new soa- hows it looking

The_fog_has_lifted

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

The groceries bill looks high although I appreciate that there are 8 of you. Do you shop at one of the discount supermarkets and use the cheaper brands as this really brings the weekly cost down. Cooking from scratch in bulk and freezing will also help on cutting costs. Shop in the late afternoon if you can as many supermarkets drop the prices on perishables then.

I cant do the evenings as all our supermarkets are a bus ride away except for co-op and the prices in there are :eek::eek::eek::eek:
This is buying mostly basic/value products except for some things as some of my kids have allergies so i buy soya milk, gluten free pasta/ bread for them and i buy coconut milk for myself as i am intollerant to soya and dairy.
I really want to get it down to £400 per month! no more than this. just did a weekly shop for £86 so im getting there.:) thanks for your reply.

Brightspark87

wow just to say what a great job you are doing! x

enthusiasticsaver

The_fog_has_lifted wrote: »

I cant do the evenings as all our supermarkets are a bus ride away except for co-op and the prices in there are :eek::eek::eek::eek:
This is buying mostly basic/value products except for some things as some of my kids have allergies so i buy soya milk, gluten free pasta/ bread for them and i buy coconut milk for myself as i am intollerant to soya and dairy.
I really want to get it down to £400 per month! no more than this. just did a weekly shop for £86 so im getting there.:) thanks for your reply.

I sympathise with that and it is so annoying that gluten free food is more expensive although it is getting better now that ASDA do such a wide range. My son in law is gluten free and my husband and two daughters all have dairy intolerance but I buy lactose free milk or uht milk for my husband and olive spread but not sure if this is cheaper than coconut.

The_fog_has_lifted

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

I sympathise with that and it is so annoying that gluten free food is more expensive although it is getting better now that ASDA do such a wide range. My son in law is gluten free and my husband and two daughters all have dairy intolerance but I buy lactose free milk or uht milk for my husband and olive spread but not sure if this is cheaper than coconut.

is uht milk ok for lactose intollerance- i didnt know this- that would make life far cheaper.

[Deleted User]

The_fog_has_lifted wrote: »

is UHT milk OK for lactose intolerance

No it's not.

UHT is ordinary milk, which has merely been heat treated, to extend its shelf life.

Depending on the degree of intolerance, a lower lactose content milk (eg. goats milk) might be a better choice than cows milk.

BTW. Are you absolutely sure they are intolerant to lactose, rather than to alpha S1 casein protein?

AlexLK

The_fog_has_lifted wrote: »

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 1
Number of children in household......... 7
Number of cars owned.................... 0

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1883.64 (includes tax credits)
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 0
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1883.64

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 80 (subsidised as im student nurse)
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 0
Electricity............................. 80 Anyway to cut this a little?
Gas..................................... 80 See above.
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 60 This seems very high.
Telephone (land line)................... 0
Mobile phone............................ 15 (cheaper than payg as i use it for unlimited internet too)
TV Licence.............................. 0
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 0 (no tv)
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 580 (im sure i could cut this more, any tips??)
Clothing................................ 100 (this is mostly absorbed in the kids shoes/ uniform and stuff)
Petrol/diesel........................... 0
Road tax................................ 0
Car Insurance........................... 0
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 240 (car had to be scrapped so its bus for us now, this is for 1 adult and 3 paying kids)
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 0
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 0
Contents insurance...................... 17.25 This is expensive, shop around when it is due.
Life assurance ......................... 19.3 Seems expensive. Do you need this when you rent?
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 80
Haircuts................................ 15 (for 7 of us?) Think this may cost more for 7.
Entertainment........................... 85 What is this budget spent on and do you go over?
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 0 Can you put something towards this?
school expenses (trips etc)............. 15 Seems very little, are you sure you only spend this much?
divorce fees............................ 100 im paying £100 per months to spread the cost, its estimated to be in the region of £2000) Does this need to cost so much? Can it be done for a cheaper price?
Total monthly expenses.................. 1566.55


Assets
Cash.................................... 1000 (emergency fund in savings account!)
House value (Gross)..................... 0
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 0
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 1000




Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,883.64
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,566.55
Available for debt repayments........... 317.09
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 0
Amount left after debt repayments....... 317.09

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 1,000
Total HP & Secured debt................. -0
Total Unsecured debt.................... -0
Net Assets.............................. 1,000

Debt currently stands at the amount in my sig, ive sold off loads of our 'stuff' to plough away at it and still doing so.

Hope this helps.

The_fog_has_lifted

AlexLK wrote: »

Hope this helps.

Thanks alex- to answer your points which I am very thankful you have helped with- I have addressed these points in my diary update also.
*since selling the dishwasher and the tumble dryer dying, I have almost halved my electricity usage but the gas remains high, I live in a high ceiling house and it just leaks heat plus I need to dry my washing for 8 of us!!!
* water rates are high as I live in the southwest but I apparently qualify for watersure so have applied for that and just waiting to hear back from them now.
*Ive got the life and contents insurance down following your suggestion to £14.30 and £12.70 retrospectivly per month, I know im just renting but I need contents insurance and the life insurance is there alongside my 'will' to support the kids should anything happen to myself, I need it as there is 7 of them and really if I wast around someone needs to give them a roof over their head etc, I think it would be irresponsible of me to not have it.
*Haircuts only happen once a year for me and twice yearly for the kids.
*entertainment/blow money is drawn out in cash and i am SSOOOOOOOOOO strict that I dont go over.
*I have my £1000 emergency fund so dont need to pay into it anymore until I am debt free.
*school expenses remain low for our family and anything extra comes out of the entertainment fund.
* sadly the divorce costs are high as ex hasnt responded to the court so needs bailifs to serve him etc and their are ongoing child issues due to the nature of the reason for our split.
Thanks for taking a look though!

rising_from_the_ashes

Another in absolute awe - I struggle to look after myself & the pets - let alone kids! Wow hats off to you:T

Did you have any luck with getting the tax credit etc overpayment reduced?

clippy_girl

If your children have been diagnosed as having allergies, are you able to get anything on prescription for them as it would be free then Someone on a thread I used to read had a gluten intolerant daughter and she could get so many items on prescription each month eg bread. that would help a lot with the cost of food.

Or could you look into getting a breadmaker (try gumtree etc...) as you can make gluten free in those which would probably be a lot cheaper (try googling a recipe and costing it up).

Good luck xx