The long haul supporters thread...

Ellieseleven

Our debt free date is now Mar 2017 and we have been on our DMP 2 years now... it's a great feeling to see the total coming down and we have been able to increase our payments cutting the DFD by around 4 1/2 years so far:)

talisker78

So, I'm back after a year and unfortunately very little further forward. Due to circumstances beyond my control I'm still £34,000 in debt and have now recently had to take a £9,000 pay cut. Not the best news this side of the summer.

So, thorugh Payplan I'm now on a DMP. Wish I'd done that much sooner - like 5 years ago perhaps! I said my LBM was July 2007, but frankly i think I should change it to July 2012 as I've finally seen that trying to pay off my debts the normal way was futile in my circumstances and even more futile in my current circumstances!

I think Payplan have given me a debt free day of....actually, i can't remember but I think its about 11 years! Thankfully, my current payment level (which is £100 a month to 5 creditors - they're not going to like that!) should only be temporary, and hopefully by next summer I can double it, if not a little more.

Not had much in the way of angry letters yet. Just the generic 'please phone us, we want to help you....' rubbish - yeah, you want to help me give you more money that I don't have! Well, 'blood' and 'stone' come to mind. Also, so does 'sod' and 'off'.... Funnily enough I have resisted the temptation to phone them. Didn't take much resisting.

After 5 years of struggling to pay the debts - and I did manage to reduce them by around half, which isn't too bad - I've realised there is more to life than a good credit rating. There is your family and your sanity!

Am back on the money making though - after ebaying selected items from the loft, I raised £215. Hoping to raise another £100 by the end of this week, and already lining up more to go on. All proceeds go toward a well deserved, and long overdue, UK based short break in October.

Got my sister-in-law and her three kids coming over from America next week. They are staying for ten days (!) in our two bed-semi (!!). We still haven't quite figured out how that is going to work. Looks like I'll be in the car!

Anyway, nice to be back. Onward and upward and back to being a 'long hauler'

Allypops

Allypops NO 286 checking in....plodding away and debt mountain is about 20% down on its highest but we have been slipping into bad habits again and the contingency pot has been well and truly plundered!

Some creditors have been nice and quiet with no interest, some have been selling on debt and the lovely L1oyd$ are complete &*$$"! as usual!

I need to give myself a kick up the butt and get back into MSE ways. I have been lurking on the MSE site a lot more and it seems to have got me back on track.

I am hoping I can work towards bringing forward my DFD to December 2016 which sounds a lot better than 2017. However, I just want to be debt free one day whether it be in 2015 or 2020 and to never get into this state again.

jennypennysaver

Hello everybody peeps, can I join you please on this long journey. I have absolutely no spare money and have done all the cancelling of unnecessary dd's etc. I've joined the Grocery Challenge, Sealed Pot & Virtual Sealed Pot groups. Not getting very far with the Virtual Pot as there is no money, virtual or otherwise! I'm now thinking about remortgaging to clear the debts, in full or in part, cutting up those evil credit cards and having some spare money every month instead of every last penny going on debt repayments. I'll sit down today and work out my DFD based on not being able to remortgage. I also need to add things like MOTs, Christmas etc to my budget. Thanks in advance x

jennypennysaver

Ho hum, done my calcs, my DFD is approx Sept 2019 if nothing changes before then & I carry on at the same rate as now. I have just joined the 1%ers so just working out how to save my first 1% of my total cc debt(=£246).

andrar

Today I realised i'm under the £16k of debt mark!

I've been plodding along and dealing with my debt a month at a time and haven't kept my spreadsheet of running totals up to date, I just updated it and realised for the first time I am now in the £15 thousands and I love it!

So happy to see my total come down, and it really helps knowing i'm still on the long haul.

In_Search_Of_Me

Jennypennysaver (319)

Welcome Jenny! Sorry about the delay...work/live been manic this end! How you doing with the debtbusting?
MIT how you getting on? Youve been in my thoughts as you grieve your mum while trying to carry on with life...
Manickly busy this end and debtbusting now been good so time to get back on track (again, again!!)...how are others getting on?

antonic

I am now down to 3 months left out of 7 years, roughly £860.00 out of £22k outstanding.

Take inspiration it CAN be done even though it has been a long hard slog for me and at times life has been hard.

By Christmas this year my debt would have cleared (apart from £ approx £1500.00 in interest which I owe to HBOS and which I feel obliged to pay as I have had a loan from them for the last 7 years).

You WILL get there and you WILL all be debt free.

In_Search_Of_Me

thank you for a lovely post antac! Make sure you let us know when your debt free so I can update your status, joyfully!! Maybe share some wisdom with the newbies cos it can feel like a veeeeery long road when youre at the start

antonic

In_Search_Of_Me wrote: »

thank you for a lovely post antac! Make sure you let us know when your debt free so I can update your status, joyfully!! Maybe share some wisdom with the newbies cos it can feel like a veeeeery long road when youre at the start

Thank you ISOM for such kind words !.

How have I done it ?

1) In the last year giving up alcohol therefore gaining an approx £80/mth extra
2) The support both morally & financially from my Dad, who would lends me the odd £30/mth to ensure I didnt starve but who when I was drinking make it clear he wasnt happy with me, but now I have stopped doesnt say a word ! (It also helps that I DO make repayments to him, not necessarily the whole amount though)
3) Becoming an expert BOGOF shopper at my local Asda and being able to spot the bargains in the Oops aisle !
4) Having the mindset of I got myself into this situation and so with the help of Payplan, I have to get myself out of it - when I started Payplan suggested an IVA to clear it in 5 years, I refused as it *may* have affected my job and because I wanted to clear it all.
5) Being single, having no dependants to look after, just me !
6) Doing things like taking all my own food & drink to work, its cheaper than buying it
7) Only taking enough money to buy my daily paper to read during my lunch break @ work and finally
8) When I started I broke my repayment plan into yearly blocks, so eg after year1 I thought to myself "I only have 6 more years to go" etc

Its not easy to do this, but the most important thing to remember is that by facing up & dealing with your debts YOU are in control.
If you make the repayment instalments as planned your creditors will usually leave you alone as you are paying ! which means that you are not a problem customer who needs to be pursued.

I first contacted Payplan in Aug 2005 to set up my DMP and made my first payment in Dec 2005, during that time HBOS used to ring me everyday, since I started my DMP I have had no phonecalls from them (or my other creditors), just the occasional credit card statement and the obligatory default notices - why is this ? - as I said above its because I have NEVER missed a payment to Payplan.

Just because I will be DF doesnt mean I will stop posting !.

Remember its just the start but you are in control !.

Best wishes !