Have you ever stopped talking to your family and friends and hid how you were feeling because the truth of what was happening to you (financially) was too much for you to deal with?

 

Trust me – you’re not alone.  That was me.

 

One afternoon I came home to a letter stuck on my door – they were going to repossess my house.

 

Have you ever felt so desperate, despondent, defeated and thought you could never get out of the cycle of debt that has crept up on you?   That’s where I was at on that day.  I couldn’t pay any of my bills. As far as I was concerned; it was all over.

 

This was about five years ago, I made two telephone calls that day would change my life.

 

One was to my bank; the other to the National Debt Helpline.

 

The bank told me they were going to repossess my house. The National Debt Helpline told me to contact a Financial Counsellor/Financial Capability Worker in my hometown.

 

Yep.  Didn’t make me happy – what sort of advice was that?

 

I called the not-for-profit organisation; made an appointment and met a Financial Capability Worker (poor fella). I was angry, I was hurt…I didn’t like being there and didn’t like telling him what was going on in my life (trust me; he knew how I was feeling). He went and got a Financial Counsellor to come and meet with me (and if the truth be known, I was not very nice to him either). Basically, I didn’t care anymore. In my head, I’d lost my house and I didn’t have anywhere to go.  I hated the world (and them).

 

As a single mum to one, all I ever wanted was a roof over my head and to be safe.  That’s really all I had ever wanted. 

 

Like everyone, I wanted my own home – my own, safe place.  Nothing flash, just a roof over our heads, I just needed us both to be safe.  For me it wasn’t the “Great Australian Dream”, it was because I’d spent my early childhood growing up in a “Home” (and that’s a story for another day).

 

I had left school reasonably young, so in my late teens and early 20’s I would take any job…sometimes three jobs to make ends meet.  I saved and saved and saved, and eventually I had enough for a deposit and brought a house (well; I got a mortgage).  As time went on, the jobs paid more and the financial stability was greater.

 

Eventually I felt financially stable enough to grow my family  - it was still difficult as I was still on my own, but I was paying the bills and I knew I could provide a good home for children who had been through a similar childhood to what I had known. My foster children will always be part of our family.

 

Fast forward…I’m in my late 40’s.  Life should have been good. Things change.  I changed professions; I wasn’t earning money like I used to earn.  Everything changed (and I thought it should have got better and easier).  The kids grew up and I was on my own.   Little did I know, one day it was about to get worse….much worse.

 

And that’s the day I made those two phone calls that changed my life.

 

I am a very proud, very strong single mother.  It has always been hard for me to ask for help from my family (or my children).  On this day, I was at my lowest point ever in my life.

 

Then I met this fella (Financial Counsellor) who sat me down and helped me find a way out of a very messy, very ugly situation.

 

It wasn’t easy.  It was one of the hardest things I had to do (ever) and trust me I’d survived some pretty horrible times in my life.

 

I had to be honest about my finances; I had to be honest about my financial failings and I had to be honest with myself.

 

My Financial Counsellor gave me a way forward. It wasn’t a way out – it was a plan we developed together to share with everyone I owed money to to get myself out of a horrible debt situation.

 

It took months.

 

We did it.  I was (reasonably) debt free. I didn’t lose my house and we developed a budget to pay off my debts.

 

Fast forward. I understood the need to develop a budget, my understanding of developing a budget (my  financial literacy)  improved and  I eventually became a Financial Capability Worker and started to help my mob who were in the same situation as I had been.  I applied for a scholarship to become a Financial Counsellor – and was successful.

 

I’m now studying to be a Financial Counsellor.

 

 If I can get out of the worst possible debt, I know anyone can.

 

Conclusion.  It’s not easy.  It’s probably going to be the hardest thing you ever do.  Don’t ever be too shame to ask for help, because if you can ask for help, like me; you might be able to get yourself out of an ugly situation, get back on track and live your life without a fear of the financial debts in your life.

 

Trudi

February 2022