DMP & Mutual Support Thread - Part 9

jenster78

Well done Antonio, such an inspiration to see this and there is light at the end of the tunnel ! You have done amazing!!!

Find_The_Real

Well done Antonic and congratulations on now being officially debt free with the nice new shiny badge to show for it as well!

I know you will be sticking around but I just wanted to wish you all the best for the future and I hope can now enjoy living a DF life.

scared1

Hi Everybody,

I have been on my DMP with Stepchange for four years now. I've had ups and downs but for the most part it has run well.

I have paid £23,423.00 - to date and still another £32,703.60 outstanding. My debt free date just seems to go on and on forever. Its upsetting me a lot at the moment as I have just gotten married and we are living in a very small house (my wife, step daughter and me) which for a year has been tough but the thought of another 5 is stressful. We also want to have a baby and for that to happen I would need IVF which I would have to pay for. I am 35 and wife is 40 and our biological clocks are ticking and another 5 years is going to make it too far off.

I have much to be grateful for though. I'm just realy struggling at the moment. I'm working as much as I can and get paid well. I try and sell things on ebay and at boot fayres as I can and try and live on a budget where I can.

I know I have done well to stick to this and pay off what I could but just feel depressed at the moment. I moved out of my house and rent it out to save some money and to move the 200 miles to where my wife lives. I am not realy in a position to sell it as I wouldn't make back what I paid for it. Its been hosing money the past few months as our tennant moved out and we have had to find a new one and make up the short fall.

Sorry to be so glum today.

Suseka

Hello Scared1 :wave:

Its okay to feel glum - but you have much to be proud of too. I can only dream of the day I will have paid some £20k + off my rather substantial debt, and for you to have done that is applaudable.

Are all your creditors doing the decent thing and freezing interest? If not then perhaps you have some scope there (in terms of reducing the years left to run).

It's a tough journey this (from what I read of others, I'm only just at the starting gates) -and you are doing tremendously well, and I imagine now well supported by your new wife. So keep it up and don't get too downhearted.

scared1

Hi Suseka,

Thanks and you are right I have accomplished a lot! Very proud of that sometimes it just gets me down.

Yes all my creditors have frozen the interest now so what I pay is coming off the balances. And it does reduce. Just is a constant worry with me all the time.

For our wedding present friends and family have paid for us to go to Paris for a honeymoon as otherwise we could ever have afford to go away- we are looking forward to that and very grateful. But I still can't switch off the worry in the backgroud.

Oh well back to work tomorrow and that always helps to distract me.

Larac

I know the feeling - it is tough being on a DMP and I think we all get days like this when you think its never going to end. Constantly thinking about what you are spending on all the time, does my head in. I try to refocus my energies on doing tasks which in the old days I would have paid somebody to do and get some satisfaction in the money saved and now take pleasure out of the more simple things in life.

DanielleNic87

I have finally had my DMP set up today. 01/08 will be my 1st payment. So relieved to have it sorted. Now just have to wait for the letters etc from the creditors. Surprisingly the breakdown they have sent to show how much they are paying to each creditor isn't much different to the minimum payments now.

scared1

Hi DanielleNic,

I remember how afraid I felt at the beginning but pretty quickly things settled down. Many of my creditors stopped interest right away and all of them accepted the plan.

After the first set of payments went out there was such a sense of relief.

antonic

DanielleNic87 wrote: »

I have finally had my DMP set up today. 01/08 will be my 1st payment. So relieved to have it sorted. Now just have to wait for the letters etc from the creditors. Surprisingly the breakdown they have sent to show how much they are paying to each creditor isn't much different to the minimum payments now.

Remember your in control now and they cant have what you havent got !

Suseka

scared1 wrote: »

Hi Suseka,

Thanks and you are right I have accomplished a lot! Very proud of that sometimes it just gets me down.

Yes all my creditors have frozen the interest now so what I pay is coming off the balances. And it does reduce. Just is a constant worry with me all the time.

For our wedding present friends and family have paid for us to go to Paris for a honeymoon as otherwise we could ever have afford to go away- we are looking forward to that and very grateful. But I still can't switch off the worry in the backgroud.

Oh well back to work tomorrow and that always helps to distract me.

Nice to hear you feel a little brighter and what a lovely gesture from your friends and family. Make the most of that time and just put away all thoughts of the DMP for a while.

Great that your creditors have frozen interest, mine are yet to play ball on that score, but it's early days.