BENEFIT CAP-Down almost £7000 help!!!

nannytone_2

libraries gibe internet access.
i am a single person hit both byt the HB reduction and the council tax subsidy. but i will manage thanks to the fact that i live very simply[, is isnt a good situation for a lot of people... some have more choices than others/B]

Rylynn

To the OP, I lived with an abusive partner so well done for getting rid of him even if it makes your life harder financially, it did mine and he left me with huge debts that he had me take out in my name. So I do know what this is like, but I only have one child still at home, and the father does pay maintenance (and no he is not the abusive partner).

I managed to get myself back into work, and that was the turning point for me but that was no easy task either, I went on a training course that I was allowed to do with no cost. You may want to look into that as it is very helpful. I have no idea if you have ever worked, and training looks good on your CV, also make sure your CV is a good one, if you need help pm me.

My advice is only shop for what you need, never shop when you are hungry and avoid having the kids with you, as it is hard to say no when they ask for things and it is also stressful for you. Do you have a local butcher, sadly most even in villages like I live have long gone, but we used to have one and I would go late in the day, and ask him what he had on offer, and he would always come up with something I could afford, you cannot barter like that in Asda's!

Use cheaper cuts of meat, just cook them for longer, always check out the cheap or reduced counters, try to work out which day each supermarket near you does this. Our Tesco do it Sunday late afternoon, whereas Asda tend to do it on Wednesday mornings.

One meal can be made into two with a little more thought, a chicken can be used for a roast and then you completely take off every single morsel left on it, and I mean every bit (messy work) and make a stew for the next day. I always did the roast on a Saturday and the casserole on a Sunday as my elder kids at that time were getting school meals.

A cheap meal is not a cop out either, as if you cook from scratch they are in fact or should be getting better food than pre-packed ready meals. Pasta is a great choice, it is filling and it is also cheap, just shop around, I can buy a huge pack for £1.

If the children are having school dinners, perhaps they only need something like beans on toast or spaghetti on toast for tea. You can also make your own soup, using leftovers, it is not hard to do either. I can also say that the 17p tins of spaghetti are actually preferred by my son to the most expensive brand. Also right now Tesco have Bachelor soups (4 pack) for £1.49 half a can each with a slice of bread and butter is another cheap and easy meal, i fact even with the bread that is under 30p each. They have tomato, chicken, vegetable, and all are very nice. The vegetable is handy to add to the chicken casserole as well.

Also buy cheap eggs, normally I would not say this as I am against battery hens, but when needs must you do what you have to. You can make omelettes, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, and also cheap fairy cakes, as I do not believe the kids should completely go without any treats whatsoever and the kids can help make the cakes.

I do believe that kids need a breakfast, even if it is only toast, and shop around for bread as some places want over £1.50 whereas you can get a loaf and a good one called Bakers Choice for a quid. You worry me about the milk, kids need calcium, so milk should not be completely cut out, that is my opinion anyway.

Clothing children is not cheap I know that, but try ebay as many people sell off stuff on there, check out local car boot sales as well, as many a bargain to be had, but get to them early.

On bills: I was given one of those things that tell you the electric you are using, wow what an eye opener that was. My youngest son was always leaving lights on, he changed immediately when he realised just how much even turning the kettle on costs, and reboiling it cos you left the room and forgot about it is costly, such little things and most of us do them without thinking about it. I never leave the kettle now, if I put it on I stand and ensure I make the cuppa I was going to, not come back 10 mins later and have to reboil cos I forgot it.

If your kids all have TVs in there rooms think about the cost, make them all watch one TV, it is not only about the TV either but the lights that are also on. Have you got radiators and if so have they the option to turn them off, if so do so, do not heat unnecessary rooms, every little helps to reduce the bills. Draft excluders may be old fashioned but they stop heat escaping from a room, ensure doors are closed, as I say there are many ways to bring costs down.

On the job front join up to Crowdology they are taking people on again, free site you get emails regarding surveys, you may not be eligible for them all, but I have made at least £30 in the past 3 months and to be honest every fiver helps when your back is against the wall. You need a pay pal account and can transfer money once you reach £4, I enjoy the ones I have done, and lately many have been no good as they want people with young kids, which would be you OP. Make sure you are truthful though, about age and how many kids etc.

