SOA - Advice how we can cut costs?

katmcleod

Tax credits overpaid us last year so we're having to pay it back, we still get a small amount from them. Child benefit we get £132.80 4weekly. The other £30ish is tax credits.

miss_missy

katmcleod wrote: »

Ok replies to the last couple posters

I've put medical at £0 because the stuff the kids need has been covered by Minor Ailments, I still get free prescriptions because my youngest is under one and my husband refuses to see a doctor for anything not life threatening!
Council tax is £99 a month so we already are paying monthly. No emergency fund either, can't spare the money and whenever we go get some it needs spent, This week was a new tyre so the £50 saved is already gone.
Birthday/Christmas is low I never noticed that, this years was paid by an inheritance, next year we'll have a proper income again so putting nothing aside.
Picnics are a good idea, we used to do that in the summer, been put off by the weather recently but you're right we can't afford it.
Childcare costs are a must, it's the only way I get time to get things done for my business, the £50 a month is for one paid hour two times a week, and lunches at £1.50 each. Once I'm working next month I'll need them, it's the government funded sessions.
RAS yes the Hire Purchase cost is the car.

At the moment my mother in law is giving us money so we can make ends meet so we're not getting further into debt at least. But we don't want to keep relying on her. My husband was getting overtime of £600 a month atleast which meant we were fine but they put a centre ban on overtime the week before our youngest was born! He's moving jobs within his office next month so hopefully overtime will start again. It means we won't be relying on my MIL but we'll only just be breaking even so these suggestions really are great thanks guys

ok i know all that we are saying must be hard to hear but we are just trying to help
so as for the medical i understand what your saying but does other half not go to the dentist? you need to think of that also
i understand what you mean about the emergency fund and some people will say you dont need this but if your ever to stop using cc etc you need to try and build up a little incase and about the tyre thats why i said you need something for the car main/mot in your budget

miss_missy

katmcleod wrote: »

Tax credits overpaid us last year so we're having to pay it back, we still get a small amount from them. Child benefit we get £132.80 4weekly. The other £30ish is tax credits.

ok well remember your budget above is monthly so work out what your getting monthly every little helps

katmcleod

Only the kids are registered with a dentist and they're covered by the NHS. If anything needed done urgently my mother in law would help. We just don't have the money for little things like checkups, terrible as that is.

It is hard to hear, but I've been staring at it for weeks and I'm getting nowhere. I need someone to be mean and tell me I can't send the kids to classes or have our coffees on a Sunday :P. I'm taking it all on-board

RAS

You have a shortfall of £270 per month. That means you cannot carry on unless OH starts to get that much overtime each month.

You cannot afford either the kid's classes or the Sunday treat or the CTF and you need to reduce your monthly housekeeping spends and you need to talk to a debt charity urgently http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/debt-help-plan#help


Unless things change very rapidly, you will get into serious bother soon as the debts will increase.

head over to the old style forum for help reduce your monthly spends.

miss_missy

kat i really do feel for you but you need to get some proper help from an agency like cccs or similar you can keep going on hoping nothing will go wrong and relying on family to help you stay afloat , it cant be good for you the stress alone must be making you feel awful
i really cant help much more other than offering support but if you dont get help soon i cant see it getting any better
think of your childrens futures thats what really made me stop spending and start dealing with my debt i didnt want to have them as teenagers wanting the trainers everyone else had and saying we can afford it or not being able to go out for a treat as we had no money

katmcleod

Ok I've been working hard since I last posted.

We did our big monthly shop, including nappies (but not baby food) it was only £102, still need to buy more bread and milk through the month but it's a lot less than before.

I'm not working at the moment, but my husband is switching his current account so we'll get £100 cash and an intrest free overdraft, saving money there. I'll do the same when I'm working.

Yesterday would have been a "soft play" day, fiver entry plus drinks. Instead we went a walk to the park then to the library to read books, totally free!

Feeling positive. They're baby steps but it's a start.