Searching for a Debt Free Happy ever after

ManyWays

The trouble is that I created pots on starling for birthdays, Xmas etc and then put the money in and then by week 3 of the month need it for food and day to day expenses and ti's gone again. So am never able to get into a position where I save it as there's not enough to save.
How about you fill in our Statement Of Affairs sheet here: https://www.stoozing.com/soa.php using all the numbers in your StepChange budget and your income. No need to bother with the details of your debts - just put StepChange and the amount you pay them a month in as a single debt. then post it here,
For every 4 people I say who think they are bad at budgeting, probably at least 3 have an unrealistic budget. 
Also say how old your children are,

Winkflower

Checking in after a good while as want to celebrate getting the debt down from almost 42k in 2022 to jusr under 24k.

It feels so satisfying and much better that that number has flipped.

Still with s'change.

In the beginning there were 18 creditors between my husband and I on our joint DMP and it seemed like the least overwhelming way to go about things.

Now we are down to 13 creditors and have recently sent out cca requests.

1 back from n*xt saying they don't accept postal orders and 5 back from link saying they don't need a £1 payment any more.

Hoping to get them  all back and then start towards full and final offers. Of the 13 debts 1 is around £200, 2 are around £600 and 7 of.the remaining 9 all around the £1k mark.

Hoping will make some headway doing that although have noticed only 4 of kine have actually defaulted. I tohught if they had gone to eg link thst that would mean they had defaulted?

Anyway just wanted to check in as 24k instead if 42k feels great and it's been a long slog but a far cry from how anxious and stressed and worried we were in the past. So grateful for this website, even if I wish I'd found it earlier.

If.you are at the beginning of your journey read as much as you can on here and take a deep breath, there is life after and during debt.

Hope the sun is shining where everyone is today 

Wx

NeverendingDMP

Well done on flipping the number! And the fact that you feel less anxious about it all is a huge win

bumblebee181

just reading this threat - gives me a lot of hope for the future as I consider a DMP. huge well done @Winkflower!

Winkflower

bumblebee181 said:

just reading this threat - gives me a lot of hope for the future as I consider a DMP. huge well done @Winkflower!

Thankyou so much - I honestly wish I'd let them all default before starting our dmp as I'd never missed a payment so started it straight away. If I'd seen the advice on here I wild auvergne let them all default 1st as that would have started the clock of them being on our credit file for 6 years at the very beginning.  Whereas some of ours only defaulted after a year or 2. 
I'd probably be gett8ng some offers in by now too.
I did start banking with someone we didn't have debts with straight away so am grateful that I knew that.
At the beginning I felt awful but now realise we are all human and these things happen and that I'm just a number to the creditors.
Still a way to go but will get there.
Good luck with your journey- don't leave yourself so tight it is unmanageable 

Wx

Winkflower

• Checking in to say that from 18 creditors and 42k in 2022 on a dmp with SC we are now at 12 creditors and 22k.

We sent off cca requests in March.
N*xt couldn't find theirs yet so we aren't paying that for now.
Lowell said they'd be in touch whe  found so same.
Hsbc, natwest, very came back with cca agreements so we are paying those.
The remaining accounts are with link and just not satisfied that their responses complied eg wrong address on one etc.
Letters sent to say please put on hold until able to comply amd send the correct info. 
Sc have been helpful and take  the money for those and put them on hold for 6 weeks and will reassess at that time whether the money goes to them or to the other creditors.
So it's been a slog but we've redone our budget and paying £50 a month less for now.
I wish I'd asked for cca agreements earlier to know where we stood with what is and isn't enforceable
We may get all the agreements back but we shall see.
Once they are all ironed put planning to self manage
Pay the enforceable ones and try and build a pit for full and finals and chip away.
With hindsight I wish we had defaulted on everything before starting with sc, built up an emergency fund and got all of the Defaults out of the way. Also then be in a better postion for full and finals and get some.discpunt possibly.
Now in a position where some haven't even defaulted and don't really want them to 3 years down the line so If you are reading this please take the good advice given by some of the people who reply and maybe do this even if it feels counter intuitive.

Hindsight aside I'm taking it as a win and proud to have got down from 42k to 22k.

I've paid tons in interest so don't feel bad about now trying to move towards some deals with the dcas who have bought my debts for pennies.

Am I missing any tricks? I wish it was gone already. I don't think we'd won any affordability complaints really 

There's always hope and help out there.

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine

Wx

ManyWays

Now in a position where some haven't even defaulted and don't really want them to 3 years down the line
Unless you will clear them in the next couple of years, you still want these defaulted now. Is annoying it wasnt 2 years ago, but dont let that stop you making the right decision now. 

tigergambit

Winkflower said:

• I've paid tons in interest so don't feel bad about now trying to move towards some deals with the dcas who have bought my debts for pennies.

• Am I missing any tricks? 

No! You shouldn't feel bad, you should be feeling very pleased with yourself!

One "trick" you should do every year is review your payments to the leeches. You need to update your SOA that you might share, bearing in mind that living costs are outstripping inflation by some margin.

This should mean that the amount that you have spare for repayments will decrease (quite considerably) each year. Your creditors know this and none of mine have ever questioned it.

You need to make sure that you are reducing the amounts you pay to creditors to compensate for this ( and to allow you to put more in your fighting fund).

in_need_of_direction

You’re so close to being half way through. Well done

Winkflower

Hi @sourcrates @fatbelly please would either of you be able to help or point me to the admins- my diary used to be in debt free diaries, it glitches whilst I was posting the other evening and I then couldn't find it but  it is now here in debt free wannabee. 
How do I move it to the diaries thread please ?
Thankyou!
Wx