What has the DFW forum done for me?

Sanctioned_Parts_List

Very Pythonesque title ;-)

I found this board as the result of a search to see whether a particular fee-paying DMP was value for money, and to gauge its effect on my future. At that point I thought the options were "more money" or "consolidation", as these had clearly served me so well before. So yeah, learning that DMPs are i) free, ii) can be set up yourself for the cost of a few stamps and iii) were actually the wrong solution for me has saved me bundle. So that was lucky.

I decided to join in because, well, it's a cheap hobby

Other things I've learned:
Consolidation doesn't work
More money isn't the answer*
Habits are hard to break
Habits are even harder to form
Not to attempt too much at once
Record everything (although I record everything except cash, and treat a cash withdrawal as a purchase that I'd rather not make)
Talk to people (which isn't my natural temperament)


* Strictly, more money for the same spending pattern is a perfectly good answer, but my experience has been that spending expands to fill the income available and that it's just easier to tackle spending than to pursue greater income.

Karen777

this forum has changed my life - I had read about debt stuff, looked at websites, read about options before coming here but was so scared and had so little belief in myself that I could not take that step to actually face up to the problem and start living as if I actually deserved a future. Hearing other people's stories has been and continues to be inspiring - I cannot believe how different my life is now I'm getting out of debt and each and every one of you who contributes on here has my gratitude. This may sound OTT but I am in no way exaggerating. I have a future now and am confident that I can do this, and I sleep at night. Nothing other than this forum and the lovely people on it gave me that. It's also made me start thinking well if I can do this, what else could I do? And I am now adopting a debt busting mindset to my mental and physical health. Slow but steady but onward.

Baby_Angel

I don't post on any other forums. I shun social media of all sorts. Every time I googled for information, MSE somehow popped up on top. That is how I accidentally discovered MSE a couple of years ago. I had made most of the financial decisions on moral grounds (debts should be paid off, pay in time as that is what I agreed to, etc). I never knew of any implications of not paying in time or how to manage it efficiently. This forum and the members taught me all that.

Now it all different, not only do I aim to pay off debts quickly, but also follow good advice to make money work for me. Every time I think I have dealt with absolutely everything to make/save money, some one comes with yet another brilliant idea, which I then of course, follow.

There isn't a day any more when I don't pop into the forum scavenging for information.

triple_choc_chip

Oooh so much!
When I first joined with £32k of debt I worked across the headers on the home page and as a result: I re-negotiated my council tax, negotiated lower rates on c.c's, read my credit report for the first time, sold my old gold, sold old European coins, enrolled on Topcashback, changed electric supplier, and stopped driving around wasting petrol by going shopping for things I didn't need.

Subsequently I stopped smoking, started selling unwanted treasure on the bay of E, reclaimed PPI I never knew I'd had (Egg, the b*******s), I now think 'fly' when I'm feeling lazy so I at least get something done and 'kondo' to declutter. I batch cook and make all my own soups and smoothies and aim for at least 15 NSD'S each month.

There is surely more but I'm exhausted just writing it all down!