Hubbyhasdebts

At last – the final IPA payment has been made – the journey of the IVA and BR is finally completed – WE DID IT!!!!!

As those who have followed our long and sometimes challenging journey, it has been far from easy. Not only has the debt side been a strain (as it has for everyone in similar situations), but we also had more than our fair share of personal tradegy and heartache over the past 5+years. Somehow, we have reached the end and the relief is enormous!

To anyone reading this, I would urge you to use the forum and ask as many questions as you need to. We rushed into the IVA and that was a costly mistake, moneywise and emotional wise. Having a good IP is worth it’s weight in gold and a bit of research at the beginning will pay off in the long run, believe me. The forum has an abundance of knowledge, mixed from industry experts and from people who are at various stages of their own journeys, there is always someone to listen and to offer advice and a friendly ear too. It really is a unique place and a huge positive to come out of our journey.

Now the last payment has been made, we need to pay back relatives that had to help us along the way and clean up the credit files – then we really will feel as though it is well and truly over.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has helped us and I will continue to help all I can on and off forum.

Phhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, huge thanks to those who left comments on my last blog entry and even bigger apologies for not seeing them until now!! The best wishes you sent really mean a lot.

As I mentioned in the least entry, we have had some health scares with nearest and dearest..a few days after posting, we had even more to worry about with someone equally special. Spent a lot of time either in the hospital, or sitting next to the telephone. Finally, we had some good news about the first scare and even though we’re not out of the woods, the outlook is good, phew!! Still waiting for further appointment with second scare, but it seems to be okay…fingers crossed.

Worrying about anything can have such an affect on us all. For me, this worry has meant my own health problems have raised its ugly head again. I am now back in strong medication and am ashamed to say, have had to have 2 days off work with sickness.

The up side has been, I can look into the forum a bit more – it really does take my mind of my worries if I’m helping others and to be honest, some of the posts are so funny it’s a tonic! There’s a real family feel to the forum and it’s amazing how everyone throws in ideas and advice, no matter what time of day.

We are looking forward to the New Year, hoping healthwise we all have good news and financially we will see turning points for us. Mainly, the BR payments will end (yippee), the car lease too (whoooop) and also we should be able to repay the in laws in full ( biggest thrill).

I’m sure there’ll be a few twists and turns, before that happens – but hey ho, we are masters of overcoming challenges

I really hope everyone copes with Christmas on a budget this year, it can be done and in my opinion, is more pleasurable when you have to think about the gifts you buy. I’m sure we will see more posters in the New Year, a sad sign of the times I ‘m afraid. One thing I will say, if you are in debt and struggling, you won’t find a better place than our forum!

Thanks for reading and thanks again for the previous kind comments xx

Wow! I cannot believe it’s October 1st already!! This time last year, I was counting the days until my daughter’s wedding!! Time is just flying by and we only have 6 more payments to make in the BR. It hasn’t always been easy, but to be able to see another end is sight is great. Of course, after the payments, we still have a poor credit rating for another 3 years, but hey ho! we will get there…eventually.

Life is a bit hairy at the moment – a few health scares with a very special someone, means my head is a bit of a jumble. I am still looking in on the forum and keeping an eye out for any employment law posts I may be able to help with. I’m also helping with CV’s and advice off forum – it’s so good to be able to help others.

I haven’t got much to blog about really, but I do enjoy reading the blogs and feel an update now and again, keeps me on track. I have had some lovely comments on my blogs and even though I’m amazed anyone reads my ramblings, it is nice to know someone finds it helpful. It’s also great to see so many new posters on the forum – yes, it means more people are facing debt issues, but at least they are in safe hands by joinng the forum.

NRAM seem to have lost interest in taking us off interest only mortgage and hopefully this will be the case until we finish the IPA.

Next November will also see the end of the lease car agreement. It was a godsend at the time, but with the hidden costs it really is a burden now. I have been scrimping and saving, so when the lease ends we should be able to get another car.

