Sometimes it is good to look back to see how far you came. Personally I learned a lesson of never giving my wife (now ex wife[:(!]) access to my cards again! Come to think of it, learned never to get married again either lol.

Seriously though, well done.

Just out of interest, how long do you stay on the AIB register after discharge?

I think its 12 months after your trustee is discharged.

Paul

I believe that's right, Paul.

quote:

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Originally posted by plasticdaft

Doing some clearing out of cupboards today and came across some old statements for the wife and my platinum tsb credit cards. Mine was maxed out at £14976 and the wifes was at £10895. Our minimum payments totalled £500. What the heck were we thinking?

We also had egg cards, rbs cards a couple of loans. Now we have a vanquis card each which are being well controlled (rather than them controlling us).

Sorry I digress!

Not check the aib website for ages so thought I'd have a look.

We have disappeared from it. Brilliant.

May/june our trust deeds should fall off our credit files too.

Anyway just thought I'd share my joy and basically encourage anyone who is struggling with debt to do something about it, there are lots of options out there.

Dont stick your head in the sand as we did for years.

Get help.

Paul

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Sorry ill try again!

Re Paul's post.

I had my head in the sand for 20+ years and looking back I can only think the same - What the F*** was I thinking!!

I thought I was beyond help my situation was so bad, I remember walking into CAB one day when I just couldn't take any more stress and the lady when I told her how much approx in debt I was said "Oh my God"!!

Best thing I ever did though, as soon as faced up to the reality of my situation I felt so much better.

I signed my TD 9 years ago and completed it with no issues at all. BEST thing I ever done.

As Paul says "Get help". Wise words, hard to pluck up the courage but once you do its so much better!

all the best.
B

You cannot believe how much better I felt after sitting with 2 complete strangers in our local CAB and telling them how much we owed!!

The relief was unreal.

Paul

Yeah coming out of a meeting where somebody telling you that you won't lose your home, is a decent definition of stress relief.

That was an interesting point reg the AIB register. 12 months after your Trustee`s discharge you are removed from the AIB register.

I was thinking it was the same as the `Edinburgh Gazette` ( permanent )

That`s what I love about this site, little bits of info that make your day..

Cheers

Sherbo

Hi plasticdaft, Hamish and CIF.

Thanks for making such enlightening contributions to the forum.

There will be a lot of people reading this forum at the moment, worrying about the cost of Christmas, and thinking that in the New Year they too will take the hardest step towards dealing with their debts - making the first call for help.

Sharing your experience in this way will really help to encourage people to follow in your footsteps and get back some control over this part of their lives.

Hi Paul,

It's a great post to share with other users on the forum! I think the majority of people that I speak with always believe that they are unique and that no one else has the same level of debt as them. Once I tell them that generally their level of debt is just the norm you can quite quickly see a bit of a change and a little bit of relief as you say.

I think it's just the way society is nowadays when it comes to debt. Very few people actually set out to run up debts and then enter into a Trust Deed, Sequestration or a Debt Arrangement Scheme. It's a whole combination of different reasons for debt to accumulate and when it does, the system that we have in Scotland to deal with it is excellent I think.

It's good that you can look back now that you're in a better position Paul and see the benefit of asking for some advice and help and then entering into a Trust Deed.

We ended up in debt simply by overspending, and then gradually got used to using the credit cards for one shop a month and before long we were using cards, paying the minimum then promptly having to go and use them again. 2 consolidation loans down the line, having kept the credit cards we had consolidated (big mistake, should have binned them, instead lloyds said yes lets give you a loan to pay off your credit cards, then right away upped our limits by 5k on each card!).

I reached out to the bank for help, was hoping for a reduced interest period to see if we could make a dent in the debt and they offered a remortgage and more loans!!!!

That was a day I'll never forget, the day the bull was grabbed by the hirns and CAB approached.

If people are struggling I really do know there's help for you. Dont suffer, dont ignore the problem. Its not easy to going through a trust deed or any formal route but its well worth it in the end.

Paul

I think it's the great unknown that prevents most people seeking help. People are probably scared that they will somehow be judged, which is never the case and also assume that it means they automatically lose their house, car etc.

I still find it starnge that even with all the information out there, people still assume that bankrupcty = house sold, where in fact it is rarely the case and is dealt with in the same way a trustee under a trust deed would deal with it.

I think the forum is a good tool to let people know their experiences, good and bad.

Mark

This place and the iva forum I moderate on are without doubt 2 of THE best debt advice tools available!

Priceless.

Paul