LBM - Finally. Scared to death

jubilee14

Hi Carol,
i see things are moving on a bit. You are doing really well. I think the first thing you have to remember they cant take what you dont have and DMP's first point is allowing you to live. So if you havent dont pay creditors anymore than a £1 token payment and keep what you normally would have paid to your creditors( and left you short for daily living)

if you havent set up DMP would suggest agreeing a date a couple of months away this will build up a small emergency fund. when DMP starts what you pay to creditor should be whats left after you have paid for living an ok life.

I know these things pup up and until things bed down it is stressful but please be sure that if you;ve showed willing to start with by token payments it would be highly unlikely that the creditors could get away with any other pressures and to be honest if they default you sooner all the better as it will fall of the credit file sooner.

Keep positive by November re-read and things will feel so much better.

happy_bunny_2

carol1963 wrote: »

I've just had to speak to Provident and tell them I can't pay them any more money and I'm in a DMP with Step Change and they will be contacted directly.

The thing is that there is no CPA set up with them but with payments I have made to them via my debit card can they look back for this number and take money? Oh help please.

Technically yes. At or may not do this, are to say.

Best to call your bank and follow up in writing telling them that you suspect a company may do this and ask them to refuse payments.

If they did, I'm sure you could claim it back as an unauthorised transaction even without the above.

carol1963_2

Update - not sure if good or bad. Debt now £40,571 (not the original £39) - Bad!!!

Had to defer until 1/11/13 - Bad!!!!

Had loads of free 'hens' eggs off the sister-in-law - made pickled eggs - Good!!!

Gathered loads of free plums off friends - jam done - Good!!!

Given free courgettes off friends - chutney done - Good!!!

Vinegar and sugar in back cupboard (amazing what you can find if you look hard enough).

Should be abe to pay for 6 months of Car Tax - Good!!!

Poll Tax - Will try and pay £50, I know it's nowhere enough but.......

My Mums 70th Birthday tomorrow, I hope she will be just happy to see me and a card.

Gaz's 50th Birthday later on in the week, he'll have to do without.

Waiting for my £2 savings club number.

Don't know where to go for the debt free number but hay ho

Hopefully last visit to the Physio on Wednesday for 2 broken arms - Good!!!

Threatening letter from Wonga - Bad!!!

Numerous phone calls from Wage Day Advance - Bad!!!

Phone calls from Money in Advance, told them to stop, they have - Good!!!!

Carol xx

Julie67

Hi Carol,

Just wanted to say good luck, you will get there. We owed similar amounts to you just slightly less and 6 months in I've just had a review and managed to increase our payments to SC.
Honestly you won't look back. it's not easy especially when something big comes up like you need a new car and no one will. Touch you with a barge pole, but you do get by without more borrowing. We've not paid much back yet but managed to get down under £34000. Which feels like a big achievement.
Keep going once things are settled and your creditors are getting regular payments the creditors usually settle down.
The support on here is fantastic:D

dancingfairy

I can't see any major problems with postponing your start until Nov. to be honest. It's not a massive delay. You can send a letter to each creditor, letting them know you are sorting a payment plan with StepChange and you will be in touch when you know more. If you feel incline you can send them 1 pound as a token gesture but this may be more hassle than its' worth. If you have a cheque book then fine but if you have to pay out to send postal orders to everyone then it's probably not worth doing.
In terms of food, I'd recommend a meal plan if possible.
With the eggs you should have quite a few choices - ie poaches, scrambled, fried etc etc (prob all on toast), jam on toast, beans on toast. O.k it's not going to be the most healthy diet in the whole world but it might have to do you for now.
Porridge is good and cheap and filling if you can get a bag of oats.
Plums, courgettes and runner beans sounds good.
Pasta is cheap and filling , maybe rice?
pasta you can have with just a little butter on or some olive oil, maybe with some courgettes or runner beans.
As you have made some jam and chutney can you barter for some stuff? See what others have you could swap with them?
If you have a few pots of hm jam maybe you could give one to your mum as a present/thank you gift?
With regards to your husband, how about a voucher book/jar? ie promising a back massage/foot rub/night off cooking/washing up/taking the bins out? maybe write him a few messages about what you love about him etc etc.
Am sure you're going to be just fine. Yes the intital stage will be scary but it will all settle down.
In terms of bank accounts etc if you can set up another account, (maybe another cashminder?) or savings account etc you can treat one as a 'essential bills account' and make sure that as soon as possible after payday you set up a standing order to that account. What's left in your main account is for day to day living. You might then want to either take the cash out and physically divide it into 4 or 5 envelopes and take each one shopping with you each week or if you are disciplined you can keep track via a spreadsheet to see how things go.
Best of Luck
df

dinky201

Carol look at "OFT collection guidence" you prob see they breaking alot of rules in that, and they not allowed phone you constently look at "protection from harrasment act 1997"
Dont think they even allowed to put up unessery charges that are unresonable.
(bet you even didnt have £39k of them)

As dancingfairy said open up anouther bank account, that way they can take (infact steal) your money.

carol1963_2

Morning All, Thank you for your support and advice, I never thought about a pot of Jam for Mum, I'll take one up later for her.

