Always skint and have a 3 month old child. I need money advice

Ebe_Scrooge

PlymouthMaid wrote: »

Flynchy - check out making your own soup Every week I make a massive pan of soup which does me lunch all week at work and I can freezer a bag. Cheap ones include lentil, tomato and chili, potato and leek, minestrone, chili bean etc. It is hard to go wrong - bung all ingredients in pan and simmer til tender then smush up as much as you liek or have it lumpy. Ask for more details if you want but I suspect there are lots of soupy threads here if you do a forum search.

Home made soup tastes better, is cheaper and is probably more nutritious.

I'll second this.

First off, let me say a huge "well done" to the OP. Been there, done that. T'was many moons ago, and things looked bleak at the time. Believe me, getting a marketable skill under your belt is well worth it in the long run. Yes, it's hard at the time, but worth it.

OK, my patented recipe for carrot & coriander soup. Go to the supermarket in the evening. Grab a load of carrots that are something like 10p a pound. Couple of onions. Fry onions in a humungous saucepan until soft. Add carrots and a sprinkle of cheap "own-brand" coriander, salt + pepper. Add just enough water to cover. Add a slug of orange juice if you want to push the boat out. Boil until the carrots are done. Chuck the whole lot into a blender, whizz until smooth and thick ( you may actually need to add some more water ), decant into Tupperwares and freeze until you need them.

Made this one up on the fly - had a load of carrots in the fridge that were well past their best, couldn't bear to throw them out. Thought I'd have a bash. End result was it was bloomin' lovely, and when I costed it up, I reckon it was something like 10p a portion or something daft like that. Add in a bit of bread, and you've got a filling meal for peanuts.

Same principle works with most veg. Buy stuff that is reduced at the supermarket, be inventive, make a massive batch of soup and freeze it into portions. Easy, cheap, filling and actually pretty nutritious.

Don't forget to keep an eye on the likes of Lidl and Aldi - often they'll have a "weekend" offer on staples like baked beans, where you can buy branded stuff like Heinz or Branstons for something like £1 for 4 tins.

bloolagoon

Op should also get some housing benefit depending on where he lives but even the cheaper areas works out around £10 a week which he can then pass on to his child. I'm saying could as it does vary but it's worth finding out.

lidlest

Poppie68 wrote: »

It's absolutely ridiculous, another thread turned into a war zone by posters hijacking in the name of 'The How Dare You' group. All advice given was constructive, people gave opinions on the Ops 'I'm to tired and want to relax' comment, Op was mature enough to not take it to heart......and then the terrorists turn up and it BLOWS up.

You just called me and others terrorists? That's not ridiculous? I think YOU need to calm down.. Are you not aware enough to notice the 'How dare you group' as you put it, comes on the trail of the 'look how hard my life is i think I'll attack some person on the internet' group most of the time?

Poppie68

Blimey for the delicate....I will rename the Cell active on here...The Pyrotechnics. I am trying to point out as soon as they appear a thread goes BOOM.. and the said thread goes into another orbit. This site allows for people to respond with life experiences etc and it does help some to gain a perspective.

fivetide

Mrshaworth2b wrote: »

All you can think is maybe she can't tell the difference between a bag of frozen peas and a bag of green beans so outs them in their own bags?

Or am I thinking too much into it haha :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

When you open a freezer and there are bags labelled "Garribaldi" you just give up.

Dozey_crow

I also applaud the op for asking for help and having the gumption to be taking proactive action. I see what Poppy is saying about the threads and how they often get hijacked. I personally think tolerance on this board is much lower than it is on dfw or old style bit there ya go!

Op.. You ate much more switched on than I was at your age. Have a look for the old style board and post there they will help you with food shopping, meal planning and packed lunches.

I can vouch for taking packed lunch for work.. It saves a fortune and worth persevering with.

Good luck.

Flinchy-Stryder

notanewuser wrote: »

I applaud the OP for continuing with his apprenticeship. Hopefully it will lead to better things.

However, he's had a significant amount of time to work out how this is going to work. It's not the government's fault that he's spending too much on food and phones to pay for his child's needs, or that he doesn't know what council tax is, or that a baby was born without sufficient support being in place. The government is, however, ensuring that the child is provided for with likely a significant amount of benefits.

You are just assuming things by saying the government is providing my girlfriend with a significant amount of benefits. Why not ask me the situation? My girlfriend lives with her parents, and they are helping us for the time being with childcare. My girlfriend is at college although she is six weeks behind she is still likely to finish her course in june next year. She does get some money in benefits which buys the basics and that is it. We dont have a wealth of money coming in and the main support we are getting is from our families. Once she has finished college we will then be able to assess the situation again to see what works best for us. I should be earning more money and if we move in together she will be able to get a part time job. My problem is now and now is what i'm focusing on. If i can make a little change now that would make life easier then i will.

Flinchy-Stryder

I had a good read through this and have taken notes cause i think a moderator will terminate this due to all the strange arguing and cheap shots taking place. Before payday i'm going to swing buy the old style board everyone mentions and see what can be conjured up before i do my shopping. Once again thanks for all the good advice

Forgot to say to those saying live at home with mum. It is not possible to get to work on time as the public transport from her place is woeful. Traveline have it as a journey taking over 6 hours leaving at 1am and taking 4 different buses, 2 trains, with a 3 mile walk. She did take me for the first month but it was costing her to much in petrol and she was nearly late for work due to all the traffic so i had no choice but to move out closer to work.

moomoomama27

Flinchy-Stryder wrote: »

I had a good read through this and have taken notes cause i think a moderator will terminate this due to all the strange arguing and cheap shots taking place. Before payday i'm going to swing buy the old style board everyone mentions and see what can be conjured up before i do my shopping. Once again thanks for all the good advice

Forgot to say to those saying live at home with mum. It is not possible to get to work on time as the public transport from her place is woeful. Traveline have it as a journey taking over 6 hours leaving at 1am and taking 4 different buses, 2 trains, with a 3 mile walk. She did take me for the first month but it was costing her to much in petrol and she was nearly late for work due to all the traffic so i had no choice but to move out closer to work.

I wish you the best of luck, I wish all the young fathers took as much responsibility as you do! I'm so glad to read you have good family support. I had a baby in my teens and without my family I would have been reliant on benefits and probably not continued in education which in likelihood wouldn't gave led to the career I'm in now!

Spendless

I think asking for a bike for Christmas is a good suggestion.:)

Do other family members buy gifts for you and are aware of your current situation?

This time of year, I'm getting asked by extended family members (grandparents, aunts) about what to buy my kids (secondary school age). If they were in your circs, I'd be suggesting things like supermarket gift cards, or anything else that would help you eke out your money more as that would be of more use than something like a dvd.