End in Sight?: May 07 - Sept 07
During the 2 years that we had the IVA, we had our ups and downs like most people. We had the months where we just could not afford even the cheapest of bread and had to raid the depths of the freezer for anything that would resemble food. Then we had the months where things were rolling along nicely and things were finally starting to look up as we had to keep reminding ourselves that we were almost half way there.
However, little did we know that my husbands job would do it again! It was announced in May 2007 that he would be going to Afghanistan in the November. This was a major blow to us even though it was expected at some time, its always one of those things that seems to happen to everyone else. It was the moment I dreaded most but somehow and I am still not over it, this point proved to be the turning point in our IVA journey. The news of my husbands departure was a low point with the what ifs etc and it was during this low point that he contacted his mum and told her all about our worries and eventually the conversation ended up with money. Ashamed and mortified, we told her the whole sordid story of us spending money we didnt have, just because we could and the bubble finally burst. She promptly rang off and there are no words to describe how my husband felt when she did that. Yet literally 2 minutes later she rang us back offering us money to pay off our debts.
We have never seen eye to eye, his mum and me, but I now have renewed respect for her. This was a woman that always argued with me yet she was willing to put her life savings on the line for us. I will never be able to forget this and will always be grateful to her for giving us that one chance to put our mistakes behind us.
The process was very quick after that and our creditors meeting was set for 17 September 2007. My husband seemed really calm compared to me. I was a complete wreck, cant remember sleeping or eating the day before the meeting, I paced the living room until the small hours while he snored upstairs! Typical!
The meeting was set for 10 am and at 11 I rang up to be told that they wait for the end of the end of the day to make sure all votes are in etc before they say whether it was accepted or not. Panic set in big style with all the questions setting in. Why the delay? All I could think about was some of the creditors had said no and they were trying to get the votes in. Yet another sleepless night. At 10 am the following morning, I received the call I had waited so long for. Our final offer of £11,500 had been accepted! Again I broke down! With the payments already made, our creditors would receive 33 p in the £ on an original debt of £62,000. The next 2 weeks were spent on cloud 9. I just could not believe that what seemed like a very long journey starting way back in 1998 was soon to be over. We could finally say that we owe noone any money!
