OK... debt diary of a new mum!

LilacPixie

I have also heard of a delay with MA. My little one is 6 weeks old now but a woman at our antenatal classes had massive problems, they had an 8 week backlog around may/june time.

Can you get working tax credits before baby arrives??

Newborns actually need very little so concentrate onsorting finances rather than buying stuff.

foreversomeday

LilacPixie wrote: »

Can you get working tax credits before baby arrives??

Newborns actually need very little so concentrate onsorting finances rather than buying stuff.

Working Tax Credits are a nightmare - they assess you based on the previous tax year's income, and on that (since I lost my job at the end of March!) we are not eligible because we earn too much. However now I have zero income (MA is not taxable so not included) I have been advised we should get around £18 a week - which isn't enough to help really, but anything would be better than nothing. I sent off for the form and am just agonising about how much I got paid during the last tax year as I am so disorganised I have no idea where my or DF's P60 is (if I even got one) or either of my P45s. I think I will have to phone their helpline next week and try to sort it out, and explain we have had a change of circumstances to see if they can assess us based on this year's income instead. However I can see that taking weeks and baby is due in 5 weeks, at which point we can apply for child tax credit anyway!

We have nearly everything now so I don't need to spend any more money, in fact all we need is some sheets for the cot and I might be able to get my sister to buy the ones I want as an auntie present! The bigger problem is we can't afford to pay the bills this month if we don't get some form of credit or my MA through.

LilacPixie

you submit the form with last years then phone them and tell them this years estimates and they will do it on this years. Remember they backdate it 90 ish days so the earlier you apply the better.

barnaby-bear

foreversomeday wrote: »

Phone Bill: £20 - This is likely to go down as our lodger makes lots of daytime calls to mobiles.

I've never heard of a lodger not paying their own calls - even bills included deals usually exclude the phone, perfectly reasonable to charge them for their calls.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/compare-best-bank-accounts#overdrawn


Water probably 25-30 pcm.

foreversomeday

We just split all the bills between 3. That was the arrangement when it was a 3-working-people-sharing-a-house situation, rather than a couple and lodger situation and we just never changed it. Pointless now as he is moving out in 2 weeks but thanks And thanks for the water bill estimate.

veyrongirl

Not posted on this forum before but read regularly, but a couple of thing shout out:

Internet - how long are you tied in? Is BE* available in your area, I pay £18 per month for "up to 24meg". Distance from exchange means that I consistently get 14meg.

Bank charge - I had one of these accounts (mine was only £9pm) but I bet you never use any of the "services" available - get rid

HTH

foreversomeday

veyrongirl wrote: »

Internet - how long are you tied in? Is BE* available in your area, I pay £18 per month for "up to 24meg". Distance from exchange means that I consistently get 14meg.

Bank charge - I had one of these accounts (mine was only £9pm) but I bet you never use any of the "services" available - get rid

Internet - until May, I think. What is BE*? Is the service good or do you ever have problems? OH is a computer technician and he only wants to use BT because he sees endless problems with other providers, but if I can find a provider he's never heard of problems with it could be a winner.

The bank charge monthly is on OH's account as well. He thinks he uses the benefits but I know for a fact he doesn't and the only one that might be useful (breakdown cover) he can get for about that price a year, not a month. I keep almost persuading him to get rid of it and then he doesn't do it! He realises now that we can't afford the extra though so he might be taking me seriously at last.


Update on MA - I phoned them up and they have put my application in the urgent pile and say I should have heard by next week. The backlog is apparently about 6 weeks at the moment so it is going down but still not helpful to others having trouble.

Would it help if I posted a week by week SOA for the next few weeks?

veyrongirl

foreversomeday wrote: »

Internet - until May, I think. What is BE*? Is the service good or do you ever have problems? OH is a computer technician and he only wants to use BT because he sees endless problems with other providers, but if I can find a provider he's never heard of problems with it could be a winner.

Google Be Unlimited. I have been using them since May and I did have a few problems with dropouts, but I have resolved them myself and I am not at all computer literate. Check out the reviews on thinkbroadband.com