Struggling, family. Updated with SOA

Ladyluck1

Thank you both.
We averagely spend £35 a week sometimes less on food and then probably £20 on cleaning etc a month. My DH works for morrisons so we get 10% discount.
Misc is; haircuts, clothes for the toddler, occasional toy.
Travel is my DH visiting his daughter who lives a ferry and train ride away.

WantToBeSE

Ladyluck1 wrote: »

Ok our SOA
Money in;
Wages £1100
Benefits (tax credits, child benefit, housing benefit) £360
Money out;
Rent - £650
Car (fuel, insurance) - £100 (DH possibly getting a bike to ride to work)
Debt payments - £40
Credit cards - £60
Overdrafts/bank - £42
TV licence - £10
Gas - £50
Electric - 45
Water - £26
Council tax - £120
Food - £150 (currently reducing and can only afford £20 a week!)
Phone/broadband/tv - £50
Mobile phones and iPad - £100 (both just been reduced and contract s end December)
Food for work money DH - £20
Travel - £50
Misc - £50

Almost certain I've missed something out...

We used to spend a LOT more on extras I.e sky, takeaway etc which has all gone/going!

If you do the SOA which is on the DFW (Debt Free Wannabe) board, it'll be easier to help you because everything will be included..even those small things that you cant remember. It'll also include all debt APR etc.

HappyMJ

Ladyluck1 wrote: »

Thank you both.
We averagely spend £35 a week sometimes less on food and then probably £20 on cleaning etc a month. My DH works for morrisons so we get 10% discount.
Misc is; haircuts, clothes for the toddler, occasional toy.
Travel is my DH visiting his daughter who lives a ferry and train ride away.

I think the only way you'll cut your expenses by any reasonable amount is to find accomodation within your LHA rate of £525. Yes it'll be a rubbish home and small and in a bad area and poorly decorated etc etc etc......You are having to find £125 a month from your benefits and every extra pound you earn comes off your benefits pretty much pound for pound so you will always be £125 a month behind.

Upsidedown_Bear

WantToBeSE wrote: »

If you do the SOA which is on the DFW (Debt Free Wannabe) board, it'll be easier to help you because everything will be included..even those small things that you cant remember. It'll also include all debt APR etc.

Link for SOA is here OP

http://www.stoozing.com/calculator/soa.php

You can format for MSE at the end, then copy and paste here including the formatting codes.

Ladyluck1

HappyMJ wrote: »

I think the only way you'll cut your expenses by any reasonable amount is to find accomodation within your LHA rate of £525. Yes it'll be a rubbish home and small and in a bad area and poorly decorated etc etc etc......You are having to find £125 a month from your benefits and every extra pound you earn comes off your benefits pretty much pound for pound so you will always be £125 a month behind.

To move to a cheaper area, though they are all pretty similar price (could possible move and save £50-70) wise and will mean that we are unable to cut out most of the money spent on the car and my husband will be spending much more in petrol and I will have to pay bus fare to the dr or baby clinic unlike where we are. He is going to start cycling or walking to work.
We've already weighed this up.
Also I THINK we will be better off in November as the amount you need to live on as a family if 4 goes up and therefor our tax credits will increase?

HappyMJ

Ladyluck1 wrote: »

To move to a cheaper area, though they are all pretty similar price (could possible move and save £50-70) wise and will mean that we are unable to cut out most of the money spent on the car and my husband will be spending much more in petrol and I will have to pay bus fare to the dr or baby clinic unlike where we are. He is going to start cycling or walking to work.
We've already weighed this up.
Also I THINK we will be better off in November as the amount you need to live on as a family if 4 goes up and therefor our tax credits will increase?

Your tax credits and child benefit will increase and you will have one extra person to clothe and feed so yor clothing and food budgets need to increase. Your gas, electricity and water bills will all increase due to extra gas, electric and water used to heat extra water, wash extra clothes etc.... Your housing benefit will also decrease due to the increased income you have coming in from tax credits.

snookey

Hi there are loads of tips on the old style forum for food shopping ,menus and generally coping on a budget.
Send hubby to work with a packed lunch, See if you can reduce the amount you pay on your debts by contacting your creditors,are you paying the correct amount of council tax could you be entitled to a reduction ,break down the mic 50.00 on what you are really spending it on.
Do you need a tv as most programmes can be watched on your computer. You wont need a tv licence then as long as its not live.
Do you have any skills such as sewing that you could earn money from,could hubby car share with someone in work.

tallyhoh

£150 on mobiles/ipads/TV? You are spending more than on food a month.

I know people think they are a necessity these days but we used to manage without them until a few years ago.

Any chance of reducing the cost?

Ladyluck1

tallyhoh wrote: »

£150 on mobiles/ipads/TV? You are spending more than on food a month.

I know people think they are a necessity these days but we used to manage without them until a few years ago.

Any chance of reducing the cost?

In December the iPad and phones are all paid off/ going to minimum £10 a month contracts. I know we shouldn't have them but at the time of signing the contract we thought we could afford them.
I'm cancelling the Sky today too

John1993_2

Ladyluck1 wrote: »

Also I THINK we will be better off in November as the amount you need to live on as a family if 4 goes up and therefor our tax credits will increase?

It goes up because you are expected to have higher expenses, it's not designed to leave you with more disposable income.

As was pointed out above, a major iissue that you have is that your family is on a very low wage. It would seem that it may be worth having a serious look at how he can work towards a job (and career) with much better earnings.