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Marriage, relationships & families

Discuss the MoneySaving implications of relationships and family life.

MoneySaving mums

A place for mums with kids of all ages to discuss parent MoneySaving matters.

971 discussions 13.8K comments Most recent: Money Moral Dilemma: When should I tell my son I can't afford for him to go to a private school? by pomcycle 26 September at 2:34PM
MoneySaving dads

A place for dads with kids of all ages to discuss parent MoneySaving matters.

371 discussions 4.1K comments Most recent: Child maintenance increase by Northern_Wanderer 12 September at 9:50PM
Deaths, funerals & probate

Get MoneySaving help at the time of bereavement - discuss wills, inheritance tax, estate planning and more.

12.8K discussions 134.5K comments Most recent: Calculating IHT when two life interest trusts are involved by poseidon1 Today at 6:35PM
Pets & pet care

For MoneySaving questions about taking care of your cat, dog, parrot or other animal companion, including vet fees and pet insurance.

15.9K discussions 250K comments Most recent: Doodle Dog Buying Advice / Health Issues by sheramber Today at 4:55PM

Stamp duty on new home after separation
Grateful for any enlightenment. :) Married 2000.Left family home 2014 as we were not getting on too well.Spouse continues to live in property which is fully owned by us(no mortgage) as joint tenants.No children in this picture. From 2014 to present I have lived solely at my mother's home with her. Unfortunately she died…
Cost to me of power of attorney
I am thinking of asking my son in law to have power of attorney for me as I am now 81 and am concerned that I could deteriorate mentally. A friend has power of attorney for someone and has said that he has been told that debt claims could be demanded for him to pay out of his own funds. Is this correct?
Any advice regarding secondary school appeals please help!
Hello. I am absolutely dreading letting me son down. Any advice would be massively appreciated. Here goes... We moved house in December with the councils housing list as we won a property. We were put in band B due to my sons sensory processing issues. Unfortunately this was after the deadline to change school preferences.…
Advice needed with ex husband's behaviour
I'm looking for some advice about how to tackle an ongoing situation with my ex husband and his behaviour towards me and the inevitable impact on our children. I separated from my ex husband two years ago, primarily because of his behaviour towards me in the marriage. We have two children together (now aged 6 and 2). We…
Am I weird for being a complete and utter loner?
Since about the age of 12 I have not desired any friendships in my life and actively took steps to avoid social situations. I don't have anxiety or anything I just don't like spending time with other people. For my entire teenage years I isolated myself in school and just spent my break times in the computer science…
Wife deleted wedding photos from social media
My wife of 4 years has deleted our wedding photos from her social media account and most of the pics of us together within the last year. There a couple of us from over a year ago left there. I have an account but seldom use it. Last night I happened to login and look on her profile to see the wedding photos. They weren't…
Conflict with Nursery over fees
Good Morning all, I am looking for some advice. My daughter has been registered at a private Ofsted registered day nursery since she was 7 months old (she is now nearly 3). When I signed her up, I paid a month in advance as a deposit. During her time, her contract has been changed that many time I have lost count, and I no…
Experience of Spousal Maintenance?
I've also posted this question on Quora... Is anyone in England or Wales willing to share their own divorce experience of "Spouse Maintenance"? How much you got and for what commitments and needs. How much would the court awarded for taking over a 300k home on a single 25k salary with a 6+9 yr old? please say if you'rw…
Lasting power of attorney or something else?
Hi all, I currently help my mum (a pensioner) with pretty much all of her financial affairs. She DOES have mental capacity, but she's always been very nervous about dealing with this stuff, and her English isn't very good either. She recently had an issue on her bank account, because there were some fraudulent…
Divorce questions
Hello everyone, I would like to ask for an opinion regarding my wish to divorce my wife. I will try to make the story short and to the point. Basically, we have been married for 8 years and my wife this year decided that she wasn't happy anymore because we were arguing a lot, also she says that she needs to become…
Living with partner - how much money to ask for
Hi i bought a house maybe three months ago now and I’ve been living here with my partner. The deposit and mortgage was and is paid by myself and my partner has paid no contributions towards the mortgage or council tax. The mortgage is solely in my name. I was wondering if anyone is in the same boat and would like to know…
Overpaying a mortgage in a tenuous marriage
I'll try (and fail) to be brief. Wife and I have been married about 10 years. Deposit on the house was paid entirely by me, wife contributes about £300 per month for bills, otherwise I pay for everything. House is in my name (makes no difference, I know), we have no kids. Wife has complex mental health problems that I…
Unexpected death & subsequent funeral costs
My 46 year old son died today. It was extremely unexpected. The timing would never be right of course but I have just commenced a self managed debt management plan. My CCA credit accounts are just beginning to default. My son was in poor health and received disability benefits. He had no life insurance as he was high risk…
Partner moving in with me - how to work it financially
I would be interested to hear your views on how to split bills when a person moves into their partner's home. I will be asking my partner to move in with me in the next few months. I live with my 2 children now. He will hopefully join us early next year. What would you think would be usual in terms of what he should…
Should I Marry my Beneficiary to Avoid Inheritance Tax?
Hi all, My question is far from romantic, it is more practical. I have worked hard all of my life and I now own a property and assets. I am an only child, I am single, i have no family (except my estranged mother, which I will come to later). My best friend of 30 years will be the sole beneficiary. Everyone we know says we…
Clean break order question
Hi all Me and my ex divorced 6 years ago. We did it ourselves through the courts and we agreed all the debt, the assets and the house payment. I've been listening to the latest "Not the martin lewis podcast" and I was not aware of a clean break order. My ex has since remarried. Does that mean I no longer need a clean bread…
What do I do if I don't believe financial disclosure?
I'm currently going through a divorce and we're going through mediation. We're at the stage where we're making financial disclosures, and I'm really not sure I believe what my ex is disclosing. The house is worth around 360k and it's paid off so we've agreed 50/50. That's fine. But everything else he's saying seems…
Power of Attorney for Health Witness Question
Hello everyone, I am hoping someone with experience of filling in the Power of Attorney for Health form can help. My question relates to the donors about witnesses. Section 5 (Life Sustaining Treatment) and Section 9 (Signature Donor) are both signed by the Donor at the same time, does anyone know if the witness to both…
Apostille service for 9+ documents. Cheapest option?
Evening All I need to get a bunch of documents apostilled (birth certificates, DBS certificate etc.). It looks like there will be at least nine items, all of which need a separate apostille (a group apostille is not permitted). Looking at the .GOV site for this, it seems to be £30 per document plus a minimal courier charge…
Spouse visa application
Hello, Could someone please advise me on my situation? I recently submitted a spouse visa application for my husband. We were married in the UK after he arrived on a fiancé visa, and now we’re applying to extend his stay with a spouse visa. I completed the application myself here in the UK, and I meet all the financial…