In a big mess and need help!

MrsCautious

I think you could consider eating and drinking out and days out going altogether as well as Sky/coffees/sandwiches/snacks? Also you could do kids' entertainment for free and explain you can't afford to do paid for stuff at the moment. With your business growing that could be a short term measure? Can you bring down gas and electricity by being tighter with this as spring comes? I have reduced income and am attempting these things.

What about business overheads? What can be cut here to boost profit margins. Could you or have you done a similar exercise there?

Good luck, sounds like you are really getting sorted x

What_a_Mess_3

The eating out is meeting my Sister once a week for lunch who I don't see otherwise and I really don't want to stop that. I am really going to try and not spend any money on snacks etc by taking our own food/drinks. We don't do a lot of expensive days out, we usually go for a walk or feed the ducks or something. Occasionally we'll meet up with friends at soft play but it happens once in a blue moon.

The sky I have my phone and internet with and don't think I can get rid completely because I'm tied into a contract but I will reduce it as much as possible.

My electric bills are massive, even paying what I do I still owe them a couple of hundred pounds. They owe me on the gas though so I'm going to ask them to off set it against the electric bill instead of upping my direct debit more. I live in a tiny house with really crap windows that let so much cold in it's unreal so it hardly ever feels warm. I've started using the tumble dryer again too for convenience sake.

I have borrowed £20 from the business to make sure the rent is covered. As long as I don't touch my account and just spend the cash in my purse until the 20th the rent will be paid.

What_a_Mess_3

Double check i'm not paying for the old contents insurance, if I am change address, if not get some asap
Cancel xbox live
Cancel pet insurance
Cancel Experian (check credit rating 1st)
Spending diary
[STRIKE]Get electronic cigarettes[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Cut pocket money for eldest
Youngest gets pocket money or magazine not
both
To get pocket money they both need to do a lot more around the house
and it will be dependant on everything being done[/STRIKE]
Meal plan with what food is already in the house
Online shop once a week (after meal plan)
Stay away from little shop
Cook from scratch more
Phone sky and reduce to bare minimum
Start selling the house full of stuff waiting to be listed on Ebay
No buying anything that isn't necessary
[STRIKE]Make sure rent is covered for this month[/STRIKE]

MrsCautious

I think it sounds like you are doing great, I think it's easy for 'observers' to say 'hey, take a packed lunch when you see your sister' but you are being realistic and you have to still have treats, I hope I didn't sound holier than thou, sounds to me like rather than going to extremes like cutting out all the things you and your family enjoy you can look forward to being debt free through careful and measured planning, I'm worried my post has made you want to justify stuff to me and you really don't have to, I admire your discipline and your spirit, good luck xx

What_a_Mess_3

Thank you and no I didn't take offense at all but I did want to explain about the lunch.

MrsCautious

But tumble driers are evil x

What_a_Mess_3

I know, I went for 18 months without using it too and I used an electric airer which I sold a month ago. I'm slightly regretting it now. I was so fed up with my tiny bedroom full of an electric airer and a normal airer and not being able to get to my wardrobe without moving everything that I snapped and started using the tumble dryer again. Maybe if I try and limit the washing and use the line when it's dry and the airing cupboard for finishing off it'll limit the damage slightly.

MrsCautious

I'm absolutely crap at housework and washing and my children are often found rushing round letting me know they can't find socks etc, I tend to put clothes on radiators/over chairs/in the airing cupboard/put them down and forget they are damp. For the first time ever I am looking on this as a good thing as it's saving money, I always used to dry their school blouses in the drier, I also (cough) save money by not doing as much ironing as I should. I would recommend this approach to anyone. I don't know how much I'm saving but I will continue to test it out.

What_a_Mess_3

Yes I already do the saving loads of money by not ironing. I only wish I'd discovered this tip years ago because I could sob at the hours spent ironing! The tumble dryer really helps with this too. Even using the dryer we still never have any socks, I need to sort out the odd sock basket and i'm sure that problem will be solved.

stupot_99

Id still get rid of the shopping for fun, i know its hard but have fun in other ways, ie window shop or something like that, until you can afford to do it. That takes you down to £17.73
Can you go on patches for cigs they are free from docs.
Ditch the newspapers and magazines and just read news online save £13, now down to £4.73 and put the youngest onto 3 meals a week and your in the black.