Well, just got off the phone, and the IVA has been ACCEPTED!!!!!
I'm so, so happy. I really feel quite emotional!
I know its going to be a tough few years, but nothing compared to the nightmare situation that we've found ourselves in recently.
All the creditors that voted, voted yes. Surprisingly MBNA and santander, who hold a large proportion of our debt, did not vote!
They asked for a slight increase in payments, but with the recent pay rise, I feel we can cope with this. Amex, who hold a tiny proportion of the debt asked to increase the term of the IVA to 72 months! Cheeky what-names! As they don't hold enough of the vote, we are able to reject this.
I just like to say a huge thankyou to Melanie Giles and her wonderful team, who have been understanding, helpful, and completely non- judgemental from the outset. We are not at all proud of ourselves for the mess that we made of our finances, but Tina, Tamsyn and Tom as well as Melanie, put us at complete ease and made me realise I had not committed a crime by getting in to debt. They have always been on hand to answer all my questions. I don't know where I'd be without them!
Thanks as well to all of you on here. Finding this forum was the starting point for me. You are all so supportive and friendly, even if I didn't post my question, I've always been able to find the answer some where on here!
So to anyone reading this who isn't sure what to do, or where to turn, the one thing I would say is make that call! Who ever you choose, and even if an IVA isn't right for you, be brave and speak to someone about it. Everyone I've spoken to has been so helpful and understanding. My only regret is that I didn't take my head out of the sand and make that call sooner! I carried on for a long while, maintaining all the payments on my accounts, when they could have been going towards the IVA instead of the huge interest rates. Looking back, I don't know how on earth we managed!
I'm looking forward to being able to budget every month, and know what money I've got left, even if it is just a few pennies - they'll all be mine!
I've found a dusty bottle of something sparkly at the back of the garage that I was saving for something special. I think this surely must qualify!!!
Thanks again, and Happy Birthday to Melanie! It must have been a good omen!
xx
