Puzz tries again.. this time with claws... My DMP Journey. I will get debt free...

Puzzcat

Summer12 wrote: »

Hi Puzz

Just caught up on your diary. I started reading your diary at the start of this year and it really, really helped me start my own dmp journey. So thank you for taking to time to write it!

Hope you had/are having a fab holiday.

Summer x

Hi Summer,
It certainty is a journey but I have never felt more in control. Good luck with your dmp.
Puzz. Xxx

Puzzcat

carbootcrazy wrote: »

Just dropping in to wish you Bon Voyage for your holiday which is excitingly close now:j:dance:. I hope all is well in Puzzland and that your boy cat is continuing to make good progress. You say the new food your are giving your pets is more expensive but we can't stint when it comes to their well-being can we? I just wish I still had a cat to cost me an arm and a leg.


After your experience obtaining a second credit card I was wondering whether to try to do the same especially as my Clearscore credit report told me I'd improve my credit score by having a higher credit limit:eek:. I expect my current Capital One card will 'up' the limit from £1000 at the end of December anyway, (they doubled it after a year from the paltry £500 they gave me at the outset) but I'm not going to ask them for an increase myself.


There was a Chrome card (Vanquis) with an APR of 24 point something or other % and a £25 Amazon voucher for signing up. When I looked at my 'offers' page I saw I was 95% likely to be approved but I didn't want to take the risk of applying and having searches done in case I was one of the 5% who get turned down:eek:. Then, the very next day I had an email from Clearscore saying my report had been updated and I had new offers. Lo and behold, there was the Chrome card with the same interest rate (which is pretty low for the type of card they give to people with rubbish credit scores like me) plus the £25 Amazon voucher and within those 24 hours I had become 'pre-approved' to definitely get one:j. No-brainer really, I applied and was immediately accepted. They gave me a starting credit limit of £1000 so things look as if they are improving for me credit-worthiness wise. I intend to use it like I do with the Cap One card, just spend on essentials like petrol and repay in full every month. I want it to heal a few wounds not for splashing out on 'stuff' I don't really need.


Have a great holiday:beer:. 'See' you when you get back.

Hi cbc,
Would like to say lots of sunshine but cloud and rain too. We are having a lovely time regardless!
Back to the grind in few days...:(
Puzz.c

Puzzcat

:j:j Nearly the weekend... although in fairness I have only worked 2 days this week...!

Lovely Holiday, such a shame to come home, but needs must...!!! Now to start saving again.....:D

Money News..

Well I got home to a few creditor letters, most were just updates but one was a f & f offer.....cabot offering me 1237 on a debt of 4123..

Not a bad discount.... but I don't want to part with my savings just yet so I will leave it for now.. I'm sure I will get more as time goes on....

Did an updated FS for the one creditor who wanted one.. PRAt typically... don't know why they need one every 6 months, no one else seems too...!!

Little successes on the money front.. little bit of complaining netted me 3 pounds from m&s, 10 pounds from morrisons and eighteen pounds from EasyJ**... and I am very nice when I complain....!!!

DD still having a ball as far as I can tell, I don't think she has any more trips booked so can hang onto my savings for a bit longer....

Back working in the soggy weather.. night out tomorrow, a special community night I am looking forwards to that. No other nights planned until the run up to Christmas....

That's about all folks...

Puzz. x

[Deleted User]

Welcome back:beer:

Great news on the complaints:T. The few times I've complained recently (and like you I do it very nicely;)) I've just received an apology and thanks for bringing it to their attention:rotfl:. Morrisons were OK though and gave me a £5 voucher:T. A complaint is overdue to Sainsburys, hopefully I'll receive some vouchers for that if I ever get on with actually complaining.


Good to hear Cabot made you a settlement offer:T even though you don't want to accept it at the moment. I wish they'd make one to me as I'm thinking of going for F&Fs to all my creditors this next few weeks and would rather they set the ball rolling. My debt with Cabot is 'only' £2100 and as they only bought the debt in June I don't really expect them to send me a settlement offer just yet.

Puzzcat

Happy Soggy Monday....

Had a great night at the community event Friday week ago.. did cost 35 pounds but I got a lift both ways so was happy with that expense...

No more nights out now until December, then I have 2 understated Christmas do's... one to pizza and the other round at my house...!

Have started the :xmastree: shopping.... dd's sending me emails with links to what she is after plus the obligatory Amazon wish list.... I am also hosting this year so will need to keep some money back to pay for that, although everyone will chip in...

