Thanks everyone! I have treated myself, as suggested - I got a new bike through the Cycle To Work scheme recently, so I've treated myself to some nice accessories. A Garmin GPS cycle computer with heart rate, speed and cadence sensors, a new helmet and an R2-D2 cycling jersey! Yes, I'm a MAMIL... * ...

Watzki - sorry for the late reply, I've been away in Wales for the weekend and only got back this afternoon. My final payment went out on July 1st, and my CC arrived on August 25th. So that's eight weeks. Exactly how long they said they'd be. Not bad!

Thanks for your nice words, everyone!

Ah, thank you very much! I've just popped that into my Bookmarks bar!

I received my Completion Certificate and Final Report from Freeman Jones yesterday. A bit earlier than I was expecting them, to be honest, so all credit to them for that. So thank you, Freeman Jones! It's great to finally be at the end of it all. Freedom at last! No doubt I'll now start receiving in...

Thanks, Stephen. I'll be sending stuff in tomorrow, so I look forward to it all starting to wind down!

Blimey! Will do. I think I've been one of their easier clients, so I'd hope that would make the process a bit more straightforward. Still, it would be nice to have everything all done and signed off this side of Christmas...!

Thanks Foggy. FJ haven't been too bad, but their communication could be a lot better. I'll be sure to keep them on their toes!

My final payment for my IVA with Freeman Jones left my account yesterday. I was expecting to feel huge relief, like you might after a great weight has been lifted or after a really good poo. But, curiously, I feel every little. Does this mean I'm some sort of psychopath? In all seriousness though, I...

Hello! Welcome aboard. You don't need to declare it. Anything you manage to save is yours to do with as you please, so it's sensible to put it somewhere you know is safe. I have an ISA into which I put my own savings.

Good luck to you. Echoing what everyone else here has said - you've made that all-important first step and acknowledged that there's a problem, and also laid out what your income and expenditure is. If you're going to go ahead with whichever option you decide upon, be it a DRO, IVA or whatever (and ...

Just to add my voice to the others on here advising you to speak to an IP or debt advisor. A Consolidation Loan isn't always the right solution - whilst it gathers all your debts into one place, the result can sometimes be a larger debt that, over time as circumstances change, can be harder to meet ...

It's not actually necessary to claim PPI through a claims company. It's a process you can handle very easily yourself simply by contacting the banks from whom you took out the loans in writing, and they are legally obliged to investigate your claim. Claim companies offering PPI recovery services are...

I was refused a job due to my active IVA a couple of years ago. The full story is here: http://www.iva.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=46243 As the job was in the finance sector, I could sort of understand why their policy was what it was - it was the way it was handled that annoyed me more than anyt...

Great post, Kev59. Very encouraging. I have a year left to go on my IVA, and the points made by Andy and Foggy about reconnecting with the value of things and rehabilitation are excellent - things that I've learned along the way too. I take great pleasure in maintaining handwritten records to keep t...

I've had one. I ignored it. I had a similar letter about three years ago from an organisation with a similar name (can't remember it though), with a very similar tone, and I rang the number. The person who answered launched in to a spiel about being able to offer more helpful alternatives to an IVA,...