You can stop making payments while waiting for an IVA, most people do. It does allow you to build a little contingency money. You will, however, get the phone calls from the creditors who can be quite aggressive and try to bully you into paying.
If you were unable to do an IVA then you can do a debt management plan. The only thing against these is usually the length of time it takes to pay them off, and there is no guarantee that interest and charges will be stopped.
Give one of the professionals who post on here a ring. You can find their details under the expert link on the left hand side of the page. You have nothing to lose by phoning one or two.
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 had a few creditor calls while waiting for my IVA to be set up until Accuma issued me with a letter to send to all creditors informing them that in the matter of my debts then thye should contact Accuma. This stopped the calls... not that I ever answered them...used call screening and answer machine. I never give out my mobile number to banks etc
Good on you rockyrobin, it sounds like you are now going forward. The first call is the hardest, but once you have made it, the pressure does seem to ease. Before phoning the IP's, make an income and expenditure sheet up as it will help whilst you are making the telephone call. Make sure you include everything, outgoing and incoming. It can be quite easy to forget something, so go over the lists again to make sure.
As i said last night, you can stop payments and just tell your creditors the situation and if you decide on which IP to use, tell the creditor their name.
As you are struggling to pay the house bills, i would pay these over any of your creditors. Also contact the companies and see if they can help you until you get yourself sorted, i am sure they will help you.
Good luck!
Your normal household bills should always take priority over others. If you don't make any payments to your creditors then you may possibly be able to clear any arrears to your priority bills, or at least make inroads into them.
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
