Help! Number dyslexia!

Ilona

Hi katy. Well done for trying to get on top of it now before you fall into a big hole. I agree with you about contents insurance, I don't have any due to the fact I haven't anything worth pinching, and if I was unlucky enough to get broken into, or damage anything, I can afford to replace or repair with the hundreds I have saved by not paying insurance.

Your income is almost £1,000 more a month than mine, and I manage just fine. Admitedly I only have a small mortgage and I don't have travel to work related expenses, but I still have to stretch my meagre income to live. At the moment I am working on getting my food bill down to £10 per week, and this means watching every penny I spend. I think you could get yours down a bit, £100 a month seems quite a lot, think about keeping a food diary, it might help.

If your house is old and cold could you find another place to live which is in better repair. Sounds like your landlord is neglecting to maintain the property.

Yes a water meter would be cheaper for you, my bill dropped by loads. IMO all single person households should be on a meter to save money.

My council tax is a lot lower than yours, Band A, ask at your council offices about single person reduction, are you getting it.

You can get a cheaper deal for your mobile phone, can't say if you can get out of your contract early though. I would never have a contract on a mobi, PAYG suits me just fine. The phone is just for emergencies, and texts, not chatting, and works out at less than £10 a month.

Can you find somewhere nearby to park for free, and walk the rest. I am so mean, I never pay for parking.

Cutting a few pennies off here and there all adds up, it's worth the extra effort. Good luck, you are going in the right direction.
Ilona

Wellyboots6

I am getting single person discount unfortunately I think it is high because I missed 2 payments when I first moved in.

Wellyboots6

Sorry, I can't work out how to do quote things on this so my replies are a bit muddled! (Trying to get a free IT course out of work!)

How would I go about getting a water meter? Its sounding like a good idea.

I would struggle to move house at the moment as I have no spare cash for a deposit and referencing fees on another property. I have just decided to go on a rolling monthly contract for the house though rather than sign up for a next 6 months, so hopefully if I can save up enough I can move easily.

My petrol and parking for work get paid back in expenses, but being paid a month behind I always end up paying out more than I get back. My income on the SOA shows what I get including expenses, I'm not sure if that is right? I wouldn't have a clue how to work it out without expenses!!

Dyscalculia is looking like a good contender for my number problems!

pinkteapot

Re water meter... Hubby and I used to live in a 2 bedroom flat and had no meter. Our water rates were about £40 per month.

We moved to a house with a meter. Our water now costs us around £14 a month!! They must have assumed that four people were living in a flat the size of ours and all were having baths daily.

We don't have baths much - if you like a daily soak in the tub then rates may be cheaper as the bath uses a full tank of water. But we shower daily, run the dishwasher every other day and do 3 loads of of washing a week. So that's how much usage £14 a month pays for....

Give your water company a call - they should be able to point you in the right direction for getting a meter fitted. It may depend on the property - at our flat they were unable to install meters.

Wellyboots6

Water meter it is then!

I don't hold out much hope of the water company being much help though, they sent me a letter on monday saying i had £170 credit on my account and then a bill on tuesday for £170. When I rung up to ask what it was all about they just said they didn't know and to ignore it as the two letters cancelled each other out!

Tixy

Hi

Regarding a water meter - as you rent I think you'll need to ask permission from your landlord if he will let you have one installed. It should work out quite a bit cheaper.

Your TV licence will be around £26 for the first 6months, and after that it drops to around £13 permanently - so hopefully yours will reduce soon.

Regarding your RAC cover - you can add in a new expense line on the statement of affairs, or some people just add it into the car maintenance figure.

Do you know how much your car tax is? or when its next due for payment?

How do you pay for car insurance? is it by monthly direct debit? or do pay in a lump sum once a year when its due?

It is a shame christians against poverty don't have anyone local who could visit and help you out. As I think they would be ideal for you. Might be worth contacing your local Citizens advice to see when they are open and if there is any time when they could help outstide work hours. If Matlock is nearest it looks like they might be open every other thursday evening http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/bureau_detail?serialnumber=561461

Wellyboots6

The landlord could be convinced about the water meter. He is better off financially if I stay here rather than having to re-advertise, re-decorate etc.

Car tax I paid for 6 months about a month ago (maybe, I don't have much of a concept of time as well as numbers!) and I think it was less than £100.

Car insurance is paid monthly, but I changed my insurance last month (ish) and I haven't got a revised statement of installments so I have no clue how much it is per month. It is with an online company and I struggle to get information from them.

Christians against poverty have sent me some information through the post, with calculations I need to do all set out, but I just looked at it and glazed over!

Citizens advice here are booked up too for a couple of months.

I am finding the advice on here really helpful however, and I am slowly thinking that this could be something I can get on top of myself if I take it step by step. If I manage that then I am giving myself a HUGE gold star, and everyone who has given me suggestions and tips bucket loads of thanks!

My plan so far is to try and cut costs where I can such as looking in to the water meter, contacting my mobile phone company to discuss my contract and cutting down my food bill.

I am still not sure long-term what to do though as I really could do with working out a budget and sticking to it, but that isn't very easy when the word 'budget' brings on a panic attack!!

Ilona

Katy, I always had panic attacks when confronted with a maths lesson at school, with the consequence that I learnt hardly anything. I have bimbled my way through life regarding finances, all my common sense was learnt from my mum, she taught me how to manage on very little money.

I know what it's like to glaze over, it's like nothing makes sense, just a lot of jumbled up numbers which don't register in your brain.

I felt so embarrassed once when I was on a course to learn the book keeping side of business. Other people were getting it and I was not. Tears welled up in my eyes as I was getting left behind, at that moment my brain shut down totally and I scooped up my books and walked out of the room.

Now I just try my best. I have just completed my tax return on line, a job I have been putting off for months. It was a bit confusing but I got it done.

Sorry I am rabbiting a bit, just wanted to say there are people on here who understand what you are going through. A thought, car insurance confuses me too, so many companies and so many policies. I take the easy way out and use an insurance broker, I know it will cost me a few quid more, but I have been with the same company for years. They know me, my history, they find the best deal, and if I think it's too much I ask them to look harder. Saves me oodles of time and worry.
Ilona

Wellyboots6

Its funny the ways you come up with to cope with things. I struggled so much with maths at school, but my friend struggled with english so we just swapped homework!

Tax is another problem I have, but maybe this isn't the right thread to go in to it? I am sure they are out to send me round the twist with their horrible green letters!!

I have not heard of an insurance broker, are they a person or a computer thing?

cats_slave

Katy the BDA ( British Dyslexia Association) offers some information/support for Dyscalculia). It really sounds as though you could have this condition. It can play havoc with your life, causing lots of stress, as you already know. It is worth trying to get some help for the problem, even if it's only tips on how to cope. It is a special condition and there are special techniques to help you to deal with it. I can't post a link but if you google, British Dyslexia Association, links will come up for their website on the first page. They are a charity.