HELP! Have cut back all I can but am still over-spending!

Devon_Sailor

S&S,

As I pointed out in my comment on your posts, I was not passing judgement on you per se, just the casual throw away (and very judgemental) statement saying, essentially, it is all the Governments fault. If you actually read it, I commended your efforts. I am in a simlar boat (as pointed out) so no, I am not in an Ivory Tower. Nor at any point did I suggest you were exhibiting any "sense of entitlement". I commended your efforts and I sincerely wish you well on your journey towards beating debt. On this board, we really are all in it together.....!

You long response listed a lot of things, banks, growing up with budgeting and debts; all fair points. Furthermore, you state that you were not one of those who did any of the financially loose things that got the majority of people into debts. So again, I fail to see who you are actually aiming your anger at and why? Certainly, if you have "grown up" with these issues, then your intense feeling towards the lot who have been in for two and a half years, rather than the lot before that (13 years) or the lot before that (18) seems misplaced.

Contrary to your implied tone, I did read your entire thread and I would suggest that if you dont want people to comment or make suggestions on where you can help yourself (the whole point of this Forum) then you should bundle your drinks bdget into your grocery shopping...which would seem logical and is what most people do.

The point I made, and the reason I posted, remains valid; LBMs are wonderful things when we have them, but they have to be full and complete. Has the Government made you redundant? No, it doesnt look like it. Is it the Governments fault that you are in a nice area with an excellent school? I would hope that you would be lauding them rather than lamenting them for that! Is it they who are buying ponies for your daughters friends? No. So why the angst towards two men in particular who you dont know, but feel able to pass your own judgement on what their children go with or without?!

You might just as well blame Alan Sugar, or your boss at work, or David Beckham, or in deed anyone who has more money than you at the moment, because they are about as much to blame........

Barbeduk

Just to make it clear that my last post was a critisism of the other parents and not yourself.

[Deleted User]

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

Re: the government. Do you realise how many people took out mortgages they couldn't afford thanks to the banks not taking proper care?

That was under the PREVIOUS government.

Spendless

Devon_Sailor wrote: »

the lot who have been in for two and a half years, rather than the lot before that (13 years) or the lot before that (18) seems misplaced.

I find it hard to believe sometimes that the current lot are only around 1/2 way thru their term. It feels longer, like you are constantly living thru the month of Jan. _pale_ Admittedly labour were going to the cashpoint far too often and withdrawing non-existant money and living in a mining town I'm never going to be enthusiastic about tories :cool: I was really daft enough to believe a coalition government would be a good idea, didn't care which way round, I thought LD would curb labour's spending or curb Conservatives cutting- what a dopey mare I was. :doh:. I also wish the economy would pick up, it's been hard to find work since my youngest went to f-time school (just at the point I thought I would return to work) -and yes I'm fully aware of who was in power then- I just thought it would pick up soon....Oh for the days of 2000/2001 when I could just get a job by showing up on time for the interview and proving I was capable of stringing a sentence together.

Soz, S&S I digress.:o When's your OH booked his AL for? Is Easter all over the place this year with different areas and their school hols? Just wondered if you could find something cheaper if some dates are out of sync with where you are heading?

[Deleted User]

Spendless wrote: »

I thought LD would curb labour's spending or curb Conservatives cutting

So, you object to the previous government getting the country into massive debt, by borrowing hand over fist, and now you object the current government getting us out of massive debt, by cutting spending.

Talk about wanting it both ways. :think:

Spendless

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

So, you object to the previous government getting the country into massive debt, by borrowing hand over fist, and now you object the current government getting us out of massive debt, by cutting spending.

Talk about wanting it both ways. :think:

Yes actually. What I'd like is a balance. Don't spend too much in the 1st place and Don't cut too much back all at once.

I thought this was irrelevant to S&S thread, but actually no it isn't. What she's having people do is wanting her to cut back to the bare minimum and accusing her of big overspending in the 1st place and she's saying no she hasn't and no she won't.

Anyway I digress. Back to being about S&S

Barbeduk

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

Every month we are having to dip into our savings to bail us out and it just can't carry on. The problem is we simply don't earn enough. I just did the Budget Brain on MSE and we go over by around £330 each month.

Please help me see where I can make savings!



Savings: no pensions so I save £100pm in an online savings account and put away £20pm each for the kids.


Any advice greatly appreciated. I know I can stop putting away £100pm but that would be neither here nor there as I end up taking it back to top up our account anyway.

Ok, you are going to hate me but these are the reasons people are suggesting you cut back hard.

You do not (currently) have debt. BUT you take money out of your savings every month to support your family. You do not live a spendy spendy life, we all see and accept that. AND you are making even more changes to cut your outgoings. We all applaud you for that.

In your final paragraph you confirm that although you have tried to continue saving, you are having to then take this money back out to pay bills etc.

So your saving have been reducing, month by month. Which is a huge problem because unless you have a mahoooosive savings pot, it will eventually run out and you will start to run up debt. And that is the reason why people who have lived with debt, and struggled hard to repay it, are suggesting you make bigger cuts like knocking off the weekly trip to the pub. Do anything you can to avoid debt.

