After nearly 2 decades of financial chaos, I’ve finally grabbed the bull by the horns and taken charge of my future.
To give a little back story, my partner died 15 years ago of alcoholism related illness and I was left caring for not only our shared child but also his 3 from a previous marriage. Unemployed and unable to find work that fit around the children, with no prospects of earning enough to afford childcare, my finances spiralled even more than they had when supporting a “multiple bottles of scotch a day” addiction and I accrued debt that has persistently plagued me ever since. Eventually the step children moved on, and I started a business which kept me going but was never successful enough to get me out of the hole.
Fast forward a few years and a combination of pressures from the pandemic, Brexit and the start of the cost of living crisis forced me to close down the business. I found work, but as my employer has been struggling nearly as much as I had been my hours have been very hit and miss, meaning over the past year my situation has got even worse to the point where I wasn’t even able to cover the household bills never mind tackle the debt.
I eventually pulled the trigger at the start of the year, and my bankruptcy was approved. A clean slate, a fresh start.
In the past week it’s as of an enormous weight has been lifted from my shoulders, no more debt collector calls and letters, no more bailiffs at the door, no more hiding away. I’ve been able to set up payments for my utilities again without the millstone of enormous debt that has built up, and just today the OR has contacted me to confirm I won’t have an IPA.
I’be also managed to find a new job, just waiting for the DBS check to come back and then I can start - it’ll give me the security of regular hours, and whilst the pay is nothing special it means I’ll be able to keep my head above the water, pay my bills and put food on the table. I get a little support from universal credit as my youngest is still at home, and whilst the new job will mean an increase in wage I still shouldn’t have an IPA to worry about.
A massive thanks you to everybody who’s inspirational posts have helped me find the strength to do this, and to those of you like me worrying about how to make that break and give yourselves a future, please know that there is hope and you will get there. I did, so you can too.
11.5 months until complete freedom, and who knows maybe I will eventually be able to retire after all. 🤞❤️