Hi Pammy

Glad you got your TD protected and certainly don't want to burst your bubble .... BUT, I wouldn't spend the tax rebate until you've checked with your Trustee, technically it belongs to them now, hopefully they will only want a share.

Merry Christmas

Thanks Saabrina - I did think about this and while I'd like to buy a new telly or washing machine (!) we're going to set it aside and see what our IP says. We did come to an agreement at the start about work related additional income - 50/50 - but not sure about tax rebates. We'll wait and see.

It's a shame the rebate didn't come before you signed, hopefully be ok.

I hate this say this on a day like today, but I think the tax rebate will have to be paid over.

It's a bit different to extra earned income.

Well it's been very quiet on the TD front. We've made our first payment - hurrah, only 35 to go! Well, 39 really as we've had a letter confirming our assets (what assets ha ha). Our equity in our home comes to £770 each and this has been frozen. So our payments have been extended and the equity must be paid by a specific date (Feb 2015!) or we risk having the house revalued. If the value has gone up, so will the equity we have to realise. If it goes down, too bad!

The best thing about this whole process has been no phonecalls or demand letters for 3 weeks now. It's such a good feeling which I want to retain for the rest of our life. Just thinking about how much money we wasted, clothes we (I!) bought, food thrown away etc. makes me feel quite ashamed. I've not bought clothes or shoes since we started this process in November and I'm rightly proud of myself! My hobby these days is dowloading free books to my beloved Kindle, finding and printing as many money-off coupons as I can and adopting a good old-fashioned "mend and make-do" attitude. And loving it!

Well done pammy1969, hopefully your feelings will be an inspiration to others. It is good to share experiences, and let folk know that the feeling of being in control is so much better.
I had a phone call in January from someone who has just experienced their first Christmas in a Trust Deed. While he admitted that they had cut back this year, he said the feeling of watching his children open their presents, knowing they were all paid for, was fantastic, and made Christmas more enjoyable!

And I thought our creditors had gone away! Ha! We got five letters in this morning's post re the same account. Five!!! Four from the Debt Collection Agency and a statement from the creditor themselves. Now, I know that we've not to deal with these people ourselves so do I forward the original DCA letters to KPMG or a copy? Any advice on wording for my covering letter? My poor hubby was panicking at the thought of phoning them himself as I was at work. As if I would do that to him!

Hi pammy1969.

I'd just get them over to your trust deed firm (originals or copies) and ask your contact to see that anyone new who has become involved (debt collection agencies for example) is contacted and told firmly to back-off!

More praise to heap on my IP. At least I think so!

I need to make a claim on my car insurance with an excess of £200 to pay. [:(!] So I phoned my IP to let them know as we don't yet have enough in our Car Fund to pay for it and we'd struggle to cope with this unexpected expense. A month or so back I asked on here about my hubby's Tax Rebate and what would happen to it. I mentioned this to KPMG today (the cash is in the bank waiting) and they said that they only want half and we could keep the rest! Which means that we have the money to pay the insurance excess and don't have to ask for a contribution decrease this month. Good news indeed!

Even better would have been to keep the lot but 50% is better than nothing!

That's good to hear Pam.

Sounds like with that bit of help from your trust deed firm all will be OK.