How can I reduce my bills?

SunshineButterfly

I get no child maintainence and never will.. so that is not a possible at all.

I do not have a tv package so cannot reduce that.
My internet for £20 a month includes line rental and free calls evening and weekend.. although I do not use the landline as my mobile gives me unlimited minutes and texts.

My travel is £104 a month for a bus and train pass... which I need to get the kids to childcare and to get myself to university and back.

I could save money by walking with them and walking to and from the train station... but this would then increase my childcare costs as it would mean I would have to leave them in childcare earlier to get to the station for my train and it would take me longer to get back to pick them up.

A part-time job isnt really do-able.. and if it was the money I earnt would then be taken off my student loan, meaning I would get the same anyway at the end of it.

In september 2014 my childcare will reduce massively as my youngest will then be in education full-time along with my eldest.

I owe perfect homes £600 for one item, but if I pay £300 as an early settlement it is mine. Then all that will be left once the TV has gone back will be the cooker at £6 a week. Something I can afford to pay I guess for something I use daily. Hopefully once I have managed to save a bit I can early settle that too!

DragonQ

SunshineButterfly wrote: »

My internet for £20 a month includes line rental and free calls evening and weekend.. although I do not use the landline as my mobile gives me unlimited minutes and texts.

£20pm for broadband and line rental is actually quite a good deal. The minimum you could pay for decent broadband plus line rental isn't much less than this. However, maybe you should look at switching in order to take advantage of new customer deals and cashback websites. This goes for your gas and electricity suppliers too - using a comparison website, you could save a decent amount per month and get cashback.

Your mobile costs are definitely very high. You have unlimited minutes and texts but how much do you actually use? Your bill should show you, or you could use an app to record monthly usage. For example, giffgaff offers a monthly rolling contract for £10pm which gives you 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 1 GB of data. Would this be sufficient for you? Obviously you'd have to wait for your current contract to run out first, and resist the urge to get a "free" upgrade!

SunshineButterfly

DragonQ wrote: »

£20pm for broadband and line rental is actually quite a good deal. The minimum you could pay for decent broadband plus line rental isn't much less than this. However, maybe you should look at switching in order to take advantage of new customer deals and cashback websites. This goes for your gas and electricity suppliers too - using a comparison website, you could save a decent amount per month and get cashback.

Your mobile costs are definitely very high. You have unlimited minutes and texts but how much do you actually use? Your bill should show you, or you could use an app to record monthly usage. For example, giffgaff offers a monthly rolling contract for £10pm which gives you 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 1 GB of data. Would this be sufficient for you? Obviously you'd have to wait for your current contract to run out first, and resist the urge to get a "free" upgrade!

Both my gas and electric are prepayment meters. But I have a few weeks ago switched my electric to one thats cheaper.

My mobile contract I am in for another year.. but if you use it must less than the tariff you are on they will reduce it for you. I have an iphone, so am currently googling settlings to try and work out how to stop it connecting to the internet whilst I am out and about. I do not mind it using it when I am at home as then I automatically connect to wifi.

The only time I need to use mobile data when I am out is when I am going to uni and back as I check train times and platform changes whilst on the way to save me missing any whilst trying to check at the station. But that isnt much at all.

I have arranged with perfect homes this morning to collect my tv. So from next week my weekly payment to them will now be £12 a week. Once I can afford an early settlement to one of my items this will then reduce to £7 a week. But I have had to pay out for school uniform today in preparation for September so I can't really do the early settlement just yet.

I am this week trying to learn how to use my slow cooker. It is not a massive one, but will do us I think.
I did tattie ash yesterday which was lovely. Today I am trying chicken with veg and chicken stock.. sort of like a chicken stew / soup?

Will search for other ideas that are cheap. I have lots of !!!! food in the freezer which I keep avoid using, so I think we will use that up for lunches this week.. and then I can stock up on the good stuck from the cheap freezer shop I have in the town near me. Henton's or something I think it might be called?

