Trying to wake up

newleafmum

Me and my oh have two beautiful children and we've booked a wedding for next year. My oh has a good job and I am self employed but not yet making a penny. Fingers crossed I will be by the end of the year.

Before we had children we got lots of debt, a loan, 4 credit cards, an overdraft and a catalogue. We moved into our flat when I was pregnant but I was made redundant so we struggled by for a while. Then we started missing payments on debt and debt collectors would knock the door. We got in arrears with bills etc.

Then we moved to a house our friends were renting out and the calls for debt stopped, we caught up on our house bills and we lived in ignorant bliss.

But lately I can't sleep and I know what we've done is so so stupid so I've started to peace together all the pieces and try to find a way of paying back our debt.

If I get the work I'm hoping to get from January 2013 we will have £1000 a month surplus income and our debts are about 15k.

To break it down we have a 6k loan which was with a&l then we were passedto santander but now I have no idea who the debt is with as it obviously would have been sold. Its actually in my ohs name.

Two Egg cards of about 300 and 160 (the 160 one I recently set up a payment plan of 20 a week and I am contacting the other one this week)

CP One card 800 but I pay this on time every month.

Barclaycard in my name of 2800. Haven't made a payment in a long time and i'm getting calls from MK something I think.

Barclaycard in oh name of 2800ish and haven't made a payment since about 2009 same time as the loan.

A catalogue with 1800 owing which was up to date until this month and I hope to correct next week.

CCCS have advised me to offer token payments to all companies until things improve and I then want to start clearing them £1000 at a time form Jan.

I've written up a budget and cut back all luxuries except our phones as we both need them for work and cost 30 a month each.

I've decided to draw out £100 cash each week to survive, so this is petrol, food and kids stuff. Any surplus will go in a kitty incase of emergency. I've literally spent £25 on food shopping this week by planning from cupboards.

I don't really know what I'm doing I guess I'm looking for support and I know I don't deserve any but I just feel so desperatly sad. My oh has a ccj also which I hope to settle first and that will be within the 12 months of getting it.

I can't believe I've started my childrens lives this way.

I'm trying to convince myself that because I'm waking up to it that it can't get any worse.

I'd like to ask if anyone knows about settlement offers. So from what we owe the above if I was to phone in 2013 and ask for a settlement offer and pay right then on the phone what are they likely to knock off?

My plan is so long as I get all the contracts I think I'm getting this year I'll be debt free by Jan 2014. Then I have 6 years of waiting for it all to drop off credit file in which time I should save a deposit for a house and never ever look back to my debt days.

newleafmum

Oh my gosh if anyone reads all that thank you lol

TeaForOne

Didn't want to read and run, so just saying well done you. This is your lightbulb moment and you will get all the advice you need on here to keep that lightbulb shining brightly

newleafmum

Thank you

McKneff

Have you checked your credit file, if there are defaults some of them may be due to 'drop off' or have dropped off already.

Make sure none of the debts are statute barred (over 6 years since your last payment or acknowledgement of the debt.

Why not do an SOA on here, we could help you a lot more with one of those.
Good luck and well done.

newleafmum

I've checked my credit report and the defaults show as jan 2011. If I start repaying now will they drop off 2017 or do they only drop off once the account is settled.

I don't understand it very well.

I'll get a SOA up asap

My ohs defaults will be about 2009 and his ccj is jan 2012. I haven't got his credit report yet.

Andy_Edinburgh

Hiya,

Just want to say welcome to the forum and well done for waking up to your problem - that's the first and most important step. The people on the MSE forum are a great bunch and will offer moral support and encouragement and practical assistance every step of the way, but remember it's a "marathon, not a sprint" - be very wary of companies peddling quick-fix "solutions".