During Simon’s first marriage he admits to living beyond his means, spending money on holidays and maintaining their lifestyle.  By the time he and his wife split up Simon, (42) from Derby, was left with a debt of £30,000, an amount he found difficult to deal with on his Civil Servant’s wage.

“I took out a loan from my bank for £25,000,” said Simon, “but with interest charges on top I never seemed to be getting any closer to paying things off.  I even ended up having to put my day-to-day shopping on my credit card.

“The pressure of dealing with debt took its toll.  I felt really desperate and suffered from depression for around three years.  I was on anti-depressants and sleeping tablets but I threw myself into my work and thankfully I had some great friends who supported me and stopped me harming myself.

“I was fed up having to juggle the debts each month and as it was affecting my health I knew I had to seek help.  I found out about PayPlan through the Civil Service helpline, Right Corecare, and phoned them up.”

When Simon joined PayPlan he owed £25,000.  He currently pays £206.10 a month into his Debt Management Plan and now owes £9,000.  Previously he was paying £600 a month to his creditors.

“PayPlan worked out my budget and contacted my creditors to agree a more comfortable amount to pay back monthly.  They also got them to freeze the interest which has made a difference.  I’ve put a strict budget in place and only buy items I need.  The main thing is, I’m now living within my means.

“Life’s more comfortable and there’s no stress. I’ve remarried and have a four-year-old daughter.  With my debts sorted I’ve been able to start a family, something which has always been very important to me.

“I’m less anxious, I’m overcoming my depression and all in all it’s made me a better person to live with.”