A new start for Mooloo

Savvy_sewing

Errata wrote: »

Look at it this way: if you don't ask them for petrol money and buy them bits and pieces you're preventing them from becoming independent, coping and managing for themselves. If you want them to be realistic about what they can do and what they can't do because there's no money for it, you need to stop being the Bank of Mum as well as Mum's Taxi Service.
If you were able to help them out because you could afford it, that would be different, but you you also need to be realistic about your income and level of debt.
I know you want the best for them, but sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
How's the spreadsheet going ?

I have just been on to the spreadsheet. I am trying to work it all out. Realise that I really am going to have to shave things, a bit.
I now know what I have to live on, (at the moment) and where its got to go.
Income Fortnightly monthly Annual
ESA £179.60 £359.20 £4,669.60
Childbenefit £40.00 £80.00 £240.00 expect to stop by August.
Maintenance £96.00 £192.00 £192.00 expect to stop by August
Tax Credit £98.64 £197.28 £1,183.68 Expect to stop by August
Total £414.24 £828.48 £6,285.28

Expenses June
TV License £12.12
Water £50.00 £40.73
Old Electric £30.00
Old Gas £30.00
Contents Ins £6.56
Car Ins £27.47
Car Tax £21.66
Car Mot £10.00
Maintenance £25.00
Fuel £120.00
Logs/coal £15.00
Birthdays £10.00
Christmas £10.00
Holidays £50.00
Sth Electric £70.00
Clothes £7.50
Shoes £7.50
gardening £5.00
sewing £5.00
food £125.00
Oxford CT £49.83
Telephone £48.00
Mobile £30.00
Total £765.64

Balance £62.84

Well thats my copy and pasting! It was in Excel so it was in columns!!!:rotfl:

Errata

That looks very, very challenging once the income you get for DS stops in August. You will only have your ESA £359.20 a month to cover outgoings of £765.64. Unless I've misunderstood it completely.

Savvy_sewing

I have just been on the phone to the DLA about my claim. As I was turned down. I have asked for it to be looked at again. But the lady was a snotty person and I really do not hold out much hope. I have coped too well it seems.!!
She also said that it will take around 11 weeks to get a reply!. Wonderful. Wont hold my breathe then.!

Savvy_sewing

Errata wrote: »

That looks very, very challenging once the income you get for DS stops in August. You will only have your ESA £359.20 a month to cover outgoings of £765.64. Unless I've misunderstood it completely.

No you got it in one!. :eek:

Savvy_sewing

I have been looking at what I have to pay, no choice in paying, and I still cannot get within the budget coming in September!.
I have the old bills from the other house, which should have been shared between all the kids and me really. I think I am going to have to show them my spreadsheet at some stage, and then perhaps they will see whats what, and ask each of the twins to help me with a few quid a week towards those at least!
I cannot see any way that I can keep a car unless I get some other income!
Holidays, etc are out of the window. So that means the few days BF and I are going to Prague will be the last for the foreseeable future anyway.
Going to have to look into the Neutral Christmas and birthdays challenges.
I will also have to ask DS for housekeeping in September if he is earning.
But now I have faced the fact that things are going to have to change from now on. That my safety net has gone.!
So I am going to aim for a No spend day today. Do the storecupboard challenge and what ever else I can to change things around!

Savvy_sewing

ps. I realise that I will need a lot of No spend days!! Urgently. My trawling the charity shops and buying bargains will just have to stop.
My son said I need to start buying /selling on Ebay. I have often thought about it, but never managed to get the camera sorted out and taken pictures etc. Then moving here ment a lot of stuff was just taken to the tip! Even though it was labelled for charity!! Oops. So against my normal recycling plans!!

ellawood

how about a car boot less hassle than ebay you may only earn a little as people want to haggle but it only takes a few hours up

Savvy_sewing

ellawood wrote: »

how about a car boot less hassle than ebay you may only earn a little as people want to haggle but it only takes a few hours up

I don't think I have that much stuff at the moment. But I will go through things and see if they are possibly going to be of any value to resell. Then of course I will have to still have the car to do that!

Errata

Mooloo wrote: »

No you got it in one!. :eek:

Oh dear, that's pretty bad if your outgoings are twice as much each month as your incomings.
Some of the shortfall could be made up of not allocating anything for stuff like gardening, sewing, clothes, shoes, holidays, birthdays and Christmas beause you actually can't allocate £45 to these when you haven't got the cash to allocate.
I think DS should be able to contribute towards his keep from his apprenticeship wage, although it won't equal what you've been used to getting for him.
Selling stuff on ebay, car boot etc will make a bit of difference but not a great deal, I would have thought.
Your car is costing you £83 and I honestly can't see how you can keep it going.
If I were in your shoes I'd be making an appointment with a CAB debt advisor to help me knock my financial situation into shape.
I wish I could suggest some magic solution to make it all manageable but I'm afraid I just can't.

Willowx

For selling on Ebay you need to take into account the fees which can knock a fair amount off of low value items, you also need to bear in mind how much it will cost you to get to a Post Office if you don't have one nearby or on a regular route this will need to be factored into your postage and packaging charge. Always look at similar items before listing anything on ebay as if something isn't selling for the other people that are offering them it isn't worth the time and cost to you to list them.

In addition to the things that Errata mentioned would the old bill people be willing to take a further cut? Also your mobile, is that a contract or pay as you go and how much do you use it? If it is a contract and you do not use all of you minutes etc could you contact them and ask to switch to a different plan, I believe that most networks will let you do this without pentaly or possibly switch to pay as you go if you don't use it for outgoing calls that often.

You don't seem to have anything extravagant on the list and I'm not sure how you can cut it down to half of what it is at the moment even if you cut out non essentials.