Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the responsibility of this

Evilm

Sky's basic package is ~£22 a month rather than the £65 you are paying. Could you convince him to allow you to remove the extras and just go without the sports/films etc?

Its a half step so might be easier to accept.

antonia1

Just a few comments:

DS1 - obviously you want him to see his son, and that is really important. As he is currently only able to work part time, is there any chance he could help out by doing other things, such as surveys or ebaying, to get some extra money for the household?

DS2 - Was his student loan income assessed? If it was he may be entitled to a bit more money as your income has dropped. You can ask for a "current year income assessment" from the student loans people. Also, although the student loan is not much money, it should be enough for him to pay for his own food and mobile phone! And does he work at all? Lots of students have part-time jobs, even if only during the holidays. As an adult, chores should be a normal part of his life, not a way of paying towards his upkeep.

If you don't need your car, I would get rid completely. With insurance, tax, MOT and maintenance, cars are really expensive to have if you don't literally NEED one. As for NCB, I believe that it remains in tact for a set number of years (probs worth asking on the motoring forum).

Is your council tax over 10 months or 12? If it is over 10 you can ask your council to pay it over 12 to make each month easier and more consistent.

Have you tried talking to your mortgage company to see if you can take a 6 month payment holiday? £1200 per month over 6 months would make a massive dent in your total debt, especially if you used it to clear your Sainsburys and Tesco credit cards, then closed the accounts.