My SOA - more going out than coming in!

Tigger-Roo

horsechestnut wrote: »

You mentioned in passing that your husband has £200 "but that is his"!!! That is £2,400 per year. This should be in with the FAMILY budget and an allowance made for the things that it covers; especially as he is insisting on the Sky package!

Yes, I can see your thinking. But it is going towards the family budget in it's own way. See my post above.

Tigger-Roo

HappyMJ wrote: »

Thought it might be something like that. Pedantic but instead of calling it horseriding (as it sounds like something only really wealthy people do) for the SOA you give to creditors call it something like Equine Assisted Activity...lol.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_horseback_riding

Oh that is exactly what it is HappyMJ. Thank you for the link and that suggestion which I think is going to be a big help when I contact my creditors.

Tigger-Roo

chopper_99 wrote: »

Good luck with the council, hopfully you'll be able to reduce your council tax bill. As for Sky, £34 a month is still a lot in your situation. Is it including a sports package. I pay £17 per month for the basic package, and if it wasn't for Sky+ and my ariel currently being uncompatible would probably just go onto Freeview.

Don't be too hasty with the Club Penguin, I just wasn't sure what it was. If it's a club for the youngest and they get some fun out of it then £4 a month isn't too bad. But good on you for the other stuff though.

I can also understand with the horesriding, especially if it helps with the disability. If you can make cuts elsewhere (like the Sky ) then this should be one of the things you try to keep, or just reduce a little.

Good luck.

Thanks chopper.

I have spoken to Virgin today regarding the phone bill (we also get our broadband from them). I've discussed the situation and we've gone onto paperless billing. Saving £1.25 a month. But we've also gone onto free anytime calls for £4.00 a month (half price offer). So instead of £40 of calls a month we should only pay the £4 tarriff. If I understood him right. That's another £37 saving.

I'm still working on the sky package and the option that if he wants it he has to pay for it. :cool:

It's looking better already.

Tigger-Roo

sofababe wrote: »

I'm also intrigued as to what your hubby does with his £200 a month. He can at least pay for Sky as he's the one that watches it. If he won't pay for it, cancel it.

Could you speak to the people that run the horse riding group, find out if there might be some sort of financial assistance scheme or a grant you might be entitled to? Its definitely worth asking.

Well as I said earlier sofababe, it's early days yet regarding that £200 a month so nothing is set in stone with it.

The horse riding group, I'll ask about that tomorrrow when we next go as I have no idea but they may.

Tigger-Roo

gem68 wrote: »

I pay £17 per month for the basic package, and if it wasn't for Sky+ and my ariel currently being uncompatible would probably just go onto Freeview.

did you know if you cancel SKY the box works as a freeview box,so you wouldn't need a new arial or freeview box.:)

I didn't know that gem, thank you. We don't have any arials though, only the satellite dish. Would it work with that?

Tigger-Roo

HappyMJ wrote: »

Could be but what isn't that what DLA is intended for?

Yes that's right and really what we were using it for until our circumstances changed. I don't think it matters what the DLA or the Carers Allowance is used for as long as our daughter is looked after and has all that she needs. At the moment it really is a case of ensuring we have enough to go round all the bills, whichever way we can.

chopper_99

gem68 wrote: »

I pay £17 per month for the basic package, and if it wasn't for Sky+ and my ariel currently being uncompatible would probably just go onto Freeview.

did you know if you cancel SKY the box works as a freeview box,so you wouldn't need a new arial or freeview box.:)

I did, but you can't use the Sky+ on it. With us having a young baby we get very little time to actually watch telly, so we need to record anything we actually want to watch as it's never on at the times we can sit an relax. So Sky+ is essential for us.

pimento

Tigger-Roo wrote: »

We don't have any arials though, only the satellite dish. Would it work with that?

Yes. It's called Freesat and it's what we have. We just called Sky and cancelled (be prepared for them to try to talk you into staying). Once the service was cancelled, the box and dish still picked up the free channels (and there are more than you think).

It was the best thing we ever did.

pimento

chopper_99 wrote: »

I did, but you can't use the Sky+ on it. With us having a young baby we get very little time to actually watch telly, so we need to record anything we actually want to watch as it's never on at the times we can sit an relax. So Sky+ is essential for us.

We bought my mum and dad a Freesat+ box for Christmas last year. It wasn't expensive (about £150 and that was a year ago, I bet they're cheaper now). They can record stuff just like a Sky+ box but with no subscription. As fas as I can recall, it's HD too.

Willbedebtfree1day

HI Just wanted to reply regarding the free school dinners, we are currently on benefits the same as you and have just got free school dinners for dd and ds. My tax credit paperwork showed working tax credits had been paid this tax year but also that it had stopped being paid now so we could now claim. I had to get the form from the school office, filled it in and the lovely secretary there copied some pages and told me there and then that we qualified. It is a real help and now the children have a hot dinner lunch time, they can have something smaller for tea.

Hope this helps and good luck claiming.