Hi,

I too have been where you are, me and my partner both work and could just cover the bills but literally had nothing left for anything else- we used credit cards for food etc until they got maxed out- i was very stressed!

Now i have contacted CCCS and they have been great. I would say avoid an IVA if possible its a legally binding agreement with little flexibility and is usually only advised if situation is serious. A DMP would probably be a good option for you if youre both working- thats what we have now- its a huge relief, it of course affects your credit rating but anything does!

If youre wary of this why not contact the companies individually and sort out a 3 month or 6 month plan with each (we did this first to see if we could sort ourselves out) usually they freeze interest and reduce your min payments.

Please remember that while it is scary for you personally to be in that situation as you probably (like me) thought i would never happen to you, so many people are in the same or much worse states. All the companies i spoke to had a team to talk about the interest freezing plans (imagine how many calls they take a day!) and the CCCS is so busy i had to wait about 5 weeks after my initial phone call with them (although they do give you immediate help ie a ref number to contact creditors with who then freeze interest etc until your deal with CCCS is completed) until my next appointment.

Good luck x