Reading these posts makes me realize just how lucky I am. Not having friends I don't have to worry about 'standing my corner' when I go out which is rarely. And as I've not been on holiday since 1968 I don't miss that either. I do feel for you lot though, it must be hard having to 'go easy'. I've had 20 years practice at going easy. The reason I am in an IVA can be traced back to 1986, at which time I had a motorbike accident. I was off work for nearly 6 years and was under insured. The bills I could pay while working were no longer being paid and the arrears just got higher and higher. During this time I lost my job and was unemployed until 1992, at which time I went back into retail. I stayed with this firm until 2000 working for £100 pw and petrol money because the bloke I worked for was also having trouble. At least I was working and my wife had a good job, and I was now able to pay my creditors. In 2001 I started to work for an IT company giving advice as a call centre. Now the wage was more stable, although now I got no petrol allowance. In 2004 my wife was taken ill and almost died. The company I worked for refused me time off to look after her, which meant paying a carer and that was expensive. The stress and the worry got so bad I had a nervous breakdown, and lost my job because of it. I can no longer talk to people on the phone without planning ahead, and I can't talk to people face to face. I've not worked since that time. I had never heard of IVAs until my IP rang me on speck as it were and I'm so glad he did because now I am so much better off. Oh ... the wife is back at work now although only part time.
So .. as I said at the beginning ... I've probably had a lot more practice making a pound do the work of two than a lot of people, so I do feel for you who are struggling.
When I was young I was called a rugged individualist
When I was in my fifties I was considered eccentric
Here I am doing and saying the same things I did back then and now I'm labelled senile