Had bff round Friday evening for a few glasses of bubbles and we were reminiscing about our holiday and both agreed it was fab and we want to do it again... the savings have started....

6 weeks until dd comes home.. I haven't see her in the flesh since the 27th August...:(:(:( But we do speak and text lots...!!!

Otherwise just plodding on...

Love Puzz. x

[Deleted User]

I know how much you love Christmas, Puzz. You must be in seventh heaven now the run-up has really started:rotfl:. We don't 'do' Christmas. Living with Scrooge and having a very small circle of family and friends it's a big non-event and I'm pretty glad when New Year comes around. At least I don't have to worry about the cost of it all:j.. Would be nice to have gifts to unwrap though.


I thought Christmas had come early today when the DPD courier came staggering up the path with 6 boxes. 2 of them were huge, the others in decreasing sizes with the smallest about the size of a shoe box (the type boots come in IYKWIM). There was also a smallish padded bag. I placed a Boots order on Friday because they had a £10 in Advantage points offer on for spends over £60. I had lots of essentials to buy so went mad and did an order just big enough to qualify for the points.


Boots are really bad at packing stuff. Well, not bad exactly, the boxes are fine, but they use far bigger boxes than necessary and more of them. I was expecting one big box or maybe 2 medium sized ones for the stuff I bought, not this lot. They had duplicated the order:mad: although on my online account I'd only ordered things once and been invoiced once. The padded bag contained various bath bombs which I certainly hadn't ordered and which were not shown on my online invoice.


I've been on the phone to get it sorted. They're sending the courier to pick up the duplicated boxes tomorrow. I'm going to a funeral so I hope OH is capable of dealing with it;). The man on the phone said he couldn't understand why I received the bath bombs, he wasn't aware they were sending free gifts out:rotfl:. He also said I could return them or keep them, the choice was mine. Needless to say I'm keeping them:j. I don't use them myself, we have showers not baths, and I have no one to give them to so I'll donate them as prizes to a charity I support who are asking for raffle prizes at the moment.

[Deleted User]

I hope all's well in Puzzland:beer:. You must be really happy at the moment with :xmastree: looming (and you always tell us how much you enjoy it:j) and DD coming home for a while. I hope work is going well and your money situation isn't throwing up any unexpected nasties.


I got my F&F offer on my biggest debt accepted:j. The initial one was turned down as I knew it would be, being more than a bit cheeky;). We chatted on the phone and my next offer for not all that much more than the first was accepted:j. I've had the written official 'we'll never pursue you for the remaining balance ' type of thing so I'm going to pay it off this morning. Turned out easier and more hassle-free than I expected especially as this creditor has been stroppy for years. Not only that but they agreed to backdate the default right back to the very start of my DMP in March 2013 rather than late 2016 when they originally defaulted and refused to move when I first complained a few months ago. They also repaid several hundreds in charges/interest because of the wrongly dated default but insisted in paying it off the debt which I'd already agreed a settlement figure for:mad:. I would have loved that money paid into my bank instead. All worked out OK as they then readjusted the settlement figure to account for the new lower balance.


Sorry to go on about it but I'm ecstatic. When I think back to those terrifying days at this time in 2012 when I felt there was no hope of ever becoming debt free, or even getting through to the end of the year without the sky falling on my head I realise what a journey this has been. Still is as I have to repay the other debts too. One swallow doesn't make a summer as the old saying goes;). I 've sent off the updated I&Es to all the others as they insisted on them before considering any offer and am about to send off my offers to everyone tomorrow. I'll be leaving my UEs for now, maybe if I have any money left in my F&F pot when this batch are done and dusted I may make a 10% offer just to see them consigned to history. At my age I have a dread of leaving messy financial affairs for anyone to have to sort out:eek:



I'm ecstatic for another reason as well as the F&F payment as OH has been away since Monday morning. He was supposed to be coming home Tuesday night:( but has had to stay longer and won't be home until tomorrow night:j. He never feels the cold and we barely have the heating on so I've been giving it a real bashing ever since he left. Must make sure I leave enough time to let the house cool down before he comes back though. Walking into a sauna will send him into a rage:eek:. Ironically, when he phoned me yesterday with his change of plans he complained that the place he's staying is so unbearably hot, including his bedroom, that he had to sleep with his window open. I knew from the weather forecast that the overnight temperature where he was plummeted to just above zero:eek:. He said he'll be glad to come home to a comfortably cool house. Downright freezing normally. If he only knew:rotfl:


Take care:beer:

Puzzcat

carbootcrazy wrote: »

I hope all's well in Puzzland:beer:. You must be really happy at the moment with :xmastree: looming (and you always tell us how much you enjoy it:j) and DD coming home for a while. I hope work is going well and your money situation isn't throwing up any unexpected nasties.


