How are we all coping?

[orchid5]

Good luck with that one Carole2662, hope that it goes ok for you. xxx

[andrea1968]

We are keeping our heads above water,would go as far as we are better off now than pre-iva, just not borrowing for *stuff* we dont really need!!!!
Would say though, if anyone is really struggling to make ends meet -speak to your iva firm NOW.
Dont try and muddle through to review time, you wont be doing yourself any favours barely managing to survive, the whole ethos of an iva is to pay back what you can AFFORD to creditors,but you also have to consider how the rise in the cost of living is affecting everyone.
The creditors wouldnt thank you for suffering in silence, and if you dont tell your iva firm you are struggling they cant help!!!!

A lot of us feel guilt at having to take the iva route, but I for one would be straight onto our iva firm if I found we had nothing left in the cupboards last week of the month,couldnt afford petrol,or for any other reason was struggling-I read with horror when people post on here with all the above problems and are worried to speak to their iva firm.They all live in the real world,same as us,know the cost of living and to expect us to be able to survive on a budget we had set out for us months ago is ridiculous.
So-whether you are a couple of months in or a couple of years, if you are finding it hard to make ends meet - phone your iva firm, there is always a solution out there-DONT SUFFER IN SILENCE!!!!

[andrea1968]

sorry-didnt mean for my post to sound so depressing, just would rather have to reduce monthly payments and maybe add a few months on the end to make up for shortfalls than spend the next few years in poverty/misery!!!!
If its a choice between minimum dividends and putting food on the table I am quite happy to do the extra time!!!

[kazzafunk]

andrea - great advice. I feel the same way. I think I am lucky to just be starting the IVA now, but god knows how much things will cost in 2 years time. Knowing my job- I probably won't have had a payrise so I will be keeping close tabs on what we spend. We neve buy frivilous items when we are shopping anyway, neither of us drink (but we do smoke)and hardly ever buy new clothes etc. If we struggle then there's really nowhere to go!

[MrsKnight]

Hi Andrea, don't worry Hun u have made some good points & I always encourage posters to get onto their IP if things are a struggle or they are not coping.
I'm now looking at my own posts n on this thread n they sound quite miserable! So feel I need to explain alittle about my journey, in terms of affordability we should not of been offered a IVA. CCCS & another firm advised that we did not have enough Disposable income & bankruptcy would of been better, this terrified me, so one a firm said yes to us for a IVA we grabbed that hand of help.
It became clear within a matter of months & we were really starting to struggle n feel the pressure. Our I&E had been done by the account manager & we were told we had been given the maximum allowances, so ok. It only became clear to me when I found the forum that we had been made to fit the criteria for a IVA. Some examples of how unrealistic our IVA was food/household goods family 4 £250pm, electric £30pm, Gas £30pm, we scrapped through for 8 months which is when we found the forum which got us on track & gave me the courage to sort it out with my IVA company. It's taken 2 years of small wage increases which have always been allowed to be taken up in expenditure, with our IVA payments always remaining the same, to get to a average income & expenditure, it's still low & not perfect, but is by far better than what it was in the beginning!
We plod on there is always food in, might not be a la carte but we do our best n they boys always have great Xmas n birthdays & they appreciate things more for not being to spoilt!!! X

[Broke of London]

I think it is harder for families than for someone like me who lives alone. If I'm eating cereal or supernoodles for dinner it doesn't matter but it's different for families, partic those with growing boys! The cost of food even at Asda is going through the roof!

[Julie]

It is hard with ever increasing prices. Glad to see diesel coming down, 1.36 at my local garage today...then again, should we be pleased, still expensive!

[plasticdaft]

Just did a tesco shop earlier this evening,budget of £100. We spent £102 so not bad but we couldnt afford all that we went for!!

Tough tough times!!

Paul

[dizzy.r]

Our IVA finished in April. Luckily when we entered in to it our children were off our hands so we didn’t have the additional responsibility that would have incurred. My fear was that we would no longer be able to buy treats and have days out with my 3 grandchildren. E.g. big birthday & Christmas presents, theme parks, holidays, new clothes etc were always on the agenda pre IVA. Anyway over the 5 years we found lots of alternatives such as free museums, walks, beaches etc and went camping. I still bought them birthday/Christmas gifts but on a much smaller scale.

I am also keeping our monthly expenditure spreadsheet that I started at the beginning and continue to budget everything carefully – I see no reason to stop. It’s great to have the extra money every month and no IVA, cards or loans to pay but we are trying to save as much as possible now, although £500 for dental treatment this month came as a bit of a blow – at least my teeth waited until the IVA finished! (Also we didn’t even know what a payment break was until we found information on this forum and then the IVA was nearly at an end)