Getting Desperate

I_was_a_fool

Hi Tiredofdebt

Get your OH to see his doctor, my hubby has finally given up smoking after 35 years using a new treatment called champix. I never thought I would see the day!

Sharon

blackangeluk

TiredOfDebt wrote: »

Thanks blackangeluk and taxi73. The pocket money is for our spending each week, which works out about £50 per week, £30 of which is used for my husband smoking, could monitor the other £20 and try to reduce. Hopefully my husband can succeed in giving up smoking. The food bill is for 2 adults and 2 children, one still in nappies in the night only. Do you really think this could be reduced?
taxi73 water is over 12 months, didn't really think I could reduce this, even going on a meter surely it would be high with 4 of us in the house.
We do watch quite a bit on Sky one, otherwise I would switch, I could reduce it down to the basic package and willl definitely look into that.

Hi there

When we moved to our house UU said our DD for water bill would be £54 (yes we fainted too - apparently it's because we're on a hill ), we went on a meter and was the best thing we ever did. We now pay about £28 a month instead and the payment has just gone down. We are a lot more careful with water as well. I seem to remember if it is more expensive on a meter you can revert back to their original charges instead - don't quote me but I'm sure I read that?

It is amazing what you can get on Sky, think we just get variety + basic and this is more than enough, TBH kids are going outside more because of light nights and so seems to have worked.

Re food, I have slashed my food bills but it is difficult. I now shop at Aldis which is far cheaper and food is just as good. Have you looked at the Old Style board, lots of receipe ideas etc and ways to save money. Today I've done homemade pizza and cakes and used just stuff we had in the cupboards.

I am fairly new to the DFW thing (I am also an addict of it :cool: ) but it is well worth checking out the Budget Planner Martin has set out. I have found it really useful. I have budgeted for everything for June and we have spends left over, but there is no real need for me to use them as I have included everything I need in the budget.

I thought your spending money was for children so I do understand what you mean there now.

Hope you find lots of help and support here. I felt very desperate when I first posted here but now I really do see light at the end of the tunnel

x

brainfreeze

Hi

Sorry I only posted a quick response earlier but we had people round and I only nipped onto the pc for a quick peek....I'm so addicted to this site :rotfl:

I'm glad you explained the pocket money....I thought you're kids were the most well paid kids in the country;)

Please try not to stress too much...there is room in your budget for manoeuvre. I personally know the worry of losing an income for an indefinite period - I am the major wage earner in our home and I was off work for 2 years with cancer. I don't know how we managed (would have managed a lot better if we had found this forum much earlier as I know some of our credit cards were increased during that period).

Is your mortgage interest only? If not is it worth asking your mortgage lender if you can go to interest only during the period your husband is on sick leave? It doesn't always work...my mortgage company were pigs and wouldn't budge even though we have never misssed a payment...if we wanted interest only it had to be a new mortgage. But I know from working in banks that some will do that for up to a year without remortgaging. It's not ideal but as you are facing an uncertain period during your husband's illness it is an option that could help.

Regarding the TV...I agree with others....cancel it and get a freeview box...the kids will learn to live with it. At the end of the day they will be much happier with a less stressed mum and dad than with a choice of tv channels and mum and dad constantly worrying about money. If you are recently tied in....play the sympathy card...and play on your husband's illness - explain you signed up in good faith and just really cannot afford it now due to unforeseen change in circumstances....the worst they can do is say no you are committed....but you might just get a really decent person at the other end of the phone who will help you out either by cancellig the contract altogether with no penalties or reducing the package/cost.

Whatever happens...look after your husband and yourself and don't worry too much. Everyone here is (or has been) in the same boat and the support we give each other is astounding. If you feel down, just post on here and someone will chat to you and perk you up.:beer:

cookie9

TiredOfDebt wrote: »

Monthly Outgoings
Loan 319.62
Credit Cards Min payments £277
Littlewoods £75
Phone £15.00
Petrol £65 Try to use car only when essential. Fill up in the early morning when it is cooler not late afternoon when it is hot.
Mortgage £775.93 Can you look around to see if you could get a better deal? Start with the new offers your existing lender is offering
Xmas/Birthdays £25Cut back here. Use Pigsback etc to collect voucher to use to get presents. Look out for BOGOF offers.
Clothing £15 Buy for your children only for the time being and only when needed
Haircuts £10
car insurance £22.29 look for the best deal. Don't be afraid to bargain. Martin's article on this is brillant. Remeber to check the cashback offers on quidco etc
Road Tax £15
Contact Lens £8
Car repairs/mot £15
Gas/Electric £50 Make sure lights turned off, things not left on standby and don't use tumble dryer where possible
Sky 36.00 call them to reduce to basic package. Tell them you are thinking of switching to freeview and see what deals they offer you
Life Ins 6.80
Water 36.16
Internet £14.99
Tv Licence 11.37
Council tax £85.92
House Ins 12.05
Interest on overdraft £16
Childcare £146.25
Food £216 Menu plan and look at OS Board. Lots of good ideas there.
Pocket Money £216 There are lots of websites to support giving up smoking. Try to reduce this. Keep a spending diary to see where you could make savings.

