May benefit challenge - not going to make it

jet77

I don't know if anyone's still reading this - if not I will start a seperate thread.

I have just tried to change to the Talk Talk Free Broadband but BT have told me that I am locked in to my Broadband contract with them til 15/01/07 at £17.99 p.m.

At the mo I pay BT £60-£72 p/m. Would it make sense to move to Talk Talk and pay them £21 for line and landline calls as well as the £17.99 to BT for the broadband p/m and have an exra bill coming out? As the Talk Talk contract is for 18 months (line active from end May 06 so contract end Nov 07) I think that there may be better offers on the market by then so it would make sense to sign up now.

Emmzi

jpet,

you usually get more readers and comments if you start your own SOA thread :-)

I'd try reporting with a header 'jpet - SOA' per the 'first time posters' sticky thread at top of the page.

Emmzi

jet77

Thx Emmzi will do

sammy115

Hi Jpet 77

I am reading now! Emzi is right you will get some good ideas if you post your SOA, but check in on the benefit thread and let us know how you are doing. This came about when both me and DH got made redundant. Because my ex employer had acted illegally he refused to tell Job Centre why he had terminated my employement. THEREFORE in the wisdom of the world - I SUFFERED - no JSA for me, OH or 4 kids (1 new baby too!) I lived off my CTC and CB for nearly four months.

I had to ring Orange up in the end and they kindly put the contract on hold until circumstances got better.Then I ordered free sim card from Orange - its gone up now (£1) and got three hundred free txts per month for every £10 top up.

We never went anywhere so no travel costs. We could also make food from scratch.

Things got worse when we got jobs. We had to find travel costs until we got paid. Luckily the childminder waited three weeks to get paid.

What I would be inclined to do is live on what you would get as benefits (but add your travel costs back in). As for travelling to your parents, I have just discovered national express. Have some good deals on especially if you book in advance.

And to add your signature go to User CP at the top of the page and add your sig there!

Good luck with the benefit challenge.

Sam

Emmzi

Day one of challenge, and aiming for a no spend day. *Might* cave in and get ten ciggies, will see how work goes!

However, did work stationary order online so I don't have to leave the house (and get sucked into 'just get petrol.. mm.. just get chocolate..')

Have homemade bread and yogurt at the ready, and am planning a nice veggie curry, mainly from storecupboard but splashed out 49p on fresh garlic, ginger, chilli etc yesterday. But should give me enough to freeze 2 or 3 portions for later in the month.

I think the biggest challenge will be not obsessing!

So.. £140 for month.. £0 spend (at 8.30 am day 1!) so far.

JAMIEDODGER

jpet77 - just a note, you wouldnt get JSA if you have a child, you would go on IS and get an allowance for the child as well plus your child benefit so your money would be slightly more.

emmzi - think you are doing a great job! i currently live on benefits, IS, DLA, carers and child benefit. it is hard and you do have to be organised. the more organised you are the easier it is. keep track of every penny and dont take your eye off the ball!

your £140 per month sounds doable. i have £80 for a week to cover: food, grocery and nappies, cleaning stuff, pet food, petrol, cigarettes, personal spending money and pocket money etc. that is for me and four children.

i think that you will be fine!!! good luck with your challenge!!!

JD

Emmzi

Ok. Yesterday's meal planner - all from the cupboard.

Breakfast - yogurt and pears
Lunch - slimfast shake (eww but vitamins!)
Snacks - grapes and home made bread. Oh, and that chocolate I bought...
Dinner - gnochhi and pesto (will be having other half of packet/jar later in week) and angel delight type thing. If you make it with skimmed milk you get quite a lot of pudding for your calories!

Spending: about a fiver on cigs and chocolate. So £135 left for the month. On plus side, cheap fags are rough so only had 2 yesterday! even though they were the low tar etc ones. This may be the route to giving up smoking - ned fags!!

Entertainment: spoke to mates on pc (messenger cheaper than phone); played video games; dug out old copy of 'zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance'.

Plan for today is staying home and working.

I'm finding it tough with b/f away (back from visitng friends on Saturday.) I keep thinking I deserve a little treat because he is off having fun without me...

However - 4 paypackets until end of contract. I deserve to have food if I'm not employed!!

Nice thing today: because I transferred cc payment early (pay it off every month, just for work expenses) balance currently says ZERO (on internet banking). It's a nice way for it to look.

Emmzi

rubytuesday

black-saturn wrote:

I wonder why that is? I know loads of people on benefits and can afford holidays and arnt in debt. Yet no one I know who works (except me) can afford a holiday and all of them are deep in debt. Even though they are earning far more than people on benefit. Does money sense go as soon as you get a job or something?

Think it must do! I didn't used to have ny credit cards used to go on holiday and seemed to survive pretty well. Still got daughter at home so suppose I could allow myself more on this challenge but I won't for now.If I got the mintinence I'm entitled to from my dughters Father I wouldn't have the money worries I do but after 4 Years the Csa still haven't managed to pin him down despite case going to fraud department.

Emmzi

Right. No spend yesterday, and food from cupboard. Found a nice caramel yogurt sachet to make up - the hardest thing for me is not having chocolate on hand!! so the sugar should help.

Am, however, spending a fiver today. It's on a second hand book for someone who *might* be able to 'network' me into a job - I have a good non-work related reason to give him a small gift, it's an excuse to talk to him, and book is second hand (but 'as new'' so should get away with it.)

Really didn't want to spend cash, but it's an investment.

So. 3 days in, £10 down, £130 to go. And very fed up with staying home and not going out for a wee coffee to break up the work day... I'm never going to get used to this!

Emmzi

ARRGH!!

Credit card on file is one I don't have any more.. so declined!

Hmm. I will take this as a sign and just ask him for coffee! Will end up having to pay for that anyway. Maybe the MSE gods are with me today.

Back to £135 left!