SOA help please

QueenBeruthiel

Don't be too harsh on yourself Rosie. You have to have some pleasure in life. Make sure that you are getting as many points as possible - Nectar, Tesco - for groceries, petrol, etc. That could go towards holidays, days out, entertainment.

A mobile hairdresser cuts my hair, charges £6. Any in your area? Also look out for salons asking for "models" for trainees to practise on.

Is your mobile PAYG? An Orange sim card would also give you 30 free texts per month via your PC. I found about that on these boards.

RosieDG

QueenBeruthiel, you are a lovely person and I feel so encouraged. I'm not surprised almost all your posts so far have been thanked!

Your mobile hairdresser is v cheap - the £12 I pay is for a mobile one. My mobile is Orange PAYG and gives me 300 free texts if I put £10 on it each month, so my current budget is to put exactly £10 a month on - no less but no more either.

Fire_Fox

RosieDG wrote: »

I've had a look for places to rent that are within a reasonable distance of my job and my kids' school. The cheapest are about £650-700pm. I'll probably be moving anyway in a year or so, so if I move now as well, then a reduction of £200pm would be a saving over the year of £2400 minus costs. How much would I be likely to spend on removals? I can't move myself very easily with the two kids "helping" :rolleyes:.

Public transport wouldn't work for my journeys to work/school, and in my line of work I can't get school hours only. Grandparents are too old/ill and too far away, so I can't see any way round the after school club fees. At least I only work term time so I don't have to pay for childcare in school holidays.

If you moved to the cheaper area would you then still need to run a car? This might be an extra saving? A smaller house would also save you in energy bills and in council tax.

To relocate you only need to hire a-man-with-a-van as long as you pack up the delicate items yourself. If you are moving in a year anyway this is a good time for a clearout so you don't have as much to pack or move - eBay anything not used in the last six months! Kids clothes go very well in bundles for example.

RosieDG wrote: »

I know the elec/gas is sky high. It was £80pm and then E.on suddenly wrote saying they were putting it up to £125 even though my payments were covering my usage. I put my annual kWh into whatever cashback site MSE was recommending, and it said to switch to EDF so that's what I'm doing. I know I need to cut down on usage, though. The kids are the ones who leave things on (lights, TV etc) when there's nobody in the room to use them, but I'm the one who likes to keep the house warm. I've already got rid of the electric convector heater in my bedroom, but there are more cutbacks to make.

It would probably be worth you buying a packet of energy saving sockets with remote control if appliances are getting left on. Better still start confiscating items from the children if they leave them on standby ... or if they just leave them on!

Your real energy hungry items are heaters (get an electric blanket or wear another layer), electric showers, washing machines run on hot, tumble dryers - anything that produces a notable amount of heat. But if you have all the usual gadgets and/ or a lot of halogen spotlights this can also add up. :eek:

Forris

Fire_Fox wrote: »

It would probably be worth you buying a packet of energy saving sockets with remote control if appliances are getting left on. Better still start confiscating items from the children if they leave them on standby ... or if they just leave them on!

I've never seen that suggested before, but what a fantastic idea! If its left on, and not being used, take it away. I'm going to rememeber that one for when my 2 year old grows up!

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Your real energy hungry items are heaters (get an electric blanket or wear another layer), electric showers, washing machines run on hot, tumble dryers - anything that produces a notable amount of heat. But if you have all the usual gadgets and/ or a lot of halogen spotlights this can also add up. :eek:

This is a real bugbear of mine. In recent years, shops and manufacturers have persuaded us to buy halogen fittings with their shiny, sparkling looks but no-one mentions the fact that where you used to have a 100W bulb in the living room, you now have a (lovely and shiny) light fitting that takes 4 x 50W halogen lamps! So you've now doubled your power usage!! Energy saving versions are just starting to become more widely available, but they vary in brightness and can be expensive.

trina2010

a couple of things from me, since my OH has already thrown in his pennys worth.

when it comes to moving, do you need a removals firm? or do you maybe have a 'friend of a friend' who has a van? and a couple of friends with cars you could call upon to let you fill their cars, maybe make them a nice dinner or something in return? kind of a little moving in party? far cheaper and good for morale to have your friends around you while packing up your old life.
Not sure if you are still in the same house as you lived with your ex, but that can make it specially hard, leaving it all in the past.

With the electric, when what you were paying previously was covering your consumption why did you allow them to increase it?!?! You should be straight on the phone asking why. We came to the end of 12 months with our supplier with over £100 surplus over the year, and they told us they wanted to know up our direct debit by £5 a month and we told them where to go! Why would you pay more? even for now until you can find a better deal get on the phone and get it back to what it was.
(same with BT, we were line rental only with them, they put theyre line rental up from 10 to 11.50 and wanted to change our direct debit to 20 a month) they really will do anything to get more money out of you, you just need to stand up to them and tell them where to go!

your money is far better in your pocket than fattening their already huge bank accounts!

Sorry if thats a bit harsh I just dont see why you went along with it knowing you were paying enough already instead of getting on the phone

TurnaroundSue

I agree with trina1020. Swalec wanted to increase our ddr from £55 to a whopping £110:eek: . I told them that they didn't need that much and so agreed an increase to £70 only, if there was any surplus left at the end of the year then I would pay it then., but I dont anticipate it as I have drastically reduced my consumption and hopefully prices should be coming down soon (thieving, robbing barstewards that they are!!).

RosieDG

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Your real energy hungry items are heaters (get an electric blanket or wear another layer), electric showers, washing machines run on hot, tumble dryers - anything that produces a notable amount of heat. But if you have all the usual gadgets and/ or a lot of halogen spotlights this can also add up. :eek:

Have got rid of the electiric heater in my bedroom
Shower works off the hot water in the hot water tank - from gas boiler
Only do a hot wash occasionally if stuff won't come clean at lower temp
Don't have a tumble dryer
All lights in whole house are energy saving bulbs

I think I need to read the meters more often and work out how much my usage is really costing me. It might motivate me to change. And yes, I'll certainly start by confiscating any DVD found playing to an empty room.

Can't think why I let E.on get away with it. At least I'm learning. I won't be such a pushover next time a company tries to do that to me! Thanks for making me see it that way.

(PS Doomcow is a he? I thought a cow would be a she - I'll have to think of him as Doombull!)

trina2010

RosieDG wrote: »

(PS Doomcow is a he? I thought a cow would be a she - I'll have to think of him as Doombull!)

Haha, hes just looked at that over my shoulder and had a little giggle.

Youve made my day :rotfl:

I used to be at the stage where I thought these companies were alright as well, but they really will try anything to screw you out of as much money as you possibly can.

Good luck if you call them they will be able to tell you how much surplus you have on your account at the minute and you can work from there. Like i say, better in your pocket than theirs.

TurnaroundSue

RosieDG wrote: »

Can't think why I let E.on get away with it. At least I'm learning. I won't be such a pushover next time a company tries to do that to me!

It's not too late to get back on the phone to them and tell them you want to change the ddr amount back to the original figure as it is covering your current usage!

MrsAnnie

RosieDG wrote: »

The tax credit helps with the childcare anyway. I'll discuss the music lessons with the kids.

Not sure how it is where you live, but my council (Lincolnshire) assists with school music lessons. If you receive tax credits/ benefits etc then they will subsidise up to half of the cost of the lessons. Not something the council or the school advertises but I found out quite by accident when I complained to the school how expensive violin lessons are and if they could be reduced. Each term the school takes a copy of my current tax credit statement and sends it of to the council to be approved for reduced lesson fees.

Worth inquiring about if your children are taking private lessons through the school.