For those that have finished paying....

[Shining]

I do want it to happen but if I think about it too much I worry but that's me isn't it? Scared of the unknown I guess. x

[kallis3]

You could always put the monthly payment in a seperate account and carry on monthly as you are now. That way you will build up a healthy sum for whatever you need.

[Foggy]

That's my plan -- but it could change over 5 years, Jan

[kallis3]

Haven't decided what I will do with mine, other than a holiday. I'll just take it as it comes.

[Shining]

Jan, I think that is what I would like to do, carry on with our lifestyle and keep the Standing Order going into another account instead of to IP and then take time to think what we'd really like to do x

[leaKybrain]

lesley that makes perfect sense to me, helen once said something similar. I like the idea of saving it still and carrying on as normal......as normal as budgeting allows anyway

[kallis3]

Good idea - at least you know that you have a back up if something goes wrong or you want to buy something big.

[antm]

I think ive mentioned a few times how i would like to spend my excess cash, tbh its getting closer as well now, in 2 weeks time i will be into the last year. Not that im wishing the time away but its gone really quick!

Im well into my extreme sports and mountain biking being my only sin as it were, before my IVA most sundays i would be racing down a mountain range, or taking in the scenery in wales as i climb the hills back up. Something which has taken a back seat, i still bike but only cannock once a every couple of weeks, just enough to keep my sanity. My bike is looking worn and used, would love a new one although £3k is the budget post IVA, my other half dearly wants children and ive told her to keep her legs crossed until im my secure with money and other stuff, so im guessing kids are on the agenda this time next year, guess the planning should start soon, oops!

[leaKybrain]

LOL ant. It does take 9 months for baby to appearm you could always use the first few months to fund that bike and then kit out the nursery LOL.

You say you are in your last month but your profile countdown says 14 months. I realised mine is saying 0 yet in reality I have alrady made that first payment, not sure how to change it to read the right thing. Presume yours is same, made a payment in advance of it being accepted and system is out of sync

[ginger3232]

Hi Flow

I personally found,even after 8 years we still work with a cash budget to shop with as some of our local shops have a minium transaction of about £5 on debit cards, so the temptations to spend at least £5. Although we do use the credit card - this is paid off each month. We moved house about 18 months ago you most of money goes on painting etc. When tempted, i ask myself "do i need this now" and think back to during the IVA.
We may not have masses of money in the bank, but it is nice to know when the washing machine or boiler goes "bang" we do not really have to think about "how we are going to afford it "
Again personally once i accepted the old spending habits were not the way i wanted to live, life was easier.

[antm]

Yep i have 13 months left, my countdown is slightly out, i also tend to work in paydays i get paid next week which funds my next iva payment.

I have a plan for post IVA and thats to give myself 25% of my money i was using back to me to allow for a normal way of life again fund girlfirends babies and my bike and the remaining 75% to go into a savings account, use that to support my pension in many years to come.

[leaKybrain]

sounds like a good plan ant.

Ginger, even just having a small amount in the bank as savings makes you feel good doesn't it. We have some money from the payments we didnt make to creditors while iva was being set up...just as well considering the expenses we had as emergencies last month.

I have always looked for different ways to make my housekeeping stretch but once we decided on this path I now take all my housekeeping fuel money out of the joint account and split it in to the different payments. then each week I only take that portion of the housekeepign with me to the shops. Anything left at the end of the week just carries over, anything left at end of month is saved.
Then some weeks like tody for instance, having already bought milk and bread from farm foods at much reduced costs than asda, i stuck to my list and go the rest of this weeks bits for £20. Having said that it is week two of the month and last weeks costs were much much higher than that. Some weeks are better than others. Its a pain to go to the bank on the last day of the month, but at least I always have the cash with me, and as you say are not tempted to spend more in an effort to not look daft using a debit card for such a small amount. LOL

[kallis3]

We always use cash for food shopping. Until last year we didn't have a debit card so couldn't use anything other than cash.

I like my debit card now though as I can buy my petrol at Asda and it is sooo much cheaper than the other petrol stations near me.

[kallis3]

Best thing Nationwide ever did was to upgrade their cash card. I'd be lost without it now!

[kallis3]

[:D][:D]