Can anyone help me please

seasidelol

i've been looking at these pages for a little while, and need some help but don't know where to post but i've seen people move these messages around if they are in the wrong place and i'm hoping if it is in the wrong place, someone will move it to the right place.
i'm a single mum with a daughter, and i work full time ish. i've been told at work we all have to take a pay cut of one day weeks wages to keep going, which isn't a massive problem, but i need to work out how i can do things cheaper and save some money to make the less amount i've got coming in stretch further. can someone (anyone) please point me inthe direction of where to start. i just feel overwhelmed by it all at the moment, trying to work out how to make money stretch. i can cover my outgoings, but its going to be a breakeven situation, which is scary, especially if something goes wrong say with my car etc and i don't have the money to cover the costs.
i don't have internet at home so can only log on at breaks at work, so sorry if people answer and i don't answer straight away or anything. i'll log back on tomorrow and see if anyone can help. if you can't it doesn't matter and i hope i haven't bored you with my ramblings.

xx_Jo_xx

Hi Seaside

There Im in a similar position to you.....single parent, work fulltime, budget stretched as it is! There are lots of threads on the Old Style Forum in particular that help you cutback in ways that you didnt even know was possible!! There are lots of cheap recipe tips, help with mealplanning, and freezing foods - which saves a fortune on your grocery bill in the long run.

There is a Grocery Challenge which you can join that helps you set a figure which is reasonable for you and then stick to it!! Before I started I was spending approx £90 per week on food for just me and little one. Two weeks in, Ive already reduced that to £45 per week....(ish!). There is another thread about how to feed your family of 4 for £20 per month, which is just amazing! There are so many ways you can cut back. There is also a sneaky ways to cut the pennies which might be useful.

With the extras you start to save, you can join some of the other challenges and start saving and putting some away, which would be fine for when you need some cash for your car, or road tax etc. Sealed Pot Challenge is a good one; you can add a little bit here and there and then open it at xmas, or when you really need it. It amazing how it can start to mount up if you really try!

Start reading through some of the threads and you will find the things that will work for you and take it from there. Join some of the challenges and people in a similar position to you will be able to encourage and help you further as you all have a common goal xx

wannabe_sybil

Hi

There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on here, who will be able to help more than me, but my suggestions are:

Go to the Debt Free Wannabe board, even if you have no debt, and post up a SOA - the links are there. They can shave pennies off all over the place (though it can feel very scary!) and they are actually really helpful

Also look at the Grocery Challenge at the top of this list of threads. There are some stupendous ideas on there (but I am rubbish at it )

Also, break down everything into little chunks. Just concentrate for a moment on groceries. Then spend some time and look at bills. Unplug everything not actively working.

Good luck and I hope all works out for you!

dm1465

Hi, if you receive Tax Credits, dont forget to notifiy them of your reduced income, you might be entitled to something extra. Best of luck, hope it all works out with not too much stress for you. xx Deb xx

Bitsy_Beans

OS is great for saving money in regards to your home/cooking etc.
If you were anything like me I would make a trip to the supermarket, buy shed loads of stuff and then decide that we had nothing for tea!!! Most of our money went on food shopping and I wasn't even getting that much food for my money.
The best tips I have picked up here are:
meal plan - I have a 6 week rota that I use but you could do this weekly if you wanted. I made a list of all the meals I knew we liked to eat and allocated them on a weekly basis (some people use Monday night as pasta night etc and work it out that way - it's whatever suits you).
Once I've planned my meals I check my stock to see what I need and only buy what is necessary to make those meals. Saves me a fortune.
Stardrops - the all purpose cleaner is a god send. I use to get through cream cleaner for bathroom/kitchen really quick but with Stardrops I don't use so much (and it actually cleans better too, especially my stainless steel sink!). My bottle normally lasts a good 6 months and it gets uses every week.

there is loads of info on OS and yes it's a but daunting as there is sooooooo much to look at. Just take baby steps and you'll get there.
Have fun, it definately ends up being a challenge.

Butterfly_Brain

It is daunting but it is amazing what you can do
My best advice is to start with a pen and paper, List all your outgoings and budget accordingly. Get in touch with Tax Credits and Working Family Tax Credits, see if you can get council tax and housing benefit.
And remember that this friendly bunch on here will always try to help.

grannytwice

This is happening to so many people just now, myself included, have a read through the if things get tougher thread, for some ideas, check out any benefits you might be entitled too lots of helpfull advice on old style boaird
Check out your local library,some have free internet access and lots of free activities for children . i think sometimes the waiting and uncertainty makes it worse .iit is amazing what you can do and if your not sure about anything just ask there are a lot of friendly recourcefull people on these boards who are always willing to help.

exlibris

Some of the threads you will find useful are very long. Are you allowed to print at work? If so print a full thread and take it home to read, with a cuppa after your daughter is in bed. As everyone has said you will only get helpful advice from here.

seasidelol

i'll have another look at threads that have been mentioned, and printing them seems a good idea, to read later on, i get frustrated i never get to finish one.
can someone tell me what a SOA is, i don't know really what it means, i'll have a look at the debt free wannabe board, did have a quick look, but it seems much more for people who are in debt, i'm just heading that way if i'm not careful, and although i have some credit card debts, i'm managing to pay them off. its nice to know i'm not alone though. my thoughts are to sort it now before anything gets any worse, rather than wait then panic, lol, she says panicking already.

russetred

SOA is a state of affairs where you list all your outgoings and income so others can spot where savings can be made.The DFWs are awesome at this and you dont need to be IN debt for help.I love the grocery challenge myself great craik and good advice.If you get lost or overwhelmed just ask away as there are loads of us happy to help.