Yes the ip went through things but I left it to hubby to sort out. Its ok at the moment as we are coping well. we have been well informed all the way through with our ip about our iva and though it was scary at the start as we had been spending large amounts on things now that we are doing it we are coping well and dont have to scrimp. When you are spending on credit you dont know what you are actually spending on certain things, so to have to put a price on things wa shard, and looking at it I thouhg tno way will we manage, but me being a woman i have budgeted quite well and still eat what we used to and not doing to bad. its better than i thought. (I dont go to tesco now as thtey're too expensive and get better things cheaper from morrisons or asda.
The problem is that when you are asked to put down what you spend it is very difficult as you have been spending too much in the first place, hence the need for the IVA. I put down exactly what I thought we needed to spend and sailed on. I certainly did not put figures down just to make an IVA work because an easier option from a budget point of view was bankruptcy as we had no assetts to protect. What I did do was perhaps put a bit less than I should have for one budget and a bit more for others. The IVA is working fine and I can honestly say that I have no stress wandering which credit card to put what on in order to pay the bills each month. The Iva is the best thing I have ever done with our finances. I have now applied for a ClearCash icount as the budgeting tool provided with it will allow us to compare how each budget is working out and be better prepared for the annual review. Yes we need more for food but our water bill has been reduced so will be able to offset. By setting the budgets on the ClearCash we can see where we are overspending and also where there is any underspend.
IVA.co.uk The best place for debt advice. Thanks to Melanie Giles, David Mond, David and J (Elv5) Kallis, Dand, Skippy, Andy Davie
And of course you will need to budget for the £10 ClearCash fee on top. I generally find with my own clients that they find the first year is the toughest, as you adjust to not having much reserve each month (which earlier was extended credit) but by the end of the year the art of budgeting has been refined and it is then unusual to see a case failing without good reason moving forward.
We did our I&E between us and put down exactly what we spent, and the majority was approved.
I now know to the penny what comes in and goes out each month which is what wasn't happening before.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
The budget you gave us Melanie has made life very easy - I have to say though that Henry is eatng us out of house and home - he weighs 61 pounds now at 16 weeks and growls at knocks on the door and sounds he does not recognize.J
And of course we did not budget for the new arrival, as he was a post-IVA suprise, so if you do need to adjust to increase your pet expenditure this is definately possible - if not not at the annual review stage.
How about another piccie for the animal lovers amongst us - and how are he and Max getting on? Can Max say "Henry" yet?
depends what you use the clearcash card for as the cashback deals will easily offset the £10. It is the best option for me all round. It certainly offers a great budgeting tool and I have been embarrased twice in the last fortnight where I have gone to pay for something and the card has been declined as my paypal card had been cloned twice and the second time was after I had a new card issued so thats going in the bin. It is just too expensive to keep running to a cashpoint every time you need money.
IVA.co.uk The best place for debt advice. Thanks to Melanie Giles, David Mond, David and J (Elv5) Kallis, Dand, Skippy, Andy Davie
Thanks Melanie - we are fine at present - we can wait review. When it stops raining (it has not stopped for three days) I will put another picture on - you are going to be surprised! J
I can't believe how clever that parrot is! You are so very lucky to live in a "mad house" when you think how many lonely people there are in the world.
I don't mind using cash at all. We buy pretty much the same food every week so know roughly how much that is going to cost, same with petrol.
When hubby gets his benefits from the Post Office, that's our money for the week.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
We can wait too, we got a dog but we have still managed really well. Surprising really as my son eats us out of house & home as he is a 17 year old 6ft 2 tall lad. There are 5 of us & a dog. We did forget some things to add on but cleardebt did it for us like dentist fee's and social fund, so it has turned out well. Thank goodness. Obviously by may things would have gone up and I dont get a payrise but hubby does.
You are telling me Melanie - we would not swap our existence for the world - completely happy we are all round and much goes to you for all your hard work in making sure it stays that way. J
Most of our direct debits stay the same each month, and I use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of income and outgoings so if a DD changes I can adjust it on there.
I either use my Co-op card or cash to pay for things and I've never had any problems doing it this way.
