Short version is, due to health I have been unable to work for the last 4 years and am unlikely to be able to work in the forseeable future (although my illness isn't terminal).
I have about £13000 of debts with various companies ranging from £500 to £3500 each.
At present I am paying minimum payments to all of them with interest frozen (this has been done for the last 3 years). While this is good from the point of view that I'm only paying around £30 per month to cover all of them, if I continue how I'm going, I will still owe 1000s in 20 years time.
Some months I can afford to pay off a lot more, but others, depending on what bills I get etc, I cant. So I am reluctant to offer them more as some months I wont be able to afford it.
I would rather save the money and pay each debt off in full one by one. A few have written to me in the past offering me the option of a one off settlement figure, so this seems to me to be the best route to follow.
The big question is, how much should I offer? I appreciate they don't have to accept my offer but as I want to clear my debts in the next few years rather than still having them in 20 years, if say I owe one company £3500, I don't want to offer them a final one off payment of £3000 if they are likely to accept/consider £2000. On the other hand I want them to take me seriously.
Any advice please?
Many thanks
Peter