Losing my job at the worst possible time!

Brickwall

Check out the website "feed your family for £20 a week" loads of tips and advice on there.

GothicStirling

How badly do you need the car? Or can you trade it in for something cheaper? My sister just bought a Toyota for 4k, the monthly payments are only £93.

McKneff

You should get your priorites sorted.


Which is more important to you, getting a job to feed and house your family.
Its all very well budgeting, but what happens when the kids need clothes or the
car breaks down. A thousand and one expenses can come up and bite you in the behind.


Or going to college.

Sea.Shore

Long term. College. It's a little rude and judgemental to say I don't prioritise my family. What's more important, striving for something better and making cuts in the short term or never being able to give them what I want to because I'm stuck in a dead end job?

Yes we need the car, my partner travels 30mins a day to work in it, and the same back. We originally got this car because we couldn't fit 2 car seats and a pram in it, so needed a bigger, reliable one.

Also, what is missing from that list? That is my list of outgoings.

The credit cards are an issue because my partner lost his job when our youngest was born last year, so we used them in the short term to buy things we needed when we were stretched over those months. There's probably about £1000 on them. The savings took a hit too for other things (pram, cot etc) and the bulk of our savings now is going to our wedding next month, however we still will have some left over.

I could get a job now, I have found one and I will be applying for it, however it is finding the balance between being able to work and do the college course - yes this is essential as I haven't been in education for a while. Uni, if I get in first time, I'll get a bursary so will might have to tighten the purse strings but we'll be better off than having no job.

Also, if we consolidated the credit cards and car into one monthly payment we could save £100+ per month, although only calculated this roughly.

Sea.Shore

Brickwall wrote: »

Check out the website "feed your family for £20 a week" loads of tips and advice on there.

Our weekly shops average around £70 so could save a bit on it still

missbiggles1

Are you going to be eligible for any financial help for the college course?

https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learning-loans/overview

Sea.Shore

Yes I've applied for the 24+ loan to fund it

[Deleted User]

Out of interest, did you's get a mortgage while stuck in a dead end job? least you've not got a landlord with rent increasing year on year I suppose, hope you can see you are in a fortunate position
Good luck but I'd always have a plan b or z anyway!


Highest paid part timer work I've come by seems to be in an 'out of hours' setting - couple of long shifts of a weekend which can be a fixed arrangement means you would still get a break each week, work and do college, you can get paid for surveys as well but I've found you need a social life for that or easy with blagging it, looks like you can't do much on the savings except change to something of the like Iceland or it's equivalent (if you can)

owlet

Sea.Shore wrote: »

Also, what is missing from that list? That is my list of outgoings.

Several things missing:

Building insurance , contents insurance, hair cuts, entertainment/social, car parking, car tax, mot, clothing, christmas & birthday presents, optician, dentist, prescriptions.....

If you use the link in post #5 and do a full SOA people can help more. If you post on the Debt Free Wannabe board, they are great with ideas. You could also check out the Old Style board for some great ideas on saving money in the home.

Sea.Shore

Buildings/contents gets paid annually which was £60 this year, car ta /insurance th same, depends what's cheaper at the time. We have money set aside for that. A check up at ththe dentist every 2 years is neither here nor there as is the optitians, which I never go to. Partner cuts his own hair and I don't need to go that often. Don't have any prescriptions but if on the rare occasion either of us do £8 isn't difficult to find. Xmas/birthdays we save up for, and don't go out often by choice. Don't spend a massive amount of money on clothing either.

Thanks for the tip though.