HI ALL HAVING YET ANOTHER BAD DAY CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT THE EFFECT BEING IN AN IVA WILL HAVE ON OUR CHILDREN HOW DO YOU ALL COPE WITH CHRISTMAS AND BIRTHDAYS IS THERE ANY ALLOWANCE FOR THESE I KNOW IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS THERE ONCE A YEAR BUT I WANT THIS TO HAVE AS LITTLE EFFECT ON THE KIDS AS POSSIBLE HOW DO YOU ALL MANAGE ?
That's something I was thinking about, how do I get presents for my Grandson? Others will have had this experience so i'm looking forward to their answers as well
Rod
Most day's you feel like the statue but just once in a while you get to be the pigeon!
Unfortunately there are no allowances for Christmas or birthdays. You will have to fund that with savings from your allowances.
You could try doing car boot sales or Ebay to raise some money and there are always online surveys.
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
am with you on this, hoping for some initial happyness if accepted, but thinking re birthday, xmas etc.... but I feel live will be better on an iva, lets face it we can't have access to credit and we need to learn to live my our income, not the credit cards !
That's what I thought; and yes lerning to relive by income rather than credit will be a bit like learning to walk or talk again after an accident. It will be hard, but with the help and support of others it can be achieved....i'm sure of it!
Rod
Most day's you feel like the statue but just once in a while you get to be the pigeon!
The reality is that you have to save from your other allowances to cover these. That may sound harsh but if you I&E is done properly one of your biggest allowances if likely to be for housekeeping. By being prudent and making sure you get those BOGOFs for items you use all the time , significant savings can be made that are yours to do as you wish.
One suggestion that I did for my first IVA chistmas was to hunt down all the old mobile phones I had and asked around family etc if they had any old ones.
Went on Envirofone.com website and entered the detaills of the phones, they offered £78 for them and if you were prepared to take Argos vouchers you got another £5.
So with £83 I added £17 spent and spent that, they were doing the the spend £100 get a £10 voucher offer so then added £40 and spent £50, you got another £5 voucher for that £50. I used that to buy to the rechargeable batteries needed for the things I just bought.
So by selling some old phones and adding £57 I got £155 worth of presents.
Job well done, kids happy.
Last Payment - November 2011 - Completion Certificate received 2 weeks after last payment, Removed from Insolvency Register within 4 weeks after last payment.
I do online surveys and manage to get a lot of vouchers that way - I save them up until October time and then send for them - those are then given out as presents.
I love Ebay as well both for buying and selling - I've had some real bargains from there over the years.
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 thanks for all your responses i had thought about ebay but wasnt sure if all monies made would be ours to keep and i suppose it will be good to have christmas that has been saved hard for and not one were still paying for year after year .House keeping wise i think we have an allowence of 100 pounds a week for the 4 of us does that sound about right .
As long as it's personal stuff you are selling then the money is yours to with as you wish.
You'll love it after Christmas when there are no bills coming through the door for you to worry about!
Not sure about the housekeeping but £400 a month for four of you doesn't sound a lot to me.
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
£400 per month won't go far with a family of 4. Have you started your IVA or just at the preparation stage? I would have a word with your IP as I think you may struggle on that figure.
Think you should be pushing that up to £140 a week at least making £602 per calendar month in my opinion.
Last Payment - November 2011 - Completion Certificate received 2 weeks after last payment, Removed from Insolvency Register within 4 weeks after last payment.
Hi, we've started a supermarket saving card off for Christmas,not always easy but it'll buy treats & you can get toys too. you're right to start thinking about it now especially with little one's.
Nothing stays the same...everything changes..hang on in there!
Im not going to say its easy because it is not, but when it comes to your childrens birthdays & christmas, you will find a way. My hubby & I do not have birthdays or Christmas nor does it bother us.
And you will learn to save little bits here & there & you will become an expert in deals, children can be expensive but with a realistic budget you will manage.
Going onto your budget for a family of 4, I am currently on 400 per month sent out in our IVA for a family of 4. And it is a struggle & we are only just getting by but often dip into other allowances that we really could do with saving.
I had read somewhere that there is a mark of 488 per month for a family of 4, but you really should put down what you spend, not what you think will get accepted x
Final IVA payment made in April 2013, never ever thought we could do it or get through it but we did! X
An IVA.co.uk Mentor is someone sharing from their experiences of dealing with debt
We only exchange cards at birthdays and a token bottle at Christmas. My parents are told that we don't bother anymore as there is nothing we want.
My stepkids get the vouchers I get from the surveys, grandkids get a few clothes. I have some other vouchers I save up during the year and that funds the rest.
Christmas lunch is pretty much funded by parents as they stay with us and pay for the food.
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 only buy for immediate family & my parents are the same as your Jan, there really is not anything they need or want any more!
I do online surveys too & Ebay is my source of income for christmas, I know it sounds horrid of me! But I store & keep my boys toys that they have not played with for over a year & put them on ebay near Christmas around sept/oct time. You would be amazed how well they sell!
My Dad buys all the meat & stan pie & bits & bobs for Christmas Dinner & I cook it all & serve at my house.
Im still a meals on heels during the week for them too, I cant help them financially but do everything I can to support them x
Final IVA payment made in April 2013, never ever thought we could do it or get through it but we did! X
An IVA.co.uk Mentor is someone sharing from their experiences of dealing with debt
