First Time post on here - felt sick and a loser

scootw1

barnaby-bear wrote:

He's in a non-freeview area so can't get that HOWEVER he has the dish so can get FREESAT - he said he can't get that because his kids wouldn't like the range of channels.

He's put CTB as income and taken it off so council tax is a net 0.

Okay, I mentioned tough choices above and I'm afraid that the Sky is one of those tough things. The kids will have to put up with the channels. Many families in Britain simply cannot afford Sky so have to put up with the free channels. This is not meant to sound harsh and I hope the OP takes this the way it's meant, as a help.

plumduff-2

Right ok - doke... had a good look at the initial income and expenditure... OP does not have rent and CT to pay... what he has done is put the full amounts down as expenditure but also put the full amount of HB/CTB as income...

So my figures based on his, would be as follows:

INCOME (all don per calander month...)
Occu pension £217.49
Income Support £45.98
Child ben £126.32
Tax Credits £321.53
Carers Allow. £187.80
Total income = £899.12 per calander month...

EXPENDITURE
no rent or CT as full HB/CTB
life cover £43
gas £60
Elec £97
water £29
phone / internet £65
sky/tv lic £70
clothes £125
birt/xmas £100
vets £119
ext warrenty £14

Total expenses £722

But... OP has forgotten housekeeping... and dont forget, I have not included any paymetns to loans etc, cos if he did go BR, then these wouldnt be paid...

So he has around £177 per calendar month for food, or if I was doing the I&E, I owudl put the food and clothing figures together and put £302... the guidelines for debt advisers for housekeeping is for a couple with children £483 per month so this is well within guidleines and would be accepted by the OR in BR...

So OP could afford his household expenses, what he is having difficulties with is paying the debts, which again, if he went BR would be written off...

barnaby-bear

scootw1 wrote:

Okay, I mentioned tough choices above and I'm afraid that the Sky is one of those tough things. The kids will have to put up with the channels. Many families in Britain simply cannot afford Sky so have to put up with the free channels. This is not meant to sound harsh and I hope the OP takes this the way it's meant, as a help.

This particular poster feels he can't make these choices and is unable to modify lifestyle. Hence why people get frustrated. He feels in his situation changes are not possible.
I don't think there is a implementable solution to the expenditure greater than income issue unless someone comes up with a £500 pcm benefit they should and aren't getting.

barnaby-bear

plumduff-2 wrote:

But... OP has forgotten housekeeping... and dont forget, I have not included any paymetns to loans etc, cos if he did go BR, then these wouldnt be paid...

So he has around £177 per calendar month for food, or if I was doing the I&E, I owudl put the food and clothing figures together and put £302... the guidelines for debt advisers for housekeeping is for a couple with children £483 per month so this is well within guidleines and would be accepted by the OR in BR...

So OP could afford his household expenses, what he is having difficulties with is paying the debts, which again, if he went BR would be written off...

House keeping is in there - £900 pcm (food and cleaning products)

scootw1

plumduff-2 wrote:

Right ok - doke... had a good look at the initial income and expenditure... OP does not have rent and CT to pay... what he has done is put the full amounts down as expenditure but also put the full amount of HB/CTB as income...

So my figures based on his, would be as follows:

INCOME (all don per calander month...)
Occu pension £217.49
Income Support £45.98
Child ben £126.32
Tax Credits £321.53
Carers Allow. £187.80
Total income = £899.12 per calander month...

EXPENDITURE
no rent or CT as full HB/CTB
life cover £43
gas £60
Elec £97
water £29
phone / internet £65
sky/tv lic £70
clothes £125
birt/xmas £100
vets £119
ext warrenty £14

Total expenses £722

But... OP has forgotten housekeeping... and dont forget, I have not included any paymetns to loans etc, cos if he did go BR, then these wouldnt be paid...

So he has around £177 per calendar month for food, or if I was doing the I&E, I owudl put the food and clothing figures together and put £302... the guidelines for debt advisers for housekeeping is for a couple with children £483 per month so this is well within guidleines and would be accepted by the OR in BR...

So OP could afford his household expenses, what he is having difficulties with is paying the debts, which again, if he went BR would be written off...

Sorry Plumduff, the housekeeping is what we are trying to bring down to the sort of figure you mention. That's why I said he needs to reduce expenditure. Simply going bankrupt won't be nearly enough

scootw1

by the way, slightly aside, what is allowable by OR for a single person?

plumduff-2

Ah well I stand corrected, I only looked at the first figures... didnt see them there... well as you say, one needs to cut his cloth accordingly.. £900 per month on food is well out of the guidelines, however, one of my colleagues successfully argued that a family of 9 should be able to spend £1200 per month on food and housekeeping.. but by my calcs, he only has about £300 for this... the amount for birthdays and Xmas is also high and if you aint got it then you shouldnt spend it...

Perhaps Fred is trying to overcompensate his children during christmas, birthdays and through posket money due to the pressures of living in a household with the additional pressures his has..?

Although, he should look at reducing these - love is more important than money splashed out...

plumduff-2

scootw1 wrote:

by the way, slightly aside, what is allowable by OR for a single person?

Food and clothing guidelines for money advisers, which should be accepteed by creditors when completing a I&E are:

couple no kids £314
couple with kids £483 (although this can be increased with more children)
single person £215
single parent £364 (increased with more children)

There is also an amount for children
£38 for couple with kids and £68 for single parent... all monthly..

OR's are well known for being even more generous than this.. so if you are single you could probably put £215 for food and an additional amount for clothing on a BR petition...

scootw1

plumduff-2 wrote:

Ah well I stand corrected, I only looked at the first figures... didnt see them there... well as you say, one needs to cut his cloth accordingly.. £900 per month on food is well out of the guidelines, however, one of my colleagues successfully argued that a family of 9 should be able to spend £12 per month on food and housekeeping.. but by my calcs, he only has about £300 for this... the amount for birthdays and Xmas is also high and if you aint got it then you shouldnt spend it...

Perhaps Fred is trying to overcompensate his children during christmas, birthdays and through posket money due to the pressures of living in a household with the additional pressures his has..?

Although, he should look at reducing these - love is more important than money splashed out...

I think you're right. Again, a few months without pockey money and perhaps less on Christmas and birthdays will go a long way to clearing debts if he doesn't want to go br but would be a good thing anyway if he did go BR.

By the way, do you mean £1200 not £12?

scootw1

plumduff-2 wrote:

Food and clothing guidelines for money advisers, which should be accepteed by creditors when completing a I&E are:

couple no kids £314
couple with kids £483 (although this can be increased with more children)
single person £215
single parent £364 (increased with more children)

There is also an amount for children
£38 for couple with kids and £68 for single parent... all monthly..

OR's are well known for being even more generous than this.. so if you are single you could probably put £215 for food and an additional amount for clothing on a BR petition...

I'm puttin 240 for food, tolietries and clothes altogether. Reasonable? Too high, too low?