My DMP diary - 2026 (year 1)

ArtyJ931

Yes my excitement about earning loads from prolific has waned now I realise I probably won’t get on it lol no doubt I’ll sign up again next year after forgetting I already did it twice… 🙈

InDebtEnby

I ended my Netflix subscription a couple of years back and then prime last year and I haven't missed either. I watch ITV X and 4OD for streaming. I'm on my own so don't have to worry about entertaining anyone else though!

ArtyJ931

Week 28 check in

Debt things

• 0 emails
• Potentially 1 phone call (who knows)
• 0 letters
• Spent a good half hour or so this week filing the pile of letters I'd put behind the folder instead of in it! Rearranged a few sections in the folder so that every debt has it's own section. I had originally done it so that every lender had their own section but actually that made no sense as I have multiple debts and kinds of debt with the same lender.
• Haven't received my credit file through the post yet so still don't know if anything has defaulted.

Other money things

• Been paid this week and shuffled everything around and into the appropriate pots. (woohoo) also spent a bit of time fiddling about with my verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long standing in/out comings spreadsheet to reflect an increase/ reduction in bills.
• I have built up one of my pots so I can buy annual house insurance instead of paying monthly when it renews in December, and I also have ALMOST enough to buy an annual gym membership shortly after which will give me 1 month a year free. Am loving this as it will give me a little pot of extra money monthly to throw into the full &final/ emergency fund pot.
• My car needs a bit of TLC now winter is on it's way - nothing major so shouldn't cost much but my car pot is ok for it anyway.
• CanNOT believe the price of diesel!!! Almost 2.00 a litre near here. Can't believe what I'm seeing. I'm cycling loads more than I normally do as a result of rising costs so that's positive on lots of levels, but still. I'm lucky I have the option.

Nothing else major going on. Amazingly.

ArtyJ931

Week 29 check in (a day late)

Debt things - where we are so far

Numbers of letters received in 29 weeks:

• FD overdraft: 17
• T cc: 15
• Creation: 2
• V cc: 14
• B cc: 5
• FD loan1: 4
• FD loan2: 5
• T loan: 7 (including paper statements)

Total letters through my door: 69

I changed my email and blocked phone/text so have no tangible numbers for these but thought this was interesting info.

Not a lot else happened this week.

Other things

Money wise I have purchased a gift voucher for the monthly grocery cost through work for a 4.5% reduction and am trying to save /earn through cashback sites or bank cashback even for tiny purchases with a view to every little helps.

Makingabobor2

Good idea to use cashback sites, it all adds up, even 50p here & 50p there.

Tigzzz

Hey I've read from start to finish and just wanted to say thank you. I'll be starting my own self DMP soon with a similar amount of debt so it's good to see how things will pan out.

ArtyJ931

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82166854#Comment_82166854

good luck! I’m enjoying having a life again and weirdly I have far far FAR less stress about money than I ever have had before.

ArtyJ931

Week 30 check in 😮

debt things

• 3 letters this week - one from Moorcroft again
• Still no credit file through the post, not sure what other options there are for checking defaults other than transunion but will look. - edit, looked at Experian
• A couple of silenced calls
• Haven’t checked the debt email address so don’t know if I’ve had any emails.
• Thank you Bailey’s Babe (below) - managed to log onto Clearscore and Experian to check for defaults and clearscore is showing 2! T loan and B cc. I’ve heard from Moorcroft about the B cc debt so now I know that it is defaulted I’ll set up a standing order to them.

Other money things

• a bit of cashback that didn’t come through initially has come through after I raised a complaint.
• Overspend this week for the first time in quite a while.
• expecting a bit of money through from Vinted over the weekend which will replenish my clothing pot as I’ve had to buy some winter work stuff
• Dying at the cost of diesel. My light is on but I’m trying not to put any in for as long as possible.
  

Baileys_Babe

Have you read this MSE article on checking your credit score?

ArtyJ931

Week 30.5 early update

3 accounts have defaulted - T cc and T loan, B cc.

I updated my SOA and used the “creditor offer” tool on the lemon fool page to re-work out my payments.

The B cc has been passed to Moorcroft and using the details on their letter I have set up a SO for 2.56

The SOA warns me that my debts will take 30 years to pay off with the money I have available and that I should look at alternative debt management options.

I am not spending any more time working things out til everything is defaulted and I have a response from all the affordability complaints. So, effectively when I know my debt total.

My plan is to pay an affordable amount and continue to save anything I can into my full and final fund, wait for debts to be sold on, and settle in the next few years at under book value as and when I can afford to make offers.

At the moment my long term plan is that that I am hoping to be able to settle all debts within 6-7 years, but definitely before I retire 🥴 in the meantime I get to live my life free of the chronic and unwavering stress of not being able to afford to live.