Not the kind of good news I can share in real life, but I need to tell someone!

[EllisRoses]

So MN it is...

I am officially out of debt

I paid my last payment to Stepchange today. I have been on a DMP for years trying to claw my way out of £23k worth of debt.

No one in RL knew how bad it was, so I feel I can't celebrate with anyone. I just wanted to share it somewhere. Not a brag, it's my own fault for getting in so deep, and it's a long way until my credit score will recover but I am very proud of myself and feel like a huge weight has been lifted.

Fantastic!!! 🥂🍾

I'm impressed that you went to step change & got everything sorted out, to me that's the biggest step. But yes, I'm very pleased fir you that it's now all paid iff and your next pay & bonus are all yours (well, once the regular bills are paid anyway!)

Take not of what SarahandQuack said at 23:16. It's, unfortunately, not uncommon.

Plus (it's the accountant in me, I can't help it!) understand how you got in so much debt and be sure you're not at risk of doing the same thing again!

Some people are not good at having 'spare money' my Dad would have said 'it burns holes in their pockets'. Obviously treat yourself with your first 'all mine' money, but make sure after that you're putting money in savings etc...be as obsessed about getting the balance to grow as you were about getting the other one down!!

Well done 🍹🍫🌸

A huge Well Done to you! I bet it feels amazing. Start of a new chapter.

Well done..... it’s a marvellous feeling isn’t it? A complete weight lifted from your shoulders that you may never have realised that was actually there. I learnt from this that we would never have Bayliff’s calling for the council tax every again.

You should be really bloody proud of yourself OP I bet it wasn’t easy but you stuck at it. Well done

Congratulations. You should be very proud of yourself. x

Very well done!

@usedandabusedx1000

Congratulations *@EllisRoses* I need to make the first step, I am currently living in utter fear sand the anxiety is crippling. I hope one day I can say the same as you, I can only begin to imagine how amazing the feeling is 👏🏻

You can be in this ^^ position too!

Why not phone stepchange (or another company) tomorrow? Get the ball rolling.

I used to do plans for very small businesses/self employed people etc. & the sheer relief they felt when they'd offloaded was immense & that was before I'd actually hit agreements for them etc just knowing it was a) no longer a secret & b) someone was going to help!

Then It's amazing how telling someone how much they need to pay each month can make them weep with relief!! 🤣. Honestly just knowing it's all under control is a HUGE relief - not being scared to open the post/answer the front door or the phone.

You CAN do it, pick up the phone tomorrow & start to get it sorted. 🌸

Yay! A huge well done to you! We’ve been there but managed to get debt free eventually and now have absolutely top notch credit scores - you’ve done an amazing job, enjoy your hugely well deserved bonus.

Congrats!

I was in 21k debt and I was the same as you...only person that knew was my partner!

Stepchange helped me too and they were fantastic.

Enjoy your bonus, it feels good when you can treat yourself!

Yay!🍻 🎉

That really is fantastic news. Well done OP.

Good for you. That is a massive amount to claw back from. I applaud your determination.

Well done!

That must feel absolutely amazing. I'm really happy for you!

That is brilliant. Well done.

That’s brilliant news and, I’m sure, comforting to some other people on here to know that the end is in sight! Enjoy your debt free life 🥳

Huge congratulations! I've been in - just - manageable debt and it's a horrible feeling. It sits on you constantly even if you're not thinking about it and the relief of it being over is amazing. So happy for you.

I am delighted for you! That's a massive achievement

What a weight off your shoulders.

👍🏻🎉💐🍻🍫

Huge congratulations @EllisRoses, you should be very proud 👏 🥳

That deserves a fkn big well done! Be so proud of yourself!

Congratulations that's amazing!

Congrats OP. The end of a long road.

I too was in the same position back in early 2000s. I was with Stepchange several years paying off the debts religiously, Then the corrupt creditors sold the debts to sleazy debt collection agencies who purchase debts for pence in the pound.

So lets suppose I had an original debt to Acme bank for £1000. I believed I had paid off £500 but they sold it to Dirty Debt collections who then put their own charges on and tried to collect the original debt. There is something corrupt, nasty and Dickensian about companies who buy and sell debts between one another.

At the same time I was made aware of changes in the Consumer Credit Act which meant that these old debts were mostly unenforceable because the original agreements did not contain certain prescribed elements. In most cases Dirty Debt and companies like them did not have and could not get the original paperwork because it had long been destroyed. They had simply purchased a CD with a list of names and addresses.

Only one company had kept the debt in house. I paid them off quickly. I then began a merry dance with Dirty Debt and the other scavengers until all the debts gradually became statute barred. It gave me immense pleasure to cheat these corrupt vultures of their prize.

Once an original creditor has sold off a debt to one of these DCAs I no longer felt any obligation to pay it off.

Be aware that this only applied because the debts were very old and the agreements no longer valid. This is not to be taken as an encouragement for people to take out debts and deliberately not repay them. That will not work.

I just wanted to add my congratulations here, that must have been some slog