How to live on 65 per week?

paadzer

Get rid of Sky for a start (or when your contract ends if you've had it for less than 1 year) and get a freeview box (have a look on freecycle for a free one).

See if there is cheaper broadband (e.g. you can get Virgin Media without a landline but only in some areas) you will obviously need broadband to look for work and use this website and your daughter will need it for her education.

Tell people that you can not phone them as often and ask them to phone you, or keep in contact via email or use chat services online (e.g. messenger, facebook and Skype if you have the equipment) if you don't have any free minutes

If you can reduce the amount branded goods you might buy at the supermarket (unless they are on offer!) for the shops own brand. Don't be tempted by treats and look in the reduction sections.

If you are on a water meter and have a shower and a bath use the shower more to cut down on the water you both use.

Turn the temperature down a little bit to save electricity.

Maybe sell some things you don't need on ebay and do a car boot sale (when the weather is better!)

paadzer

mel12 wrote: »

Nope
http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/playing_tv_progs/tvlicence

remember you must have no televisions in your home if you do not have a tv licence

paadzer

I have just lost my job and am about to claim JSA (and live alone) the problem is I am in a shared ownership property and my mortgage is £296pcm which means I will have -£36pcm to pay my TV licence, gas, electricity, mobile, home insurance, life assurance, water, landline, broadband, etc. I need to find a new job ASAP and my redundancy money would only last a few months if I am not working

Doom_and_Gloom

paadzer wrote: »

remember you must have no televisions in your home if you do not have a tv licence

That is not correct. You can have a TV and have no licence. You just have to make sure there is no way the TV can recieve a signal (in places that have already gone digital it would be impossible for an old TV to get signal without sky/freeveiw or simular so would be easy to prove) or take away any chance of the TV getting siganal such as freeview/digital box/sky/ariel etc.
It is perfectly legal to use a TV for game use, watching DVD's etc without a licence.
Also "If you only use your digital box to produce sounds (i.e. you don't use it to display programmes), then you don't need a TV Licence" but I think that one would be dificult to prove - much easier to get a radio!
As long as you are not watching live TV, as in not watching it while it is being broadcast, it is perfectly okay to not have a licence. You could even link up your laptop to your TV (to get a bigger picture) and go on to 4OD/i-player etc and not need a licence - perfectly legal --> "you need a licence to watch any channel live online, but you wouldn’t need one to use BBC iPlayer to catch up on an episode of a programme you missed, for example."

"As new technology makes it possible to watch TV on more devices than ever you need to make sure that you remain properly licensed.
If you watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV you must, by law, be covered by a TV Licence, no matter what device you're using."

gemini12

This may have been posted already because I have not read right through but Chappie dog food is not too dear and is often suitable for dogs with sensitive tummies. It is available as dried and canned.

Derivative

I've not read the entire thread, but if you're not contracted couldn't you chuck Sky and the TV License? Use your computer/broadband for TV.

You're not allowed to use iPlayer live but if you feel like it it's essentially unenforcable as of yet.

WhitmoreReans

Good luck with the adjusting!

Just wanted to say that I have pet insurance for my dog, and tesco online pet insurance (premium package) comes in at around £15 per month. Maybe have a look at online deals and reduce the package type - if your insurance is not covering the tablets at the moment then why pay for the top package? Also, get the same insurance to cover both pets rather than have two seperate ones.

Pet food - delicate tummy or not, if they are hungry they will eat. It might take a few days to get into it and you might fret over lack of eating but eventually they will realise that they cannot emotionally blackmail you into giving them what they like. Just gone through that with Harry in the post Christmas come down - it took him a while to realise that he was not going to have a large bowl of turkey leftovers slathered in gravy for his dinner and dog biscuits was all he had!

Electric and gas - harsh I know but it involves basic things like putting on an extra layer if it's cold, not using lights during the day, turning off everything bar fridge and freezer at night. Take a meter reading on the first day of how much you use and then start the turning off process and re-read the following day. It's a bit like weight watchers but for reducing your gas and electric. It can be very addictive to see how much you are saving.

Sky - contact them and explain your situation. They will allow you to cancel off elements of your package without fail. So talk through what you can cancel and cancel whatever it is, without thinking! This will help you get by until you get a job. If your daughter wants to keep multi-room, then ask her to pay for the extra monthly cost. I have not long come out of my student years and whilst I was living at uni I had to pay for life's extra luxuries. If I couldn't affort it then I didn't have it. It would not be cheeky to ask her.

