www.iva.co.uk

where do i start? last xmas was the worst ever for me- all the pressies were on barclaycard, the food was on mastercard, xmas eve party-new clothes as well was on goldfish,i was up to the max, i was working in a snobby office where if you took your own dinner you were a "scratter" my friend offered me a job in her nursing home as an add min but it was 50 quid a week less, on new years eve (last year) i worked out what i owed and it was scary, if i took the job with sue m friend i could sell my car and walk to work and take a packed lunch. I went thru my wardrobes i had designer stuff with tags on that i hadnt worn, and masses of other stuff i didnt need. i did a car boot got 22o quid, sold 300 quids worth on ebay, iv lost a stone in weight through either worry or walking! i read the posts on here all the time i sometimes feel like im the only one struggling, so far im up to date with all my payments, maybe i should give in cause gawd its hard

Hey imstruggling, welcome to the forum. So glad that you decided to post. You are amongst friends here who are all going through or have been through the same as you. You are definately not the only one who is struggling. You really need to have a good look at your income and expenditure to see whether you can keep going the way you have been. We're all here for you so ask as many questions as you can. Viki X

welcome...it is hard when you have to face up to things....but well done for doing so....we all have been there so know exactly how you feel...keep reading the posts and see that there are others who can help you out.....
being in debt really drains the joy of any kind of life out of you..but facing up to it is the start of a new season.....so keep posting and begin again to breathe easy

Hi there imstruggling and welcome to the forum.
So many of us have struggled and felt a you do.
I assume you are not in an iva but struggling with the debt payments.
The most important thing that you have done is to realise that you need to address the problem, we all have had our heads well buried in the sand at some point, including myself and hubby, we struggled for years before dong anything about it. You will get great advice and support on the forum.
The best thing to do now is to speak to an insolvency practioner,IP, and see what options are avaliale to you and would best suit your situation and would be the right solution for you. There are some great Ip's on the experts page and contacts for them or you can look at reviews on iva.com of all the comapanies and Ip's in the country. Initial advice wont cost anything. Any questions of anything you dont understand, ask them, no matter how small you think it is, ask. I wrote everything down that I wanted to know so I didnt forget.You can also of course ask on the forum as well, you will always get an answer.
There is always a way forward so try to stop worrying and look to sorting it out and as said above you will feel so much better.

Hope this helps a bit.

Ang

I've only been on here a few days, but everyone is genuinely caring and helpful.Can't offer any advice, but just wanted to say 'Hi!'

Hi and welcome
Most of us kept up to date with payments but came to point when we realised we were struggling and using credit for basic foods etc. What ever you decide you are among friends on this forum who support each other through the good and bad times.

Since I have been in my IVA Christmas has been wonderful as I haven't had to worry about the bills falling on the mat in the New Year because everything is paid for, yes people don't get such expensive gifts but I look for bargains all the year round and yes I wear the same 'posh' outfit for Christmas but I now don't care what others think.
Good luck for what ever you decide, keep posting

Jan

Hello imstruggling and welcome from me too.

I would have a look at some of the Ip's who post on here. Although I'm not with her myself, a lot of people on here recommend Melanie Giles. You could do worse than phone up and have a chat with her.

Last Christmas I just about used up the last of my Barclaycard, together with some vouchers I got from doing surveys and just about managed.

This year close family have been told they won't be getting much and it will be down to whatever cash I have saved, plus those all important vouchers.

As you say Jan - we won't have to worry about those credit card bills falling through the door. Fantastic![:)]

You've already made a great start, as you have rethought your budget and got rid of unwanted items. If you are still in a position where you cannot repay your creditors in line with contractual requirements, then there will be a number of options possibly available to you which an insolvency practitioner would be able to explain.

hi everyone and thanks for your support, i really feel a lot better now!! im going to try and keep paying for a while yet- im still up to date with my payments, but if my hours at work get cut or something needs doing in my house, thats it. I think this forum is great, just knowing other people are in the same situation is helpful

Don't let things get too bad imstruggling and please keep in touch with the forum. X

hi imstruggling - a big welcome from me too!

like others have said you are not alone, this is a great place for advice ans support.

please keep on posting as we are all here for you!

good luck

love barb x

thanks everybody- thats great- iv been wanting to post for a while but i thought this site was just for people in an iva, i feel so relieved i can have a chat on here, no one else knows my situation

Chat away imstruggling, that's ALL I do![:I][:o)] X

DONT EVER FEEL LIKE THAT IM STRUGGLING!

THIS SITE IS A SUPPORT NO MATTER WHAT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE, YOU ARE AMONGST FRIENDS!

DONT EVER FEEL YOU HAVE TO BEAR IT ALL ALONE, GLAD YOU PLUCKED UP COURAGE TO POST, WE ARE AFRIENDLY BUNCH AND HAVE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
BEEN SURROUNDED BY DEBT AND THINKING WE ARE ALONE!
PLEASE KEEP POSTING, THIS SITE IS HERE TO HELP EVERYONE!

LOVE BARB X