New debt free wannabe - feeling scared

double_mummy

sorry bob i will fact check better next time

slappy_mcguire

right, can I just say I am thoroughly insulted by some of the comments. I am the husband of the OP, and for what is worth the benefits are are a mixture of working family tax credit, and part from having a son with a disability, the money all of which goes on him, and his education.

My wife spent most of the day following the advice step by step, only to be completely and utterly alienated from the site because of a couple of keyboard warriors.

I get comment is free, and you put yourself in the line of fire in posting in this particular thread, but there is a fine line between an ivory tower, and being a thing of good. those who replied positively, thankyou, for the rest, you are a credit to the site. Cheers.

[Deleted User]

My comment was only meant as a topical joke, hence the

redcard

slappy_mcguire wrote: »

right, can I just say I am thoroughly insulted by some of the comments. I am the husband of the OP, and for what is worth the benefits are are a mixture of working family tax credit, and part from having a son with a disability, the money all of which goes on him, and his education.

My wife spent most of the day following the advice step by step, only to be completely and utterly alienated from the site because of a couple of keyboard warriors.

I get comment is free, and you put yourself in the line of fire in posting in this particular thread, but there is a fine line between an ivory tower, and being a thing of good. those who replied positively, thankyou, for the rest, you are a credit to the site. Cheers.

What comments do you have a problem with?

I don't see much in your budget for spending on your child. £3 for school trips and £14 childcare?

Your money is going on food and drink, your car and debt repayment. _party__party_

marliepanda

Agreed. If £400 was on there for education then it wouldn't have been questioned. None of this seems to be child related.

double_mummy

with more information we will be able to help more which is why most of the posts had requests for more information in then - bedsit bob was just making a joke

if it was my comment on what the benefits amount could have been i was just outlining the fact that it was one of the possibilities

your income is 3529.05 and of that you spend over £2000 of it on phones, debts, shopping and treats nothing to do with your child there at all

asparagus1968

erm, that is why I requested further information......

Kate_fixing_it

That's £55 per week on drink??? :eek: are there some underlying issues here? Even if you are paying £1 per unit of alcohol (which is unlikely) that is a dangerous level of consumption.

I'd also say the groceries could be cut by half or more - we have a budget of £100 pw for a family of six and rarely hit that even if we use the big four.

The mobile phones are extremely high too? Can you reduce/cancel the contracts? (We are PAYG and spend £20 a month)

What are the balances on the debts? APR % and minimum payments?

Can you apply for a mobility car if you are receiving these benefits?

Kate x

Wasp1978

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

My comment was only meant as a topical joke, hence the

It's not a topical joke when someone posts for the fist time. An emoticon in no way makes the comment less offensive or appropriate. I'd never posted before - anywhere - maybe you could have thought a little bit before making an assumption this wouldn't offend.

Before I posted I read the forum rules and etiquette guide so didn't expect to be associated with a benefit cheat which isn't a joke or a pleasant thing to be stating to someone posting for the first time.

The benefit I included is actually Disability Allowance for our Autistic son - all of which goes on him so wasn't included under education and school trips etc. and in hind sight shouldn't have been included in the statement of affairs.

I expected to be asked questions on spending etc knowing this is a problem and should be questioned - I could have lied about the amount that has been spent drinks for the house and yes there is an underlying problem which is being dealt with.

I've followed the money make over etc and have found some big reductions in mobile and internet costs. I've done a meal planner and a proper budget for groceries etc. so on the way to sensible spending.

It was hard to lay bare the disgrace that is our household finances. Maybe I should have thought longer about posting.

Thanks for the replies from those genuinely wanting to see where things could be improved - if it wasn't for the throw away 'joke' I would have been keen to keep going on the forum.

runforlife

Hi Wasp,

I'd like to try and offer some practical advice.

Firstly with the alcohol issue. You will cut down expenditure on alcohol if you don't buy it in large quantities. In other words don't buy a case of wine or a box of beer because its on offer. Not having it in the house means you will start to drink less of it. I know as I've stopped having large quantities in our home as Mrs RFL's ex incumbent drank like a fish. She's very nervous about alcohol so not having it readily available has helped me and I have without doubt reduced my intake, albeit it wasn't huge in the first place. That means you could save a couple of hundred pounds a month because you buy less alcohol than currently. Good luck with that as it won't be easy.

Mobile phones. These can be notoriously expensive. Once you are out of your current contract then start negotiating for a better deal. Start with research and then go to your own provider. I reduced my Vodafone bill down from £40 a month to £11 and Mrs RFLs Orange to just £8. You have to make sacrifices. Keep your old phones but really look at the minutes and data you are using. Do you need that ever consuming large data package or can you get by with just 250mb or 500mb and use public wifi when out and about?

Doyou need plumbing and boiler cover? How old is your boiler? Is it likely to breakdown? All considerations but if you do need that cover and think you can cancel without penalty why not save that money in a pot somewhere just in case. If you don't use it within a year you have £250 or so to keep in reserve.

When it comes to Christmas do you have 12 x £58 actually saved up to spend? If so well down However consider reducing that. You and your husband can do with just a token present and elsewhere on the site there are ideas of a frugal Christmas which involve next to no spending. ALso consider reducing the cost of your sons christmas present. The gift of love and life are so much more than the gift of an iPad or video game. For our family last year we were SKINT! Just started on a DMP and for our children presents were limited to £15 each. It's amazing why you can find to make it a fun christmas still even at that price. Now we are putting away £33 a month so things do improve over time.

Credit card payments are massive. No doubt you are paying interest on cards. Have the card companies started to put pressure on you? Are they increasing interest rates? Can you no longer get 0% deals? This is what happened to me. If that is the case then act now! Do not wait and delay. Consider debt advice from one of the free charities. Stepchange. Payplan, Christians Against Poverty or the National Debt Helpline. With step change you can enter all your budget and debts online anonymously and get a detailed advice plan.

However if you can list your debts then there may be other solutions. Others will be able to offer good advice as to what to do with them such as snowballing etc. Please keep posting. You will get the help you came here for. All the best.