hi can you help please

dazzanator

hi i am new to this site and are hopeing that you can help me get my money in order i have a decent enough wage each week but i always seem to be scraping about for money and can never aford anything
i dont know where i am going wrong i have a wife and two kids one school age one in nappys and i would like to be able to put some money in the bank and take my famley out from time to time
but it dosnt happen unless somthing dosnt get paid so we dont go as all bills come first dont they any ideas would be good

CosmoCat

Hi there

welcome to MSE.

the best way to get advice is to post your SOA - a list of your monthly income and outgoings, so that all the very helpful people here can see where you can make a few savings.

you'll find there are quite a few simple ways to save once you have a good definite look at your affairs.

welcome and all the best.

Emmzi

Welcome!

I would look at the first time posters sticky thread above and post your SOA and all debts with APRs and minimum payments.

Then the DFW nerds can give you specific advice.

I am living so much more cheaply since starting here - its a bit of effort to begin with, but gets easier!

dazzanator

hi i hope this is right

income per month

1312 wages
196 child tax credit
116 child benifit
total 1624

outgoings

rent 600 .00per month
coucill tax 132.00 per month
water 32.00 per month
gas 32.00 per month
electric 65.00 per month(this inculds a big bill what i couldnt pay for in full)
food 360.00 per month
sky 18.00 per month(kids would go mad with out it)
aol 18.00 per month
bt 20.00 per month

total 1277
so left over each month 347.00(out of this amount comes clothes fags and any other bill what pops up like tv licance mobil pay as you go ect)so on paper this looks good but it never works out like this that why i could do with your help

keith_lard

dazzanator wrote:

sky 18.00 per month(kids would go mad with out it)
aol 18.00 per month
bt 20.00 per month

Hi have you thought about Cable?

They can do all that for around £34

A saving of £22

Emmzi

Ok.. so no credit cards or loans to pay, no car or transport costs?

Food looks high, could cut back there by menu planning and visiting old style boards.

Is AOL broadband? Can save a coupld of quid there.

Haveyou tried uswitch for cheaper gas and electricity?

calleyw

This may sound anal but you need to budget for everything.

Clothes, hair cuts, holidays, brithday and christmas etc.

What do you include in your food bill. As it is very high at £360 a month. I manage to feed two adults who like their food so no tiny portion for approx £100 a month. So would have thought you could slash your food down to approx £250 that is giving you an extra £110 a month.

I am going to sound really mean now but "sky 18.00 per month(kids would go mad with out it)" please. If you had never got it for them in the first place they would never had it. Get a free view box as they are about £30 and would make saving every month.

£20 a month on BT:eek: Use another carrier for your calls. If you use someone like 1866 you only pay 3p a call.

I think both you and your wife need to keep spending diaries of what and when you are spending money.

With out wanting to appear rude but you seem to have a very lax way of handling money. As you say "any other bill what pops up like tv licance" sorry but your TV licence just does not pop out of nowhere it is to be paid every year.

Oh yeah the other big one is give up the fags. It has bigger finanical impact then you think about it, like higher life insurance.

And there are a couple of items that seem to be missing.

Contents insurance
Life insurance you need some as you have a wife and children. Does work supply you inservice benefits.

That is all I can think of off the top of my head.


Yours


Calley

dazzanator

hi no i dont have any debt never had dont even have an overdraft always been like if i cant pay cash for it i shouldnt be buying it and its just as well as i struggle with the bills i have got and i am frightened by debt so cc loans ect is some thing i would never want thats why i am hear as i dont want to get into debt and if i dont sort my money out thats where i will end up

as for the car it is a works car so i dont have to pay anything not even petrol

i have a router dose this work with cable or would i need a new one thankyou for your reply's

CosmoCat

certainly food bill is quite high! and you could get a cheaper broadband/phone package. or as said a full cable bundle, that would definitely give you a few quid savings.

with using a router, i don't it would matter, it just means you won't have to pay for any modems the cable company may try to sell you.

all_hours

you can pay for your TV license by monthly direct debit. when you set this up you pay about about £20 per month for 6 months then it goes down to £11. its much easier than paying in one go as you can add it to your monthly budget.

also do you have any idea how much you spend on things like your mobile or fags. these are the sort of things that add up over the month, £5 here £10 there.

sunflower_2

i really dont think sky at £18 per month is a huge issue
the OP doesnt have any debts so his money belongs to him
and wants his kids to have sky - its not as if its the most expensive package either

the food costs seem to be very very high - i think this is really the only thing the OP can cut back on
except of course for the cigs - but i have never smoked so cant really comment on giving these up