So what do you do when you can't cut any more?

Melusine

I cannot rent my son's room out, Housing Association rules. And besides, my handicapped son is difficult to live with. He's incontinent, and he has Prader Willi syndrome, which means the kitchen is kept locked, and all food cupboards padlocked. Who'd pay to live like that?

I thought about bankruptcy, even spoke to people who had done it. They said it wasn't worth it, they still ended up paying off most of the debts anyway, and the hassles far outweighed the advantages. But I may have to.

floss2

Melusine wrote: »

Ok, did that.

Total monthly income £767.28

This is benefits for me and my son, and no longer includes the £30 a week my other son gives me in rent.

Outgoings (monthly) workd out on Martin's budget calculator

Home contents insurance 11.50 Do your HA do tenants insurance?
Water and sewage rates 20.00 (waiting for bills for exact amount)
Gas (direct debit) 28.00
Electric (direct debit) 45.00
Home phone (at present direct debit) 39.50
(trying to reduce, have you tried to play with BT?)
Food bill (includes all bought at supermarket, cleaners, wash powders, deodorants, everything) 216.50 Take a look at the Old Style board for help with this
Petrol 45.00
Contribution to taking son to day centre 32.48 Does your son's DLA not cover this?
(this used to be £80 + a week.)
Loans and cc payments 184.00 Speak to CCCS for advice on your options
Respite costs 78.34 Sorry for the shouty letters but THAT'S NOT FAIR! Again, does any of your son's DLA or your Carer's Allownce help with this? or SS's Care Grant?
TV Licence 11.37
paper, pens, ink, etc for writing hobby 10.00
Christmas and birthdays (mainly grandsons) 20.00
Haircuts 5.00
Opticians 10.00 Should you be paying this if you are on IS?
Paying back loan from my mum 30.00 How much do you still owe? Could this be cleared off quickly if the other repayments are removed?
(not negotiable)
Total to here: 786.69

Plus thinking of cancelling:
life Insurance 20.00
Pet insurance 48.00 Can you shop around for this & use Quidco for cashback?
Cost of feeding dogs (2) 10.00

New total with these things: 864.69

Ok, there's a few ideas.....

I would suggest you contact CCCS first & ask for their advice on the debts & recommendations. I can't believe that you have been finding the required £184 a month while on full benefits - give yourself a pat on the back!

Melusine

One other thing, if I lose Income Support and start earning, I have to pay rent and council tax. Rent is £83 a week, and tax is £30 a week. So I just worked out I'd have to find what i already spend, plus £359.90 a month rent, plus £129.90 council tax, after income tax and NI every month.

I make that an after tax figure of £1275.98 a month. That's an after tax annual salary of £15,311.76. People with my qualifications, round here, are earning a pre tax figure of about £11,000. So I am actually better off on benefits! Is that ridiculous or what?

Karmacat

Hi Melusine

This is a quicky, sorry, I'm working soon, but these are mythoughts:

Melusine wrote: »

Ok, did that.

Total monthly income £767.28

This is benefits for me and my son, and no longer includes the £30 a week my other son gives me in rent.

Outgoings (monthly) workd out on Martin's budget calculator

Home contents insurance 11.50
Water and sewage rates 20.00 (waiting for bills for exact amount)
Gas (direct debit) 28.00
Electric (direct debit) 45.00
Home phone (at present direct debit) 39.50Thats a lot per quarter, I'm sure you have leeway there. *Immediately*, look at Martin's Utilities/Phone tab at the top of this page, there are cheaper ways of doing things right now.
(trying to reduce, have you tried to play with BT?)
Food bill (includes all bought at supermarket, cleaners, wash powders, deodorants, everything) 216.50to be honest, if this is only for two of you (not the 3 you've been paying for up till now) you can cut this a little bit. Not much, but some, maybe £20.
Petrol 45.00 If you have petrol costs, where are the rest of the car costs? You may have under-budgetted here.... sorry.....
Contribution to taking son to day centre 32.48
(this used to be £80 + a week.)
Loans and cc payments 184.00
Respite costs 78.34
TV Licence 11.37
paper, pens, ink, etc for writing hobby 10.00I know if you like to write longhand, this will be a horrible suggestion, but what about doing it straight onto the computer?
Christmas and birthdays (mainly grandsons) 20.00 He may have to put up with less for a while.
Haircuts 5.00
Opticians 10.00 There's something about contact lenses and the cheapest way to buy them. I haven't followed it, cos I don't wear contacts or glasses, but I know that people talk about itonhere quite a bit.
Paying back loan from my mum 30.00We understand, don't worry!
(not negotiable)
Total to here: 786.69

Plus thinking of cancelling:
life Insurance 20.00
Pet insurance 48.00
Cost of feeding dogs (2) 10.00

New total with these things: 864.69

I'm sure others will be along with more, but this is just to start you going. Hope it helps.

And PS I love, absolutely love, your internet name, its absolutely beautiful!

earthmother

I would query the pet insurance figure - I've not had to insure for a few years, but this does seem high for 2 dogs.

When you say you are considering cutting out the cost of dog food, does this mean you were thinking of rehoming - please thing about this carefully, as it's your state of mind as much as your bank balance this will affect, as well as I assume your son (take it from one who had to rehome dogs due to hubby's disability a few years back - still haunts us).


The food bill, for 2 adults, should be able to come down by a good bit, and of course you're already looking into the phone bill, but as you say, everything else looks low enough already. Can I assume that your car costs other than petrol are under Motability? If not, you do need to add these in also


I would go with what other posters have said in that it is time to significantly reduce your creditor payments, and try to find some other income sources (however small).

Good Luck :grouphug:

squeaky

Melusine wrote: »

Ok, did that.

