# On Jobseekers and In Debt .



## Madiba Deno (12 Jun 2013)

Good day,

I have been receiving Jobseekers for over Eight years now.
I currently owe Debts in the region of 12,000 Euros.
Married, with 2 children under 8.
Both My Wife and I are unemployed and what we receive on Social Welfare is very Little for a Family of Four.
We made an agreement with a Company about Two years ago to help us pay off our Debts. They contacted our Creditors and we now pay them around 50 Euros a week to pay of Different Creditors, some are paid more out of the 50,Some less.
We are in a Councle dwelling, paying 60 Euros a Week Rent.
We own One dodgy car,the Family Car.

What I wish to know is, at this stage, or what can I/We do,because
paying back this Debt every week leaves us with very little.
We don't Socialize, we don't get out and can not afford to take our Kids anywhere.
I used to work in Construction, I have forgotten what its like to earn an honest days pay.
At this Stage, I feel as If We can no longer keep paying our Creditors.
The Kids and Us, have no life. We feel smothered and unable to see any way out of our situation. If we could we would emigrate, but its the debt that is holding us back and down.
12,000 Euros is not a lot in the Grand Scheme of things but to us, its a Lot!
What can we do to get this Debt of our Backs?
Please Help!

Many Thanks 

Madiba Deno


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## ClaireM (12 Jun 2013)

€50 per week is too much for a family whose sole income is social welfare.

Contact MABS and ask about getting. Debt Relief Notice when they become available.


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## Madiba Deno (12 Jun 2013)

Thank You.

I was just wondering, would a person be able to emigrate for Work, if  they got Debt Relief ?


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## cremeegg (12 Jun 2013)

You need to provide more detail on your income and expenditure to get meaningful advice.


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## Madiba Deno (12 Jun 2013)

Thank You to all,

Income is 378 per week

Out going :

Rent   60
Petrol  60
Food and Household  180
Debt Repayment  50

Anything extra, in honesty, my pensioner Parents try and help us out.
It is, very Depressing, to say the least.
180 per week on food and household stuff(toilet rolls, toothpaste, etc) is not an awful lot, with 2 growing little boys


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## Rose (12 Jun 2013)

Please make contact with your local St Vincent de Paul conference, they may be able to help you. They do help lots of people in situations like yours and the service is confidential.


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## Madiba Deno (12 Jun 2013)

Again Thank You,
I am seeking help in regards to my Debt Situation, If I can no longer continue to make repayments, what will happen next, would I go to court,Jail, what can I do to tell them," Look, I would pay you back if I could, but I honestly can not afford to do so in my present situation".


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## ClaireM (12 Jun 2013)

You don't go to jail for non payment of debt.

A creditor can go to court and get a judgement but options for enforcement are very limited where the debtors sole income is social welfare and there are no assets.

To enforce a judgement the creditor can get an installment order based on your means or a bailiff can be sent but given the circumstances neither would seem likely.


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## Billo (12 Jun 2013)

Madiba Deno said:


> Thank You to all,
> 
> Income is 378 per week
> 
> ...



€60 a week on petrol seems to be way over the top but what do I know ?
As I see it on your income you cannot afford to run a car at all and should look at getting rid of it.


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## Madiba Deno (12 Jun 2013)

Hi Billo,

The car drinks petrol, its a 00 model. Living out in the sticks, trying to get kids to and from School every day. One going to Montessori at a different time of day, it all adds up. Trust me we need transport.


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## SarahMc (12 Jun 2013)

A fair whack of that €50 you are paying to the company is going on their fees.

MABS, www.mabs.ie is a Government agency that will not charge fees, and will give you impartial advice and negotiate with the people you owe money to as well as advising you of your options under the new legislation.

Your very first port of call should be to call them and make an appointment.


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## Madiba Deno (12 Jun 2013)

Many Thanks , SarahMc .


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## cremeegg (13 Jun 2013)

I am wondering are you receiving all the social welfare income you are entitled to. Do you receive child benefit, is that included in the income figure you give. 

On the spending side. Is the  Montessori a luxury, can you afford it.


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## Madiba Deno (13 Jun 2013)

The figure I provided is a Weekly payment. Yes, we do receive child benefit. The Montessori is paid from that and we also get help from my Parents. A child must be prepared for school and in the new term in Sept, we will be eligible for some kind of schooling paid by the Gov for a child starting Montessori Full-Time. At the moment the child is only going 3 mornings a week.


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## SarahMc (13 Jun 2013)

Have you looked into community creches and playgroups. You would have to pay very very little as your place would be subsidised. Contact your local County Childcare Committee to get a list of funded projects.

Montessori is a luxury many working families cannot afford, and I am not at all convinced of it's benefits over mainstream pre school education.


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## Importer (13 Jun 2013)

You sound like a perfect candidate for a Debt Relief Notice under the new Insolvency act.

This would facilitate you in getting the debt written off. Contact MABS for further details


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## TommyB (13 Jun 2013)

There is absolutely no reason why you should be spending extra money on montessori when both you are at home. Is there a bus service for your child to go to school? I know some rural places have a bus service that picks kids up close to their home.
€60 on fuel is way too much. You should really limit your driving by changing your lifestyle. 

