On a DMP and here's my SOA

newlywed

Ok, so I'm on a DMP with CCCS (since May) and currently seem to be struggling to pay everything

Before I contact CCCS with regard to changing my payments.....

Do your worst

Income £1,300 a month

Out:
CCCS 640
Gas £60 - prepayment - only have heating and hot water on approx 3 hours a day and heating on low - obviously less in warm weather, if we get any
Elec £40 - prepayment - but this still goes onto emergency each month, so now need to increase
Car insurance £23.87
Mobile £26
AA £11
Chiro £32
Prescription £7 (need a few a year)
Car tax £11
Car MOT £20 - prob not enough for age of car
Petrol/parking £120
Hair cut £10 - but never seem to have the money left
Food/household £280-£300 (2 adults + 2 stepkids for half the week)
Clothes £20 - but again never seem to have the money left
Hobbies/entertainment £15 - if there's any money
Bus fares £10 - OH has car 1 day a week so I bus
Emergency fund £15 - this is empty


OH pays rent, home phone, internet, contents insurance and council tax.

I cook from scratch, can't remember the last takeaway let alone the last meal out, take lunches to work. OH's lunches alone cost about £60+ a month as he is on a protein diet thing.

Gemmzie

Is it just you on the DMP?

Food is quite high, does OH have any "spare" income so that he could pay towards the lunches?

Would prescriptions be cheaper on a pre-payment?

Is chiro necessary?

I think you're paying a bit too much to CCCS, as your outgoings are more than your income

newlywed

Yes just me on the DMP - all my debts

The petrol was £100 but now that doesn't seem to cover it
The electricity was £30 a month but again - not enough
So if I put more realistic figures down - that's why it doesn't add up

Food was £250 a month but can't seem to keep to that either - we have the 2 kids all weekend (fri eve to Sun eve), every weekend, as well as one night in the week so packed lunches etc needed. They eat nearly adult portions too.

That money also includes all washing stuff, cleaning stuff, toiletries, etc for all of us

I've tried to cut down on chiro and stretch out the visits but seem to suffer lots for it - keep trying to get it down to every 6 weeks but at the moment it's 4 weeks.

RAS

Yes

For the purposes of CCCS, you may be one one income but you and OH need to do a joint SOA to see where the money is best used. Particularly if you are sharing children. it may be that you are paying more than is reasonable as your share of the expenses. After all, if you were not there, it is quite possible that he could not down-size at all as he needs to accomodate the children.

it also looks like the cost of your car is more than the cost of using public transport, so do you really need it?

And you can cut the food considerably; head over to the Money Saving Old Style Board to see what you can do. If OH is on a high cost diet, then you may have to consider whether he contributes the cost of it.

newlywed

OH is self employed so income can vary. Also needs a car for that.

The one day bus fare is just to work, OH picks me up - bus takes over an hour -v- car 25 minutes.

When we had no car, it cost over £300 a month on public transport for us as we have to pick kids up and drop them at school etc - which means taxi fares as buses run in limited routes.

newlywed

I keep trying grocery challenges etc and cook from scratch but won't buy "value" meat - though don't buy organic either. Buy lots of other value stuff, as well as doing half my shop in Aldi.

Think I will need to cost each meal though and bring this down.

RAS

Thanks

I still think you need to get a proper household SOA done.

based on what you have just written, you are paying the cost of tranporting your partner's kids to and fro on access visits, the cost of his business travel (which he could set against tax) and feeding the kids?

The other thing that hit me was the prepayment meters - these are hugely expensive - there has been stuff in the papers this week about them being 50 percent more costly than the best utilty deals. Is this a requirement of your tenancy or choice.

newlywed

I'm not sure - as far as I know all the HA flats in the area have prepayment elec. OH had prepay gas meter fitted by request - long before me

rayday2

I am no good with peoples SOA, but the following link is what the financial industry take as acceptable limits not sure if it helps.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/dmbmanual/DMBM800120.htm

newlywed

Thanks ray - so my housekeeping isn't hugely extortionate for a couple - let alone the kids

But my mobile and car costs are a bit higher than they should be.

I pay all the car costs coz it's essentially my car. But OH does use it too just rarely puts petrol in it

RAS

Have you checked that your insurance cover OH when he is effectivley using the car for business?

Also re SOAs, there is a big difference between what is used to create an SOA for a DMP or BK account and what you use to budget at home.

For your CCCS budget you should have half the rent, home phone, internet, contents insurance and council tax, as well as your share of the food and household, electric, car etc.

How you manage things between you and OH at home is another matter.

i suspect you are paying too much on your DMP and I suspect that the division of expenses between you and OH might not be appropriate either, but until you list them all properly, no one realy knows, least of all you.