How can we cut back!?

juliethemuse

oops sorry didnt realise you had already looked into it

stephbond89

Yeah I will do, I used to collect for a charity door to door (not cold calling but going to customers who already paid a monthly thing), and I enjoyed that, only finished it because I had swine flu last year and I missed a couple of weeks of the collecting, so I got so far behind with the payments they put someone else on my round. But I enjoyed that, got me out of the hosue for a couple of hours!! xx

Lokolo

stephbond89 wrote: »

Yeah I will do, I used to collect for a charity door to door (not cold calling but going to customers who already paid a monthly thing), and I enjoyed that, only finished it because I had swine flu last year and I missed a couple of weeks of the collecting, so I got so far behind with the payments they put someone else on my round. But I enjoyed that, got me out of the hosue for a couple of hours!! xx

Have you thought of mystery shopping?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2371289

Read the first few posts of that thread, and get signed up

Help_required_5

No surprises in your response, pretty much as expected!

There are only two ways that you can stop your slide:

1) You CUT your expenses which may include some of the things you deem "essential". You have been given some very good suggestions already which have been dismissed by you.

2) You boost your income which includes going out there and doing work that you can do in your condition (which you obviously cant because you are constantly sick).

So the choice is yours, stop being so defensive and take the good advice that has been given to you (may I remind you that you asked for it). Or keep playing the lottery in the hope that you will strike it rich.

Your financial problems didn't start a couple of months ago, you are £10k in debt on a DMP and with every damned arrears that anyone can think so it has been going on for a while so you should have thought about it all when you signed up for the contracts but you wouldn't have cause your attitude to money quite simply sucks can quite simply be summed up by this:

stephbond89 wrote: »

so I have saved myself £10-£15 on that, which is great of course, but not about to make a huge difference.

The only time you are going to wake up and smell the coffee is the when the banks pull the OD and no one will lend to you except maybe payday loan companies or loan sharks.

Every damned thing to you is an essential and every thing is met with a defensive response, then why the hell are you on here? May I remind you that your post is titled "how do we cut back" maybe you should rename it to "how can i make easy money whilst sitting at home".

So before telling me to take a plunge in a bucket of tar have a good long look at yourself in the mirror and think about the kind of life your baby will have to go through if your attitude to money does not change very soon.

Danstar_2

You could do the paper round with the pram when the baby is several months old, gets both of you out of the house. Burning off those "eating for two" calories.

I'd also recommend waitressing in a restaurant, if your husband or the grandparents can look after the baby at night - or day time. I'm a student and I do 3 shifts a week which is worth just over £100 a week. This I don't spend it just sits in a bank account, whilst I live on my tips which are usually between £20-40 a shift. Obviously on a busy night this can be nearer £100 - less so for day time shifts.

That way you can put £20 a week, every week into a bank account for the baby when it turns 18 which can buy it a car or some money towards a deposit or pay for university. [ (20x50*) x 18=18,000).

The tips can be your general expenses such as nappies, milk, food etc. The money in the bank can be saved for a holiday or something for you and the husband plus setting a little bit of money aside for the baby one.

I don't agree with people bashing you for having a baby and being all victim. If you and your partner/husband love one another and want to start a family then fair play. The financial implications might seem daunting and you may not be able to cope with the thought of it and succumb to depression. It's much easier to point fingers, thus making the OP worse, than to help.


And saying "get a job" doesn't help it benefits no one, it doesn't benefit the OP as it is an almost random retort to her pleading for advice and doesn't benefit you as you look like an inconsiderate !!!! incapable of empathy.


To the OP, read peoples advice and take it on board. You're having a baby you're not a victim, this is a big decision you've made on your own and you need to be proactive if you're to get on and be a good parent who can provide. (Getting all 'Daily Mail' here) Too many people have babies first look at consequences later.

Best of wishes, but do something about it.


*allowing two weeks off a year for Christmas expenses etc.

stephbond89

I dont lend money from people. Actually the debts I wasnt concerned abotu as they are paid back, we are doing out OWN debt management, which took me about 2 days to set up, I am talkign about our outgoings, not credit. The debt is actually my husbands. 5k of which was from before we were together.

I ahve a good attitude to money actually, I admit I never did- I was never in control of my finances until I moved in with my now husband, and so I didnt know what I was doing, and neither did he.

The arrears we have are on council tax and gas and electic, the gas and electric, was because they had me on the wrong tariff from the beginning only charging me £10 a month for gas and £10 for electric, when I updated my account with them, they told me the accounts had ended up in arrears but not ot worry as it will be sorted out by my direct debit payments. That wasnt my fault.
The council was. I didnt have the money to pay it for a couple of months when our income was just over £1000 when my husbands wages were very low after having time off sick. And I got into arrears, that was my fault and am take full blame for it, the TV licence isnt arrears its becuase my TV license was set up halfway through the payment year or something, and so for the first 6 months needed to be put into 4 payments.

