HELP! Have cut back all I can but am still over-spending!

Soworried · 7 February 2013 at 11:31AM

Buy him a crossword book, it will last longer.

A nice hotchocolate with mini marshmellows is what we like after a walk.

peachyprice · 7 February 2013 at 11:33AM

You don't have to stop the walks, but you don't have to go to the pub after and buy everyone a drink surely? Once the warm weather comes, take a picnic, the pub isn't the be all and end all of a nice day out.

Truth is, prices are rising, wages aren't, something has to give. All your leisure activities and family time revolve around alcohol, it's a huge drain on your finances.

ScrimpingandSaving · 7 February 2013 at 11:38AM

craig - my hayfever is severe and all year round so I need prescription medicine.

Online shopping actually often works out cheaper so I'm going to do that from now on armed with my meal planner.

Obviously the pension pot will stop. But I won't cut back on the children's savings.

If we didn't go on holiday that would save us around £70 a month, but I can't put off visiting my dad forever. That is this year's holiday.

Wouldn't it be nice to earn a little more? To actually enjoy life instead of just living day-to-day trying to make ends meet? I'm now faced with cutting back on all the little things we enjoy. I just wish things didn't have to be this way.

Thanks for the reality check. I'll let you know how we are doing after a month. We've got £450 in the bank to last us until the 21st, let's see if we can manage this month without having to dip into our ISA's to bail us out.

flea72 · 7 February 2013 at 11:40AM

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

We DO stick to own brand labels that's why I don't understand it. I know I can spend as much as £95 on the weekly shop but it can be more if I am buying birthday presents from the supermarket (for the childrens' friends or relatives) or school uniform/stationery/essentials for the kids.

We buy cheap meat cuts, I try to stick to chicken, I use the slow cooker a lot. We do go through a lot of fruit and veg and plenty of things for packed lunches such as bread, sandwich fillers, cold meats, salad, etc. The only branded items we get are tea and coffee. The rest is supermarket own label.

Why are you buying children underwear and school uniform/stationery every month

You need to change supermarket and as already said, cut down on alcohol consumption. £12for 2 bottles of wine isn't exactly cheap plonk. Plus beer and alcopops is too much for 2 adults in a week.

I also think you are mad to be saving if you overspending. Savings are a luxury for people who have excess income. If you don't have spare money, the its not savings. It's robbing Peter to pay Paul

ScrimpingandSaving · 7 February 2013 at 11:42AM

It's not all alcohol, please don't make me sound like a drunkard.

A glass of coke costs as much as a pint of beer. 2 cokes for the kids won't get you much change from a fiver.
I have a ginger beer, which is also over £2.

Yes in the summer we do take picnics. In the winter when we've traipsed miles over fields, through woods and up hills it's nice to sit somewhere warm with a drink and have a chat. It's a pleasure. A treat. But yes, we can cut back here and simply go home instead.

Same with drinks at home. It's not all alcoholic. I will buy Schloer or Ginger Beer again to enjoy at the weekends. Again, it's a treat. Again, we can cut back on it.

peachyprice · 7 February 2013 at 11:44AM

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

craig - my hayfever is severe and all year round so I need prescription medicine.

Have you got a pre-payment certificate for your prescriptions? It's £29 for 3 months, would that help?

flea72 · 7 February 2013 at 11:44AM

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

craig - my hayfever is severe and all year round so I need prescription medicine.

So I take it you have a prescription card that gets you unlimited prescriptions for a fixed fee? Although saying that, over the counter treatments are usually cheaper

Nasal sprays are sold in poundland, and in aldi you can get two weeks tablets for 79p

[Deleted User] · 7 February 2013 at 11:45AM

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

I'll break it down into more detail:

