Lesley - can't believe it is two years since your brother passed - I remember you posting about it.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
you'll have a wonderful day skippy. i often find the build up of particular days(like the anniversary of a loved one dying)are worse than the actual day.
you'll be so busy,a wedding day passes so fast with so many people wishing you well,enjoy every moment.
Lesley,that was a lovely post,it's trying to find a way that they are thought of like the Lilly& enjoying the occasion too.
i'd ever have had enough time with my Nana,i'd always want more. some people are just extra special.
Nothing stays the same...everything changes..hang on in there!
Life in an IVA, for me has been rewarding and challenging but wouldn't say my life has been on hold for 5 years. Some things have been on hold. I think back over the years, ive managed 2 trips aboard and another before my IVA has been completed, i will admit my other half funded the first one, second one was a combination of ebay and ot, and the next one i managed to save up for (some how!!) Ive attend WRC event in wales, managed to get some premier league footie in, although it was freebie tickets, but hey every little helps!!
Sometimes it gets you down on days off, its like what do you do, no money to go out for the day. I often take a walk with my camera to get some nature shots.
The bonus is, after 5 years debt free so i can start over with a clean slate as it were, i actually own my own car, its all mine ive never had that before ever! I have full control over my money, surely after 5 years thats worth it on its own.
We're only a couple of months into an IVA, stopped paying creditors back in July but already we feel we can actually 'live' for the first time in years. Aside from the redundancy issue I might have to face next week which is something else entirely, I am glad we entered into an IVA, and I feel I have freedom despite having a budget set for us to live on.
At one point I was working up to 60 hours a week in my regular job, working freelance for most of my spare hours desperately trying to establish a business that would mean I could quit the day job and provide a better life for us all - and trying to raise my daughter and do the usual housework chores on top. I was making b***** all on the freelance but had some projects that, if successful, would have saved us from all of this, but alas they didn't work out. I worked for nothing around my day job for 2 years on a magazine that I hoped to establish - complete madness. I was getting 3 - 4 hours sleep a day if I was lucky, felt like crap and had no money to show for it all after paying off our debts.
Now, I don't have to work myself to death, I can enjoy my family time, get some quality sleep (always helps!) and because we were living so frugally for so long, the allowances for 'normal' living are just so much more generous than we were able to afford before so we feel quite well off as a consequence. Hubby was able to go to Anfield to watch his beloved Liverpool for the first time in 5 years using his overtime money which would normally have disappeared instantly on bills, went bowling the other week as a treat for our daughter, and on visiting my parents for the weekend, was able to go for a pub lunch without me nursing one drink for about 5 hours and trying to convince them I just wasn't thirsty, only wanted a small starter and no mains / pudding!!!
Yes it will be amazing when we are free of the IVA and I hope the foreign holidays will be on the menu [:D] and I can take my kids to Florida, but having been so chronically in debt, having to sell all my stuff and working like a dog whilst starving myself, and still having to use credit - feels like freedom to me!
hi,
antm,yes it does get to you at times,but being in control of your money does feel great. no material goods (that you can't afford) make up for that.
Lemsip,we were drowning in debt,we couldn't breathe. i never had any money for basic shopping,the IVA means we've got cash for food every single week! i sold some of my stuff,got next to nothing for it,wish i hadn't now but i was so scared.
buntosanya,hi,welcome. are you in a IVA? it's good to relise what really matters.
Nothing stays the same...everything changes..hang on in there!
I think the biggest plus for me is that I don't live in fear of the postman! I used to hate it if my husband was on holiday incase he saw the postman before me - it was awful and made me feel so ill many times. To live in an iva is not a dream but it is far better than the nightmare I was living before and I am thankful for that x
hi footiemad, i know what you mean,i used to feel sick when the postman came. the stress was awful every day.
it was a living nightmare! love our quite phone too[:)]
Nothing stays the same...everything changes..hang on in there!
I agree with others the IVA has lifted so much pressure from me. Pre-IVA was worse for me, now at least I know we can eat and I have allowances for other stuff too x
IVA final payment left the bank on the 26th January 2013...looking forward to a debt free future.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
I've enjoyed reading this thread. I am better off with the IVA as I was paying more a month on the DMP, and I do get "treated" to one or two things from mum and dad.
I don't drink and don't like to "party" as such, and I
do manage to get away a little as I have found some nice guest houses, and I'm fortunate in that you can get train tickets from Sheffield to London through the Megabus site (I went to London for £7 return in March!!)
All of that said, I feel as if I ought to save more, but I had enough for the car service and MOT just recently, and my road tax has been saved up for [:)]
What some of you have said about loved ones, I was thinking a few months ago, that two friends of mine have been in debt, but got out of it due to being left money by the death of respective parents. If that's the price of debt freedom, I'll stick with my 60 payments thank you very much.
Final payment 1st April 2016.
Completion Certificate received 19th May 2016.
Being part of the IVA process is no bed of roses and I am sure everyone who is in one can confirm this, especially when circumstances change.
However, before my IVA started I had no disposable income left after paying all of my creditors each month. Therefore I am pleased to say that each month I now have disposable income and spend it as I see fit. It may necessarily not be a lot but it is enough to do the things I like doing.
I still have a busy social life, its just that I dont go out for expensive meals anymore which were funded by my not so flexible friend. Instead I go out to cheaper places, (Weatherspoons is good value) still go to the cinema with my friends (fortunately I get student discount) and still go out for the odd drink or two. I have to admit friends do come round to ours a lot more now, bringing with them a bottle or two of wine and we have nice evenings in, often with an inexpensive take-away.
Yes, I always want new clothes and what woman doesn't, but I now shop on Ebay, use vouchercodes to get discounts and swap with my friends. I may not be wearing this seasons fashions but I still manage to dress well and look nice.
Life is different and yes I cannot wait until my five years are complete. But I tell you one thing, I now sleep at night. Dont feel scared of the postman coming to my door and no longer afraid to answer the phone.
I am human, I do have down days and do sometimes get jealous of my friends who are off on exotic holidays, but I know for a fact a lot of them are funding this with credit cards and are actually drowning in debt. Its just that I chose to address my debt problems.
I know once my IVA is completed I will be able to walk with my head held high instead of burying my head in the sand.
For anyone to say that being in an IVA is compared to living a jail sentence, well sorry but you are not living in the real world. If you think that to have fun consists of spending hundreds and thousands of pounds well what a shallow and materialistic person you are. I would much prefer to be the person I am, than that other person.
