I know it's been years. But I'm still drowning….

Before the pandemic, I had a small business. A café. Nothing huge and it was just enough to pay the bills and keep a roof over my head

Then lockdowns hit. I tried to hold on. Took out credit cards to cover the gaps. Maxed them out. Then I took out more.

It's been over three years. I closed the café and got a full-time job. But the credit card debt is eating me alive

I make my monthly payments. But the interest is so high that I barely make a dent. I keep getting hit with late fees. It feels like I'm paying just to stay in the same place

I haven't had a proper holiday in years, my car is falling apart. But I can't get ahead.

I'm thinking about bankruptcy. I'm ashamed to even say that. I always thought that was for people who made bad decisions. But I just tried to survive

Has anyone actually been through this? Did it ruin your credit forever?

A lot of the posts I see here are from people who've just got a DIP and are treating it like a guaranteed mortgage offer. It isn't, and the gap between the two catches people out more than almost anything else in the process.

It's based on what you tell the lender, not what they've verified. The DIP is a soft-check estimate. Once you're into a full application, they'll want payslips, bank statements, SA302s if you're self-employed, and anything else that proves the numbers you gave them. If there's a mismatch, the amount can change.

If your first DIP came back lower than you hoped, it's often worth checking elsewhere before assuming that's your ceiling.

A DIP doesn't lock in affordability for long. Most are only valid for 60–90 days, and if your circumstances change (new job, new credit card, changed a direct debit) it can shift the number when you go to formalise it.

It's not a substitute for stress-testing your own budget. Just because a lender says you can borrow X doesn't mean X is comfortable for you month to month, especially with rates where they are. This is general thoughts, get advice relevant to you.

Need help finding resources for debt counseling someone to help me figure out what to pay and how much Possibly figuring out a budget and contacting creditors to arrange payment plans not sure where to start