well where to begin?

 Hubby has a new car now from Dunctons. Cleardebt have reduced our payment by less than the 15% needed for us to have to have a variation meeting and our utilities have been reduced along with the savings in car tax and fuel (new car is a 1.4 diesel) should be OK to afford it. Had to take some money from son’s account to help towards deposit but hey ho! Bank balance £111.02 with £40 dd to come out until pay day on Friday - have food and fuel so should be OK. Hopefully can start to build up contingency again now.

Said to hubby we’ll be 9 months next week - can’t believe it!! It really has been one of the best things we’ve done in a strange kind of way. We sat down yesterday and looked at what we need to pay out in March together and budgeted what’s left over to cover a weekend at a relatives as I’m sure we’ll eat out at least once. Pre-IA we’d have racked up the credit card or overdraft so never needed to talk really! Our new hobby is planning all the wonderful things we’ll do when it’s over. Trips, purchases and I’m sure things will mean so much more to us as we have now known what it’s like to do without - something we’ve not done before really. On one level I do feel quite guilty that we can just pay for 5 years and walk away with a significant amount paid off but we are trying to pay back what we can and will NEVER do this again!!!!

just thought I’d take a break from wrapping to update the blog. Search for the car goes on. Christmas presents got. Cut back massively on what we’ve spent before but they all came out of the overdraft so really were presents from Lloyds! This year they are all from us! We’ve cut back the shopping massively and eaten eggs on toast, beans on toast etc but everyone has a something. Got some vouchers from local radio station for £25 with a cash in value of £50. Used boots vouchers and bonus points and gifts from the poundshop - now there’s something I never thought I’d say!! Had so much Christmas wrap and cards left from last year that I’ve not had to buy anymore and hubby’s gifts were from Home Bargains - book of love quotes for 39p and a golf mug that cost 89p!!! Only having one car has saved us some petrol money this month as we’ve had to carefully plan trips and hitched rides with others. Work has been a bit of a pain though so need to get it sorted ASAP. Dunctons have approved us for the lease, just waiting for cleardebt to work their magic with a variation!! I have every faith in them which is such a good feeling. I read people’s stories on the forum about poor relationships with IP’s and companies and feel so thankful that I found this website before we set up the IVA. We are now 6 months in which I prefer to call 10% - it sounds so much more. Four more frugal Christmas days to go!! I read Jan (Kallis) saying that she’d be planning a holiday with her first months money!. Having my family Christmas evening but shopped at Sainsburys’, had £7.50 off when i spent £50 and had £57.50 in nectar points. Spent just over £70 including some presents from their 3 for 2 range that were half price too and had change from £10! I am going to start buying saving stamps for next year as I figure we could always cash them in early if we were ever really stuck!

To anyone reading this, hope you have a peaceful, Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2010.

Hubby’s car gave up the ghost at the weekend and it was confirmed yesterday that the cost of repair outweighs the value of the car! Can’t afford the repairs and can’t afford a new one!! Really stuck as hubby workd miles away and I need to go between sites for my job. Cried alot then thought about the foum. Looked at Duncons and dared to hope it may be a possibility to have a car on lease. Would need a deposit that would clear our contingency an tax / dentist money etc. and still have to borrow the £320 out of my sons account too and spend NOOOOOO money for the rest of the month!! Hoping that we could reduce the monthly payments and get hubby to try to get ANY overtime going (normally some over christmas and New Year in his business) and if still too short at end of term we’d have to extend.

Spoken to cleardebt today who have been fabulous again (special thanks to Dave today). Listened. Advised and agreed and take to supervisor for approval but said we’d think of something if the lease option was a no go - cannot thank or praise them enough and thank the forum because without this site I’d never have found cleardebt.

I am hopeful that we’ll get a reply as soon as possible. People think because we both work that we must have loads of money and can’t understand why we’ve not just gone and got a new car!!!! The pressure of playing wealthy being skint is terrible as I am sure you all know!!!

 Thanks for reading if you’ve got to here and thanks for your support!!!!

just thought I’d update blog as to what’s going on. My grandfathers been and still is very ill so I’ve spent many evenings at the hospital - lots of money spent on car parking and coming up to Christmas I’m trying to save every penny but somethings are too important. Have some presents purchased and have cut back on presents for friends and their children. Been buying so many presents for so long it feels awkward to cut back. Cars are still proving to be a nightmare but we plod on!!Â

Head gasket was replaced and only (!!) cost £300. It’s like we save the allowances and they get spent straight away when something comes along. I’ve managed to get a bargain waterproof and windproof coat from TJ Hughes that keeps me warm. Last winter coat I had was a size 20 and this one was a 14 so really pleased with that - although loads of clothes are too big, no money to replace them as yet!! I’m going to really try to cut back to have money for my son for Christmas. It’s certainly not his fault we’re in the position we are although we’ll not be wasting the money we normally spend. Has sardines on toast for tea last night for the first time in years and really enjoyed it - and a really cheap meal on wholemeal bread so quite healthy too.

I am not trying to wish my life away, but I do think that as we’re making our third payment next week that saying we’re 5% of the way through sounds alot more positive than we’ve got 57 more to make!!

