The start of the rest of my life

newleafmum

After four years of:

• Drawing out money at midnight so the charges and bills didn't suck it all up.
• Taking pennies to the coinstar and hoping there will be enough for some bread milk and pasta so you can eat that week.
• Sitting at home with the blinds closed and ignoring the door as it's most likely a debt collector, and they're not calling for the old tenants anymore they're for you.
• Screaming between me and oh about spending or lack of money to actually spend.
• Gathering up every spare dvd and games we bought before the baby was born to sell. Fingers crossed there's enough to put petrol in the car and buy food.
• Selling some more dvds to get enough money for a orange wednesday cinema ticket and popcorn combo only for OH to drop the popcorn all over the floor. Sit in a mood for rest of film because you had so looked forward to 2 hours of feeling normal.
• Working out benefits and consider splitting up because you can't take the strain and financially you'd be able to survive better.
• Dodging the car tax for an extra month every 6 months and paying it only when the demand comes through the door. Don't even mention the MOT and bare tyres.
• Working out which bill is on its last demand or most likely to send the baliffs in.
• Waiting till phone is actually cut off before paying half of the total amount due to get it reconnected.

Never ever getting any sleep because you cant stop thinking of how this month you might not scrape by, because it's getting tighter and tighter. You've nothing left to sell, no creditors you can stop paying because you're not paying any of them, every bill is a final demand and it's your sons 4th birthday and you can't afford to do anything at all.

Nobody knows how much poo you're in because you put on a face and make sure you just keep getting out of bed and going through the motions. Keep the tears for bedtime.


In the last two months I've finally finally gotten three secure contracts (I'm self employed) and my partner has gotten a well earned promotion. We've gone from no money to actually having the prospect of more money than outgoings.

I sent off new letters today to all our creditors updating the situation making token payments and disucssing begining to clear balances in March 2013.

I wrote a budget that is realistic and factors in debt payments.

I've had a look on ebay to get my kids their next size up clothes (normally I can't afford to bid on anything incase the bank magically emptys itself before I can pay.)

I've got all our xmas presents sorted, the kids using tesco vouchers and disney rewards, a bit of Lidl choccy. Homemade chilli jam and cake for all the parents (4 sets as we're both from divorced homes) with fluffy socks from primark and smellies from boots points.

The best part is we have learnt to live within our means, we will not be getting any more debt aside from a mortgage one day and we have a secure plan to rebuild our credit rating once the debts are cleared thanks to advice from this site.

We're so blessed to have two amazing children who despite everything we've missed out on have wanted for nothing and understand the value of the things they have. Despite his friends having Ipads and Iphones for xmas all my son has asked santa for is the new peter pan dvd and a hawkeye bow and arrow.

I may have £16000 in debt and a totally destroyed credit files but it's all fixable.

Even if we hit a fresh bump in the road we will never be in the situation we've been in for the last four years because we're not hiding anymore.

Thank you so much to all the information on this site. I will be keeping a check of things on here and joining some challenges.

This diary is the start of the rest of my life...and a very rich one at that (not in money sense but family, friends and freedom)

beanielou

What an amazing post.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey.

girlatplay

Wow, great post! Well done on getting it all together and wishing you all the best for your future (and apologising for laughing at the popcorn part, it just rang a few bells)

Evcakes

Some off your comments rang true here too, scraping about for pennies to buy milk, coasting on the very last vapours of diesel to get to work!

So glad you've got some work and can now look forward to a brighter future.

With all my best wishes on your journey, Ev x

TimeforTea_4

OMG..... i Don`t know what to saw other than for all your debt you seem to have the most amasing kids and you should hold your head up high for that reason....

I myself are in debt, but some times you just have to say `money is only money` family are everything. You will get there and you will learn things along they way that people don`t learn in the whole of their life time.

Well done you for taking the first steps.

Take care.

newleafmum

Thank you for such lovely replies!

I've today recieved our credit files in the post and sat down to write everything down and workout the best way to repay.

We're now set up to pay a token payment of £5 each to each creditor bar two on my oh's file who I can't track. So with the extra money we get coming in from my new work I will do a snowball type thing. I can clear a couple of my debts in one go as they're so tiny but up until this month they seemed impossible. The others I'll need to try and get a figure for settlement.

I'm a bit confused because two of the debts on my partners file show as settled but the new entry for the agency it must have been sent to are not on file and he has about 4 addresses listed that he's never lived at which I guess is why these two debts have never chased us. One is almost statute barred. Any ideas?

Last night I made an amazing soup with scraps from our veg box and thought to myself in a way I'm glad I got into debt and suffered hard times because I'm not sure I'd have ever learnt to cook or enjoy the simple things. I really love a cheap homemade meal with chunks of bread to make it go further. I must never forget that. And I always wrap up leftovers to take home for tomorrows lunch now, will never stop that.

newleafmum

OH and bonus our total debt is not in excess of £16000 as I thought but infact £13711 and I make my final payment to one debt this month a measely £21 left on that at present.

lurvlyloz

great diary & such positivity.
Good luck on your journey

HeadAboveWater

Wow! What a first post!!!

Gonna subscribe coz I want to see how you're doing and hopefully encourage along the way!

Good luck

Evcakes

Yay to a debt being paid off x

StressedSteph

Fab post, well done you for taking control and being so positive.

Keep going and with your attitude you will get there before you know it.

going to subscribe to your thread as I think reading your posts will help me along my journey too.

Lots of luck

StressedSteph xx