I'll also ring the Bank later to see if there is anything I can do about another account, that would really be great if I can do it because I know I'm not strong enough to leave the money where it is.

Carol xx

p.s. I've paid my car tax this morning so that's a good start and the garage man is letting me off paying for the petrol I owe until next Monday, phew.

Can't pay as much poll tax as I wanted, I wanted to pay £150 but I've only £50 god knows how that is going to go down but I can perhaps pay another £50 next Monday, I'll let you know how I go on with that one - better go and do the dishes.

carol1963_2

Hiya everyone, I haven't fell off the world yet but I thought I'd do an update - I would like to make this into my Debt Free Diary but don't know how so if someone can tell me how to do it it would be great please.

Right - as you know 1 bank account set-up, I have managed to set another one up, still with the Coop so I can transfer my bill money into that one.

Sorted my wages so they go into the new account.

Busy sorting direct debits out.

Majority of phone calls/texts have stopped (well at least for the time being).

Still receiving quite a lot of e-mails but just reply and ring them to say with StepChange.

Stepchange have said pay token payments to creditors for October do I just send them a £1 postal order or do I leave it until November when my plan starts?

Had some quinces off a friend and made Quince Jelly, it took for ages but yummy.

Had some windfall apples off same friend so made apple sauce and froze that, already had some blackberries so made a couple of apple/blackberry pies but neither of them made it to the freezer - 2 large pies, 2 days!!!! I did share with said friend and neighbours.

Loads of green tomatoes left on hubby's tom plants so chutney making is on the cards, just need some vinegar so not too bad on the food budget.

Still absolutely cxxp with the food budget can't get my head around spreadsheets and forget to write blinking things down but Gaz is very good with buying bargains (you know 2 for 1 etc., etc.,). Got what I thought was a good bargain - curry sauce in Aldi £1.29, Home Bargains 89p - 4 tins now stuck in cupboard. Got some braising steak from the local butchers for £5 did a big pot of that with left over mushrooms and a few manky onions but it turned out ok, it did us 2 meals and left over gravy for the dogs, even the dogs have had to have a downgrade in doggy food but they don't seem to mind (they haven't complained yet anyway), I tell them I can't afford treats so they just have a few more kisses!

I still can't get my head around not having Heinz Baked Beans but that's my cross to bear!!!!! Small mercies I suppose, ha, ha. Anyone out there know what are Aldi's like???

Can't think of anything else so I'd better go and do something useful......

Carol xx

Puzzcat

Hi,

Well done on coming so far in a short time... I am also just starting on my dmp journey and my start date is 1st November. Please pop over to the dmp mutual support thread, loads of information and helpful people to answer questions...

As for token payments I think it is suggested that you send them to all creditors until the dmp payment takes over. Do also remember that the payment is taken my SC on the 1st or 10th of the month but the money does not get paid to the creditors until the 25th. I believe the advice is to make a token payment within each 31 day period. I have so far made 1 to some, and 2 to others and some will also get a 3rd as they are due at the beginning of november and my payment won't hit them from Sc until 25th..

Hope that makes sense..

Good Luck..
Love Puzz. x

Powered_By_Pies

With regards to your creditors trying to contact you....

It's not much, but it might help. If any of them start sending letters again telling you to ring a premium-rate number, you can respond in writing letting them know that under section 3.2, annex L of the Office of Fair Trading's debt collection's guidance forms:

"asking or instructing debtors to make contact on premium rate
or other special rate telephone numbers"

can land them in a bit of hot water if you were to submit an official complaint to the OFT. Bear in mind as far as I know this isn't a law, but one of the OFT's guidelines, so whilst a debtor may decide to back off if you mention this (as after all, they all seem to think we're penniless morons who can't read), it's best not to go charging in thinking you've got a legal line to hang them with.

You have, as far as I'm aware, a legal right to request an alternative freephone number, or to maintain contact with the debtor in writing only. I discovered this when I bought up the delightfully unhelpful bank's constant demands in their letters to call them on their 0845 premium-rate collections' centre number with the Financial Ombudsman, who are well aware of this sort of thing doing the rounds.

http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/consultations/OFT664Rev_Debt_collection_g1.pdf