What are Essential Outgoings?

fatbelly · 20 January 2007 at 10:13PM

anniecave wrote:

I don't understand those figures. If I am a single person what would the £190 be for ?

Food and housekeeping (cleaning, toiletries, newspapers, laundry, fags, booze)for a month - means that you don't have to itemise things separately.

fatbelly · 20 January 2007 at 10:18PM

mizmir wrote:

But on the allowable budgets - the amount for groceries allowed is huge - so surely that could offset the dog?

Yes it could. That's what a lot of people do.

Remember those figures are for food and housekeeping (cleaning, toiletries, newspapers, laundry, fags, booze) - covers more than just groceries. Trust me, if you smoke, that allowance doesn't look huge!

anniecave · 24 January 2007 at 2:42PM

so the £190 is a catchall for everything that wouldn't be covered elsewhere?

My apologies for implying that £50 per month was a lot for a pet, I would agree that keeping pets can be expensive.

I guess if you work out what you do spend per month and what categories the items would come in and take it from there.

Would petrol for a car or travel to work costs also come into this category then?

sarzit_2 · 24 January 2007 at 2:59PM

I have been on a debt management plan with CCCS for nearly 2 years, and have found them extremely helpful.

In coming up with your initial management plan, they will take you through a whole list of items, and you can talk through with them what to allocate against what. To my surprise they ask you about if you have daily newspapers and magazines etc, allocate amounts towards haircuts, dentist, prescriptions, glasses, hobbies and leisure, pets, shoes and clothes...all sorts of things.

I have found that my monthly outgoings on hobbies and leisure have recently increased due to my childrens' clubs - dance, drums, basketball etc and a residential school trip that needs monthly payment. It took me over their recommended amount for leisure, so we played around with some of the other figures so that the end result of the expenditure stayed the same, but it was allocated in different categories. CCCS are there to help you, so it's best to be completely honest with how much you spend on EVERYTHING, as they have the know how as to what is acceptable to your creditors.

belfast_2 · 24 January 2007 at 10:46PM

I think the £40 a month maximum gas allowance is a joke. Gas has went up here by 150% since last year. It would cost about £40 per week to heat my house.

Sadly I can't afford that and now I am freezing with this cold snap. :snow_laug

fatbelly · 25 January 2007 at 1:14AM

It seems a bit tight to me too. My guess is that creditors would not object to £50 or 60 per month - but try £40 per week and they'd probably suggest you had something wrong with your insulation.

belfast_2 · 28 January 2007 at 2:40PM

The ironic thing is that I worked for the Energy Savings Trust and know how to save money by insulation and by turning down thermosat etc etc and my house is still freezing

I think i'll just keep shivering untill summer

What are Essential Outgoings?

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