I cannot cut out expenses which are ONE essential (CARRRR!!!!!) or under contract, it will cost us more in cancellation fees than it would be worth, and then Id be left with no mobile phone, no house phone, no TV and no internet. Maybe you can live like a hermit, but I have family who live a long way from me, my dad is getting quite old, and I dont see him often, so I am sorry if I find that my contact with my family (via internet more than anything), is essential to me. it may not be essential to my bills and as I said if I could I would lower my tv package but it canot be done untilt he contract ends.

I dont think u get what I am asking in this post really!! I wasnt asking for people to go on how I can lower my bills- as I have tried to do it with all of them and have lowered them as much as I can for the time been, I was asking more for if anyone knew of any benefit I may not have thought of, or another way to make an income.

Now Im going and most certainly not coming back onto this site. I find some of the people on here rude and insensitive. As I said earlier on, I would hate to see the reaction to someone who spends money on themseves once in a while.

Help_required_5

The title of your post and I quote "How can we cut back!?" what did you expect people to do, tell you how to suck eggs?

The only way you can make an income is for either you or your partner to get a job. You are unable to get a "normal" job and your partner is unable to get another job.

You have been given some good suggestions on how to boost your income without taking up a "normal" job (to name a few):

1) Paper round / leafleting
2) Ironing
3) Mystery shopping

The benefit that you can claim is maybe JSA.

I appreciate a car is an essential as a means of transport but a suitable alternative has been suggested: mopped.

It is entirely your decision whether you want to come back here or not. People have taken time out to give you good advice which will benefit you and not them so whether you take it on board or not is up to you.

crispy_chris

stephbond89 wrote: »

I dont lend money from people.

*borrow money

stephbond89

I have looked into a moped actually, and considering he'll need to do a test which I think is called a CVT, and buy a moped (not mopped if your going to correct me), it would be around £500 for a decent moped which woldnt need any work doing, then a test of £100, then the safety ware, which i wouldnt allow him to ride one without, another £200 approximately incoluding a helmet, thats a lot of money to have to find, yes insurance is less, we worked out it would be about £60 a month, maybe a little more, but less than what it is now. And petrol would of course be much less, but then we'd have to get a family rail card (as I said we have family who live quite far away who we need to see, and already cut that down to 2 monthly, as they come here alternately), a railcard is something like £25 a year, which isnt much at all, but then it is around £40 for me my hubby and a baby (as you have to pay child price for them with the rail card, but makes it cheaper than full price for me and sean) to have a trip to see my family, it is around £10 to get to where his parents live, which we have to do once a month or so, so thats say £50 a month for rail fares, it doesnt work out that much of a saving- but it is somehting we would look into if we could find a moped which wasnt going to cost us the earth.

I have taken the advice about paper rounds etc into account, I do mystery shopping already, which is a good source of extra income when there are jobs here.

I cannot get job seekers allowance as I am married, I have to have put in significant tax or NI payments which I havent as the only jobs I have ever had have only paid tiny amounts and nothing near my £6000 a year tax allowance. If I was unmarried I could have gotten it, but I am, so I cannot.

I asked how I could cut back yes, but once I said this is essential, that means for us it is essential for whatever reason that may be, it is essential to us, whether it is because its on a contract or because we need it, or will need it more when the baby comes along. Nobody has given me any advice on switching providers for my phones or anything like that, just said !GET RIDDDD! As though they are the evil of the world and as though I dont need a mobile phone, for me I do need a mobile phone, even if it is only for incoming calls, and brief outgoing calls, but a mobile phone I need- if you have ever broken down in a car in the middle of the countryside in Lancashire with no phone, and at least 30 miles to the nearest village and with a car going past possibly once every couple of hours, in the winter...you'd know why a mobile is ALWAYS essential. Sorry but I just find you a dictorial prat who wants to have everyone doing things how you say, and if not, they are no good. I bet you hug trees and won't turn a TV on incase it ruins the earth too, sound that sort.

Anyways I can get more sense from my guinea pig...Yes i have a guinea pig, he costs me around £1 in food every month, and £2 in sawdust and hay as I buy from a farm where its very cheap, and no i am not getting rid of my piggy cause it costs me £3 a month to look after him. Now good bye moron.

daveyjp

You now have four pages - using the advice how much have you now saved, or are you still in the 'BMWs are essential' mode?