Sell your car and get something like this.
cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/peugeot-406-hdi-01-with-nct/5146336


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## ClaireM (13 Jun 2013)

It doesn't really matter if the OP choses to spend her money on Montessori or a car. Providing her children are clothed and fed she can make her own choices.

 On the assumption the car is of low value and she meets all the other conditions the income is low enough for a Debt Relief Notice.


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## TommyB (13 Jun 2013)

ClaireM said:


> It doesn't really matter if the OP choses to spend her money on Montessori or a car. Providing her children are clothed and fed she can make her own choices.
> 
> On the assumption the car is of low value and she meets all the other conditions the income is low enough for a Debt Relief Notice.



Of course it matters. It would free up lots of income to pay back their debt and give themselves some breathing space. 

If I was in that position I would look to move into a village or town and drop the car. Cars are very expensive to try and run on welfare.


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## TommyB (13 Jun 2013)

Your income is too low. It should be as follows

Jobseekers for two adults and children - 372.4
Childrens allowance for two  - 60
Winter Fuel allowance  -10
Back to school - 2

Total weekly income is €444

So your food and housing spend is €240

So you have €200 to cover other expenses and you have plenty of leeway to save money. With a medical card, medical expenses should be minimal.


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## ClaireM (13 Jun 2013)

TommyB said:


> Of course it matters. It would free up lots of income to pay back their debt and give themselves some breathing space.
> 
> If I was in that position I would look to move into a village or town and drop the car. Cars are very expensive to try and run on welfare.




A DRN does not require any payment towards the debt.

Telling someone on a poverty level income to cut back to repay a debt that is unaffordable is not reasonable when there is an alternative.


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## TommyB (13 Jun 2013)

ClaireM said:


> A DRN does not require any payment towards the debt.
> 
> Telling someone on a poverty level income to cut back to repay a debt that is unaffordable is not reasonable when there is an alternative.



Looking at their budget I don't believe it is unaffordable. Their job situation might only be temporary and they should plan on getting back on their feet and clearing their debts in an honourable way. It is a good motivational tool to manage your budget and life knowing you are going to be debt free some day. I've been there and done it and I would always advise others to do the same.

I would advise maybe cutting your debt repayments to a more managable 150 per month. Negotiate with your creditors to get a freeze on interest.


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## T&R (15 Jun 2013)

TommyB said:


> Of course it matters. It would free up lots of income to pay back their debt and give themselves some breathing space.
> 
> If I was in that position I would look to move into a village or town and drop the car. Cars are very expensive to try and run on welfare.



How do you suggest he goes for job interviews courses etc. Even living in a rural village or town public transport is non existent.


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## TommyB (15 Jun 2013)

T&R said:


> How do you suggest he goes for job interviews courses etc. Even living in a rural village or town public transport is non existent.



If it were me personally I would move to a city with the best employment prospects and/or lowest cost of living. If you stubbornly stay in some isolated location you will probably be unemployed for the rest of your life. For a lot of Ireland you won't see any jobs returning to these places. It's not right but that's the way it is.


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## Madiba Deno (26 Jun 2013)

@ Tommy B

Typical..

I have it sorted Tommy, I am going to sell the car, then the kids and move to Fair City and put the Wife on the Game. I will continue to live on the dole, become an alcoholic, maybe dabble in Heroin, while you, who have everything sorted, pay for me to do so, by paying your Taxes. God Bless You, Tommy B.

This is SCARCASM! via FRUSTRATION!  and that is the WAY IT IS!


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## TommyB (26 Jun 2013)

I'm giving you realistic options to sort your life out. There are plenty of jobs in Dublin at the moment. I could attend an interview every day if I wanted. Depends on your skills of course. Large parts of this country are dead. Trying to run a car in the middle of nowhere on dole money won't be a temporary thing, trust me.

My neighbours don't own a car at all. One working, one kid. They've put themselves beside good transport links and get by nicely.


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## Bronte (27 Jun 2013)

Madiba, you're on social welfare, and you're doing your best. I think you should forthwith cease the 50 Euro repayments. Anyone on social welfare like you have nothing to fear from creditors. In essence they can do nothing for you. No court is currently ordering anyone on social welfare to pay anything out of that towards debts, and your creditors know that. When the new insolvency regime comes in you can try and apply underwhatever scheme will wipe the debts, you're a prime canidate. 

You've mentioned emigration, that'a s a great idea. Far better than the struggle you currently have. Have you thought of a location, and how much do you need to make that realistic, perhaps you going ahread without the family. It's better to focus on that, than the dreadful situation you find yourself in.

TommyB, while you manged in your situation to pay back the debt, and that's a really good thing, and in general, always advisable, this man has 2 kids and is struggling.  He has no more to give.


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## Madiba Deno (27 Jun 2013)

I don't wish to sound like a bad person, with regards to my comment to Tommy B. Its just that life is not athat easy, just to pop off to Dublin on the Dole and hope for the best. My Good Wife has found some part time work, around 9 hours a week, but at the end of the day, that go's towards Electricity  or whatever other costs, like Mr Binman. She brings home roughly 250 to 300 a month. Now I am worried I/we will not qualify for DRN.


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