living with my shame and stupidity

[Shining]

Congratulations from me too x

[Julie]

I am so pleased for you Neil...I can imagine the relief you must be feeling. Well done to Melanie and her team too, another result.

Congratulations xx

[na70]

just made my 12th payment so i guess thats one year down and 5 to go.

what a year it has been.

have had a lot of different things to adjust to.

long term relationship ended,have had a few money worries not least the letter from northern rock asking me to reapply to keep me on interest only for a further year.

i thought it was automatic when you entered an iva.

i really couldnt have survived financially if they insisted i return to repayment and i considered ending my life,i could not face survive a bankruptcy.

an old cliche about being worth more dead than alive,but how true.

i have survived without credit,although overtime albeit infrequent has provided a safety buffer at times.

who knows what the next year will bring?

have submitted relevant info for first year review so that will be interesting.

mortgage fixed rate has ended so my payments have went up but wait and see.

still IVA has given me a lifeline and am happy to be here and get on with it,just hate the periods of uncertainty!

to be fair my iva company have been excellent at all times ive had to contact them and reassuring whenever ive had worries especially threatening letters from creditors who continued to pursue me despite iva being in place.

one thing ive learned is the world keeps on turning and the days keep rolling by.

hoping for another quick year.

[Shining]

You survived the year, hope your review goes well for you, life within an IVA does appear to go quickly, well it has for myself anyway and I hope it does for you and your remaining years go smoothly x

[Tina Shortland]

What you have learned Neil is so true indeed - no matter what is thrown at us we keep moving forward and life goes on.

Well done on your first year - sounds like you have had quite a rollercoaster this year so here's hoping the next 12 months is a smoother ride for you.

Best wishes and good to read your account of the past 12 months, it will help others have ideas about what can go on (bearing in mind not all experiences are the same!)

[GettingHelp]

Hi Neil, i have just caught up with your posts of last year and your update. I am so pleased that in large part things have worked out so well for you. I too am with 'Team Giles' and have nothing but praise for Mel and her team who have helped me enormously, coupled with the help and support from the forum. The relief that you feel when you have been accepted is huge and things do tend to settle down very quickly. I have just made my 3rd payment (today) and I can honestly say I have never been happier, it was the best decision I made in picking up the phone and taking control of my debts. Good luck with tne next 12 months, please do keep posting.

[MelanieGiles]

I cannot believe that the last year has whizzed so quickly, but then I remembered we met when I was over for last year's cricket, and that is now well over a year ago. How time flies!

Glad to hear that things are settling for you, and that the worst year is out of the way. Don't forget to pop in on the girls for a coffee if there is anything troubling you, and if I can help with anything you know where I am.

[na70]

thanks for the comments.

sometimes feel guilty not posting here to give feedback to help others as i always relied on other folks experiences when i entered into iva.

but have to be honest and say its been life changing,i feel relief at knowing everything i now buy is actually paid for,not on credit.

i dont know what sort of a fantasy life i got myself into years ago flashing my credit card whenver i fancied,looking back it was sheer madness,i'll never know how i let myself get so reckless.

it was so not me.

main lessons ive learned are save your contingency every month you WILL need it.

do overtime whenever available,its a handy buffer,but dont rely on it.

make any overpayments asap otherwise you can easily be tempted to spend it.

[MelanieGiles]

You've had some tough times to contend with over the last few years - not all relating to money problems - and are now giving great advice to others. I often quote your story when talking to some of my other clients - especially when we are prioritising issues and problems and identifying what the important things are to concentrate on.

You should be very proud of your journey, and I am very glad to be acting for you.

[nra]

another year on,been so long that i had forgotten my old password and had to re-register.

one payment to make and that will be 24 of 72 completed.

i&e forms filled in and sent off and awaiting an answer,quite a nervous time.

life continues to be difficult living within the confines of an IVA and had it not been for overtime i would be struggling.

everything seems to have went up in the last two years especially energy/fuels/food and while it is very difficult to keep tabs on prices i know i am finding it tight every month but am able to just scrape through albeit eating into all my allowances.

to be fair i have not had to bother Mel and her team and would like to think i have been a good client but it is a very fine line between success and failure and i have had to stop reading the forum because of some of the stories when things go wrong-i really couldnt contemplate failure.

very difficult to live in an IVA and keeping it a secret from friends and family. sometimes it would be a relief but i know it would wreck my parents if they found out.

one thing i would say to anyone here with kids is to teach your kids the value of money,dont ever let them end up in a financial mess.

i have lost 5 yrs of my life and another 4 still to go.

moeny does not bring happiness,look forward to a time when i can go to sleep at night and have peace of mind that money problems are behind me.

[nra]

patiently awaiting my 2nd year review,very stressful time!!

are there adjustments made for the way the cost of living has gone up over the last 2 years,food,home heating lighting and car fuel.

running out of creative ideas to save money.....

[kallis3]

The only thing you can do nra is put down exactly what your spend and be prepared to back it up with receipts etc if necessary.

[Shining]

We're all in the same boat with the increases in everyday living. put down what you spend and I'm sure IP's will be realistic with allowances within reason.x

[nra]

yes i've no doubt i'll be treated fairly by Mel and co.

to be fair they have always been excellent in all aspects of my IVA so far.

i guess i just like to know where i stand so that i can plan for the next year ahead....

havent been on forum since last year but always good to have a read and learn new things,support and advice here always has been great.

nice to have somewhere to go whenever im having a 'wobble'

Neil

25/72...

[nra]

will make my 36th of 72 payments in a few days so half way there

its been incredibly hard 3yrs and my relationship became a casualty of being in an IVA

it has been an incredibly lonely time and not to mention life just seems to get more expensive

have submitted my info for my yearly review and await news of any changes...

on a positive i have been ablke to make over payments totalling £5k over the last three years,wish i could use that as a buffer to take the pressure off for a month or two....

taking great pride in seeing my son grow up and doing my best to provide a normal life for him...still havent told a single soul im in IVA after 3 yrs,wish i could just get it out of my system and share with my family but id be totally humiliated

hoping for better times ahead