. . . but I couldn't be sure because I needed advice I could trust. Getting into debt hadn't been hard. Credit cards gave me money for holidays, entertainment and lifestyle purchases. It all seemed so easy - and exciting. Then I wanted a car, so I took out a personal loan for £10,000 to cover driving lessons and insurance too.
I soon ended up juggling the cards, using cash advances from one to pay the minimum monthly balance on another. When I moved out of home into shared accommodation, my living expenses increased and I found it increasingly difficult to keep up the minimum payments. By this time I was using the cards to supplement basic living expenses. Luxuries were a distant memory.
A new job brought higher wages, but I moved into my own council flat and used my credit cards to furnish it. I tried paying off the £10,000 car loan and three credit cards with a £14,000 consolidation loan, resolving to stop using my credit cards. But it was hard to break my spending habits and I soon built up unmanageable debts.
My minimum monthly repayments were more than I could possibly afford. I realised that I was never going to have enough money to live on and I contacted Debt Free Direct after I saw an advert on TV. They were brilliant at talking me through my debt problems, explaining all of my choices not just debt management. They told me how much faster I'd get out of debt with an IVA and their help was free too. Now my creditors have written off my remaining debts and I'm paying an amount I can afford each month.