And best thing to remember - these changes are not for the rest of your life but in the meanwhile until you get a job. I know as my husband is currently unemployed and we are living off one wage whilst still managing to pay off debts and save for a holiday. I've started counting every penny and that's what makes the difference. Even little things like justifying every purchase you make in the supermarket - making a meal plan for the week and sticking to it. It all helps!

You can do it!

2011_will_be_debt_free

paadzer wrote: »

I have just lost my job and am about to claim JSA (and live alone) the problem is I am in a shared ownership property and my mortgage is £296pcm which means I will have -£36pcm to pay my TV licence, gas, electricity, mobile, home insurance, life assurance, water, landline, broadband, etc. I need to find a new job ASAP and my redundancy money would only last a few months if I am not working

It might mean not having a mobile, TV/TV licence, landline or the internet. As for gas and electricity, if you are on a 'dry meter' and when the bill comes you cant pay it they will add the debt onto a quantum meter for you so it gives you a few months to get work before paying them up from your top ups. You dont need heating on unless temperatures reach freezing point and you dont need to use your water heater if you have an electric shower - use the kettle to wash dishes. Be careful with lights and unplug everything except your fridge/freezer at night. You may be able to apply to the Social Fund for buildings insurance. Vodafone do a £5 top up on PAYG which gives unlimited texts to any network and you can still recieve calls, the library give free internet access and McDonalds have free WiFi if you live near.

2011_will_be_debt_free

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

That is not correct. You can have a TV and have no licence. You just have to make sure there is no way the TV can recieve a signal (in places that have already gone digital it would be impossible for an old TV to get signal without sky/freeveiw or simular so would be easy to prove) or take away any chance of the TV getting siganal such as freeview/digital box/sky/ariel etc.
It is perfectly legal to use a TV for game use, watching DVD's etc without a licence.
Also "If you only use your digital box to produce sounds (i.e. you don't use it to display programmes), then you don't need a TV Licence" but I think that one would be dificult to prove - much easier to get a radio!
As long as you are not watching live TV, as in not watching it while it is being broadcast, it is perfectly okay to not have a licence. You could even link up your laptop to your TV (to get a bigger picture) and go on to 4OD/i-player etc and not need a licence - perfectly legal --> "you need a licence to watch any channel live online, but you wouldn’t need one to use BBC iPlayer to catch up on an episode of a programme you missed, for example."

"As new technology makes it possible to watch TV on more devices than ever you need to make sure that you remain properly licensed.
If you watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV you must, by law, be covered by a TV Licence, no matter what device you're using."

So apart from having your TV switched off at the plug, how do you make sure its not getting a signal even though your watching a DVD/listening to music? Do you need to disconnect the ariel/digi box/sky box?

Edit; sorry, I misread - you already said disconnect sky/digi box. Sorry about that.

paadzer

2011_will_be_debt_free wrote: »

It might mean not having a mobile, TV/TV licence, landline or the internet. As for gas and electricity, if you are on a 'dry meter' and when the bill comes you cant pay it they will add the debt onto a quantum meter for you so it gives you a few months to get work before paying them up from your top ups. You dont need heating on unless temperatures reach freezing point and you dont need to use your water heater if you have an electric shower - use the kettle to wash dishes. Be careful with lights and unplug everything except your fridge/freezer at night. You may be able to apply to the Social Fund for buildings insurance. Vodafone do a £5 top up on PAYG which gives unlimited texts to any network and you can still recieve calls, the library give free internet access and McDonalds have free WiFi if you live near.

Thanks for the tips

Mobile contract expires in April 2012 I'm afraid and is £35pcm - regardless of my employment status I will be seeking a cheaper contract when it expires (silly me for choosing an iPhone!)

Broadband expires in April 2011 but I can't seek work without the internet. Ironically I live above the village library but the PC's are shockingly slow and there are only 2 of them and you can't book times to use them. I live too far from the city centre to walk and I don't drive so to get there and back it would cost £3.40 for a day pass on the bus.

Gas is fine as I only have a gas hob so my average gas bill is 40p pcm :T

Electricity I am also good with. From March - October there is no heat or hot water in my flat and I use the electric shower. I am Irish so I don't feel the cold easily as I am used to freezing weather. My heating is never above 20 degrees but my boiler is some modern energy efficent pile of rubbish and still costs a lot to run regardless of the temperature (hence the reason It's off permanently from March - October). I never had the heating on when I was in bed or at work.

TV licence I can cope with for now as it's not a huge amount and I love my TV shows especially at this time of the year (with Skins, Shameless, Hustle and Dancing on Ice all back on soon :rotfl: ) as well as the ongoing soaps.