DMP "extras"

**laura**

On the back of another thread, when doing a DMP budget do stepchange advise about accounting for things like Xmas savings/holidays by increasing your budget elsewhere? For eg I have just seen a post about putting the max down for groceries and the possibly actually spending less and using the difference for things like Xmas/hols. When filling in the figures will step change help with this??
I need to pay my mum £375 per month and will need to account for this elsewhere in my budget as its s debt to family and won't be "allowed" I assume. X

NaughtySpot

Hi **laura**

Just be totally straight with stepchange about what you owe, if you don't you will become unstuck later. It doesn't matter that it's a family debt. Gifts are accounted for in your monthly budget alothough it is a small amount which is why people make cuts in other areas to supplement. If you take the maximum allowed it will give you a bit of spare, although your debts will take longer to clear, obviously.

DandelionPatrol

How much do you owe your mum, how much do you owe total and how much do you have to repay debt? It may be a good idea to default and pay mum off before thinking of going on a DMP particularly if you could pay mum off quickly by throwing everything at that debt. - Although this is against the spirit of a DMP and I doubt the DMP providers would engage with that option at the outset.

Really you need to do a SoA and post it here for comment on your best way forward.

**laura**

Thank you Naughtyspot. Do stepchange advise on the maximum and do they advise you to put them all in?

**laura**

Hi dandelion. We are only making token £1 payments ATM to all creditors as OH is in a low paid temp job (after losing his £50k one!). We don't have anything spare as we had a month of missed mortgage payments that we are paying back at £200 per month for the next 3. My mum lives off our money monthly (we received a lump sum a few years ago for house deposit and pay her back monthly for her to spend) it's her only disposable income. We couldn't afford to repay her in one go - I think we have about 11 months of £375 left, ish. It's hard to even produce a SOA as hubs has no guaranteed wage!

glentoran99

Laura, if you don't have anything to spare then a DMP wouldn't be for you, Your mortgage payments are the priority, if you've nothing spare then you cant possibly agree a DMP

**laura**

hi glen, we will have spare once OH is working -we are under Stepchange now and making temp arrangements but im thinking ahead to when we hopefully have a wage coming in x

NaughtySpot

**laura** wrote: »

Thank you Naughtyspot. Do stepchange advise on the maximum and do they advise you to put them all in?

Yes they will tell you what their amounts are as guidelines for budget amounts. Yes put all your debts in definitely.

The only problem may be that they like to treat all creditors equally so giving your mum a set amount may not sit well with them. Find out off your mum how much longer you have to go (although I do wonder what she is going to live off when this stops?) so you have this info when you speak to them.

**laura**

Thanks again. I do have a schedule of what we owe. When we stop paying her she has a further arrangement with my grandad that will begin. It's all a bit strange but had to be done to help her out a while back. X