help with my very streamlined budget

funkymonkey

right you lot - i need some more ideas on how to be tight lol. i have spent the last month cutting back my budget but i need to know if i have missed anything or if there is anything else i can cut back on. here goes:

income

myself 1000
partner 980

total 1980

outgoings

rent 475
council tax £52
gas £9
electricity £29
water £9.50
Sewage £17.50
BT £12
18899.com £5
wanadoo £14.99
my mobile £20
partners mobile £30
tv licence £11
Sky £18
pet insurance £7.50
car finance £112
food £70
petrol £130
smokes £40

total £1062

my credit payments

2 egg loans 7.9% totaling £20K
4 barclaycards with LOB 2.9% - 5.9% totaling £8K
2 MBNA cards both 19.9% totaling £6.5K
total min payments are £560

Total outgoings £1622

with added christmas gifts i snowballed an extra £400 this month but most months it looks like it will only be £380

that is leaving me very tight i know but i feel a lot better about my money!

we never go out - have loads of wine from christmas to drink at home instead.

to answer some obvious questions first -

rent - cheapest place in chelmsford (1 bed house and most are £550+)
council tax - im a student so we get 25% off (a well paid student i know!)
gas and leccy - cheapest for me changed recently
broadband - am out of 1 yr contract so rang wanadoo and they reduced price
both mobiles are still in contract
sky - still in contract - downgraded to cheapest package (4 groups)
car is cheapest - downgraded 2 months ago from a £300pm roadster
food - do the grocery challenge every month! this months was £63
smokes - have gone to roll-ups am not giving up!!!

credit cards and loans - am paying off MBNA cards first then loans then barclaycards last. have done loads of searches recently so wont be able to get a 0% card to transfer from mbna but will do that in 6 months time.

i think i am sussed but if anyone has any ideas!

nearlyrich

You seem to have got everything as low as possible, it's always worth checking the utilities on a regular basis. You don't want to give up the smokes, your choice but health and wealthwise ( OK I won't say it ) Sky, do you really get value for the money? we just packed it in, still get the free channels via the box and to be honest I have not missed it one bit.

Only other way is to increase your income, is that possible?

funkymonkey

sky - i am still in 12 month contract so cant cancel for the freesky.

cant do any other work myself as i am a full time seconded student nurse and if i get caught working on my "study days" i get the sack.

OH works over his hours as it is and wont change his job dispite asking!

Gonna_Do_It

Why would you not give up smoking?

Give it up!! Go on DO IT DO IT dare ya!

Dora_the_Explorer_5

If you don't want to cut out the fags, go onto rollies - they're so horrible you'll cut down as well. Your phones add up to £82 a month, this seems a bit on the high side so you might want to look at where you can switch at the first opportunity. PAYG is cheaper than contract and as the cost of calls is higher it stops you making those two minute calls that all add up and you could try only use mobeys for emergencies. Sky - are the 4 channels that good? If you want to see if you could get along without it, don't use it for a trial month and see if you miss it that much. You haven't listed anything for clothes, car insurance and maintenance, birthday presents - is this an oversight?
You seem to have things pretty much sorted and you'll be loads better off when you qaulify, good luck with your exams.

Glittermonkey

I too am still in my 12 month contract for sky.

I took out sky+ and multiroom in Oct and it was crippling me at £52 per month for the whole package.

I phoned them on Friday to reduce or cancel telling them i couldn't afford it anymore.

They said i still have to pay £10 per month for my sky+ subscription but cancelled all the channels and now i just get the free view ones.

I was £30 in credit so it's not costing me anythign for the next 3 months either.

I have to say i do miss watching certain programmes but it does mean im getting otehr jobs round the house done. So far i've found a bin bag full of stuff in my spare room ready to see on ebay, it would of sat there for many more months if i'd been stcuk in front of the telly.

Maybe ring them and see what they can do for you.

GM

Yorkielass

funkymonkey - how about selling things on ebay or amazon? If you have any course books etc you don't need anymore they tend to sell well on amazon - took me 30 minutes to add 12 things onto there the other day and the beauty is you don't pay anything up front/only pay fees if things sell so there's no harm in listing - just watch the p+p cost on heavier books as amazon has a flat rate - check out the very useful tips posted by apprentice tycoon and others on the ebay and other auctions forum.

Last month I made about £32 by selling things on amazon and through the small ads on the website of the university I work at - aiming for £40 this month - if you could do similar you could pay for your smokes that way if you're not interested in giving up.

mentaljessie

With regards to working on coursework days do what i do, swap them with your off days, I've found the majority of mentors to be sympathetic when it comes to earning a bit of cash.

funkymonkey

hi thanks for all the replies - with regards to sky i will give them a ring thanks! as working extra goes - i will have to look for a job outside of the hospital as i mustnt get caught - as i am being paid by my employers of 5 yrs to train they take it more seriously when i work when im already being paid full time to study. any ideas?

funkymonkey

im currently selling things on ebay - unwanted christmas gifts, the goodmans tv/dvd free from tescos (R+R) so should make an extra £100+ this month which is going towards my birthday present which is a weekend away to manchester at end of month with my brother.

car insurance - i pay it yearly so when it omes round i just wont snowball that month, and same with birthdays etc - i will snowball less that month. as for christmas - i will stop snowballing in november and then wil have £600 which is more than enough!