You may find this post patronising, rude, whatever. But I've been there and will do anything to never have to go back again.

dancingfairy

Hi. A different way of looking at things for you. Say your income is 1000 a month and your essential bills are 700 then that leaves you 300 a month for luxurys(I couldn't find your figures in the 16 pages!). Clearly it is up to you as family whether it goes towards christmas/summer holidays, nicer clothes (as opposed to the basics), the odd drink or a trip away to see your family.
The only other way is to cut down on your essentials (which you've already doing).
To be honest you're not spending madly but even the odd drink here or there or meal out soon adds up with you realising A lot of people are having toc ut back even more right now with rising prices etc.
Best of Luck
df
Edit: It might be worth doing a spending diary as well to make sure things like prescriptions are included (I didn't see that in your latest SOA).
Holidays seems a bit expensive - 80 a month that's 960 a year. How many of you are there? 4? I missed that bit.
Car maintenance also seemed a bit expensive at what 60 a month? 720 a year? is that for 1 car or 2?
Clothes - I personally think you might need to up that in your budget. 25 a month doesn't seem enough for all of you? 4 of you?
With regards to the gas and electric how much do you owe? it might be worth adding that on to your soa as well. Does the current payment include anything towards the arrears? In your first post you said 35 a month, I presume that's each? so you are paying what 20 a month towards the arrears? Am a bit confused on this one.
Also it might be worth getting a tesco credit card and saving tesco points up. You could use it for days out tokens or restaraunt tokens or to pay for your breakdown insurance etc. Obviously only use it for normal everyday spending andpay it off in full every month but every little bit will help.
Oh and it sounds like you are already on the right tracks already.
Best of Luck

ScrimpingandSaving

I didn't say which government I specifically blamed. Frankly I hate the lot of them. They are now trying to make their expensese private. Osbourne sneaks in legal loopholes for large corporations and banks to avoid tax and this talk of "We're all in it together" just stinks.

Yes I am angry. I have led a life of bloody budgeting and whilst I am very lucky that we are not in any debt, I am angry that the banks practically fell over themselves to help people get into debt and then when it all fell apart we are meant to bail them out whilst sacrificing so much ourselves. They still get their bonuses, they still avoid tax, they still make record profits yet our kids are the ones having to go without.

I doubt that anyone on this board can actually say that they WANT to budget. No-one does. It's not a choice, it's a need. Now the UK has been told that they might in violation of human rights because of the huge growth of food banks. This bit of news comes just before we heard that energy prices are set to rise again. There doesn't appear to be any way out of this. Financial experts are all yelling at Osbourne that the cuts are going too far, that he needs to encourage spending but he simply isn't listening. More cuts and yet more cuts but do we see any signs of recovery? The news is bad year after year after year and we are told it could carry on until our children have their own children.

You wonder why I'm angry?

If I have any sense of entitlement it is that a family who both work full time should be able to live within their means without having to turn off the heating and wear coats instead, without having to buy second hand clothes all the time, without having to stop school meals and without having to seriously lower their standards of living.

It seems to me that we are working harder than ever simply to maintain a low standard of living. And we are the lucky ones, we have no debt. I feel enormously sorry for those who are working and struggling with debt at the same time. It's no wonder some people are tempted to just give up and rely on benefits. There is no incentive to work if you are still struggling to pay bills.

So excuse my anger please. I'm not one of these who can just lie back and accept my lot in life. I don't tell the children "Life's unfair and that's just the way it goes". I don't see why anyone should have to accept this. The government may want us to just put up and shut up but the government can go and stick it.

dancingfairy - car maintenance for 2 cars and yes it is expensive because the cars are old cars and often need new parts fitting but luckily hubby does this himself.

Holidays - for 4 of us factoring in the odd weekend away with his parents, visiting family etc. They live 200 miles away so I added the petrol cost of visiting them and counted it as holidays.

Clothes - I think that by just buying second hand and planning for things in advance, such as buying summer clothes now, we can survive on that amount.

We owe £250 on gas so yes, our payments will have to be upped. The £35 a month was for both. That's what the Co-op estimated. I knew it was way too low and as soon as I've paid off what we owe, I'm switching.

Tesco no good as it's too far away for me to justify the trip.

Barbeduk - I have reduced the savings. I am putting away £50 a month and that is our pension pot and the only one we have. I won't reduce the kids savings because let's face it, they are going to need it. Someone said that I should stop drinking wine and give the money to the kids instead but further upthread others have suggested cutting back the amount I save for them. I won't cut back the amount I save for them, it's important. I have cut back on drinks. I am buying cordial instead of fruit juice and we've cut back on what alcohol we buy in.

Spendless, h has booked his AL leave for this Easter. We are going to Orkney to visit my dad as he's not been very well so I want to see him this year. I figured it would be cheaper to do that at Easter rather than summer hols.

Am now off to do weekly shop for £60 or less. Wish me luck.

maman

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

Spendless, h has booked his AL leave for this Easter. We are going to Orkney to visit my dad as he's not been very well so I want to see him this year. I figured it would be cheaper to do that at Easter rather than summer hols.

Am now off to do weekly shop for £60 or less. Wish me luck.

I'd love to get involved in this 'government' argument but I, too, have to go out and fritter some money away. Good luck with the shopping.;)

I'm not sure whether you plan to go to Orkney for two weeks but there is some variation with school holidays this year. Some schools break up on 22nd March for 2 weeks while others go on until 28th and then have Good Friday and 2 weeks. I suspect that the airlines and hotels have got all bases covered but it's worth considering.