Budget help!!!

Libbyd

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I feel I am not having enough spare cash after bills and am starting to worry about it. This country is costing a small fortune!!

I have 3 children (6, 8 & 10) and I find 75% of the income goes out on bills and food!

This is what I pay out every month, am I over paying on anything or would you say this is about right and I am doing all I can?

I live in a 3bed detached house with extension.

Mortgage - £579.00
Council Tax - £149.00
Water - £68.00
Gas/Elec (Eon) - £149.00
Car Insurance - £49.00
Petrol - £140.00
Life Insurance - £15.00
Home Insurance - £14.00
Pet Insurance - £5.00
Boiler Insurance - £13.00
Sky - £29.00 (considering getting rid)
Phone (Talk Talk) considering cancelling it as don't use a home phone, but what about broadband??) £28.00
TV License £11.00
Credit Card - £30.00
Car Loan - £271.00
Mobile - £45.00 (o2, iphone)
Dentist - £10.00
Sons clubs - £35.00
Food - £400.00 (at least)

Am I over paying on anything? and if I get rid of Talk Talk how can I use Broadband? I don't see the point in a home phone as I never use it!

I don't seem to save, but I said from January I will be saving around £50-75 a month.

Lokolo

You pay £10 a month for dentist?

And TBH it's your car loan and credit card whereby you could save the most.

tiff

Gas/elec seems high, we pay £100 also with Eon.

getmore4less

car stuff is missing.

dawyldthing

you biggest problem is the car - can you get rid? as its costing 461 including the loan payment for the car - so basically a second mortgage!

jen245

Your gas and electric and also your water does seem high. We live in a 3 bed terrace house, and pay around £70 per month for both gas and electric with EDF, and our water bill is £105 every 6 months (we are billed bi-annually) and £45 for your mobile, do you really need an iPhone?
Get on to uswitch.com, and see if you can get better deals on your utilities, and with sky, just reduce it down to a lower package.

dawyldthing

Mortgage - £579.00 (can you compare rates?)

Gas/Elec (Eon) - £149.00 (compare, seems high)
Car Insurance - £49.00 (can the car go?)
Petrol - £140.00 (can the car go?)
Life Insurance - £15.00
Home Insurance - £14.00
Pet Insurance - £5.00
Boiler Insurance - £13.00
Sky - £29.00 (considering getting rid) (i'd get rid)
Phone (Talk Talk) considering cancelling it as don't use a home phone, but what about broadband??) £28.00 (we have the internet and phone with them and for 80gb its 24 a month i think, but if we pay for the phone in one go and then the internet it would be under 20 quid)

Credit Card - £30.00 (is this soon to be paid off, or is it the minimum?)
Car Loan - £271.00 (is it nearly paid off? can it go)
Mobile - £45.00 (o2, iphone) (can you go on a pay monthly, you can get 10 quid sim only deals)
Dentist - £10.00 (seems extreme, can you get one of the all in one deals - check the link above as its what i will do eventually which helps with glasses, dentist and the rest)
Sons clubs - £35.00
Food - £400.00 (at least) (check on the food board, seems a lot - if you plan the meals in advance it will reduce)

ian_h

Apart from the obvious that the others have pointed out, Freesat from Sky is liveable with and the saving would mean you could pay twice as much off your credit card.

Broadband - Either a dongle (you can then tether other devices through the one with the dongle using windows internet connection sharing) OR you can buy a 3G Mobile Broadband Router that you just put your sim card in and connect your devices to in the same way as your current talktalk router. The router costs approx £50 as a one off and ongoing monthly costs depend on the amount of data you consume but typically around £15pm would get you a decent package from a number of providers (three & giffgaff have good sim only data deals).

Bogof_Babe

Lokolo wrote: »

You pay £10 a month for dentist?

And TBH it's your car loan and credit card whereby you could save the most.

I pay £43 a month on Denplan for me and OH. Our dentist doesn't do NHS now, and as we've been with him forever we had to bite the bullet (lol no pun intended) and pay to join Denplan.

The OP's £10 a month is only £120 a year. Even on NHS you do have to pay something towards your treatment.

Do we know whether the OP has a partner?

Lokolo

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

I pay £43 a month on Denplan for me and OH. Our dentist doesn't do NHS now, and as we've been with him forever we had to bite the bullet (lol no pun intended) and pay to join Denplan.

The OP's £10 a month is only £120 a year. Even on NHS you do have to pay something towards your treatment.

Do we know whether the OP has a partner?

Mine costs £15 a year for a checkup.

JFC_2

I am with a NHS dentist but have to contribute, I had a couple of crowns last year plus X-rays and had to pay out a lot more than £10 a month