Am I doing the right thing?

Ilona

Hi virgo. I was advised to get on the housing ladder at the age of 27, didn't fancy it, liked my freedom to move around, but I did, bought a small terrace house which needed a lot of work doing to it. I was skint for several years, had a job so I saved up for things. Fast forward, I moved twice, (skint again, twice), bought bigger, and now own my house outright. So glad I stuck with it. Rent is dead money, I advise you to stick with it, you will never get it back.

I live on a state pension, have three cats and a dog, and my grocery bill is not as large as yours. I'm not sure what you spend your £220 on, or why you need donated food. I can live on £15 a week for my own food, and I shop around for my pet food. If you go on the Old Style board there are lots of ideas for cheap meals. Learn how to batch cook, make a big pan of three day stew, give up meat and eat veggie.

Good luck with what you decide, but think seriously about holding on to your house.
Ilona

hydrangea_2

Hello Virgo, I'm usually as quiet as a mouse round these parts but something about your post made me want to speak up. I'm. The same age as you and in a similar position, slugging it out for a mortgage (I rent mine out though, and choose to live in London).

The grocery budget really stood out for me. I manage about £150 a month for all my household bits as well as food. And I don't even live anywhere near a Lidl or Aldi. I'd there any chance you can make this money work harder? As boring as it is, I meal plan, and pre make lots of things for the freezer for when I just can't be bothered cooking. Recently homemade burritos have been a lifesaver! I also have a voracious little dog, who eats a lot. I get her pet food in bulk through Amazon's subscribe and save scheme, which costs me £18 a month plus free delivery for 15kg of pet food. Surely there is something like that for cats?

Anyway, wishing you all the best. H x

StrawberryJam132

hydrangea wrote: »

I also have a voracious little dog, who eats a lot. I get her pet food in bulk through Amazon's subscribe and save scheme, which costs me £18 a month plus free delivery for 15kg of pet food.

Hydrangea, in Home Bargains at the moment there's 15kg beef working dog dry food for £8. Might be worth making the trip. Not sure if there will be any at your local....?

Same goes for you virgo84, I've shopped around endlessly, online and in shops, and the best place for cat food is Farm Foods. They had an offer last week for 48 pouches of whiskers for £8.50. Cheaper than anywhere else. They have an offer similar to this every month or so, and I just bulk buy for a couple of months when they do.

SJ X

Imbroglio

What are you currently feeding your kitties and how much? Maybe we can help you find a more economical way to look after them? If you sold your house and moved would you take the stray cats with you as well as your own? If you'd have to leave them behind then surely they'd prefer to help you stay by eating cheaper food for a while.

Have you thought about taking the strays to the vets to check for micro chips? A good friend of mine was feeding a stray for a while, and took it to the vets to get it checked. They read his chip and reunited him with his delighted owner who'd given up hope after months of looking for him. She'd recently moved to the area and he must have lot his way home one day.

When_the_going_gets_tough

Hi Op I am glad you are giving yourself some time to think it over and would encourage you to talk to someone about your options before you decide. I can't say what the right decision is for you and I am sorry the crap economy has made life so hard for you, but sharing your problems might make you feel that you are better able to move forward from whatever decision you do make. Take care x

Happier_Me

Hi and well done for posting.

If you're taking the next couple of months to think things through please use this time to research all your options, even if you think they are futile at the moment. It costs to sell your house, it costs torenta house:

Please take the time to contact a charity such as step change for advice. It costs you nothing but a bit of your time. You don't have to act on their advice. A debt management plan will affect your credit rating but you are a home owner already and this may well give you an opportunity to start living a little whilst keeping a roof above your head.

I would also contact your mortgage provider. Lengthening your mortgage term can be done without remortgaging and may save you hundreds of pounds depending on your current term.

I also think you can reduce your food bill if you meal plan and batch cook. This is an area I have always struggled with but it amazing how well you can live for a relatively small amount.

If moving is looking like the best option please work out your selling and up front renting costs before you commiting to anything. I would also create an expected SOA once renting,to ensure you will actually be as better off as you think.
Good luck

virgo84

Sorry for only just replying it's just a bit difficult for me in the week. I have managed to get my food shop down to £45 per week. I know this is high to a lot of people but £27 of that is on the cats. Crazy I know but I can't see how I can reduce this. I get 2 sets of cat biscuits £6, 5 boxes of felix at £3 each - £15 and 2 bags of the wooden cat litter £6. I only buy the felix where it is on offer for £3. My cats will not eat any other brand no matter what I try them on. I am on a low carb diet for medical reasons and eat a hell of a lot of meat. Vegetarian just won't work for me i'm afraid no matter if it's cheaper it would be hell. I don't think that including cleaning products and food £18 for me is expensive.

I've put in to reclaim my tax for the last financial year. I should have about £450 coming back through overpaid tax and i'm afraid this is to pay back family on money i've borrowed for house repairs.

I also have applied for working tax credit. I couldn't get it last year due to earning too much the previous tax year. But last year my earnings were so small that I should be eligible for £166 a month which will be a godsend as it means I can stop using my credit card to buy food. I think my SOA may have been a bit confusing but I haven't been getting donated food on top of my grocery bills this has been instead of using my credit card as my mum didn't want me to keep using my credit card.

I've been reading some of the new debt threads on here and am amazed at how many people are in debt and difficulty yet everywhere you go and people you know all seem to be rolling in money. It's crazy really.

Anyway wishing everyone a good Saturday night

theoretica

It does seem crazy that your cats cost more to feed than you do - there is a pet forum here which may be able to help with ideas to get that down.

kerri_gt

I sympathise with the cat food, mine will eat only whiskas or Felix, and only pouches.
Regarding the feral cats, could you down brand them perhaps? Also do you have a local cat charity who might come out and help catch them? As said, they might be chipped, or my local charity aims to rehome feral cats in rural locations like farms, where they can be fed and looked after and have comfortable shelter like barns but where they aren't the kind of cars suited to living indoors.

LL don't always like pets, and it might be harder with two, but we didn't find any issues when we were looking for somewhere to rent that accepted cats. I think dogs can be more of an issue, and you might have to have a pet damages clause written into the tenancy / pay additional in the deposit but it's not a no-go in our experience. X

Trishiapp

Cats are notorious for being food fussy. I have three cats and in the past pulled my hair out trying to feed them!

Back in January, I've decided that I've had enough of their pickiness! Instead of the normal branded foods, I bought Lidl's own ( both dry and wet) which is much cheaper.


The first three days were difficult. They would sniff it, but did not touch it. I was worried that they would starve to death! However, on the fourth day, when the hunger and survival instinct kicked in, they begun to eating it!


Since then, I've had no further problems: cats are perfectly healthy and I've saved a lot of money.