Off ya Fuck Debt Collectors, for a bit, PLEASE!

Warning - Expletives are used in this post, a bit at least.

So yeah #SorryNotSorry for the use of them here. Because well,

about this, at this time.

Also, quite frankly the fact that this post has been written is a huge step anyways even if in reading this you may think it’s not the right way to go about this which well this is the only way that will work for me.

Intro

The followup to this post will come out later now that I am back writing again.

It will like many that touch on politics & society, (like this one) intentionally challenge the current norms. This will provide some further suggestions into ways to potentially improve the vastness that is the Creditor & Debtor relationship processes, as what we have right now, really doesn’t scale properly in a way that is not incredibly mentally taxing.

However, that’s a really long post that will analyse the problem statements with each offering under UK Law as part of the Consumer Credit Agreement Act (CCA) as well as build a number of pragmatic and sensible suggestions as how to improve this complex mess of law going forward.

But, at the end of the day, not only am I still fucking breathing I have been contributing along the way as well, even if I have not been getting paid for the time I put into things, as much as I’d like that to be happening, but the world of opensource is a difficult place to get paid in, no matter how skilled you are in that area.

It’s always difficult trying to get back on track but slowly I am getting there.

But I do want to be able to move the FUCK ON with my life, for now - hence this post - & get back to a place where my daily finances as well as my historic debts aren’t something that feels like I am unable to manage.

Background

• I’m currently being crushed with debt - with from what I can tell right now is around about £50,000, at time of writing this, after dumping what I know of into a spreadsheet & currently I can’t really see a way where this won’t increase further as things are.

  • This comes from a mixture of Priority Bills (Rent, Council Tax, Water, Gas, Electric) Credit Cards, Loans, Overdraft, Mobile, Home Internet as well as a large amount of Debt Collector Fees on these debts.
  • As well as money that family or friends have lent or given me.

• This started with some accounts that I had prior to losing my dad to cancer in 2022 & when I was working and more than able to manage multiple lines of credit with no issue. I was also saving & spending somewhat wisely too making use of many cost saving options that aren’t available when you are counting the pennies.

• I had a long term personal finance plan, in part to make it suitable for me to get a mortgage between 2025 & 2028. That’s likely not possible now unless miracles happen.

• I also lost my job that year due to my own fault.

• I have had health issues that have got worse bit by bit every year since 2020, some could have permanent lasting impact however time will tell on those.

• I then also in 2020 had 2 cars written off in accidents that weren’t my fault that year too, stopping me being able to take up lots of different types of work due to needing to travel to them & public transport to many of them isn’t suitable due to my worsening health.

That seems bad enough but

• I was on Universal Credit from 2022 until 2025 when I started University.

  • £300 (plus my rent paid direct) a month with health issues really doesn’t go far at all with increased costs in every aspect of life due to not having a car.
  • I was declined for PIP (Personal Independence Payment) on 2 occasions.

• I then spent months fighting the job search & had multiple interviews, most didn’t go anywhere due to a mixture of different reasons. As is the way with applying to work for others.

  • Not only was I applying for IT roles I was searching for all kinds of work but had to take in to consideration my health with those roles.
  • Not having a car impacted in this area compounded with how my health had been impacted, meant that often I couldn’t even consider a large number of roles. Especially those with regular expensive travel.

• I had 3 offers, 2 I accepted (forced into it due to DWP’s Universal Credit Claimants Requirements) and one that was revoked because I had accepted another.

  • I didn’t last in either role for long & one of those I can’t really discuss & the other I misjudged the role whilst interviewing whilst also being very early on after loosing my dad.

• Due to that in October 2023 I was made homeless due to rent arrears but was in the end a no-fault eviction.

  • I used all my savings as well as everything left to me in my dads estate to keep myself in that house, even though it was one I wasn’t happy in.
  • I also had kept lines of credit open and in use, as I was hoping that I’d get through this all and secure paid work in my field prior to and after being evicted.
  • I did get temporary accomodation, but had to push for it.
  • I got housed end of Jan 2024. If I hadn’t accepted this home, I’d have been made intentionally homeless, so I just took it.
  • I still haven’t been able to make this house feel comfortable, mostly because of a lack of viable income to do the big bits that need doing all at once & aspects that architecturally irritate me. I’ve

• 2024 -> 2025 I still was looking through the market, but no longer seeing roles that I could guarantee would fit my requirement at the time to be working mostly from home.

Early 2025 I was thinking serious about going to University.

The Day my nan passed away I decided I was definitely doing it & started the process for it.

I was accepted by University of Derby to study which stopped my eligibility for Universal Credit & a monthly income that covered my rent & now DWP are asking for just under £1600 back. Yet I believe that I should be entitled to PIP due to my health at this time, which my last application was declined.

Stress and my health has impacted my studying massively so far. Along with other things. More on that another time.

As such I’ve focused on the things I can do where it hasn’t required me leaving the house. Especially during the last few cold winter months due again to my health.

I am hopeful to as they say pivot and turn things around, though this seems really hard at this point in time.

So yeah, fuck off DCA’s, please. At least for now.

I am going to put it nice and clear here.

For the avoidance of doubt,

• I DO NOT permit any Debt Collector’s Agents to visit me at my home, without myself having previously granted them an appointment to visit me.

  • Which I will not be granting, and as such any that do turn up will at first be politely told to go away. Their failure to do so will not leave me best pleased, to say the least & well take that however you decide to.
  • It’s worth noting I will protect my right to my peaceful enjoyment of my home, which is why I am being explicit here about this point.

• I DO NOT permit any Debt Collector’s Agents to call me either without an explicit time slot.

