Final Report

[Firefox]

Hi Folks! Well here i am again 10 weeks on from my last payment and i came back earlier today from a short break in Scotland (more of this later) to find a letter on the mat from DFD containing the final annual report which basically says we are all done! is also mentions that all listed creditors have submitted a claim so presumably the cert of completion should come pretty soon as it looks like they have all had their cash.

As i said I have just come back from Scotland, the first "holiday" in an awfully long time, camping with my young son and my neice and nephew (for the first time....) on the beautiful west coast. I had some good thinking time as I prayed for the rain to stay away and watched the tide ebb and flow on Loch Fyne with a cold beer in hand, and my thoughts turned invariably to life post IVA. As i watched the kids playing, looking for crabs under rocks, chucking seaweed at each other and generally having a great old time I was struck by their innocence, and how they really didn't have a care in the world , which is precisely how it should be. I realised that actually I have been able to re-discover some of that serenity that goes with not having to worry quite so much about absolutely everything and how big financial problems caused by debt are, by their very nature, utterly debilitating and rob you of any serenity, to the point that some people are tipped over the edge. The reason i am sharing this thought with you is because there are many people on this forum who are struggling through their IVA process or even their proposal process and having ridden the highs and lows of this process my self you can take strength from the fact that there really is an end to it all, and whilst you can't regain childhood innocence, you will regain the serenity you had before you were swimming against the tide of debt. Keep going and don't lose heart.

Incidentally the trip was super frugal, we camped for free and caught most of our food in the Loch, i reckon apart from travel The whole lot came in at under thirty quid for 2 days.... not bad even if I say so myself.

[morgan105]

Hi Firefox, well done on completing your IVA. The forms you got from DFD may well have been your completion certificate if they were anything like ours. Mine was just a letter, 4 pages, 1st one stated we were finished and cert was enclosed. Page 2 was a letter headed about the court and listing about receipts & payments, assets, fees, dividends and conclusion. 3rd sheet was annual report and conclusion of IVA to say ip was no longer acting as our supervisor. And 4th sheet was just a breakdown of payments.
If this is what you have received then this is the certificate you've been waiting for. It got me as well but the 3rd sheet title states it is the annual report and notice of completion and that is the completion certificate. I was expecting something a bit more like a certificate but that is it.

Enjoy your debt free future!

[AlfieMoon]

I have just had a chill dowm my spine and am sitting here crying - wow what a post. Things are just so tight at the minute and you have summed up the whole iva process in your words. I feel so so low all the time and over the last couple of weeks school uniform, vacumm cleaner broke, microwave broke and now need two new tyres on the car. Well the uniform had to be purchased and everything else will have to wait. I find myself not sleeping and worrying about 'what if' and 'what if' keeps happening. Contingency funds are non existent after the uniform and it seems impossible over the last few months to put even £5 into the contingency pot weekly. oH i DO feel so b***** sad at the moment

[footiemad]

FirefoxI am so pleased for you and thank you for such comforting words x

[flow13]

Firefox what a great post. Congratulations on completion. x

[orange]

ivas arnt easy .we completed ours but this months still been tough.I know its hard when you need so many things and we went without! soo much.and the kids need and want so much! and yep all the things go at once we never managed a fund and some months not sure what we managed on ! pence the week we got paid,we found if we plan so much each week that it helped except for when you had to use it for something desperate like tyres! all the best to all those on the the journey

[Shining]

Great post I agree - enjoy your debt free future. x

[Firefox]

Hi Alfie,

I was really touched by your reply.

I had so many of those days I cant tell you. I remember one particular week the Oven, washing machine AND dishwasher packed up. Flippin eck! what a week that was. I managed to get the oven done with a new element but the washing machine was a different story, I had to juggle utility bills for about six months afterwards, but with kids the washing just piles up and up and up. We went without the dishwasher until my mother in law bought us one, it just turned up in the back a van. i think she knew we were having a hard time although we never discussed it.

I went through many times when I felt down about the whole thing, but you know, its really important to keep your eyes on the prize, give your kids a hug and tell them you love them and the whole world will seem a whole lot brighter.

I can give you one bit of practical advice, which is to re work your budget. I found that from time
to time expenses started to creep up especially groceries and I found it really useful to re-do the budgeting exercise with a blank sheet of paper. Look for savings where you can and perhaps re-allocate some of your budget. If its a bit daunting drop me a PM and i'll see if I can help you. In the meantime stay strong for your kids and keep your chin up and eyes on the horizon.

All the best. Firefox

FirefoxI am so pleased for you and thank you for such comforting words x

[Declan at DebtFreeDirect]

What an excellent post firefox and really does make you reflect on things. If there is anything i can do in terms of the certificate, dont hesitate to let me know.

Thanks

[Rosepetal]

a wonderful post,big hug .

while our IVA is legally considered completed we are still in the process of re paying my parents the£ they put forward for the Full& Final offer.

reading our final report made me feel heavy hearted,the amount of debt that has been written off was a lot in comparison BUT it isn't easy. things are tight,we've had so many odd things breaking.

BUT,at least we can buy food every week with cash now!!
Mum&Dad would be a bit flexible if we had a emergency but we are so desperate to get them paid back. owing family money isn't good,it changes the balance of things, but i'm also so grateful too. a IVA can bring a real mixed bag of emotions!

Alfie,we have something on line in our area called Freecycle,do you have that? you can place an add if you have something to give away/or to put up for offer, the items are free of charge. could you try that?
you're not alone big hug x

[flumpy dog]

congrats to you FF xx

[kallis3]

Great post - good to see that things are going well and that you enjoyed your break.

Hope life continues to get better!

[merrypotter]

aww what a lovely post I have approx 18 month to go and this is probably the hardest time I have had throughout the IVA we ahve come so far but seem ages from the end, we had to extend ours to 6 years due to variation and all I think about is I would have been doen next year but not now....however your post as actually spared me on abit and I thank you for that x

[AlfieMoon]

Firefox - thanks for the advice - I am going to take your advice and look again at our budget tonight. I was just so touched by your original post - congratulations again. I will also look into freecycle. Thanks for just listening to me really I feel stronger now the sun's shining and I have shared my worries (no one else knows about our iva journey).

[komakino]

aww what a lovely post I have approx 18 month to go and this is probably the hardest time I have had throughout the IVA we ahve come so far but seem ages from the end, we had to extend ours to 6 years due to variation and all I think about is I would have been doen next year but not now....however your post as actually spared me on abit and I thank you for that x

I know exactly how you feel there. I'm about to make my 44th payment and time is crawling along. My last payment date in January 2013 seems very distant and my journey so far hasn't been very easy at all (see my other posts). The heads down approach seems to get me through in chunks of 3-4 months but every now and then I get rather depressed!