umm, that's what I thought. I suggested to my wife that we complete a new income and expenditure. We have to move in any case so I think we'll look at properties that are paying at a typical rate for the area, and then take it from there. Ultimately I want to avoid paying an extra year. We're both i...

As a family with a young boy, we are being forced unfortunately to move out of our current rent. We've been in the property for two years, it's a small 2 bed. We currently pay £780.00 a month, which is incredibly cheap for the area , and this was the amount we were paying when our IVA's were calcula...

don't knock yourself for not being able to cope. These problems don't happen overnight but occur slowly, infact many of us here myself included would say that you didn't even know you had a problem untill it was too late.

Life isn't a rehearsal. You just have to learn from it and move on.

This is a typical scenario, based on my own experience. You'll begin by approaching an Insolvency Practitioner, with whom you will form a proposal. This will start with either a face to face meeting, or in my case a meeting over the phone, to establish an understanding of your own particular circums...

The purpose of the IVA is to enable you to become debt free as an alternative to becoming bankrupt. To be honest it sounds as if you haven’t been given very good guidance by your IP. An IVA is not by it's design meant to be an easy fix, and important life long lessons regarding debt must be learned ...

I had to share this with you, it's extraordinary http://money.uk.msn.com/mortgages/mortgageguide/article.aspx?cp-documentid=7503555 Cities in northern England are beyond saving and residents should move south, a new report from the Policy Exchange think tank argues. Urban regeneration in the north i...

700+euros is well over the top, car hire 3000 for instance only charge 400+ in advance for a mid sized car (1 week). As it happens I'm now hiring a car through Hertz using my Cash Plus Master card. I believe Avis will accept it also. This card is brill, I've had it three months, just made sure there...

yeah I've been using a Cashplus Master card. Low fees, and I'm getting mine upgraded for car hire abroad. Can take a day for the cash to go on the card, when topping up the post office, and some staff don't really understand how it works, having to demonstrate how the scanner works, other than that,...

great post Stuart, Like you 11 payments in, my wife and I are in a joint IVA, repaying around £80,000. Gulp. Now we've started, life has greatly improved. Like you I started small, cultivating a few hundred pounds on a Barclaycard. Five years, two cars, one marriage, and one child later (god the chi...

Mercers AKA Barclays, seem to be uniquely awfull in there treatment of customers, a speacial quality they seem to have cultivated in a way unlike the other major high street lenders.

It is an odd article. It reminds me just how society has changed so much.

Twenty years ago, loans and credit were a dirty word, now it seems completely acceptable.

My grandmother recently reminded, modern credit, is just old fashioned debt, and it's a long road down a miserable path.

funny I did all things in this article, which is why I now find this so appalling. http://money.uk.msn.com/guides/Credit-Reports/article.aspx?cp-documentid=9000769 Why credit can be good for you By Jessica Bown, moneysupermarket.com July 24 2008 In the current climate, you could be forgiven for thin...

I have to say Debbie, that Barclays didn't do that with me. Even though I had only made token payments from December to March last year, and they said the amount wasn't enough, they never touched my account. It is still open at the moment (45p in it!) and they have not been in touch with me at all....

make sure you go with a non-linked account, such as Nationwide. Don't tell Barclays anything. Go with a basic account for debit transfers and no overdraught. Get all you montly direct debits set up too. Barclays and Mercers can be relentless, so make sure you have all your money withdrawn from them ...

It is quite rare for companies to door step like this. Unfortunately Barclays seem to have a problem voting in time for clients IVA proposals. I believe it's something to do with their internal transfer of client records, Mercers, (there internal collection department), and acting on unpaid debts. M...