Recommended ? Debt Advice Trust

[aguise]

Gluten is a protein found mainly wheat and the intestine doesnt tolerate it. Buttercup will better explain but i would imagine the cost comes from producing these things without the use of wheat. I know the bread is very heavy and I am told is better toasted and there arent a lot of slices in a loaf either. It reduces a great deal of things you can eat.

Ang

[johnt]

I will be honest and say I have never heard the word coeliac before. I have seen a section for gluten-free foods in Tesco but never equated these with a particular dietary requirement. What exactly is gluten?

I am shocked by the price for a loaf of bread and wafers. Is the high price because of special production processes or because they are specially produced in small quantities?

I was tested blood positive for coaliac a couple of years ago. It's quite a serious condition. As stated the food protein 'gluten' found in just about every cake bun, loaf of bread etc: destroys the absorbing vili in the small bowl.

This includes all wheat based foods also. Consequently you have to find rice or millet alternatives.

I'm also dairy intolerant. Ain't life sweet

Oddly enough I never got this included within my food costing, as I've grown used to cheap alternatives. Main expense is lactalose (lactose free milk), and some rye breads etc. Free from brands are pretty good.

Like I say this isn't a fad, and if not followed properly then very debilitating. Tesco's were one of the first to provide for this diet, and my dietician assures me the condition is very much on the increase, guess it's down to all the processed muck we eat. Many of us have the opportunity to develop this problem without warning, potentially caused by stress, related bowl problems, gastroenteritis and the like.

Maybe worth keeping this in mind if your stressing about your money worries

[OPTIMIST12]

What are the symptoms or effects if you eat the wrong food?

[aguise]

I think they are quite similar to IBS, bloating and upset stomaches, loss of weight, and the word beginning with d and ending in rea, which I cant spell. lol

Ang

[johnt]

What are the symptoms or effects if you eat the wrong food?

food doesn’t get digested, so chronic bowl pain, take it from me, lying on your side, in a foetal position wishing the world would end pain, followed by rapid bouts of diarrhoea. In addition general fatigue, anaemia, rashes on the upper arms, itchy skin, something I get occasionally.

Long term problems are, associated with not absorbing minerals properly, so thinning of the bones osteoporosis, development of lesions and tumours of the bowl, causing internal bleeding, autoimmune problems such as Type 1 diabetes, I have a propensity for type 2 which I control with diet.

[Skippy]

I hardly eat any dairy, as it makes me feel bloated and sick. I have been bad this weekend though as we've been away for a few days so I know I probably won't feel too good! I've was diagnosed with IBS years ago and realised myself that milk and cream make things worse. I do eat things I shouldn't now and then - I seem to be ok with everything in moderation. The price of soya milk and free from food is terrible. As I never drink milk I try and drink quite a lot of soya milk as my dad had osteoporosis and the cost really adds up.

[johnt]

I hardly eat any dairy, as it makes me feel bloated and sick. I have been bad this weekend though as we've been away for a few days so I know I probably won't feel too good! I've was diagnosed with IBS years ago and realised myself that milk and cream make things worse. I do eat things I shouldn't now and then - I seem to be ok with everything in moderation. The price of soya milk and free from food is terrible. As I never drink milk I try and drink quite a lot of soya milk as my dad had osteoporosis and the cost really adds up.

Yes that's interesting, I find I can occasionaly stry, and just feel a little uncomfortable. I guess the bowl has time to recover if you keep dairy or gluten to a minimum.

I've also been advised against resistance starch foods as well. These tend to be dry foods and reheated meals and the like.

[J-DOUBLEYA]

Hi all,

my internet has been dowm until about 40ins ao so not ignoring this debate -just cant get on. Trouble is - its all moved on a tad..

We all seem to have different views on CCCS. I can only speak from my own experience and that of clients I refer or have referred. The service has been excellent and the advice great. Impartiality has never been an issue nor has the guidelines. I have not had a case where the 'guideline' has been applied.

Mel - I do have a copy of the I&E's so I am very confident of the content. (no - i am not able to pass on, that was the condition i agreed to when given them).

Andy - (both) I have no problem with Fee Chargers in the main but i have major reservations about some companies.I have read some of the Myvesta stuff and frankly find them biased unsubstantiated and rubbish. CCCS in the states do now charge a fee after pressure from the credit industry. If that were to happen here , i will rethink my opinion and refer elsewhere. !I am happy that my clients have found that the following does apply to CCCS
1 - You get quality and prompt service.
2 - Your DMP company works hard to get interest and charges frozen.
CCCS pays 100% of the money to its creditors not a %age. The credit industry then pays a contribution back to CCCS. It makes no odds if the creditor does not contribute, the clients money is passed on and no fee charged.

I dont see how their impartiality can reasonably be questioned however i can see a reason for some companies wanting it to be so !

Its great to have debate .

[MelanieGiles]

Why the "secret squirrels"? If the main banks are going to insist that people in debt use rigid and frugal expenditure guidelines, why can they not be circulated in the marketplace for everyone to review? I have a copy and would be happy to circulate them to anyone who would like to see them.

And from a personal point of view, could you manage on a £240 per year clothing allowance over a five year period, and £32 per week for food, toiletries and cleaning materials?

[J-DOUBLEYA]

I dont mind a debate but this is getting tedious.

I agree with you as far as 'why the secret squirrel' but lets stop using base figures to exagerate a point.