Total monthly income £767.28

This is benefits for me and my son, and no longer includes the £30 a week my other son gives me in rent.

Outgoings (monthly) workd out on Martin's budget calculator


Food bill (includes all bought at supermarket, cleaners, wash powders, deodorants, everything) 216.50

£216.50 for just you and your son?

For a bet, given time, without having to make any painful changes (we ALWAYS advise staying within your own comfort zone) Old Style can help you to get close to HALF of that.

I know, from all the advice that you'll be given here on DFW, that you are going to have loads of stuff to read and do, so rather than hand you the whole of Old Style to browse through (recommended reading that it is ) I'll put a link here that goes to a single post that will give you plenty of food for thought. And yes, poor as it is - the pun was intended.

sammy_kaye's £100 a month food budgetting ---> CLICK HERE

Melusine

Contribution to taking son to day centre 32.48 Does your son's DLA not cover this?
(this used to be £80 + a week.)

It comes out of his DLA, which is included in my income.

Respite costs 78.34 Sorry for the shouty letters but THAT'S NOT FAIR! Again, does any of your son's DLA or your Carer's Allownce help with this? or SS's Care Grant?

see above.

Opticians 10.00 Should you be paying this if you are on IS?

People on IS get a voucher, which usually (but not always) covers the cost of the lenses. Last time I had new glasses, voucher was £32. You then buy the frames. Both my son and I wear glasses full time. When new glasses time comes up, we are going to go to somewhere like glassesdirect.com, but until then ... I just dropped my glasses and had new lenses put in. £40.

Paying back loan from my mum 30.00 How much do you still owe? Could this be cleared off quickly if the other repayments are removed?
(not negotiable)

I still owe about £400. Mum has been very good. I've had reductions in what I owe as Christmas and birthday presents, and she lets me off the odd repayment, although I'd never hear the last of it if I defaulted.

Pet insurance 48.00 Can you shop around for this & use Quidco for cashback?

Pets are old, 14 years and 9 years. if my son doesn't take them with him, they may have to go. (and you try explaining that to a man with the mind of a six year old.

Melusine

£216.50 for just you and your son?

That's £50 a week on Martin's thingy. Includes me, my son, two collie cross alsatians, all cleaning things, all deodorants, shampoos, etc., any new household things such as washing up bowls, mop heads, etc.

My son's condition mean he cannot eat more than 1000 calories a day without putting on weight, and yet is constantly hungry. (1000 calories a day maintains weight with constant exercise. His day centre takes him swimming twice a week, to a gym twice a week, long walks once a week. We walk the dogs daily.) To make sure he can eat what he can eat and have a chance to feel full, we buy fresh fruit, fresh veg, and keep it there to fill him up. It would be cheaper to buy the cheap meals in the freezer section, but they wouldn't satisfy him (the fresh stuff doesn't really), the calories, fat content, sugar content and all that junk would have him dead in a year.

It's one of the cruellest illnesses there is.

RAS

Melusine wrote: »

Total monthly income £767.28

Have you checked whether your benefits will change when your son moves out?

This is benefits for me and my son, and no longer includes the £30 a week my other son gives me in rent.

Outgoings (monthly)

Home contents insurance 11.50
Water and sewage rates 20.00 (waiting for bills for exact amount)
Gas (direct debit) 28.00 check whether you are in credit? Also check whether it is time to swap providrs and use www.quidco.com for cashback if it is
Electric (direct debit) 45.00 - ditto
Home phone (at present direct debit) 39.50 - there is some good advice on getting calls for free/very reduced on the telephone section of this site.
(trying to reduce, have you tried to play with BT?)
Food bill (includes all bought at supermarket, cleaners, wash powders, deodorants, everything) 216.50 - do you get any help towards the laundry costs? USe stardrops and look a the Money Saving Old style board for ideas on cutting this down.
Petrol 45.00
Contribution to taking son to day centre 32.48
(this used to be £80 + a week.)
Loans and cc payments 184.00 - can you list them item by item. If they are unsecured debt, then either you could go BK or you could challenge the CCA. If you do really owe them, then you should be paying £1-2 per month for each.
Respite costs 78.34 - Is there a national charity for prader-wills. Can you get and advocate?
TV Licence 11.37
paper, pens, ink, etc for writing hobby 10.00
Christmas and birthdays (mainly grandsons) 20.00
Haircuts 5.00
Opticians 10.00
Paying back loan from my mum 30.00 - we understand and if you went BK, no doubt you would want to pay her back anyway.
(not negotiable)
Total to here: 786.69

Plus thinking of cancelling:
life Insurance 20.00
Pet insurance 48.00
Cost of feeding dogs (2) 10.00

New total with these things: 864.69

You need other car costs - do you get any help with this, disabled parking badge, motability allowance?

There are a few strategies here.

Please get in touch with CAB, CCCS or the National debt line and talk to them about your debts. You are paying way, way too much for them each month.

They may suggest that you consider BK. Before you reject the idea, have a look at the BK forum. In your circumstnaces, given the need for a car to transport your son, I doubt if you would have to pay anything towards the debts at all. But you need independent specialist advice from one of the debt charities before you make the decision.

If you still do not want to go BK, you need to challenge all the debts on the basi of the CCa and to pay £1-£2 per month off those that are enforceable. The debt charities can advise you and provide template letters to send to th creditors.

Soubrette

I know we're giving you a lot to read but why not have a post on the bancruptcy forum, this is a subforum of this one and filled with people who have had experience of bancruptcy, they are always very happy to answer questions.

With reference to the dogs - as they are therapetic dogs in the sense that they keep your son active, could you apply for a grant from somewhere to pay for their upkeep?

Sou