OK I admit i need help

Hax

Wow - the first thing I would drop off that list is the holiday - at £50/month is that really a luxury you can afford with your current circumstances? Likewise, £30/month on entertainment could be dropped. Just with those two, you have a third of your shortfall covered.

And then, if you can trim another £150 to £200 off your monthly shopping bill then you've covered the shortfall and can concentrate on reducing the debts instead of worrying about how you're going to get through the month.

If you have satellite/cable TV, then most of the time, you can get your phone and internet combined into one package - generally much cheaper. For instance, I believe that with Sky, you could get free evening calls and free broadband (with limits) for the cost of the basic package (about £20/month) - you can also switch your line rental to them which may be cheaper than BT. Essentially, you could halve your current costs for these three.

Mobile phone is another luxury item - are you currently stuck in a contract? If not, then how about PAYG or a cheaper contract? If you have free evening calls on your landline, try to restrict yourself to using that in preference to your mobile.

Just a few thoughts - good luck!

HappyMJ

Hax wrote: »

If you have satellite/cable TV, then most of the time, you can get your phone and internet combined into one package - generally much cheaper. For instance, I believe that with Sky, you could get free evening calls and free broadband (with limits) for the cost of the basic package (about £20/month) - you can also switch your line rental to them which may be cheaper than BT. Essentially, you could halve your current costs for these three.

Not wanting to say not to do this but I wouldn't. BT is (in my opinion) cheaper than Sky especially if you consider call costs and the inability to use indirect call providers. I use BT, Primus (for the evening/weekend) and 18185 for the chargeable calls. A friend of mine has Sky everything and the bill is around £90 per month without movies and sports. They always went over the meagre 2gig limit on the broadband and have been forced onto the £7.50 per month plan and being unable to use 18185 for 5p daytime calls means they either have to pay for every call by the minute or pay an extra £5 per month for free daytime calls. They also find Calling Number Display very useful and with BT it's free but if you use Sky as a CPS provider then it's an extra £7.77 per quarter extra on the BT bill. If you don't want Sky Talk then broadband is an extra £5 anyway.

Sorry but I couldn't see any way to get the whole package for less than £35 per month. Cheaper than £60 yes but more expensive than other options. Then there is still the cost of calling mobiles and international numbers to add on too.

Pee

Agree to try to reduce groceries to £300. have a look at the old style boards and the feed your family for £40 a week threads for some ideas. there are lots on there, and some that will make you think, I used to like that and we haven't had it for ages.

Your OH is right, he does earn a good wage, but even a good wage doesn't stretch that far, especially with five people dependent on it.

I would try to keep some money for going out, with the other cuts, and maybe look at work alternatives you don't really want but that might be bearable short term - i.e. are there any temp Christmas jobs going or temp factory jobs? It might lead to something you woul actually want to do, and otherwise it means you can clear your debts and maybe think about Christmas. (Bar work, night care work in an old people's home or home for disabled children/ adults, cleaning.)

Hax

HappyMJ wrote: »

Sorry but I couldn't see any way to get the whole package for less than £35 per month. Cheaper than £60 yes but more expensive than other options. Then there is still the cost of calling mobiles and international numbers to add on too.

Myself, I'm paying about £47/month for the Sky entertainment pack, the highest broadband package (that's an extra £10/month - reduced to £7.50 now I think?) Sky talk unlimited (cost an extra £5/month for unlimited daytime calls) and telephone line rental (about £10 or £11 per month). I have caller display for free - don't understand why your friend is paying for it?

I could shave £10 or £12 off that by reducing my call and broadband packages and maybe even another £1 or £2 by reducing my TV package a little - so I think that £35/month should be feasible.

Sky even advertise on their homepage that you can get Sky+ with 1 entertainment channel package with evening calls and broadband for £19/month. Add on the line rental and you're talking less than £35/month.

If your friends bill is that high, then I can only think that they're either calling a lot of premium or mobile numbers - or they do infact have the sports and/or movies packages in addition to the HD package/subscription.

EDIT: Of course, this will depend on whether Sky have their own equipment installed in your local telephone exchange

katsu

Pee wrote: »

Your OH is right, he does earn a good wage, but even a good wage doesn't stretch that far, especially with five people dependent on it.

I entirely agree with this point and suggest you get the loan and CC details - how much to whom, at what interest rate etc, add them to you SOA and show your OH what the commitments are that his wage needs to cover.

Then maybe you can work together to agree what to cut and how to make changes to the situation.

Good luck.

NorthernLas

As your son has a disability, have you looked at Disability Living Allowance? http://www.cafamily.org.uk/pdfs/DLA_factsheet.pdf

RAS

kidcat wrote: »

Not sure if its any use to anyone but I have been sent an email to tell me that another round of census jobs have been opened up for application. Its only temporary but a few months work is better than none.

- posted today.


You might want to send a pm to kidcat in case you could apply for this job.

HappyMJ

Hax wrote: »

don't understand why your friend is paying for it?

Still has a BT line. The £90 includes multiroom and HD and all 6 packs plus 1 hour of international calls per month and 2 hours of mobile calls. You've said £35 for all as well so we're in agreement. Thanks.

MrsTinks

@ Hax - if you want to check if a certain provider is available at an exchange then do a search on samknows http://www.samknows.com/broadband/broadband_checker

It will tell you what providers have unbundled at your exchange

tired_mum

Thanks for all the advice I have applied for a census job on job centre website today. Thank you for the info on DLA will try to apply tomorrow . The TV Phone and internet are tied in on virgin for about another 8 months . The holiday money is not for family hols it is for school trips my DS has to go on a trip for his PE course his grade is dependent on this DD1 has a trip for a college course again it is a part of a module and DD2 may need a trip for her school the 2 trips already needed come to £520 without DD2
OH doesnt know the extent of the debt he has already baled me out once and i feel it may be the end of our marriage if i asked again:o