Fact - these guidelines show a range of amounts that can be used, lowest highest and guideline. None of this is written in stone by the way, as i am sure you are well aware. Individual circumstances or exceptions are allowed but, as i understand it, a short explanation is required such as ' health issues - special diet ' etc etc ,nothing specific or intrusive.

These have been agreed by the R3 body of IP's and the bamks. This has to be a better alternative to the position reached before Xmas where we had almost all banks clubbing together and saying NO to anything under 60p/£ (or whatever it was). All of this is a matter of record, in the media and widely reported.

Its no good quoting only the figures that suit !I really have no idea why these figures cant be published etc. I, for my sins, gave my word that I would not pass the figures on because apparently those that should have them do, and those that dont wont. More than that, I really have no idea why - perhaps you can clarify.

If you are so anti secret squirrel - why not post them on here as you have offerred. Let people make their own mind up. Your not being fair with this, hence me taking issue.

To take this a tad further, were there not others involved when these 'guidelines' were agreed ? My understanding is a number of submissions were made. The trigger figures for the CFS are much lower than the CCCS guidelines. The OR's do have much much more latitude with their allowances but if these were taken as the median surely that would remove an awful lot of people from using an IVA ?

Its not ideal but i honestly believe its the best suggestion on the table right now. I have not seen any alternatives anyway and i really am open to alternatives.

So , to answer your budget guideline questions, yes i do think there is sufficient amounts in there for the average person, family, etc but it would be tight but manageable and much more importantly SUSTAINABLE. If however, anyone was forced to stick rigidly to the 'guidelines' yes I would be up in arms but that is not the case at all.

So come on all, lets take these guidelines in the spirit its intended. I sincerely hope this forum helps people to use the best solution for their purposes and also access a wide range of IP's DMC's fee or free. There are pro's and cons to these guidelines, they are here and there are no credible alternatives being mooted. I am damn sure the banks want more but have been pursuaded to settle for this. Its better than the old CFS. Its uniform and manageable - not pefect and hopefully not the end. Lets look at this as a starting point for helping those in debt crisis.

I respect other peoples views and also accept they wont always represent mine. Whatever the view point it has to be fair. so far i dont accept that this is the case, on this issue.

[MelanieGiles]

There is one point that I definately do agree with you on and that is that this debate is certainly tedious, and I am not quite sure why it was resurrected.

As an IP in practice, who posts in my own name rather than behind a pseudonym, almost every day I have creditors telling me that they want increased contributions due to the fact that I have used the "upper" figures and they want the "guideline" figures. That is a matter of fact and happens to other IPs with whom I regularly dialogue. So far as I am aware the figures have no endorsement from my trade association, but would be interested to know where you get that information from.

"Almost all banks clubbing together to reject all offers of less than 60p"? Where on earth do you get this information from? There has been no media reporting of such facts, so far as I am aware, and if so this is based upon badly researched journalism, and is completely untrue.

And for your information the CCCS guidelines have already been published on this forum on more than one occasion. And as a workable alternative, how about debtors being allowed to state what they actually do spend on their household budget rather than what someone tells them they are allowed to spend - of course within reason and with full justification?

I have been doing this work for over 20 years, it has worked very well so far as I am aware, I deliver the dividends that creditors signed up to in the timescale they were pledged and the debtor moves on wiser and will probably not fall into financial difficulty every again. What will happen, because of the extreme pressure on disposable income, the insistence of the inclusion of non-insolvency partner's surpluses and assets and creditor hurdle rates which still exist, is that more IVAs will fail - but of course that will be the fault of the insolvency practitioner all over again!

[J-DOUBLEYA]

last year some banks took a very difficult stance and rejected Va's unless the offer was over a certain p/£. This was widely reported, HSBC, Abbey RBS and Northern Rock were some of the names quoted. There was a thread on the MAT wiser adviser but it has since been replaced with more current news.

If the CCCS guidelines have been published why are only the 'guideline' element referred to ? I am a relatively newbie to this site and you are a major contributor. I respect your views but do not agree with all of them, despite your undoubted experience and if i may say so, profesionalism.

You have been practising for over 20 years whereas, i am again a relative newbie but, that does not make either of our views any the less or more worthy.

I have no objection to opinions but i think that in a public forum they should be fair. I dont agree that to date, on this subject matter, this is the case. You clearly wont agree and neither will I.

we will just have to respect each others viewpoint and agree to disagree.

[MelanieGiles]

I agree - and whilst we have very differing views on this topic, a lot of people have commented to me of late that they have found our exchanges interesting as they have raised a lot of issues which are currently of great concern in the industry. That is what debating is all about!!!

I personally have not suffered from major rejections from creditors (four cases rejected last year out of 200), but maybe that is because we keep our noses to the ground and deliver what creditors actually want in line with their voting criteria, and do not advocated IVAs to clients who clearly could not meet the criteria - as we would have been wasting theirs, ours and the creditors time.

The guideline expenditure - ie the middle point- is the point that most creditors have plugged into their software which is used to determine whether to accept, reject or modify an IVA.

I am a great advocator of the "f" word - and I do not agree that creditors are being fair at the moment when it comes to certain areas of expenditure - I make my views known in the marketplace constantly and some people actually do listen.

This is an area which will best be revisited in five years time, when we look at the number of IVA failures and variations as a result of unaffordability. If this does not occur then I will be highly suprised but absolutely delighted. For now, I think that this thread has done itself to death.

[admin]

We certainly agree Melanie!
Many thanks to all those who contributed.
This thread is now closed.
Admin