great big hole, cant see the light.......

pandaonmyshoulder

Don't see any Working Families Tax Credit, CTC or CB in your SOA?? The maintenance for your child by previous relationship, was this assessment done when your earnings were higher or when you didn't have g/friend and additional children living with you? If so perhaps you should ask to be re assessed.

iwanttosave_2

Have you checked what tax credits or benefits you are entitled to if any?

I am sure you already have but its always worth a try even if its only £10 a week

http://entitledto.com/

Also £400 is still massivly high I could feed an army for that, I feed me, OH and 2 kids (kids eat loads) and I spend about £35 a week in asda. maybe a trip to OS board could help

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=33

fivemice

Do you get tax credits of any kind?
Any other benefits like child benefit?

£300 is still quite high - I posted my SOA last night and someone told me they feed 2 adults and 2 children on £100pm, and I know it's possible because I used to do it too. I'm assuming the baby is formula fed to be included in the food budget, can your girlfriend get milk vouchers? Which supermarket do you use? Could you switch to a cheaper one? I don't want to pry, but could your gf put some money towards household bills too?

Could you get a second job and work your self-employed business around that? My hubbie is a computer technician and he does this. His second job is related to his first job.

Can you cut the sky out? Or if not out, then down completely? I'm sure you can just cancel the sky, keep your box and get the freeview channels for free.

Tr@cker

Ive been given no 'lousy advice' and dont need an IVA and no i dont work for an I.P. firm. I just dont take what so-and-so says for granted, i check it out for myself:

This line from the National Debtline pack:

' An IVA HAS to bet set up by an insolvency practitioner '

Have a look for yourself.

iwanttosave_2

Also does this include child benefit, you should be reciving £40 a week for 3 children.

sparkysi

All the benefits and stuff are in my girlfriends name, she is also in a fair bit of debt left when her husband died a couple of years ago, so most of her money goes on that.

The maintenance was agreed between my ex and I, so no CSA assessment or anything.

fivemice

Are you on good terms with your ex? Could you explain your situation to her and ask if you could cut the maintenance down temporarily while you sort yourself out?
I don't know what the going rate is for maintenance, but I know my dad currently pays my mum about £80 a month for my 16yr old sister, so even if you halved it you'd be paying 2.5times what my dad does!

fairylights_2

I hate to sound mean, but your girlfriend gets the benefits and you pay the bills? Perhaps this would be a good time for you both to pool EVERYTHING - incomings and debts - to get it clear together. Since you have a baby, you already have a commitment to each other, and you really need to be on an even keel to get through all this. Even if she's not earning (which is understandable at this point in time) you should try to sort it between you. We have less a month coming in than you do, and get a fair whack in tax credit which made clearing our debt viable.

Perhaps you should redo your SOA for the household rather than just for you?

sparkysi

Thanks for the comments etc. Re my ex, we are on good terms, Most months I dont give her the money in one lump as I just dont have the cash flow to do so, she doesnt get the hump or anything. Having said that I think I may have to tell her to go see the CSA or something and have it assesed by an outsider. Just dont like the idea of dealing with the CSA as they tend to mess everything up.

My main concern is that my debt is going to take over 40 years to repay at the amount available, I just dont see anyone agreeing to the repayments, IF for example get a total of about £40 a month against about £32k of debt, total nonsense.

I really do think I am getting poor advice, I would of expected that given the periods involved that bankruptcy would be my only option as an IVA is not available.

Really dont know and frankly I have a bit of a flap on now because of this warrant of execution.

Hohum.....

sparkle84

Tr&#64 wrote: »

The CCCS do NOT get debt reductions southernscouser they can help negotiate repayment of the entire debt how ever long thta takes.

Neither do Kensington or Spectrum or the like the only way of getting a reduction is entering an IVA which is completly different, payplan can arrange an IVA through Shaw's I think this is what Southern meant, certainly the OP is being ripped off and he should ditch Kensington who are not IP anyway