You want to try out some free samples, face creams, bath gel, makeup, all sorts no guarantee of getting them, but I have been a member of Clix trials for some years now. You have to fill in quite a lot of detail, but I have had some wonderful night creams to trial, day creams, shower gel, foundation makeup, shampoo, even this helps to cut down on spending. It is also nice to get something for free that you cannot afford. You get time to try it and then you have to rate it on their site. I believe people even get to trial food stuff as well, so it is worth a shot.

http://www.clixresearch.com

As soon as any of your children are old enough, get them to try and get a paper round, it teaches them the value of earning their own money and gives them to chance to treat themselves to things you cannot afford for them.

If you want any cheap recipe ideas just drop me a pm and my best advice would be to plan ahead, work out for each week what meals you are going to cook and then go and buy what you need and nothing more.

I came through a very bad time and I ended up having to go bankrupt, I had paid into and IVA for 2.5 years when I fell very ill and had to stop work for 11 months and I could no longer cope.

It was not easy, and I came close to a breakdown, my youngest son was only 13 years old, but he was a tower of strength and kept me sane.

But I have been debt free, credit card free, loan free ever since, and I did it with the help of the people on this site back in 2007, all I will say is that I hope people here can be more sympathetic and helpful than judgmental.

stokegal

I'm more of a lurker than a poster on here but had to come on and say thank you to Rylynn - your answer was thoughtful, informative and non judgemental, Its really nice to see the effort that other people make when trying to help others and definately inspires me to post more, however on this ocassion - I dont have anything else to add as Rylynn has said it all
but hope the OP is feeling better

socrates

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Having looked back on the OPs previous posts, it seems you could be right TH and a new start could be what is needed. The OP has only known the generous welfare system of the last decade, all her adult life. That and easy credit. Both of which are now going.

OP, £500 a week plus free school meals for 5 of your 6 children, is a still a lot of money and you just need to learn things like how to budget and how to cook from scratch. Cooking from scratch does take longer, but you have lots of free time and I assume your youngest child is now getting free nursery places, so plenty of time too to look for bargains when shopping.

Don't forget that when you are moved onto Universal Credit (from all the benefits you claim now) you will have UC conditions imposed on you.

And when you do find a LL that will accept you (highly unlikely) do not dare to move in unless they can categorically prove to you that they have consent to let - better to sleep in the streets than stay in a house where the LL does not have permission from his lender to let the property

Penny-Pincher!!

Theres also Freegle and may be other charities locally that can help. What about food banks? Do you have any family/friends that may help you out with a few bits of food here and there? It'll all help.

PP
xx

jobbingmusician

desperatemumof6 wrote: »

. I have cancelled my home phone and broadband, not entirely sure how the elder children will do for homework as everything has to be emailed in and Internet based research.

Samba mobile. You buy a dongle with a SIM, and then watch (ie have running in a window ) adverts to accumulate credit. Apart from the initial outlay for the dongle and SIM, the internet is then free.

BigAunty

desperatemumof6 wrote: »

T... I have cancelled my home phone and broadband, not entirely sure how the elder children will do for homework as everything has to be emailed in and Internet based research.
..

Local libraries often have internet access but surely you checked this first?

In a previous post, I strongly encouraged you to download the MSE budget planner and identify where your £480 weekly income was going and to reduce your spending by identifying the cheapest tariffs/packages for all your services.

Did this form the basis of your decision to cut-off your broadband/home phone line which could come in under £10 a week?!

Or did you just merely panic and decide to slash and burn rather than do a systematic review to plan your spending and stick to your plan?

Jobseeeker

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

Theres also Freegle and may be other charities locally that can help. What about food banks? Do you have any family/friends that may help you out with a few bits of food here and there? It'll all help.

PP
xx

with such a high income it wouldnt really be right to take from food banks or charities, these are really meant for those on a low/no income

Penny-Pincher!!

Jobseeeker wrote: »

with such a high income it wouldnt really be right to take from food banks or charities, these are really meant for those on a low/no income

Maybe I misread wrongly, but I thought the OP had 6 children and spending just £40pw on a shop?

~Chameleon~

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

Maybe I misread wrongly, but I thought the OP had 6 children and spending just £40pw on a shop?

If she can only afford to spend £40 per week for food out of a weekly income of almost £500 then there's something seriously wrong with her budgeting skills. Either that or she has a ridiculously high amount of debt. I suggest she takes professional advice from CAB or a welfare officer to over her budget/debts with her.