In the home:
MobilePhones: £10Is this the cheapest that you can get? Try Giff Gaff
TV Licence:£12.12
Internet:£17
Home phone:£9.72
HouseholdMaintenance: £15What does this cover, and does it get saved somewhere for when its needed?
Electricity£29.04Are you being as economical as possible? Try switching to energy saving bulbs, switch down the thermostat on the hot water boiler by a degree or two, switch things off instead of leaving them on standby etc
Gas £66.67Switch radiatiors down or off in rooms that are not being used, etc
Water:£29.17Is this a meter or a standard charge? If standard charge, consider if a meter would be cheaper
Council Tax:£130Is this over 10 or 12 months, if 10 ask your council if you can spread over 12
HomeInsurance £6.42probably need contents too
Mortgage:£448.40
Food andhousehold shopping: £600I think that you can cut this right back, probably by about half, but try reducing by maybe £50 this month, and then a further £50 nect month etc. Meal plan, batch cook, cook from scratch, use own brand, make a list of only what you need and stick to it, try lidl/aldi, drop brands etc
Drinks forhome £90Think that you need to reduce this a lot if not cut out completly

Motoring
Petrol: £280Are two cars necessary? Not only could you cash one in and use the money to help you budget, pay off your electricity arrears etc but you would save a lot in the running costs; petrol, tax, insurance, maintenance
Car Tax £74
CarInsurance: £44
CarMaintenance: £63
Breakdowncover: £3.33

Debts
Credit card:£50 (I use it for Paypal)
What does this get spent on> And is it every month?
Savings
Childrens£40Half until your budget is on a more even keel
Lump sumsavings: £100 (for tax and pension)reduce for now, you really can't afford it
Regularsaving: £16 (spare change saver)
what is this for?
Family
SchoolTrips: £20
SchoolMeals: £9.97 (one meal a week)
PocketMoney: £17.33

Entertainment
Days out(incl cinema, etc): £25Try and use vouchers and offers, also make the most of free days out in your local area
Books,music, films, etc: £14cut back or cut out
Shopping forfun: £90You cannot afford to shop for fun on top of all the other shopping that you do!, cut back or out
Pet Costs:£2.20 (hamster)
Antivirus:£3.38I am sure that you can get this for free
DVD Rental:£5.99cut back or out, try buying them online and then re-selling them once they are watched - e-bay and amazon are good for this
DrinkingOut: £65cut back or out. Including drinks at home, you are4 spending a lot on alcohol!
Eating out:£21.67maybe go less often, or use vouchers and deals when you go

Clothes,Health, Beauty
Haircuts:£8.67
Clothes: £25

Big One-Offs
Birthdays:£30Does this get saved for when it's needed?
Holidays(incl weekends away) £83.33as above
Christmas:£41.67as above

Odds andSods
Newspapers£36.50read online, but a book of crosswords for a couple of pounds, it'll last more than a month
Tax and NI:£12.13I thought that this was included in savings above? Have you counted this twice?
Regularcharity donations: £5

So areas we can cut back on are in entertainment. We tend to spend weekends with the family and will go for a long walk followed by drinks in the pub. You can still do this, but switch from alcohol to soft drinks, or do it less often, or try (in better weather) taking a picnic

Shopping for fun I've heaped in all our miscellaneous spending like cash withdrawals. This is generally used on prescription medicine (my other half has psoriasis and I have hayfever),See if a pre-paid certificate would be cheaper bits we buy whilst out and about, one-off donations to charity, etc.

Comments above,

HTH

D9

mummyroysof3 · 7 February 2013 at 11:46AM

firstly are all the bills the best value they can be? i would check that then they are fixed costs.

next its working on the costs that arent fixed such as food, cleaning, booze, presents clothes etc. spend one month writing everything down, we dont have your car costs but there are 5 of us and we spend less with similar house costs.

ScrimpingandSaving · 7 February 2013 at 11:46AM

Alcopops?

I've already explained the alcohol thing, you are presuming. Ginger beer is not alcoholic.

The kids grow. My daughter needs red PE socks which forever seem to get lost. Same as her other socks. My son's get riddled with holes. I also buy paper for her to print her masses of homework out on, pens, glue, maths equipment, art equipment, batteries. It's all stuff that you remember you need whilst out shopping. For instance last time I went I got her some folder dividers to separate her homework, some new socks, spare birthday cards, hair clips, envelopes and a new packed lunch box as she lost hers at school.

I shop at Asda.

HELP! Have cut back all I can but am still over-spending!

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