 Hubby’s car continues to drain our small contingency money. We’ve not been to the opticians / dentist yet and so the money we should be saving up to pay is being spent at the garage! The head gasket is being replaced at a cost of £500!! We do seem to be thinking alot more about mon they and definately talking more. Our dyson cut out the other day and whereas before we’d simply go into the overdraft to replace it, hubby had it to pieces and found a blockage and it seems to be working fine now. Traditionally I’ve replaced my work wardrobe at the start of the school year but have only had two new bras this time - and no-one has even noticed!

Not told anyone yet and have managed to blag our way out of a couple of night outs with reasonably plausible excuses! Christmas worries me - i don’t want people to miss out on presents but I’m also looking out for bargains and will go with a perceived value rather than £ & p value. We’ve been picking up bits and bobs with the shopping like crackers that are on offer. We have my family around for christmas day tea and want to still do so. I think it’s more about planning and we’ve both said we’ll have a couple more nights of egg or sardines on toast to buy the treats.

 Rugby season starts soon, our son plays at a high level and so it involves driving him here, there and everywhere to play. I do love watching him, but the petrol’s a worry. Cleardebt were excellent and managed to get us an allowance to cover the expenses, although as his under armour all needs replacing, it’s a good job! He wants to play professionally so we need to put in the time to take him now. I’m not sure if he’s even aware of our tightened money belts - I hope he isn’t. He never really asked for the things we paid for, we just gave them so he’s not being told no now, he’s still not asking!

Hubby and I keep talking about all the things that we’ll be able to do with the best part of £1000 a month that’ll be ours when the IVA is over. We’ve never had that much disposable income, there’s always been a loan or card payment. I still can’t believe we let ourselves get into the mess we were in before the forum and before cleardebt. I think it must be like reformed smokers who hate smokers more than people who’ve never smoked. I’ll never ever have a loan or credit card again. I hope to be able to support our son through uni to reduce his debts for his future as he’ll start after the IVA has finished.

As I said earlier, I don’t want to wish our lives away, but I can’t wait until July 2014!!!

Good luck to everyone reading the blogs. x x

just read David’s blog about paying for your holiday and christmas way after on credit cards - well ours was for sure the ever increasing overdraft (highest Jonathan at cleardebt had known for an individual) and it is pleasant not to be starting September having to pay for a hol and clothes, spending money etc etc on credit. There are some upsides to an IVA!

had a fab break but on return hubbys car is still poorly. The dashboard is lit up like Blackpool illuminations! Son’s school uniform’s not been cheap so we’re both worried about garage bills but hey ho! Glad the blogs page is working again, tried last week but couldn’t get on - I’m enjoying getting thoughts down and out of my head. Well it’s been short this time but I’ll find time in the week to catch up.

well, still have money in the bank with one week to pay day!! Have taxed car and filled both cars with petrol. Have ordered sons school shoes which will be in after payday so thats worked out really well. We’re going to get a way for a bit - change is as good as a rest etc etc so I’m just taking a break from ironing and thinking about how life is so different so only six months ago. Without cleardebt and the forum, God alone knows what we’d be doing now! Hoover is on the way out but I’m going to wait until we get paid to replace it - just incase something happens in the mean time!! We will have made 2 payments in two weeks - 3.3% of the way. Hope things can carry on, but then again this month we did get hubbys overtime and he’s not done any last month or this month so we’ll be on basic pay at least until end of October! I wish we’d have been this careful previously. Was a little worried with the start of the football season that OH would be tempted to have a bet but he assures me he’s not interested at all - and he’s nowhere to get money from so I guess its true!

Will not be reading forum for a while - not really something you can do at friends who know nothing of IVA!!! But will be catching up when we’re back!!

had quite a good weekend. Had friends stopping and was a little worried about not having too much money to spend. Went to a local pub to listem to live bands and drank soda and lime so very cheap. Went to Tesco and picked up a load of BBQ foor for a quarter of the price. Salad from Aldi, 29p lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. Had a fab meal for not too much money and the weather to sit outside and enjoy it! Won cinema tickets and so children went for free and won some family swim passes last month and used them too so had an active, fun weekend and in total spend less than £30. Pre IVA we’d have spent that on one night’s drinks and takeaways! had a bottle of wine but drank it as spritzers so one bottle lasted all evening / night.

IVA is really a different way of thinking. We’re looking to have a change of scenary and have some time away next week and I’m more looking forward to it having had a really good, frugal, weekend! My son hasn’t had the latest games and had infact not asked andd swapped a game he’s not playing with a friend who had one he wanted. I do think that one of the best things to come from the IVA is his understanding that you can’t always get what you want and when you want it. I’m finding socialising with friends - or not - one of the most difficult things. The diet has provided a great excuse for not drinking or wanting to go for a curry at the end of an evening as well as saving us taxi fares. Just read Jan’s blog - 7 1/2 stone is fantastic - half that amount would be wonderful!! this site is full of inspirational people for all sorts of reasons.

It’s such a relief planning that at the end of the month we should actually have some money in the bank - and I’ve paid for my car tax this too and that’s with going away too! Thanks for reading - apologies for not being very intresting and just rambling!!!!