Update

Peter_Pan

Thought i would give an update
OH went B/C 6.11.07, had OR interview a couple of weeks later and was told they would be in touch as need more info on car, still not heard anything so have just had to tax the car, put two new tyres on it ready for the MOT next week and have given it a well overdue oil and filter change , will probably get a letter from OR now:eek:

Anyway it has surprised me how our attitude to money and spending has changed, we are so much more aware when we go into the supermarket how its laid out to get you to buy more than you planned and how TV ads are always saying how you need a new sofa before Xmas or that you won't be happy unless you have this or that.
Its always been like that i know but its something we haven;t been that aware of until now.
We have realised that Xmas isn't about how much you spend or really what you buy but more about the thought and spending time with people you love and care about. I was particularly worried about Xmas this year because OH had just gone B/C but we spent what we could afford on the children and made some hampers using ideas from the Xmas thread for other family and cut right down on the shopping/treats but i feel that it was a real success and that everyone was happy.
I have even got ahead of myself with birthday pressies and cards and managed to pick up a few items in the sale ready for next Xmas and boy does it feel good:D

Heres to a great 2008, still have the car issue to deal with as and when and my debts which i am dealing with but i know 2008 is going to be our best year for a very long time in terms of stress, and spending quality time with the people we care about.

betterlatethannever

:T well done Peterpan.
I agree, i am so careful with money now. I often wonder if i'd been this careful before hand could i have avoided BR..well maybe if i'd done what i do now ten years ago. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing.
The whole business has though taught my DD that credit is there to be used carefully and sensibly, and living beyond your means will catch up with you. Its also taught me a harsh lesson.
Well done on surviving and lets hope that theres no letter from the OR on Monday.

NoMoreExcuses

I just want to say well done Peter Pan. Isnt that the point of going BR? to start again and give you a chance to learn a lesson before you are released again?

my kids know how mortgages work now, loans, bills, ccards, direct debits - all the basics and more that I was never taught.

We do half a shop in Nettos and another in Tesco for meat and bits we cant get in Nettos. I am amazed at how blinkered some people are - I was one of them. ireally thought that having a saab on credit was better than a knackered vectra that I own outright. So so stupid.

Heres hoping that you have a post free week next week!

wherediditallgo

Great post, Peter Pan. You're so right about the shopping - I've been aware for years of how the supermarkets lay out items to tempt you (sweets near the tills at child height, regularly moving things around shelves to make you look harder for them & see other stuff while you're doing so), but it took going BR & having to rely on cash for me to realise how much we buy because we have credit to do it with rather than because we actually need it. I thought I was quite a savvy shopper before, but more than once since going BR I've thought that I must have been deluding myself, since I'm so much smarter about it now. When you have to rely on cash, you think more about what you buy. I've certainly become more proactive about getting things for free or at bargain prices, & I've become more thoughtful about how I do things for myself & for others by making what I can rather than just throwing money at an issue. The main thing is that people are happy, & spending lots of money on them doesn't mean they will be.

fiveyearplan

One of my new year's resolutions is to have more fun! I've been 'chasing' things for so long now and robbing Peter to pay Paul and Peter doesn't have any money left! I'm going to actually start to live. I've looked on the Mortgage Free Wannabee and DFW sites and they are all counting down the days until it happens. These are days of their lives they are just ticking off. I used to be like that but all those days count and I want to make the most of them so I have no regrets. Sounds corny but its true and I'm just sorry it has taken all this debt for me to realise it. Also my kids are now teenagers and I think where did my little children go?

rog2

Thanks for the update, Peter - I am really pleased to see how positive you have become.
As others have said, Life is for living and you can live well 'within your means' as I have found out. We are emerging from our second post bankruptcy Christmas - we have 'wanted for nothing' yet have not had to throw away vast quantities of 'unwanted food', nor will we be 'living on leftovers' for the next month. I do post on DFW and have espoused the DFW lifestyle, as I don't want to build up any more 'debt'. Bankruptcy has left me with a £60k mortgage and my goal is to get rid of that as soon as possible.
Good luck with the car.

madoldbat

PP so pleased to see you back:j
Delighted you have had a good Christmas.Like all the other worthey posters we have also bought less off the STUFF shops insist we NEED at this time of year:rolleyes: Like you already looking for birthday/xmas stuff while its on offer but still limit myself to 5.00 a week ,if I dont buy anything that week money put away in holiday envelope. We will have 3 weeks this year (camping) split over school hols on same ammount spent last year for 2 ,well thats the target.
Big hugs and well done.:T