Good luck. Hope your husband is better soon.

Prudent

Last year I changed to buying most of my Christmas birthday pressies at car boot sales. I have a large family and the list is really long. I saved so much money this way. I was surprised at the number of new/unused things you can buy very cheaply there. It is especially good for children's pressies.

You might be able to reduce the food bill a bit. I spent £90 per month on one adult, one teenager and two cats. I manage this by shopping at around 7pm when the supermarkets make big reductions on fresh food.

hypno06

Hi there, and I hope you managed a good night's sleep.

The suggestions above are fantastic, as always, and with focus and effort all round you can get on top of that shortfall! The only thing I would add is to put your debts, APRs and minimum payments into the snowball calculator on https://www.whatsthecost.com this will give you a debt free date to work to.

Then the beauty of this is that once you can see it written down, you become really focussed in keeping to it - you don't want that date extended! You want it brought forward!

Play around with it, every £10 extra you manage to chuck at the debts makes a positive impact, and you will soon find yourself somehow managing to find that extra tenner a month!!!

Keep posting though, and look after yourself. I know it is OH that is ill, but if you don't look after yourself, you will find things even more difficult and we don't want that now, do we? (said in mother-like tones)

whatatwit

Morning, I think it may help if you were to start keeping a spending diary, at first it feels odd having to write everything down, and balancing your purse at the end of the day.
But after a week or two, it feels great to be in control of your money rather than it controlling you.

As has already been suggested, visit the Old Style board for some great meal ideas...including padding out chillis and lasagnes with Quorn and lentils, batch cooking and storecupboard clearouts.

Well done for posting and I hope your husband is soon well again.

Oh, just a thought, are tax credits and child benefit included in your total income?

margaretclare

Hi

I am a bit mystified - you said your husband is in hospital and awaiting surgery? This means that he CANNOT be smoking at present, effectively he has stopped! There is NO smoking allowed within a hospital and not even within the hospital grounds. So how is his 'smoking' still costing you money?

To get out of debt with a falling income, effectively you have to cut everything to the bone. That means all unnecessary expenses. Sort expenses into 'priority' and 'non-priority' - priority means the roof over your head, those kind of things. Non-priority means everything else. No one needs Sky or the like to survive, Christmas will come and go even if you don't spend anything on it, birthdays can be commemorated in simple inexpensive ways, just need a little thought and imagination instead of automatically chucking money at them. Same with holidays - a pleasant day out in the local park is just as good. Clothes - live on the ones you have and/or forage in the charity shops.

Have you thought of the idea of 'snowballing'? This is a tried-and-tested method of dealing with debt. All your cards, catalogues etc are put into order of interest rate. The one with the highest interest rate you pay off first, while keeping up minimum payments on all the others. Once that has gone you concentrate on the next one. The 'snowball' gets bigger each time.

There is no way of dealing with debt while at the same time still enjoying the non-essentials you've become used to. You have to sit down and take a good hard look at everything. Ideally this should be done as a family, so that everyone is singing from the same hymn-sheet, as they say.

Best wishes

Margaret

TiredOfDebt_2

Some really useful replies here. Thanks so much. Reading these I went through a number of emotions, I will post if I get down thanks brainfreeze. Feeling much better now with some of these suggestions. Hypno06 you made me chuckle when you said look after yourself. That has been on my mind too especially when I am the only one here to keep things ticking over.

The mortgage is on 2 years fixed with Abbey, remortgaged in April this year, so not sure if I can go onto interest only, will have to check that one. I am not going shopping this week, I am using up food in freezer and cupboard, we can manage on what we have got. Then i am going to try Aldi, tend to shop online with Tesco most of the time to get extra points.

Yes whatatwit income does include tax credits and child benefit, correct as far as I know, but due to send form back any day now, so will see how that goes.

I am going to make a start on some of those suggestions and will let you know what my debt free date will be. Thanks all

TiredOfDebt_2

Thanks margaretclare, he is still smoking at the moment, it seems they can smoke in the hospital grounds, however, he is not smoking as much thats for sure. But on the other hand I am paying £2.20 every day on car parking fees, which is the cost of his other pack of fags. I have never smoked but at the moment the worry of the operation and smoking for about 25 years it must be hard for him to give up at this time.