Zakaat

Q: I have a question regarding zakaat. 

I follow the Hanafi madhab. I have an Islamic home loan and car loan (Musharakah Agreement) via an Islamic bank. The home loan is 15 years for the house and 6 years for the car. I also have a savings account for investment purposes and I intend to use some of the funds for Hajj. 

I have read via the an Islamic newsletter on zakaat that for long term loans such as home loans and car installments, which does not require immediate payment, we must deduct the money owed for a year and not the full amount. If I deduct the full debt amount I won't be liable for zakaat. If I deduct the 1 year payment only, I will be liable to pay zakaat. 

Please confirm if my understanding is correct and I must only deduct 1 years payment? Please advise if I must proceed with deducting the 1 year debt and not the full debt. 

Q: If a person has been paying zakaat on a certain date every year since before they became baaligh, do they have to change the zakaat date to the date they became baaligh? 

The date they have been paying is about 6 months early, so it would probably be a shortfall in the amount.

Q: Someone owes me R5000. If I tell him, “Give the money which you owe me to the poor on my behalf as my zakaat”, will my zakaat be discharged?

Q: I am a 30 year old female not married and staying with my parents. I am not earning and do not have a job. My parents do not provide me with money. I have to sell things and make do. I have food on the table, I have jewellery of my own, some which I had bought when I had money and some was given to me. It exceeds zakaat nisaab. 

I try my best to pay all my zakaat. I am currently falling back on my zakaat. Is it permissible for me to collect zakaat even though I have jewellery?

Q: What is the ruling regarding food items etc, that are in the house which the helpers see all the time, is it necessary to share this with them always, or sometimes to share it with them is fine?

Q: A person need to give R25 000 in Zakaat. If he buys a cattle (for that price) and give it's meat as Zakaat, is it permissible and will his whole zakaat be regarded as done?

Q: I collected funds from people specifically for someone's surgery, and these funds include Sadaqah (charity). However, now that I have the money, the person scheduled for surgery is refusing to go ahead with it or is asking to use the money for their personal expenses instead. 

Furthermore, my own parents are suggesting that since we are also needy, we should use this money for our own medical checkups and medicines. 

In this situation, what is the Islamically permissible course of action for the person who collected the money?