I'm fortunate our IP went through a whole list of stuff that I'd never even thought of even though they were expenses we have, although I'd already been on the CCCS debt remedy so that was a good reminder of the little things I would have otherwise forgotten about. School dinners and meals at work do rack up, as do things like kids' clothing, dentist/opticians, and I have a lot of work expenses that aren't reimbursed. It's all the little seemingly insignificant expenses that end up totalling a huge amount every month, if they are not accounted for then I imagine it would make finances in an IVA very tight indeed.
In hindsight ( a wonderful thing) lots of little things got left out of our IVA at the beginning (i.e. haircuts, school/work lunches, dentist/optical - 3 of the family wear glasses including my son and whilst he gets the frames and normal lenses free, we have to pay the extra for the special lens he needs to hopefully correct his eyesight) and even though the school/work lunches are now added in, to get them we have had to use the 15% allowance the IP has to reduce the monthly amounts and with 3 years still to go, this could prove a problem in the future. Will have to wait and see on that one and keep fingers crossed that no 'issues' crop up!!
F&F approved May 13 - just awaiting Completion Certificate - moving to a new Debt Free life !!
I think that we should be able to view the allowances, put down what we need to spend and then prove that we need those things - that way it would stop those people who take the mickey and try to claim things they don't pay for - and it does happen!
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
I agree with you there Kallis. As with everything there are some people out there who will try and claim for things they don't spend on but everybody shouldn't be tarred with the same brush. Most people entering IVA's have done it for the right reason and want their creditors to receive a decent dividend but also want (or need) to be able to live a reasonable life on their budget and would be more than happy to provide the evidence to get things set up.
Mostly I do think it is down to pure panic and the possibility of the light at the end of the tunnel, that people forget all the smaller outlay they have each month.
F&F approved May 13 - just awaiting Completion Certificate - moving to a new Debt Free life !!
I totally agree Random Lady - the majority have always been punished for the actions of the minority.
I think when you decide which company you want to go with they should go through each allowance to see if you use any of that - for example my hubby doesn't claim for haircuts, as he does his own, and not for prescriptions as he's over 60. Whatever you put down for you should be able to provide proof if necessary.
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
Hi all
Sorry, just jumping on this thread but i too would like to welcome nick to the forum. I had the pleasure of working with nick briefly and i know his contribution to the forum will be incredibly valuable both from a Payplan client side and for those seeking general advice.
