My I/E

UKTigerlily

Income:

Working Tax Credit - I think it's currently £56.10 every 4 weeks (Due for annual renewal)

Wages - Not sure due to overtime, about £600-£700 4 weekly (£195 before tax per week I think was before OT) & then any OT


Outgoings:

Rent - £154.08 every 4 weeks (£38.52 per week)

Gas - On a prepayment meter, was putting £40.00 on every 4 weeks but think it's actually using about £25-£30)

Electric - £20/£25 every 4 weeks I think (Prepayment meter)

TV License - £19.00 a month cause i'm on the Cash Easy Entry Scheme, but been told from next month it will drop to £10.00 a month as I start paying for my next license

Internet - £9.99 a month

BT Landline - £12.00 a month + any call charges, i'm on the Pay&Call prepayment, so if I haven't got call charges money I can't make any, normally £5.00 to cover calls if needed

Water Rates - £26.84 per month until 22nd November, will take me up too 31st March 2007

Contents Insurance - £5.20 per 4 weeks

CT - £64.00 a month

Food - £100.00 per 4 weeks

Cat - £20.00 (Food/Insurance @ £6.68)

Household - £15.00 (Loo rolls, dish cloths, shampoo etc etc)

Mobile phone (Not essential but if possible like to put £10.00 per 4 weeks on it) Pay&Go

Would like, if possible, to save £25.00 a month for emergencies/b'days/xmas etc)

Haircut - £30 including bus fare every 8 weeks (Tho not been since december 24th)

Weight Watchers - £20.00 per 4 weeks (If I go back, but I need to)

Magazines - £10.00 per 4 weeks if possible

That's all I think??

lynzpower

Sorry love, but do you have any debt? If so you seem to have missed it off?

UKTigerlily

Yeah but only what i'd posted before. Wasn't looking to repost it, but too see what I can cut down on/change to free up money to pay it, it's almost £5,000

muddled_midget

Is it just you living there, if so you should be able to cut down on your shopping bill. Apart from that it depends on how much you want to cut back, hairdressers, magazines, weight watchers and internet are the obvious ones to cut one from if you really did want more money each month. Could you try a locel college and get our haircut for a fiver, catch up with the gossip online instead of from a magazine, see if you can manage without weight watchers (maybe get together with some friends and hold your own weekly weigh in, accompanied by some healthy snacks and dvd as a moneysaving night in) or use the library for the internet.

tyllwyd

Weightwatchers - if you have already been to weightwatchers so you have the diet info etc and you just want support, you could try the weightwatchers or the you can do it diet support boards at ivillage.co.uk, which are free.

UKTigerlily

I can't cut out the WW, I have to lose weight & have Borderline Personality Disorder, so the £5 I spend a week there is the only time out I have, plus I need the support. I don't have any friends so can't do it with them. I've tried to do it without meetings, but do need the support. At the moment I haven't been to the hairdressers for 4 months, i'd like to go every 8 weeks as listed, will enquire with the colleges, good idea. Don't read the gossipy type mags, more Your cat, which I keep for the advice etc & Real. Can't use the library for the net, i'm on for about 8hrs a day, usually overnight cause I work until about 11pm. & I'm not willing to pay £100 a month (That I have spare I think) so far to debts but not have a single thing for me lol, I don't smoke or drink or go out (Cept ww), or buy clothes, so the net is my luxury. Will cut the £25 a week down for food if I can, not sure yet, it seems to cost more than that, I don't eat proper meals cause of work & illness, but will try to cut that down

tesuhoha

That might be why you need to lose weight if you are not eating proper meals and are snacking.

ditzymuppet

All your debts are at a lower rate as possible I assume?

Food shopping, anyway you can get to the market instead for things like fruit and veg?

I'd recommend eating regular meals as well....since I've started doing that, I've had more energy...and I feel healthier as well My weight has also gone down *woohoo* That's my top tip anyway!

Your cat magazine and things like that....have you had a look at the boards where they have the 3 issues for £1 etc to see if anything comes up on there?

The magazines are the first port of call that I'd cut out.... Or are there any local cat lovers who you can swap magazines with? My flatmate and I do this...(sad eh?!)... and it means we don't have to shell out for the magazine every month...

Keep smiling, and enjoy the WW.... x:p

UKTigerlily

lol good idea on the cat mags. I don't need to lose weight because I snack, more because I've a binge eating disorder (Part of BPD symptoms) & find it almost impossible to leave the house, even working is difficult. I don't eat veg, would love to get fruit from the market, just not the bus rides there & back lol I haven't been paying the debts at all, some are in default, none are contacting me, most are over 4 yrs old that are on file. They add up to about £4,700 roughly, but I know there's more that aren't on files & if they contact me they'll be added to my list. I know I had a loan with Welcome Finance, yet what I think it is on my file says joint (Never had anything joint)

UKTigerlily

I kinda buried my head in the sand & I don't know the APR's either. I know the loan was £131.00 a month to pay back £1,500, can't remember how many years, might be two, I dunno :!!

sanfrancisco

Have you tried selling stuff on ebay/amazon?

Reclaiming old bank charges?

You could try selling back copies of the cat magazine on ebay?

Can you increase your income in ANY way?