DMP Allowances

spinningtop_3

Hello

Been lurking here but need a bit of advice.

I have recently faced up to my huge debt and I have my appointment with CCCS tomorrow. (I'm terrified and feel like an idiot!)

I will be going through my budget tonight when I get home from work, but I'm a bit stuck on what I should be putting down. ie There's no point putting down my past costs for certain items, as I've been spending too much. I've heard people mention 'allowances' on here before with regard to DMPs. Does anyone have a list of what things are allowed/expected, and for how much for a single person? This might give me something to work with and will also prepare me for the possible shock of how much/little I might be expected to spend

Many thanks in advance - I'm sure I'm going to be round here for a long time to come!

Wonder_Girl

Show me what you have and i'll tell you what they should be

spinningtop_3

I thought you might say that! Sorry - haven't got my paperwork to hand as I'm at work right now.

Where I'm really struggling is that I haven't really got a 'proper' budget - my past spending is not really indicative of what I should spend.

Eg Food
I'm sure there are times when I've averaged £60+ in a week. At a guess, it's probably usually been around £40. However, I am currently spending less than this - partly because I've been doing a lot of creative cooking recently, and partly because I'm eating a lot of beans on toast :rolleyes: I'm just not sure what to say? Do I go for a low option to show willing that I'm making the effort (possibly tying myself to beans on toast for the next 10 years), or do I go for a higher figure?

What about travel? Eg my monthly travelcard (tube/bus/rail) costs £85.30. I could change this to just a bus one, for £52 - but then it would take me an hour each way to get to work rather than 30 mins, and an age to visit friends scattered across the city. What's the limit on travel - would I be able to have the proper travelcard for example, or only the bus one?

I'm a member of a martial arts school which costs me £35 per month. As well as keeping me fit, it also keeps me sane (necessary right now!). However, I am aware that this might be classed as 'leisure'. Would it be allowed - or do I have to try and find the money, eg from the food budget?

I've got a lot of debts to go through and it's going to be a long interview. I don't really want to go to them with a long list of everything I generally spend for them to say 'no, yes, no' - I suppose I just wanted to get it right or nearly right before I phone them so as not to waste their time.

I'm trying to put my house in order and live more frugally in the future, sticking to a budget. I suppose I'm just trying to get an idea of what's 'normal' for someone paying back debt.

Many thanks for yoru help. :T

Wonder_Girl

Not a problem,

Food guidelines for a single person is £126 - £168 but if you have a genuine reason for it being higher i.e allergies, diabetes etc it can be supported at a higer rate.

There is no limit on travel as long as it is justified, £85 is fine

The limit on leisure is a measly £15 but if you say it’s for this it could be supported, or you could bring it down and “hide” the rest in another area.

So long as you can afford £5 per creditor than a DMP won’t ba a problem, also don’t forget to budget for things like dentist (£5-10) sundries and emergencies (£10) etc.

Hope that helps,

Is your appointment tomorrow? If you want to post your budget here tomorrow day I will adjust it for you so it’s within our guidelines. Things you need are –

Rent/Mortgage
Secured loan/2nd mortgage
Mortgage endowment
Service charge/ground rent
Water (supply & waste)
Council tax
Gas
Electricity
Building and contents insurance
Landline
Internet
Mobiles
Satellite/cable rental
TV licence
Repairs, service contracts
Appliance rental
Child support paid by you
Childcare
CCJ’s
Life insurance
Private pension
Medical/accident insurance
Vehicle finance
Spares/servicing
Road tax
Car insurance
AA, RAC etc
Fuel & Parking
Fares and travel
Food, toiletries & cleaning
School meals
Meals at work
Pet food/insurance
Clothing and footwear
School trips/activities
Hairdressing
Professional/union fees
Laundry/dry cleaning
Medicines/prescriptions
Dentist
Opticians
Sports, hobbies and entertainment
Tobacco
Children’s pocket money
Church/charity donations
Sundries and emergencies

Hope that helps

mattp_3

It certainly is a fine balancing act:

1. you need to be able to live on the budget so dont put minimum amounts down for expenses - you'll go mad!!!! lol
2. the debts DO need to be paid off ultimately so its in your interest to pay off as much as is realistic
3. you wont be allowed "luxuries" - sadly any form of exercise is considered so - which means no martial arts subs/gyms etc - so best to increase your housekeeping slightly to absorb those costs (for one person I would go for £180 per month)
4. travel costs are usually easy to justify - without them you cant get to work = no money! but driving 250 miles per day to work in a £50k car is gonna upset your creditors. Public transport cant be argued with so dont worry.

Hope that helps a little?
good luck
Matt

spinningtop_3

Thanks for your responses - very useful. My interview is in the morning, before work so I won't be able to post it for correction tomorrow. I may well be on here again later on tonight though, giving it a bit of fine tuning.

Thanks for the list of items. Incidentally re food, I do have allergies, (dairy plus others) but I don't think that substituting soya milk and tofu for milk and cheese will give me enough clout for an increased budget!
The list makes interesting reading - church and tobacco included, but nothing for Christmas or birthday presents?

How much is allowed for the opticians? I pay £29.50 each month (Tesco) for my contact lenses. I know these are not the cheapest but I've got a problem with my eyes and have been advised to have these ones with the UV filter to avoid having more serious problems in later life.

Sorry for all the random questions!

Cheers

Wonder_Girl

Christmas and Birthdays is Sundries and emergencies, £30 a month a a lot for contacts but again if it is genuine it should be fine.

Re the food if you have allergies then an increased budget is fine, you only have to say you have allergies not specifically what they are

angeluk69_2

I just wanted to say well done to you for facing up to things, i did this back inapril and it was the best move i made.

As Mattp said luxuries are a no-no, as these are seen as unnessecary(sp?), make sure you buy a note pad or exercise book and keep a note of 'EVERYTHING' you pay for as this will help you to budget later on.

Good luck with your appt, and don't be scared they are really great!!!

james32_uk

You'll wonder what you were worrying about afterwards. These guys are great. Very understanding and easy to talk to., You'll feel so much better when you know your options. Good luck!