I got my F&F offer on my biggest debt accepted:j. The initial one was turned down as I knew it would be, being more than a bit cheeky;). We chatted on the phone and my next offer for not all that much more than the first was accepted:j. I've had the written official 'we'll never pursue you for the remaining balance ' type of thing so I'm going to pay it off this morning. Turned out easier and more hassle-free than I expected especially as this creditor has been stroppy for years. Not only that but they agreed to backdate the default right back to the very start of my DMP in March 2013 rather than late 2016 when they originally defaulted and refused to move when I first complained a few months ago. They also repaid several hundreds in charges/interest because of the wrongly dated default but insisted in paying it off the debt which I'd already agreed a settlement figure for:mad:. I would have loved that money paid into my bank instead. All worked out OK as they then readjusted the settlement figure to account for the new lower balance.


Sorry to go on about it but I'm ecstatic. When I think back to those terrifying days at this time in 2012 when I felt there was no hope of ever becoming debt free, or even getting through to the end of the year without the sky falling on my head I realise what a journey this has been. Still is as I have to repay the other debts too. One swallow doesn't make a summer as the old saying goes;). I 've sent off the updated I&Es to all the others as they insisted on them before considering any offer and am about to send off my offers to everyone tomorrow. I'll be leaving my UEs for now, maybe if I have any money left in my F&F pot when this batch are done and dusted I may make a 10% offer just to see them consigned to history. At my age I have a dread of leaving messy financial affairs for anyone to have to sort out:eek:



I'm ecstatic for another reason as well as the F&F payment as OH has been away since Monday morning. He was supposed to be coming home Tuesday night:( but has had to stay longer and won't be home until tomorrow night:j. He never feels the cold and we barely have the heating on so I've been giving it a real bashing ever since he left. Must make sure I leave enough time to let the house cool down before he comes back though. Walking into a sauna will send him into a rage:eek:. Ironically, when he phoned me yesterday with his change of plans he complained that the place he's staying is so unbearably hot, including his bedroom, that he had to sleep with his window open. I knew from the weather forecast that the overnight temperature where he was plummeted to just above zero:eek:. He said he'll be glad to come home to a comfortably cool house. Downright freezing normally. If he only knew:rotfl:


Take care:beer:

Hi cbc,

Very well done on your f & f's.. Unfortunately I don't have enough spare cash at the moment to save for them but I have had 2 offers in now so hopefully in the next few years ...!!

I expect your OH is back now so I hope your wrapped up warm if you haven't got the heating on..!!

Love Puzz. x

Puzzcat

Afternoon and merry 1st December..

Time to put the :xmastree: up and get festive...

Well actually I have got all the decorations down and spent the morning moving furniture around and cleaning beneath..:eek:
As I am hosting this year I have been out and bought some new bits and pieces.. LM gave me 100 pounds so no dent to my pocket....

Less than 3 weeks till dd returns.. can't wait to see her, i'm a little apprehensive as well as we can spark off each other at times, but I am hoping we will both be mellow... and we both love Christmas so that's a bonus..!!

I seem to have made my christmas savings spread far this year as I have bought over half but still have over half my money left.. result.... although dd wants $$ to spend when she goes back so that will be her main present.. OH can also chip in for that..!!

Finances.. dmp payments made again.. debt a touch over 27k.. will drop next month which is quite exciting...!

Saving pots all doing grand, I just have so many of them....!!!

Has been hectic since the return from my lovely relaxing holiday.. both my parents are being a right royal Pain in the a*** connected but different reasons... anyhow think I have sorted out LM, LF may just be left to get on with it as my siblings and I are a little baffled by his behaviour...

Anyway.. planning on putting the tree up tomorrow....:xmastree:
and off out tonight with my girls for our festive pizza meal....:rotfl:

Off to drink my cuppa ...

Love Puzz. x

Puzzcat

oh,

I forgot to mention..if you remember I made a complaint to Morr**ons about an out of date salad I purchased which cost a whole 50p.. and they sorted me out some compensation via more points of 10 pounds.. well the points never showed up so I contacted them again and they added another 20 pounds to my account and they said the original points were already loaded ready to collect instore..

Yesterday I shopped there and got given 20 pounds of vouchers.. and I still have 20 pounds online.. result.. 40 pounds for a 50p salad that I ate anyway...!!!

Right off to do stuff.. well probably have a lie down before going out later...!

Puzz. x