help with my budget please

sammy_kaye18

Hi All,

Id like to ask for a bit of help or any suggestions on how to make my budget more helpful/ managable (i know what i mean but i cant think of how to phrase it)

ok, heres my situation i work part time (11 hours a week) and my partner recently left his job on medical grounds (his eyesight has become impaired recently) so he is unemployed now until his operation comes through. We also have a 2 and a half year old son and a 3 yar old Jack Russell terrier

Anyway we recently put a claim in for housing benefit and council tax benefit and my bf was told by the job centre to apply for income support/incapacity benefit which has also been applied for.

Anyway currently we have

• child benefit - £69.80
• child tax credit - £157.98
• my basic wages (no overtime) - £237.16

so in total we have an income of £464.94

the monthly outgoings for our flat are

rent - £196.84 - hopefully will be sorted for uscouncil tax - £70.00 - hopefully will be sorted for us
water - £30.40 - have paid it off up till the 1st January
tv license - £12.00
ntl - £90.00
food - £80.00
gas - £40.00
electric - £40.00
work money - £10.00
pet and life insurance - £26.00

which is £298.00 just on basics so there is £166.00 left

Out of this money then has to come maintenance for my parteners other son (5 years old), our emergency fund, any other things that may arise or go over budget, clothes/shoes etc, and travel expenses etc.

any ideas how to bring any of these down so we can actually get some savings started somewhere!!!

Phoenix79_2

You'd have more luck by posting this in the Debt Free Wannabe section.

p.s Your ntl bill is too high!

Good luck :beer:

Cypher

ntl - £90.00

I'd defintiely be looking in that direction.

Cut down on the TV package, slower broadband , or talk less on the phone... which ever is pushing that bill up so high.

I'd also threaten to leave, say you need to save money and hardly watch it or use it. Ntl will probably offer you a discount to stay.

I now pay £9.99 for my broadband offered for 6 months and also have free line rental on my phone for 12months, after I really did cancel and arranged for BT to swap my line.

I did cancel the TV and bought a freeview box, it was one luxury I could live without.

Edinburghlass_2

I'll just shift your thread across to the Debt Free Wanna Board for you.

Definately phone NTL regarding your package. When you phone be armed with figures as to how much cheaper you can get your package with say TalkTalk (I'm not suggesting you move to TalkTalk but have the figures) and tell them you want to leave. You should be put through to retentions where they will suggest an offer to keep you. Have a read of this thread where MSE users have done just this.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=62656

*Louise*

Is that your monthly tax credit amount that you were allocated in April?

The reason i ask is, that if your b/f has only left his job since then, then you should inform them of the change in circumstances, you may be entitled to more money.

lynzpower

you also need to let the CSA know sammy as you wont be paying your normal amount of maintainence- surely.

Stop paying the CT & Rent let them get into arrears, the benefit should pick it up later.