I am thinking of stocking up on frozen meat and frozen veg... and then each day I can just stick them in the slow cooker. The it should be healthy and cheap hopefully.

anotheruser

Good for you for being in uni (Y)

I'll start with the bad bit: While it's great to seek advice, in the end it's up to you to sort yourself out. The perils of having children when you aren't ready (I guess you were not in a financially stable place when you had them?). Although I do understand there may be other situations where you have had a child but had no choice. I have seen many friends end up with no money because they were careless and such.

However the road to a better life is long but you can make it.

As others have said, look at your shopping bills. There are many changes you can make to bring that down, such as value items. Bubble bath is a steal at 39p for a litre. Soap, shower gel, potentially shampoo too.
I would hope you're not buying Heinz and all that. The excuse "why should my kids miss out and have value beans" is easy to answer... because you can't afford to be paying a higher rate for "better" beans :P

Do you have any family members that can look after the little ones? A family friend? Church? Then again, I guess you don't have any faith, therefore would not attend church.

I don't really know what the perfect homes thing is.

Can the schools help with grants and such with uniforms?

Also as stated before, look at switching. Don't go for the "we'll give 6 bottles of wine" thing, get the cash in your bank. While on the subject of banks, do you have a Santander account? I've had mine for about 5/6 months now and it's already paid for itself in cashback for two years. As I mentioned cashback, look at Top Cashback or Quidco. In the last two years I have had £400 or so after buying things. I first off thought it was a scam but not now since I have had the benefits in all those little extras from Amazon.

Freecycle. You can get great things from there.

Use all the junk in your freezer as the longer it stays frozen, the more deterioration there will be and then it won't be enjoyable. Plus you'll save money for that time because you won't be buying much other foods.

You never said why you would never get child maintenance. I understand you may not want to but if at all possible you must try.

Paws for thought and all that.

SunshineButterfly

When I had my first child I was married and we both worked full time. When I fell pregnant with my second I will still married and on the pill. I then left my husband and started the process for divorce when I was around 10 weeks pregnant.

So since then I have either been on benefits and studying or have been at university.

I am trying hard to get off benefits.. well I guess I have mostly. The only benefits I now claim are child benefit and child tax credits.

I will never get maintainence because my ex works cash in hand and hides it all along with claiming JSA at the same time and fibbing to them. He also has 3 other children 2 of which live with him along with him partners child. Therefore it is pointless me chasing him through CSA for £5 a week, when I would feel much more proud of myself muddling through and paying for the boys without his help.

dotdash79

SunshineButterfly wrote: »

My mobile contract I am in for another year.. but if you use it must less than the tariff you are on they will reduce it for you. I have an iphone, so am currently googling settlings to try and work out how to stop it connecting to the internet whilst I am out and about. I do not mind it using it when I am at home as then I automatically connect to wifi.

Settings

---

> General

---

> Cellular

---

> Cellular Data to off

ViolaLass

SunshineButterfly wrote: »

A part-time job isnt really do-able.. and if it was the money I earnt would then be taken off my student loan, meaning I would get the same anyway at the end of it.

Sure about that? Only part of the loan is means-tested and although I can't find full information online, you're allowed to earn a certain amount before it affects your loan.

SunshineButterfly

ViolaLass wrote: »

Sure about that? Only part of the loan is means-tested and although I can't find full information online, you're allowed to earn a certain amount before it affects your loan.

I am not certain, but I will see if I can find out.

wiseshark

Are you buying your groceries in the right places SunshineButterfly? As others have said £93 a week is way too much. I know you have explained but consider this.

A £93 shop in Tesco will cost £125/£130 in Waitrose, £100 in Sainsburys, £86 in Asda and approximately £65/£70 in Aldi, Lidl and Iceland.

Check out My Supermarket.com, make a list and shop everywhere.
You will easily save £100 a month. Look out for BOGOF, the bottom shelves and the market for the best/fresher/40% cheaper fruit&veg.

Gromitt

wiseshark wrote: »

Check out My Supermarket.com, make a list and shop everywhere.

I wouldn't say that, if I shopped everywhere I could easily save a few quid a week at least, but it would easily cost me more than that to visit all the different supermarkets! You need to be practical.

One idea however is to debrand your shopping. Do you really need those branded tea bags, or will a Tesco/Asda/etc value pack offer the same for less money?