credit card problem

MrsTinks

Use the last 3 months bank statements and try to see if you can work out where the money is going...

When is your partner returning to fulltime work? I assume she is on ML at the moment? If not then she needs to start looking for work - even if it's evenings or night time so that you can look after the baby to save childminding costs. If she's on maternity leave then as you're paying the bills what is she spending her maternity pay on?
This really isn't to be nosey but its important to find out the circumstances and where the money is going as a household... I'm home on ML at the moment and I can promise you there is no "spending money" for mummy! What i spend on me or the baby is money I have made from selling stuff laying around the house on Ebay or gumtree...

katsu

Your electric seems high to me - does it include arrears? If not, have you looked at the utilities link to see if you can switch to a cheaper supplier?

Also try: energy saving lightbulbs, lining your curtains, hanging curtains over the front door, putting a cover on the back of the letterbox, looking at when you have heating and hot water on, turning off lights, turning off things on standby etc. Use a clothes airer not tumble dryer. Your hot water tank thermostat should be at 60, higher temperature is a waste. Get a room thermometer for baby's room and see if you can turn down the rest of the house - you should not be able to wear a t-shirt without a jumper indoors at this time of year!

Is your water metered? If not might be worth looking into if your use is moderate?

I think the bank statements will be key for you as currently you have a baby but buy it no clothes and have 2 cars that have no maintenance or MOT costs. Get a more realistic SOA and people can help you save

SouthCoast

For two cars:

Road tax................................ 0
Car Insurance........................... 0
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0

tomboy29

SouthCoast wrote: »

For two cars:

Road tax................................ 0
Car Insurance........................... 0
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0

hi southcoast, both cars are company cars and i only pay for fuel on one of them which is handy! cheers

SouthCoast

tomboy29 wrote: »

hi southcoast, both cars are company cars and i only pay for fuel on one of them which is handy! cheers

Thanks. But your SOA indicates that you own a car.

tomboy29

hi southcoast we do owe one but half the payments for it are through the company as are all the running costs. quite handy really! lol

BenS1

£35 for a phone bill is abit steep. Maybe downgrade to a cheaper plan if you aren't using all the minutes and texts?

Katie-Kat-Kins

tomboy29 wrote: »

hi southcoast we do owe one but half the payments for it are through the company as are all the running costs. quite handy really! lol

So does that mean you are making payments via salary sacrifice or something? You need to be clear on this.

Katie-Kat-Kins

katsu wrote: »

Your electric seems high to me - does it include arrears? If not, have you looked at the utilities link to see if you can switch to a cheaper supplier?

Also try: energy saving lightbulbs, lining your curtains, hanging curtains over the front door, putting a cover on the back of the letterbox, looking at when you have heating and hot water on, turning off lights, turning off things on standby etc. Use a clothes airer not tumble dryer. Your hot water tank thermostat should be at 60, higher temperature is a waste. Get a room thermometer for baby's room and see if you can turn down the rest of the house - you should not be able to wear a t-shirt without a jumper indoors at this time of year!

Is your water metered? If not might be worth looking into if your use is moderate?

I think the bank statements will be key for you as currently you have a baby but buy it no clothes and have 2 cars that have no maintenance or MOT costs. Get a more realistic SOA and people can help you save

£113 isn't high if he has no gas, with electric heating, hot water and cooking assuming a two or three bedroom house with the wife and baby at home all day £113 is pretty good.

OP - do check what is happening with your electric though it is easy to get in a mess and electric heating is very expensive.

Is £113 your DD? If so check whether your last bill was esitmated or actual and whether you are in credit or arrears. You need to provide regular meter readings to your electric supplier and make sure your DD is high enough to cover your usage or you will get whacked with a nasty surprise when they read your meter! We had a bill for over £2k last year and have not long paid it off because we stupidly thought that our electricity company would set the DD at a reasonable level! That is the last thing you need!