A single person with a car will have to live on just over €1,000 a month plus mortgage repayments if they are to enter one of the new personal insolvency arrangements.
And it will be tougher for a couple without a car who will be expected to survive on €1,300 a month according to new guidelines published this afternoon by the Justice Minister and Insolvency Service of Ireland.
Alan Shatter says people cannot expect to "maintain a lifestyle that is well beyond their means", while at the same time expecting financial institutions to write off their debts.
But there is no sign of a controversial proposal that was in an earlier draft that would have forced a parent to give up work if childcare costs exceeded their salary.
There was an outcry at the controversial proposal and the Taoiseach himself ruled out its inclusion.
Categories covered by the guidelines are: Food; Clothing; Personal Care; Health; Household Goods; Household Services; Communications; Education; Transport; Household Energy; Insurance; Savings and Contingencies; Social Inclusion and Participation; Housing (renting or mortgage payments); and Childcare.
The insolvency guidelines state that people will be restricted to weekly phone credit of €5, will not be allowed save more than €43 a month and spend no more than €106 a month on electricity and heating their homes.
A single person will not be allowed to spend more than €247 a month on food which the guidelines states has been arrived at based on a "balanced and nutritious diet".
A limit of €33 a month will be placed on "personal hygiene and grooming items", while a person will be allowed to spend up to €29 a week on trips to the cinema, sports activities and what's described as "social inclusion and participation".
The guidelines do not outline how much can be spent on childcare or mortgage repayments, saying these will be decided depending on the debt solution and individual circumstances. Full details of the guidelines are available here
Minister Alan Shatter launched the guidelines this afternoon.
The head of the Insolvency Service of Ireland Lorcan O'Connor spoke on the issue of childcare costs.
The ISI has also created a number of scenarios for different circumstances.
