desperate for help

tallyhoh

Have I missed the rent or mortgage?

camuk81

tallyhoh wrote: »

Have I missed the rent or mortgage?

I could not see it when I put the Soa up on the link

mariabyrne

thank you for all your replies.
Rent: I am lucky where rent is concerned, as my ex pays the mortgage, and I live here with my kids,although the mortgage is only £70 a month, so he got off lightly. But I am greatful.
Food: I already do cook from scratch for my kids,I don't mind the hard work, so there really is no more room for saving any money there.
Petrol costs: I live in rural Wales...commute to work daily is a 50mile round trip....
Council tax: Yes,includes single person allowance, but still huge.And going up again this year.
Oil would basically be £ 350 every 3 months,if I did have the heating on like a normal person,but I only have the heating on for an hour in the morning,when it's reeeealy cold, I try not to use it. But with it being colder than average where I live, it does switch itself on once the temperature goes below 12 Celcius. And this has happened a lot recently overnight.
And money shop...I have 3 more cheques of £100 coming out next month,and then it's paid off.

mrsb83_2

mariabyrne wrote: »

Food: I already do cook from scratch for my kids,I don't mind the hard work, so there really is no more room for saving any money there.

There definitely is. Saving £100 a month on groceries would make a huge difference to your SOA.

It's not just about cooking from scratch, it's about buying smart and making expensive items go further. If you're really cooking everything from scratch you must be making pretty elaborate meals or using expensive ingredients to spend £400 a month on 3 people.

Just give it a try, and I think you'll be surprised how easy it is to reduce the grocery bill.

camuk81

Maria,

I have just updated your SOA for you so it makes life a touch easier. Is there any way to boost you income by a lodger, renting out a space doing competitions on an evening at home on the internet?

Try having a read of this:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/make-money

moneysavermum_2

mariabyrne wrote: »

thank you for all your replies.
Rent: I am lucky where rent is concerned, as my ex pays the mortgage, and I live here with my kids,although the mortgage is only £70 a month, so he got off lightly. But I am greatful.
Food: I already do cook from scratch for my kids,I don't mind the hard work, so there really is no more room for saving any money there.
Petrol costs: I live in rural Wales...commute to work daily is a 50mile round trip....
Council tax: Yes,includes single person allowance, but still huge.And going up again this year.
Oil would basically be £ 350 every 3 months,if I did have the heating on like a normal person,but I only have the heating on for an hour in the morning,when it's reeeealy cold, I try not to use it. But with it being colder than average where I live, it does switch itself on once the temperature goes below 12 Celcius. And this has happened a lot recently overnight.
And money shop...I have 3 more cheques of £100 coming out next month,and then it's paid off.

why is your ex not paying a proper maintenance allowance...no wonder you are skint with no proper maintenance coming in. Kids are expensive and your ex needs to give you more money. I cant believe you are grateful for him paying a £70 mortgage when he probably should be paying alot more

moneysavermum_2

mrsb83 wrote: »

There definitely is. Saving £100 a month on groceries would make a huge difference to your SOA.

It's not just about cooking from scratch, it's about buying smart and making expensive items go further. If you're really cooking everything from scratch you must be making pretty elaborate meals or using expensive ingredients to spend £400 a month on 3 people.

Just give it a try, and I think you'll be surprised how easy it is to reduce the grocery bill.

I cook for one adult and 3 children and I think its possible to cook properly for £50 a week but your cleaning stuff will just have to be bleach..no fancy stuff. I online food shop as I think yes I pay out for the delivery but I stick to a budget better and know how much its going to cost....so if I go over i can take things off the list.

bridgend_girl

agree with earlier post- father really should be contributing a bit more unless he is covering clothes/expenses for kids. Also use the local gov website for where you live to see if you may be eligible for some council tax benefit. You may be surprised. Also approach CAB for help with approaching credit card firms for some help with the credit card debts.


good luck, you will get better at reducing your costs and the debts will reduce. Your positive attitude to dealing with all of this will pay off in time.
x

cottonhead

I would say that you could cut down on the groceries a lot. I currently spend £150 a month for 2 adults, a child and a cat.
The other question is does your ex pay you anything or is that included in your benefits income ? He really should be if he isnt.
The last thing is that you need to contact your creditors asap. If you explain the situation and do so before you get too behind and end up defualting they are usually OK. I have negotiated lower payments from everyone from the gas and electric company to a catalougue and credi cards. Its better that you pay them something and get back on your feet than end up with a ruined credit history and they dont get their money. In this climate many companies are more understanding than you may think. I contacted payplan and entered into a plan. It was a casual arrangement not an IVA and it helped a lot. Once you get back on track you can start to pay things off bit by bit. Things will get better and asking for help is not as scary as you think.

Hiddenidenity

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 1
Number of children in household......... 2
Number of cars owned.................... 1

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 700
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 700
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1400

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0 paid by other party
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 1
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 100 Have you checked you have the single persons discount? Paying over 12 months rather than 10?
Electricity............................. 65 Your electric and oil combined are high, try cutting usuage, turn you heating down a couple of degrees, etc
Gas..................................... 0
Oil..................................... 80 See above
Water rates............................. 40
Telephone (land line)................... 35 I take it this includes internet even so you could get it cheaper have a look around
Mobile phone............................ 0 none?
TV Licence.............................. 12
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 28 If this is sky you could switch to there basic package £20 month. (I noticed you said you had it becuase freeview doesnt work)
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 400 :eek: You can half this, I feed me and 2 kids including nappies for both and formula for one for £100 just to give a guide. Pop over to old style board for tips
Clothing................................ 0
Petrol/diesel........................... 120 living in rural Wales 50 mile commute
Road tax................................ 0 None?
Car Insurance........................... 0 None?
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 20
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 0
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0 Never?
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 10
Contents insurance...................... 10
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 0 Never?
Haircuts................................ 0 Never?
Entertainment........................... 0 Never?
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 0
Total monthly expenses.................. 921


Assets
Cash.................................... 0
House value (Gross)..................... 0
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 6000
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 6000

No Secured nor Hire Purchase Debts

Unsecured Debts Are all these really 0%?
Description....................Debt......Monthly.. .APR
Barclay........................5000......100...... .0
Halifax........................3500......60....... .0
Santander......................60........0........ .0
Oil bill.......................350.......0.........0
Catalogue......................250.......0........ .0
Payday loans...................250.......0.........0
Moneyshop......................500.......0........ .0 3 more payments of £100 then paid off
Argos..........................2000......70....... .0
Total unsecured debts..........11910.....230.......-


Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,400
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 921
Available for debt repayments........... 479
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 230
Amount left after debt repayments....... 249 Do you have this left at the end of the month?

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 6,000
Total HP & Secured debt................. -0
Total Unsecured debt.................... -11,910
Net Assets.............................. -5,910