Whatever happens, we will cross that bridge and with the support of the forum, we will find a solution.

I will try my best to keep on top of the forum, and hopefully my family will receive good news on the health front very, very soon.

Keep posting and blogging everyone xx

Here we are almost at the end of May!!My last blog entry was judged good enough to win vouchers…that was such a surprise and reminded me of how many posters still read the blogs to help get the bigger picture surrounding our debts. Thank you Andy

One of the colleagues I have been helping has declared herself BR – happened on Tuesday and her name was on the dreaded register by Friday! She didn’t have to see the judge, but eben so she was a bag of nerves leading upto the court date and is now feeling ashamed at being a BR.

Nothing I can say will change that, as we felt the same when hubby went BR. It’s good to feel that way in my opinion, at least it proves we are not the kind of people to run up debt and try to wriggle out of repaying. She has a telephone call appointment with the OR next week and it will be interesting to see what allowances are given, now BR has apparently tightened up. I will update the forum as I’m sure others will be interested too.

Personally, we are witing for NRAM to decide if we have to come off interest only mortgage – we changed onto this to help with the IVA, but had a call to say it should only be allowed for 12 months. I will challenge it, as at the moment going back to repayment will be a struggle and I believe NRAM should be helping us not outting our home at risk. We have held a mortgage with them for over 12 years and deserve a bit of help – afterall they needed help not so long back! Rant over lol

Other than that, things are settled with us – just a small matter of a play off game at Wembley on Monday to get through! Oh the nerves!!!!!

Please keep blogging everyone – and please keep fingers crossed for my team on Monday…..pleeeeeeeeaaaaase

Wow the last few weeks have been rather busy…work is keeping me on my toes which is a good thing.:)

Personally, I have had to watch my daughter be teated so badly by her now ex landlord. As a mother you always want to protect your children, but as she’s 26 I had to let her fight her own battle. She did really well and held her own against the most bizarre and rude little man i have ever met. A very stressful time for us all, I don’t know who was holding who back from confronting the little man..hubby, me or ex hubby! Thankfully she is now settled into a new home and hopefully the cheques he finally presented her for bond and rent overpaid will clear next week.

Off forum, I have been helping a few posters with HR issues – it takes a lot of time to be able to advise properly as it’s imperative you get the full story. I hope the advice given has helped the posters. I know how expensive and daunting it can be to get HR advice, so if I can help at all, I will. I only wish I could reply quicker, but I have to try and fit it in woth my work etc.

I have also been approached by 2 colleagues – a bit strange, as they do not know each other, but their problems are similar and debt related. They came to me for HR support, but when I realised what the real problem was, I could give basic debt advice. I have tried to steer them into the direction of the forum and once the fear has waned, I hope they will join us.

I’m also helping out with CV’s for friends ( some forum members) so I am very busy at the moment Of course this has meant my posts on the forum have suffered a bit, but hopefully you’ll understand and I will be posting as and when I can.
I try and read the posts, in case I can offer HR advice, but if I do miss any, please give me a nudge. I am so grateful for the help and support I have received, it’s a pleasure to give something back.

xx

2 years ago today hubby was declared BR, the time has flown by! Still another 14 months of payments to go ( it took 2 months for these to get set up), but it’s another milestone passed and the end is definitley in sight.

Although it’s a path I wish we had never had to take, the plus side has to be the support and advice gained from the forum. It really has proved to be a godsend and I only wish I could press a fast forward button for those just starting out. I know and remember only too well, how daunting and blooming scary it was at both the beginning of the IVA, the times of struggling and of course ,facing BR, but believe me, life gets better and you learn so much on the journey.

We had a lot of dark days on our journey and it’s not over yet, but knowing there’s always someone on the forum to offer support, advice and even the odd joke, makes such a difference. To all those who contribute, I would like to say a huge thank you and to anyone who’s thinking of posting…..please join in, you will not regret it.

