please help, soa

skipsmum

Having a really bad week so please be gentle
DSs DLA has just run out and due to various stuff-ups with his changeover from child to adult services it looks like we are going to be without it for another 12 weeks.
Wouldn't be so bad, but with it Ive lost my carers allowance and the extra tax credits it brings.
So I need to save as much as I can from this lot, to keep us afloat until its sorted. (DS has multiple difficulties, physical and learning, and I'm sure he will get it again eventually).

Out of this, we need the car - public transport is not an option. We also need the mobile phone contracts - these are essential.
Everything else I think we can do without. Thanks for any advice.
I havent included tax credits in this because I don't know how much they will be. The extra bit of benefit is DS2s mobility allowance (he has Juvenile Arthritis).
Skipsmum xxx

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of children in household......... 2
Number of cars owned.................... 1

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 0
Partners monthly income after tax....... 1000
Benefits................................ 200
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1200

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 212
Rent.................................... 512
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 100
Electricity............................. 30
Gas..................................... 30
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 35
Telephone (land line)................... 11
Mobile phone............................ 50
TV Licence.............................. 13
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 40
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 360
Clothing................................ 40
Petrol/diesel........................... 100
Road tax................................ 10
Car Insurance........................... 47
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 5
Other travel............................ 48
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 80
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 29
Buildings insurance..................... 0
Contents insurance...................... 14
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 50
Haircuts................................ 10
Entertainment........................... 100
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 50
Total monthly expenses.................. 1976


Assets
Cash.................................... 0
House value (Gross)..................... 0
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 11000
Other assets............................ 1500
Total Assets............................ 12500


Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 0........(0)........0
Hire Purchase (HP) debt ...... 10000....(212)......0
Total secured & HP debts...... 10000.....-.........-

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
mum and dad....................400.......0.........0
egg loan.......................1500......0.........0
egg cc.........................800.......0.........24.9
littlewoods....................500.......80........37
virgin cc......................500.......0.........24.9
mint cc........................500.......0.........24.9
Total unsecured debts..........4200......80........-


Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,200
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,976
Available for debt repayments........... -776
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 80
Amount short for making debt repayments. -856

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 12,500
Total HP & Secured debt................. -10,000
Total Unsecured debt.................... -4,200
Net Assets.............................. -1,700

Created using the SOA calculator at https://www.makesenseofcards.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using Firefox browser.

Tixy

Hi, what a bad time you are having. Terrible that you are left without for such a time.

skipsmum wrote: »

Having a really bad week so please be gentle
DSs DLA has just run out and due to various stuff-ups with his changeover from child to adult services it looks like we are going to be without it for another 12 weeks.
Wouldn't be so bad, but with it Ive lost my carers allowance and the extra tax credits it brings.
So I need to save as much as I can from this lot, to keep us afloat until its sorted. (DS has multiple difficulties, physical and learning, and I'm sure he will get it again eventually).

Out of this, we need the car - public transport is not an option. We also need the mobile phone contracts - these are essential.
Everything else I think we can do without. Thanks for any advice.
I havent included tax credits in this because I don't know how much they will be. The extra bit of benefit is DS2s mobility allowance (he has Juvenile Arthritis).
Skipsmum xxx

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of children in household......... 2
Number of cars owned.................... 1

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 0
Partners monthly income after tax....... 1000
Benefits................................ 200
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1200

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 212
Rent.................................... 512
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 100
Electricity............................. 30
Gas..................................... 30
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 35
Telephone (land line)................... 11
Mobile phone............................ 50
TV Licence.............................. 13
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 40 can you reduce? or threaten to leave to get a better deal (ie half price for 6m at least)
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 360 can you work on reducing this down, many manage on £200 for 4, if neither or your son's have special dietry requirments I would think this may be the place you can make the biggest cut back.
Clothing................................ 40 can you manage without anything for the next 3months or so until things improve?
Petrol/diesel........................... 100
Road tax................................ 10
Car Insurance........................... 47 is this the cheapest?
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0 is a service or MOT due in the next 3months (you should really budget anyway but if its not due in these difficult months then its not such an issue).
Car parking............................. 5
Other travel............................ 48 what is this?
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 80 assume no room to reduce?
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 29 is this the cheapest?
Buildings insurance..................... 0
Contents insurance...................... 14
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 50 reduce for now
Haircuts................................ 10
Entertainment........................... 100 cut back here for now
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 50
Total monthly expenses.................. 1976


Assets
Cash.................................... 0
House value (Gross)..................... 0
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 11000
Other assets............................ 1500 what are these?
Total Assets............................ 12500


Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 0........(0)........0
Hire Purchase (HP) debt ...... 10000....(212)......0
Total secured & HP debts...... 10000.....-.........-

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
mum and dad....................400.......0.........0
egg loan.......................1500......0.........0 have you got a repayment holiday?
egg cc.........................800.......0.........24.9
littlewoods....................500.......80........37
virgin cc......................500.......0.........24.9
mint cc........................500.......0.........24.9
Total unsecured debts..........4200......80........-


Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,200
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,976
Available for debt repayments........... -776
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 80
Amount short for making debt repayments. -856

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 12,500
Total HP & Secured debt................. -10,000
Total Unsecured debt.................... -4,200
Net Assets.............................. -1,700

Created using the SOA calculator at www.makesenseofcards.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using Firefox browser.

How much income have you lost? did you break even before?
what are the situations with the debts? have you been paying these? are you making token payments at least?

Can OH half increase his hours? could you work a parttime job at all? maybe once OH is home in th evenings or weekends?
Do you have any things you can sell to tie you over?

paulwf

I understand you need the mobiles but for example a Virgin Liberty SIM is £10 a month and gives you 200 minutes and unlimited texts. That is £20 for two saving you £30 a month or £360 a year...all the little things soon add up.

skipsmum

Paulwf,
Our mobiles are vodafone contracts, 3 mobiles are £48 a month. I probably could get £10/month sims, but I easily use 1000 minutes when DS is an inpatient, just chatting to DH, little DS and my mum every day. I know I could cut this, but I get lonely...its the only thing I havent tried to cut back on.

Tixy, weve lost about £600 a month. Ive already cancelled mine and DSs gym membership- £50, home help -£40, cats insurance £20, club penguin - £5, and some crochet thing I signed up to (why?) -£12.
DH has asked around and got a couple of weekend jobs, so that should help. I know I should go and look for a part time job, I'm just so tired at the mo.
Debts are all being payed, after essentials (rent,ctax, etc)im trying to make sure we cover these.


I will definitely reduce the tv package, I just phoned them but they want to speak to DH so he can do that when he gets in.
You are also right about the food budget, I could probably slash that if I was more organised. I'll go and look at the OS board.

The extra travel is DSs train fares to college, and I also pay a "peer buddy's" travel as well. He does the whole journey with DS and is on hand for emergencies. Its great as DS feels better about having a buddy than being taken in by his mum. Its actually something else I don't want to cut back on as its helping him be more independant...although theres only 2 more months of term anyway.
Yes, clothing and entertainment can go, unfortunately both boys have birthdays in the next 4 weeks! But I'll do them a joint bbq when it gets warmer and save there.

Car is new so no maintenance or any other costs yet. We could sell it (and would in long term) but we would still have to get something else...I'm terrified of breaking down with one child who can't walk and one who wanders off!

Thankyou both so much for replying, sorry I am waffling, I'm sort of thinking out loud as I'm looking at your comments.

XXX Skipsmum

skipsmum

Just looking at this makes me realise how much we spend on cr*p, and chuck things on the credit cards....maybe its a good thing and we might actually save some money in the long run.
(Thinking about a holiday smiley )

property.advert

I do not know about allowances for sick or disabled children but I do know that from the figures you have posted for income, you should be able to claim significant housing benefit, council tax benefit and potentially both child and working tax credits.

Go get your LHA figure from here https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx and use this calculator to see what you should be getting http://www.turn2us.entitledto.co.uk/

dancingfairy

Well - it looks like you can cover all your major payments on the figures given above so if you can't afford anything towards the unscured debts until the benefits are sorted out then you may have to make token payments to them until such time as things improve.
Have you checked you are not entitled to other benefits eg council tax benefit/housing benefits etc? - don't know if you have already included these?
Can social services help out with the travel buddy costs? - although as you've said it's just the next few months that are going to be a bit tight and then hopefully things should improve a bit for you.

skipsmum

thanks for that, property advert, we are possibly entitled to £140 weekly tax credits and full HB/ctax benefit.

Presumeably once the DLA is sorted I will end up with an overpayment in housing benefit. Will I be able to pay it back out of the backpaid DLA?
Thanks again xxx

property.advert

Glad to help. Get your claim in ASAP as councils take claims from the Monday after they receive them. You can back date it but they do not like it. Sick, kids, granny fell down the coal hole etc. to get the sympathy vote. Many councils have the forms online which you can print out. Mine certainly does. phone the council now to find out where they keep their forms online. You have 15 minutes !

I wouldn't worry for now about overpayments. Just get the ball rolling today !