• Even then I reserve the right not to talk to them either if it isn’t something that I want to deal with that day.

• I do still permit letters & emails to be sent.

  • Whether I respond to them promptly, nicely or even at all is another matter. Though this post is also for me to say openly that I intend to do better with this and deal with things more consistently even if it just a reply that links to this post, which I realise may not be something that these organisations allow their agents to view, but quite frankly, that’s not my problem, that’s theirs.

This post is so that I can take back control from today - 20th March 2026 until a time where I am back in Full Control and can look at actioning things further and appropriately.

I realise that this being open ended is not optimal, as such, I am initially saying with this post that this is in effect from 20th March 2026 until 1st October 2026. This allows me then to get through the end the university year, potentially work (on things where I actually get paid) through the summer and come back to it all either in or before October.

This is essentially me pointing out that all options available to me at this time I do not think are suitable at this time after doing a analysis of them over what has been multiple different points in time over many years.

I appreciate that this is unorthodox and going against the grain and norms but quite frankly, I really couldn’t fucking care less right now.

This area of life (repaying old creditors that have sold on the debt) is less important to me whilst I am in University, than keeping what accounts I have running still, in as good a manner as possible, whilst continuing to count every single penny before I spend anything.

I had hoped to be in position where I could have managed, paid everything off and continued to build up my credit rating with income from working or other earnings, and if things hadn’t gone the way they did prior to the end of 2023, then well this post would never have gotten written. Some of the possible options weren’t or aren’t easily made available to me for a manner of different reasons.

I had hoped that this had not been the case & I would not have got to this point, alas, here we are.

To those that have sent me money over the years.

I can only thank you time and time again for helping me out during what has been some very difficult years as of late. Whether that actually be family, friends, or those people I have engaged with across the community, and even the original creditors that I had accounts with, who I do wish things had been different and been able to maintain those accounts.

Whether it be a small amount to help with things like domain renewals that have popped up (which I will be getting more writing on them soon) or some larger amounts that have come around, these have been immensely helpful and very very much appreciated.

This help will never be forgotten and if had been agreed as a loan, will be repaid to you at some time, and with interest, even if that is in the form of food/drinks etc. It will also be paid forward to, either to initiatives helping those less fortunate & struggling, or to larger initiatives like charities etc, like I used to do. This will be when I am in a position to do so which I can only hope will be sometime in the not to distant future.

I will also if I get the chance to thank you all in person & put some food & drink in your belly, but that’ll have to wait until I can afford to venture out & whilst I have attempted a few events and outings in the recent years, I don’t want to commit to anything to then have to pull out of them. Which is why I am not submitting for events like Scottish Summit or running own at this time.

The “Techy/Business” comparison.

With this post one could say that I am publicly highlighting that my Financial Domains has been breeched and suffering ongoing attack which is incurring a lower level of required and agreed service and as such is currently in a locked down partly-isolated & segmented state from it’s Desired State of Configuration to enable it’s most Optimal & Efficient operational modes whilst I attempt to perform deep level analysis, form a recovery plan & get back on track.

This is one that I already know may require me to drop out from University to do so, which I really don’t want to to and re-attempt the job search, but more on that another time.

On that note - please check out the new stuff coming in the world of DSC - Desired State Configuration from the PowerShell Team as well as OpenDSC

The Future, is still bright, I think.

Whilst this area of life (managing complex finances) can be a challenge & getting out of a hole like this is difficult, especially when you have no fixed regular monthly income, particularly that is at an amount that properly covers all areas that I need to survive properly.

I have this really stubborn streak in that I keep getting back up and rebounding time and time again.

Whilst it’s certainly taking longer to do so than I’d like. I still have lots of hope for things eventually getting better because well, they have to.

I know many people will know the phrase The futures bright, the future is Orange well I’m not gonna suggest a colour for the future just yet. But I definitely don’t think it’s a dark colour, that’s for sure.

But no matter what Together we can make it - They can't keep us down & I’m far from being down and out yet!

Through all this I am trying to hold my colours against the wall

whilst still breathing & listening to all my happy tracks

Closing

This post was brought to you by the annoyance of opening my post across many different days and seeing nothing that excited me, only filled me with fuck I actually do have to deal with this shit sometime and the dread that brought me.

It has been in draft for a while and had many edits along the way.

Today however, it comes to you on a day where the joys of finances during University life have left me without some of the important things to get by in life like credit on my phone, or milk in the fridge for my coffee or tea, a sensible variety of food to get me by until the next maintenance loan comes in the middle of next month.

This is not to say that I am openly saying that I am in desperate need of financial support though it always helps & is appreciated. This is especially true when it has been towards food & drink when in person in the past at events but also during the last few years too.

Every small comment or message along the lines of keep strong or sorry to see you are struggling does help, as it strengthens the power of the community and the hope that things can get better.

I say this as especially when I see all the events happening in the likes of Ukraine, the Middle East & Africa where there are active warzones.

One day I will be back on my feet properly and being able to attend events, plan events & present at ones in the future too.

Hopefully one of my future posts will be announcing exactly just that.

For I hope you all have a great weekend, if reading this around the time of posting. If not I hope you have a great day & thanks for reading & also lastly PowerShell 7.6.0 just got released this week which includes a small code change that I made as part of the bits of work that I can do, easily enough, from anywhere in the world. Work that also includes helping issue triage & discussion within the PowerShell repo and with the different working groups I am a part of, which i am thankful of being able to contribute where and when I can.

So if you use PowerShell go check out 7.6.0 you can see my minor addition & one that since then I’ve also noticed a similar UX issue that I did not see during development that I hope to fix at somepoint in the future too.