Here’s hoping the next 14 months will be trouble free and then we will be debt free!

About time I updated my blog!

My daughter’s wedding has been and gone and oh what a perfect day we all had. Her and my son in law made me feel so proud and happy, happy, happy! It was a great day and to see relatives that we don’t see often enough was fantastic. Words cannot describe the day and my emotions enough.

I am now catching up with the forum and its great to see new posters and to read the blogs. The forum has grown so much which is sad in a way, as it shows how many people are struggling with debt. We are still tightening our belts, as the  increased price of fuel etc is really biting into our funds.

I have told daughters that this Christmas will be less extravagant as previous and I mean it! I have bought arty things for the girls and will try not to fall into the trap of buying for the sake of it.

Our other concern at the moment is hubby’s car. Its leased via Duncton and we can upgrade it this month -just waiting to see what costs are involved. I will update the forum on this, as car problems seem quite common during an IVA.

Keep blogging everyone xx

Whoa we’re into July..I really don’t know where the time goes!! Still haven’t approached OR about the IPA payments, even though we are feeling the pinch now. My drop in salary is really starting to show, but I don’t want to feel a failure by going back to the OR. We were so elated with the payments when they were set over a year ago, if you can remember they were so much lower than the IVA payments we had struggled with for 18 months.  I am trying to cut our cloth in some other way in the hope we can see the IPA payments through.

We have splashed the cash a lot lately, with youngest daughter’s wedding and generally spoiling the girlies. All paid for in hard earned cash, but now is the time for us to tighten our belts. Luckily we are so much better at budgeting now than pre-IVA and the forum always has handy tips to help us along.

My 50p tin is getting fuller and this will be used for daughters hen weekend in London. I’ve paid for everything so its just drinks and food. I’ve also sold a couple of things on ebay and used the money to buy the most perfect pair of shoes to match my dress for the wedding!

Talking of the dress, I have lost 9 inches from waist, hips, bust etc in the past 4 weeks and can now do the dress up!! I just have to keep at it now…roll on October I say

Lots of new posters on the forum and still us”oldies” too…if anyone is reading this and you haven’t got a blog, please start on. It really is theraputic and I love reading everyone elses’s….okay I’m nosey

xx

Well here we are in June already! Time really is flying by! Not a lot to update on the debt front, still haven’t done anything about the IPA payments, even though we are finding it quite tight at the moment. I’m still at my job but looking to go back into HR management…before I go brain dead!

I was concerned to read a fellow poster and friend has to challenge the amount of IPA payments made now she is nearing the end of her BR journey. It seems there is no annual review whilst in BR, so I’m going to request a statement of payments,just to make sure everything is in order.

Personally, I’m still trying to lose weight for daughters wedding. Its proving harder than I thought, but yet again the forum provides support and advice! It really is a great forum and I’m glad to see so many new posters.

Enjoying reading the blogs too xx

As promised here’s an update after starting my new job. The girls I work with are fab and it seems a nice organisation BUT its a massive step down for me and I really don’t know if I can cope with the boredom. That said, its well paid for the work involved. So, I’m giving it a chance before deciding what to do. At the end of the day its money coming in and I shouldn’t be dismissive of that.

We haven’t approached the OR yet..even though we have less money coming in and more going out die to increased travelling. I guess I’m afraid to rock the boat..we were so pleased the IPA was affordable I don’t want to risk anything.Does that make sense?

Personally, returning to work has been the right thing for me and has meant normality has resumed. I still fight depression and am so thankful for my friends and family. They make me busy and that means I have to get dressed up and make an effort.

I have nagged other posters to update blogs as I know it does help the blogger and those who are seeking advice. Also, rather selfishly, I enjoy reading updates. It gives me insight into the poster and assures me I am not alone and sometimes there are others who have gone through far more than I have.

So a massive thank you for those who have updated their blogs!!

xx