Too much month at the end of the money, radical ideas needed!

Stef_83

megxan, Bedsit Bob

You bet! The best thing is, we've actually got a slow cooker already, I just never use it! So no need to buy one :j

It's actually at my Mum's house in the loft so I'll go and dust off the cobwebs next time I'm there.

Stef_83

katsu wrote: »

Can you reclaim the professional membership fees from HMRC against your income tax? ...

Awesome! Thanks katsu, I'm loving this one!! :T I've checked and my organisation is on the list. Wasn't aware of this at all, so I never would have spotted that saving in a million years!

nat21luv

ok, great suggestions but how about upping your income?! Check out the Up Your Income board and join some challenges on the DFW forum (Make £10 a day) and that £76 deficit will soon be filled Try doing surveys, just a couple mins each day and you'll soon be laughing. OnePoll are pretty good, I cashed out at £40 4 times last year and that was a half hearted attempt. Ebay selling, car boot sales, facebook and gumtree selling? There will always be something you have to sell, always. There is always an opportunity to make money and the £10 a day thread is a pretty good place to start for ideas. Best of luck

Stef_83

Twiggy_34 wrote: »

...have you tried the downshift challenge yet ...

Yes I agree this is a good way to save, we've made some savings already with this I've switched to saver brand juice, baked beans and a few other bits & pieces but there's more potential here. Could do the same with cheese, yogurt and buy normal tomatoes instead of vine, those are a few that come to mind. 18p sounds like bargain of the century for chocolate mousses, very tempting! I've added splitting supermarkets to the list.

Twiggy_34 wrote: »

... got it up to 58.5 which I was really pleased with...

Doesn't it feel great to drive one of the least petrol hungry cars I haven't tested ours but assume it will be roughly similar.

Twiggy_34 wrote: »

... Re the pension thing ...

Cutting the pension isn't our favourite option by any means, it all has to come off my contributions so it's all taxable. If we do it then it will just be for a short period at least until we can move somewhere cheaper, then we'll put it back up again.

Twiggy_34 wrote: »

... Lastly, is it worth having a de-cluttering exercise at home? ...

Yes! You're right, we do have some bits & pieces we can sell. It's a one-off but it will help in the short-term. I've been meaning to stick them on eBay, it's one of those things that gets left when you're working long hours but no excuses now, it's time to take action! Will add to the list

Stef_83

pinkneonmartini wrote: »

Is there any way your employer would consider helping to fund your car? pay you mileage???

That's a good question, the answer is actually yes. They don't contribute to the cost of owning the car itself, but they pay a fixed mileage rate of 35p per mile. I haven't worked it out, but as my car is cheap to run my guess is I could actually make a profit from business miles so I will make sure I volunteer for as many journeys as possible They also pay an additional 8p per passenger.

Stef_83

nat21luv wrote: »

ok, great suggestions but how about upping your income?!

Absolutely, we're on the same page here! I do agree that my income is *far* too low! :rotfl: Thanks for your tips, I am definitely going to have a declutter. I do find time to do a few surveys, usually early on Saturdays! The £10 a day challenges sounds interesting thanks for the pointer

My thoughts are mainly around getting a promotion at work so I'm putting a lot of focus on that at the moment. I've only been there a couple of months though, so I will have to be patient for a bit longer...

Stef_83

theoretica wrote: »

If you could get the 25% discount and not pay more where you are (which I am not certain of, it depends on the definition of 'main home' - but worth investigating) it would save you £35 a month ...

The council in Warwickshire have emailed me back after I asked them this question, here's what they said...

If you are just working here even though you are staying for 5 nights a week your “sole or main residence” for Council Tax purposes would still remain in London and so you would still pay Council Tax to the council there.

If you did pay Council Tax in Warwickshire you could still remain on the Electoral Register in London although obviously you could not be on the Electoral Register in Warwickshire too.

So no £35 saving

But... thanks to all your eagle eyed saving suggestions I'm sure we can work out somewhere else to save that £35

katiepoppycat

work pay 35p a mile you say? HMRC say that the going rate is 45p per so you can claim the tax back on the difference. You need form P87 off their website.