Love Spanners Being Thrown My Way...

MattyTM_2

So at the start of the year I finally gave in to the realisation that I couldn't cope with my debt (around 5k). Told my wife etc...

Entered a PayPlan a month and a half ago, creditors are sorted and a new bank account gives me a fresh start.

Sadly everytime I seem to budget well (being a poor budgeter in the past) I have a mega spanner thrown in my works.

Last month our car engine seized. Lovely paying the tow company for that. This month our new nursery have taken two months worth of fees. I had budgeted for £350 for shopping (and wifes cigs) more than addequate right? So now because of £190 going to the nursery I've got to manage us on £140.

I'm struggling to see how I can survive this month.

Anyone else get that feeling of relief that my debts are going to be fixed and that I can live a month without worry, only for some lovely spanner to bring you back down with a thud.

Wish me luck eh

longtermplanner

Good luck. Make a list of all the food in the house. Porridge and baked beans are cheap and nutricious (but preferably not on the same plate).

Perhaps this would be a good month for your wife to give up smoking? <ducks>

solvencyseeker

Hi there,


Know exactly how you feel. Our spanners are usually to do with the car too (£200 unplanned bill last month) and now son has skidded into back of a car on his motorbike. Not looking forward to that bill.


I think the problem is that, when you are right at the start of the journey you have not had time to build up any emergency fund. So if you have an emergency (spanner) then things get really difficult.


I'll be spending this evening trying to work out how to eke 20 meals out of our stores (OH gets paid on 23rd) while spending as little as possible.


Just thought I'd let you know that you are not the only one struggling. I wish you all the best. x

[Deleted User]

£140 is just under £5 per day.

It's not ideal but (assuming there's only the two of you), it is doable.

MattyTM_2

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

£140 is just under £5 per day.

It's not ideal but (assuming there's only the two of you), it is doable.

Sadly not, me my wife and a two year old.

Thanks for the comments. When it rains... it certainly pours...

[Deleted User]

Even with 3 of you, while it'll be tight, it should be doable.

MattyTM_2

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Even with 3 of you, while it'll be tight, it should be doable.

Due to needless shopping trips in the past this month I went to Aldi stocked up on a load of water, toiletries, nappies, wipes, you know the non-food kind of stuff... so literally all we will need now... is food...

Hopefully we should be fine, just dont want to bloody give in to a payday loan... gah ...

[Deleted User]

£4-66 per day for food, while not exactly generous, is manageable.

Monkeyballs

Hi Matty,

It's a shame you never posted before entering into a DMP as folk on here would have suggested making just token payments for a month or two to allow you to build up an emergency fund still, it's only a month and a bit in so it would have gone anyway!

£140 is very doable, just not luxurious LOL but it might be worth speaking to Payplan about making a couple of months token payments (just grovel and explain it as unforseen circumstances and emergencies) and building a pot up?

MB

poppasmurf_bewdley

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

£4-66 per day for food, while not exactly generous, is manageable.

Totally agree.

Breakfast - toast or cornflakes or boiled egg
Lunch - Potted beef sandwich or one baguette from Lidl (75p) divided into three with butter.
Evening Meal - Mashed Potato, economy sausages, tinned peas.

That's just one day and will cost less than £4. The sliced loaf will last about three days. Iceland do some delicious curries for £1.50 each. Lidl microwaveable rice is 45p against £1 or more at Asda or Tesco.

Once you start thinking about it, is it very do-able.

Voyager2002

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

Totally agree.

Breakfast - toast or cornflakes or boiled egg
Lunch - Potted beef sandwich or one baguette from Lidl (75p) divided into three with butter.
Evening Meal - Mashed Potato, economy sausages, tinned peas.

That's just one day and will cost less than £4. The sliced loaf will last about three days. Iceland do some delicious curries for £1.50 each. Lidl microwaveable rice is 45p against £1 or more at Asda or Tesco.

Once you start thinking about it, is it very do-able.

Convenience food (ready curries and so forth) is unlikely to offer value for money. Rice costs just over a pound a kilo; cooks in ten minutes; and since it absorbs water while cooking a ten-kilo bag feeds a family for ages and ages.