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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.

968 discussions 13.7K comments Most recent: Property Income Excluded from Free Childcare Hours by ileven1225 2 June at 7:39PM
MoneySaving dads

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

367 discussions 4K comments Most recent: Increase in child custody from 40/60 to 50/50 by marcia_ 9 June at 1:46PM
Deaths, funerals & probate

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

12.5K discussions 132.1K comments Most recent: Probate final stages - How to transfer house to ltd company efficiently and other questions by poseidon1 Today at 5:46PM
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 249.9K comments Most recent: Purely Pets - Alarming email pre-warning of increased renewal by glasgowchick 21 July at 10:00AM

School Fees
I'm wondering if anyone can help. My daughter has been accepted into an independent school, however we were unsuccessful in our means-tested application due to limited availability. I'm a single mum, work full time and earn under £22k. Does anyone know of any alternative sources of funding that I apply to/for? I have tried…
Hospital Bag List
Hope this is the right forum. I was recently in hospital, taken there at short notice when a chronic condition worsened. After a day or so I really missed all the things I'd failed to pack, and I didn't have the charger for my Kindle, which died on me. I got cold in the night and would have loved my fleecy blanket, or…
Staying in contact with 96 year old gran
Hi I wonder if there's a way of staying in contact with my gran via different methods easily. I do call her but she is very hard of hearing and, as much as I hate to admit it, speaking on the phone is a bit of a chore, maybe for us both. I know this makes me a bad granddaughter.. She is a 4 hour drive from me and suddenly…
Aging father - How to Handle
Hello MSE'ers. I haven't been on here in a while, it has been a whirlwind few months, however I could do with some advice. I relocated to offer Mum support with my aging Dad. I moved close by, took on a new job and went through the upheaval of changing life again. However, since I moved a few things have happened and I am…
Does MoneySaving run in the family?
Is MoneySaving a family trait? Or are you the outlier?
Elderly MIL
HiMy mother in law rang me earlier today to tell me that her grandson had been stealing from her. She said that her grandson had visited her a few weeks ago but she had only just had her bank statements through in the past. On the bank statements were two ATM transactions, one each for each of her bank accounts which…
Oracle Girl
Sorry this is a bit random and I have no idea who else to ask! A family member is going to try using Oracle Girl (https://www.oraclegirl.org/) to heal a relationship. No card details, no personal details required, just name and email address, optional donation. They are going to set up a new email address. Just wondering…
How to be assertive
I brought a Xbox trade in PlayStation and paid extra then wanted a refund, because I didn’t like it as much as PlayStation.I did say it didn’t work shop refused as they tested it, fair enough there in rightAnyway my friend says damage it like water or drop it, then say it don’t work.My mum said they will find out. Now Next…
Husband won't sign the TR1 to let me buy him out
Has anyone any experience of what route to go down with this? Basic facts: * Separated and all proceedings have gone through court * Part of the financial settlement is that I give him 40k and that is his equity so he will have no claim on the house * I've arranged a re-mortgage into my name with the extra £40k to pay him,…
Dilemma (long, sorry)
So a bit of background.....I have a sister a few years younger than me and we've never really got on, for different reasons which I won't bore you with. About 12 years ago she moved miles away from our home town (where my mum still lives) with her boyfriend and said she wanted to have a bit of an adventure before moving…
Lasting Power of Attorney
I wonder if someone can answer this please. Google is`nt cooperating. Should someone who has Lasting Power of Attorney be informed if a will has been rewritten and is not with the same storage company as the previous will? I don`t want to go into details but I strongly believe the person who changed her will and who I had…
Paying for Son in Law's operation
Hi, my mum & dad are both in their 80s with poor health (one mental and one physical). They would like to pay for my Brother-in-Laws hip operation as the current wait time in his area is up to 2 years. The cost is around 12k. Would this be seen as wilfully reducing an social care cost or is it acceptable given the one off…
We’re moving in… Couple… Finances
This might seems weird and we’re looking for genuine options, advice. So the other half (Stephen) and I met a year ago and we’ve decided to move in together. How do you share finances/income as a couple? In my previous relationship, both salaries were combined and the bills deduced, what was left was halved and in our own…
Living with ex
We separated in October, he’s agreed in principle I can buy his share of the house and continue living here with our 3 children, but I can’t actually get him to take the money or move out. Anyway, he keeps turning the heating on instead of putting on a jumper (I pay the bills) using the toilet paper I buy (he’s…
Please advise on my divorce case
Summary: Married for18 years with two children 17 and 13. We had a few domestic violence incidents in the past, wherein I missed a lot of opportunities to prove my side during those incidents considering the then age of my children. We have been living separately in the same house for more than 2+ years, based on that I…
Grandmother causing problems by lying
My grandmother is 95 soon and she's causing so much grief and stress. She lies all the time and makes up stories about things. This infuriates my father. She's not eating as lost so much weight. My grandmother claims she's 10st. More like 7! Then the other day, mum put something into her wheelie bin and noticed a load of…
VAT taken
I am just a little confused as to why my French buyers are charged VAT when I am not VAT registered. Item subtotal£40.00Postage£2.00VAT (eBay collected)£8.40Discount£0.00Total**£50.40
Am I alone...
...in finding that the MSE Forum is like a wise, elderly parent? I started consulting this site when I took my pension early at the age of 55 and a half. That was nearly 2 years ago now and I have dipped in and out of the Forum since then. I looked at it a lot 18 months - 2 years ago, took a break and then came back a few…
Neighbour Abroad Hasn't Been in Contact
My 80+ year old neighbour is currently living in Japan and usually calls us every two weeks to check in on her home that my sister is house sitting for her. The last we heard from her was on the 6th of February. A friend has contacted the local police but due to Data Protection they can't tell us anything. They did say…
Is it illegal to not pay a global payment through a court order
Hi please can anyone advise me? I have a global payment of £1000 per month through a court order for 2 children. It’s due to reduce to £750 when it’s just the younger child. One of them is 17 & has temporarily moved into his dads but today his father has reduced my payment to £500 without notice even though I am however…