£40 to last 2 weeks!

Galaxy863

The title says it all really, I have £40 left in the bank which has to last me and my OH 2 weeks and I'm panicking!

Out of the £40 I have to buy guinea pig food which is £5 ( dry food ) as well as fresh food I buy them on a weekly basis which costs around £2 a week so thats £9 gone.

I owe £17 on the credit card, but this doesn't have to be paid until next month although normally I like to clear any balance at the end of the month so the next month I start with a nil balance, but I suppose I will have to make an exception this month.

I was supposed to have a dental checkup this month but had to cancel due to illness, I haven't re-arranged it yet but thats another thing thats going to have to wait until next month ( I think its £16-£17 for a check up now? )

It's my OH's mams birthday near the end of the month so we'll have to buy a card and gift for her.

Thankfully I have plenty of food in the house and all the bills are paid so that won't be an issue, I just don't know how I'll pay for anything else that crops up, I'm pretty sure the window cleaner will need paying soon so thats another £5. My OH is going to be away on business quite a bit over the next couple of weeks as well and will have to pay for things up front then claim it back on expenses so I don't know how we're going to fund this

The money is quickly dwindling away! I've never been in this situation before, I know alot of you will probably think I have nothing to complain about but I'm a natural worrier so I'm pretty stressed out at the moment!

hermoine_2

Hi there

Do not panic - you have food and a roof over your head, so no immediate worries.

Will the situation occur again, if so you need a decent plan of action, if not then you will probably manage and come to no real harm.

Do you have to buy the same guinea pig food as normal? You can buy value stuff in Tesco for a couple of pounds and ask your neighbours or friends for the veg scraps for the next couple of weeks rather than buying for them.

I am sure your OH mum would like a cake or something you could make rather than take your last few quid on a gift. The credit card can wait if you will not incur costs with this.

Good luck.

H

SunnyGirl

If you have a Wilkinson's near to you they do guinea pig food for a couple of pounds a bag which'd certainly last the 2 weeks. I buy it for my gerbils. Ask people for scraps of veg etc for them too. I'd meal plan using what you have in already then you'll only have to buy the basics of milk & some fresh stuff. There is a thread on here somewhere from a lady called Mbaz who fed her family of 4 on £28 for a month it's inspiring, also the grocery challenge thread with recipes at the beginning, the storecupboard challenge & your cheapest evening meal challenge thread. Sorry I can't do links I hope that someone can come along soon & point you in the right direction. Hope this helps & good luck.

Galaxy863

The food we buy works out cheaper in the long run as its nuggets so they can't be picky ( in the past we used to buy them the other types that had a mixture of various things in and they'd eat what they liked then leave the rest so we ended up throwing loads away. )

The credit card isn't due to be paid until around the 14th of next month, I have never been late paying and have never had to pay interest, I just prefer to have everything paid off by the end of the month.

The situation shouldn't happen again, I have spreadsheets of incomings/outgoings etc and I'm normally very good at budgeting... I just slipped up this month to be honest

I don't think my OH would go for the idea of just making his mam something unfortunately, although I wouldn't want to spend more than £10 ideally

tattoed_bum

could you find something in the sales or on e-bay for her birthday .
and not wishing to alarm you more but isnt it mothers day this month as well .
does your partner know that your money is tight .
could you book something in advance for your mil that you would pay for on the day .
like a facial or something like that book it for the end of the month when you get paid .

weegie.geek

Most credit cards will have an interest free period, so if being short of money this month is a one-off thing then you could always buy whatever you need on the card (that's possible to be bought by card - don't see the window cleaner having chip and pin! )this month, and make sure you pay it off before they start charging you interest. You seem fairly sensible, paying it off every month, so while I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, I'm sure you'll be ok.

floss2

Galaxy863 wrote: »

The title says it all really, I have £40 left in the bank which has to last me and my OH 2 weeks and I'm panicking!

Out of the £40 I have to buy guinea pig food which is £5 ( dry food ) as well as fresh food I buy them on a weekly basis which costs around £2 a week so thats £9 gone. Can you pick up reduced items to give them as fresh food from supermarket / market?

I owe £17 on the credit card, but this doesn't have to be paid until next month although normally I like to clear any balance at the end of the month so the next month I start with a nil balance, but I suppose I will have to make an exception this month. You don't really have an option this time!

