www.iva.co.uk

Melanie have you any idea when the reviewed cccs figures will be out we;re due to do our annual review mid june many thanks Tracy

I don't know Tracy - Andy and I are meeting with CCCS next Tuesday, so would hope to have more informatin then. But in any case these guidelines should not be used for your annual review - which should be based upon your actual expenditure and not that stipulated by unrealistic and outdated figures.

will they not automaticaly turn them down then though,oil and groceries inparticular seem to have went up a lot thanx for the speedy reply [:)]

Not if they have any common sense they won't. I filled up my car yesterday, and for the first time ever it cost over £60. When I bought the car three years ago that same tank cost £45.

Thanx[:D]

i think the price of fuel is horrendous!! its quite scary as to when it will stop

Most expensive diesel I have seen by me in South Staffs was £1.27 per litre - bet it will hit £1.30 in a few days.

Melanie on the subject of figures what do you think is a reasonable figure for shopping per month for a household of seven?me ,hubby, five boys 18,16,12,5,3 plus whats your opinion on clothing for all?Im not sure what the figures were last year but as review approaches im worried if i put down too much it;ll hold up the review i like to get it over and done with as quickly as possible [:I]

Well the CCCS would say between £455 and £670 - and I would definately say the higher figure is more realistic for shopping, and between £67 and £104 for clothing - where again I would go for the higher figure, but as I said earlier it should be what you actually spend (within reason) and not what someone tells you you are allowed to spend. Hopefully you have an undertstanding IP!

We try to keep it as low as possible ,tescos are great for bargains!![:D]

As a matter of interest what would you say you spend on shopping on a weekly basis?

p.s thanx melanie[:)][:)][:)]

Too much!!!!probably about 170-200 per week it varies for sometimes if theres good deals on you can save quite a bit by 3 for 2s ect plus i shop were the bargains are iceland can be a lifesaver!!

I therefore rest my case that the CCCS guidelines are too low to enable a healthy balanced diet. I was talking to Andy Davie's wife the other evening, and she admitted that they had a very unhealthy diet whilst they were in their IVA due to the ongoing financial constraint of the arrangement.

I totally agree ,sometimes its a nightmare to make sure they all get enough veggies and fruit,we try to keep it as low as possible ,but i agree with andy sometimes the unhealthy stuff is cheaper,that said we get by [:I]