selling at the weekend. They were asking me to relist so they could bid so am v chuffed, £50 hopefully headed my way!

Also, had a smashing dinner which cost £2 for the 2 of us - a whole turkey leg roasted in the oven (cost £1.55 in the Tesco reduced aisle), some oven chips and some frozen veg. There is meat left over to put in a risotto and I will use the bones to make stock I think - so very MSE

So all is well in the world here again, have a nice evening anyone who happens to be casting an eye over this.

Jules x

Jules28

A busy morning here. I am working from home and already had a heavy workload to get through before my boss dropped another couple of things onto my lap. It's irritating when work gets in the way of reading this site, isn't it?

I am still waiting anxiously for the door - 2 parcels coming today (I hope). One we think must be a free product to test as I signed up for a few on surveys I have done recently, but I just can't remember what they were, the other a free keg of beer for my OH from Sky to drink whilst watching the Champions League final. Nice timing as tomorrow is his birthday, so his birthday drinks are covered at zero cost :beer:

Given my worries about being alone in the house today should the sender of the postcard turn up, me and the OH decided on a plan to stop me worrying. I am working in the bedroom with my laptop on my knee, giving me a great vantage point to see whoever approaches the door and whether or not they are carrying a parcel/keg of beer. This seemed a smashing plan when discussed last night, I now realise that the inherent flaw in this plan is that anyone approaching the door can also see me typing away in full view.That only occurred to me when one of the people who don't live here but regularly use the road for parking in walked by and gave me a cheery wave :rotfl:. Aah well, hopefully nobody will show up and it was merely a bit of scare tactics.

Well I suppose I must head back to the grindstone, hope everyone is having a good day so far

Jules28

Unbelievable!!

My OH called me at 11.30 as his work was quiet so he had asked for a half shift holiday and got it. So I popped out to pick him up (I was away 10 minutes) and I missed the parcel!!

OH is now on the phone to rearrange the delivery as we have unanimously decided that it was really his fault that I missed it (even though I made the arrangement and then left the house knowing what I was doing!)

But at least there are now 2 of us here so as not to miss the keg being delivered

Jules28

Well the keg arrived yesterday afternoon and is currently chilling in the fridge, OH is extremely chuffed with it so that's good.

It's his birthday so I had presents wrapped for giving him this morning but his wee son is staying with us this weekend and got up at 1.30am and stayed awake till 3am, during which time he insisted on Daddy opening his presents, so they're all already open.

I'm heading into town later as my mum gave OH £10 for his present to buy the dine in for 2 from Marks for tonight. So we will have free food and drink all round tonight.

His son and I are baking a birthday cake this afternoon - it costs less than buying one in the shops, plus we will have loads of fun doing it.

I just checked eBay and there are 2 watchers on the leather jacket, here's hoping one of them buys it.

Off to make breakfast now for my 2 boys.

Jules28

I'm at work today despite it being a bank holiday as I swapped today off for a day later in the week. It's like a ghost town in here with everyone in sitting twiddling their thumbs, with the exception of myself who was under a major deadline for this morning. Owing to a database that would not cooperate I missed my deadline but my boss was great about it (I wish I had known that in advance and did not spend Sunday evening in a panic over it!)

We had a good money saving weekend I think, given that it was my OH's birthday and our 2 year anniversary. As I said before, we got the Dine in as a present so spent no money there and he drank his free keg and so we spent no money on drinks this weekend. Then my OH's family decided to treat themselves to KFC last night(somewhere we never go) and bought us some too. I'm open to eating there again if it is free again

I'm now pressing ahead with my June meal planner. I have never made one up before (although I usually decide in advance what to buy for the week's shopping). I think seeing it all in black and white is what's freaking me out - for example, I counted out that we needed 7 loaves for the month to cover lunches and breakfasts. Now I know that isn't that much but something about seeing the list sent me into a panic, rather than making me calm and organised as it should do. Never mind, I will press on with it before we do some food shopping tonight.

Still waiting on my leather jacket to sell....

Jules28

I pressed on with the meal planner and I'm pleased I did. I made a list before we went food shopping and we actually stuck to it and got food for every meal for the next week for the 3 of us for just under £40. I think that's pretty good, I could probably still do better but it's a an improvement anyway. Plus, I was very chuffed as I got loaves of bread for 12p. They had today's date on them but I was chucking them in the freezer anyway.

I had a F&F payment to a creditor going through today and I am starting to get worried as they haven't taken it yet (to let you understand they usually take payments at around 2am so this is unusual). I will just need to keep checking and hope it goes through ok.

Back to the grindstone then, work issues from yesterday are resolved, thank god, so I am snowed under but at least I am able to get on with it.

Jules28

Deep sigh of relief. I phoned the creditor to be sure the money was coming out today and it turns out that they had been trying to take it all day but with my old card details (I did give them the correct one twice). So it turns out that if I hadn't called, they would have classed it as rejected and come after me for the full amount.

Bullet dodged there then