I was supposed to have a dental checkup this month but had to cancel due to illness, I haven't re-arranged it yet but thats another thing thats going to have to wait until next month ( I think its £16-£17 for a check up now? )Again, you don't really have an option this month, but make the appointment for when you will have the cash


It's my OH's mams birthday near the end of the month so we'll have to buy a card and gift for her.Can you make her a gift, maybe a cake?


Thankfully I have plenty of food in the house and all the bills are paid so that won't be an issue, I just don't know how I'll pay for anything else that crops up, I'm pretty sure the window cleaner will need paying soon so thats another £5. My OH is going to be away on business quite a bit over the next couple of weeks as well and will have to pay for things up front then claim it back on expenses so I don't know how we're going to fund this Can he ask for an advance to cover these expenses? Or use the credit card & claim back, then pay off in full when he gets the money


The money is quickly dwindling away! I've never been in this situation before, I know alot of you will probably think I have nothing to complain about but I'm a natural worrier so I'm pretty stressed out at the moment!

Don't panic, there are lots of people here that can help you get through this.
Is it a situation that is likely to arise again in the future, as maybe you need to re-jig your budget to manage it?

Do you need fuel for cars / travel passes / bus or train fares?

How much cash do you each have....also look down the sofa. You may well be able to rustle up enough to pay the window cleaner!

The next thing I would suggest is making a list of all the food, and then planning meals according to what you have already got, without buying anything else. Then make a list of essential items that you need to complete any meals between now & payday.

Floss x

clutterydrawer

see if the market/greengrocer will give you some veg scraps for free or cheap. ostensibly for the pigs but you cuold make some soup too if it isn't too mangy good luck

Caterina

There is always a lot of vegs leftover at the end of the working day in any market. You can go to grocers and stalls and ask for stalks, leaves and any bruised veg - say that they are for your rabbits and that you have a lot of them, so you can feed your guineapigs and also yourself and your OH with the stuff. I have seen perfectly usable veg thrown away just because they had a little bruise, so you are likely to get some nice goodies.

Where you say that in the long run it is cheaper to buy the guinea pig food etc..., this is not the long run, this is an emergency. When payday comes then it is wise to buy for the long run, but now I would imagine it is better to just get the cheap stuff as suggested above.

I know it is not economical - I am in a similar situation: at present, being a bit short of cash I am buying basic MrS toilet paper, 41p for 4 rolls, they are small and do not last long. I know that it is better to buy larger rolls in larger quantities in the long run, and I plan to do so soon, but when cash is short I need to look at the immediate cashflow issue.

HTH

starflower_2

I would use the credit card for MIL's gift and your OH's expenses, and use the £40 cash for food/pet food.

Do an inventory of everything you have in the house, the freezer, cupboards etc, list it all see how many meals you can make with it before buying anything else. You might be suprised!!! Bulk out Soups, Stews, Pies, Casseroles etc with Pulses, Lentils, Oats, leftover Veg, HM dumplings, Yorkshire Puddings, all this is cheap to buy/make, and means you with can get away less meat/fresh veg, but still have a filling meal. Or have a smaller evening meal, such as a jacket potato with beans for eg, then make something like HM Rice pudding for after (use half milk half water, I do this and you don't notice the difference).

It is totally do-able, you'll be fine (I once fed a family of 4 with £15 over 9 days - I kid you not!!!!!)

Good luck!!!!

MrsBartolozzi

I am assuming that this tight month is a one-off (If you are having money problems on a regular basis I don't think my advice is really suitable, sorry)
I would pay the credit card off, so that you won't have any interest to pay next month. (also ensures that next month's spending on it is interest free!). You then have £23 for the window cleaner, GP food and any other cash only things. (if there's money left come payday use it to pay off the credit card).
Then decide what you need to buy and pay for that on the credit card. You have (I assume again) 2x Mother's day cards/gifts and a Birthday to buy for (what, say? £30 in total); doesn't your dentist take Visa? mine does. (another £17?). You should manage to keep the cc down to £50, and then there's the expenses, but OH will get that money back - just make sure he puts the form in PDQ as I know my OH is really bad at this .

This leaves you with £50ish to pay off next month. Can you afford it? If not decide how much you can afford (say £20) and pay all the £50 off (yes that's right) and use the cc to pay for £30 of your usual purchases. (balance is now £30, as you paid off £20). Repeat the next month. By making sure you pay off the whole balance you pay no interest (and it is good for your credit record!). You just have to be strict with your spending.
Use the wonderful advice here to make the most of what you have in your store cupboard and hopefully your food will last til pay day. Good luck whatever you decide,

HTH, MrsB.