Which of my outgoings should I pay?

Lmh71365

Deleted%20User wrote: »

Sorry council tax is your priority...

Can remember quite clearly back in 2010 simply late twice by days the council wouldn't wipe the £60 court summons for the then in full demand, let alone spread payments to suit. I didn't attend court but they happily advised they weren't prepared to wipe it and £60 was definitely added that was it, though I got the monthly back allowed and that was only by paying the fine first.

Sorry to sound the miserer but council tax is not to be under estimated when it's not them in the wrong.
I moved recently and it took both councils more than double the time to process information beyond their stated timeframe, quite ironic really whilst allowed without penalty grrrr!

Me and my folks have had many an argument as they say parenting doesn't end at 18, probably for another thread of family counselling, as they got worse as I got older, still plenty of time later to pay them back x

If you don't let them know then they will freak, but if you let them know what's going on then they are very accommodating.

We are going to pay it anyway x

ViolaLass

I think you could cut your food bill a bit (although I appreciate it would not be a large amount). Your child doesn't need MORE than you're spending on each adult. Our 16-month old eats all the fresh fruit and veg she wants and our food bill has gone up by only £25 a month.

Are you using the cheapest fruit and veg and making good use of every scrap e.g. making soup from any bits that don't get eaten in time? Frozen veg is useful for cutting down on waste too.

schnuff73

"I have to have lots of data for my job as I'm constantly required to use my phone as a sat nav" - can you try an offline app maybe? I use Navmii GPS UK & ROI which offers most functionality for free and its been great. It downloads the whole map on the iphone (700MB for the UK & ROI version) but you do not need any connection/data (only for features like live traffic data). Just an idea.....

UrbanDanceSquad

Glad your family have stepped in to help you.

Lmh71365 wrote: »

I need the phone for work as well, not JUST Nav, but that's why I need a high amount of data.

if you need the device for work then surely your employer should provide the device or allow you to claim back the costs of your own device as an expense? In previous permanent jobs I've had, the employer has always provided a device and paid the voice/data bills. Now I'm self-employed, I have a business mobile contract which is paid out of my business bank account and is a legitimate company expense which, along with other expenses, reduces my corporation tax bill.

HappyMJ

Lmh71365 wrote: »

Hello, I've not been in a position to not be able to afford my bills before (or able to pay double the following pay day),

But for the next 2-3 months our income will be SEVERELY impaired, this month it's just my OH's wage.

So I've got £1378 to pay some of the following. I will struggle to make up anything I'm short on, so this could have long term implications, so which of the following do you think I should pay or not pay, and which should I pay in full.

Rent - £795 (thinking I had better pay this)
Car finance - £245 (wasn't able to pay last month so have to pay this in full)
Halifax Loan - £160
Fuel - £60 (well that's non-negotiable)
Food - £160 (me, OH & baby daughter)
EE - £38
Three - £20
EE - £25
Sky - £16.40
Council tax - £110
Water - £89
Utilities - £60
My Mum - £200.


I have £130 to clear on my credit card (it's high interest so I need it cleared) and then I have maybe £200-300 on my (tiny limit) credit card I could use.

You've had some opinions so far which are all good.

I'd pay the rent. You lose the roof over your head if you don't pay it. However, you could if you are a bit short you can pay £100 or £200 less this month and pay that when next month's pay clears into your bank account (don't wait until the rent is due). Most landlords won't mind that too much but only if it's very occasionally.

I'd pay the car finance but only if the finance is secured against the car. You could delay payment depending on your agreement they could take the car away and you lose any equity you've built up in the car.

Fuel and food of course must be paid before anything else.

EE, Three and EE? Why 3 entries for communications services? You could cancel all of these. You can get a SIM only contract. My contract is unlimited everything (tethering not permitted) for £12 per month. They can't repossess the phone.

Sky can be cancelled. If you are in contract you'll have to pay the remainder of the contract out so you might want to continue paying. However if Sky actually means landline and broadband then it's a priority and must be paid. You can save much more having broadband than what it costs. Researching deals and finding cashback saves more than £20 per month. I personally make £1,000 a month switching and taking advantage of offers.

Council tax. You can usually skip a month on council tax. As long as the full bill is cleared by April (when the next bill is due) then you'll be fine. As said you've got to talk to council and they will allow that. I personally wouldn't pay it. I've got thousands in arrears (around £8,000) and there is nothing the council can do about it.

You can allow the arrears on water to build up for about a year before they consider taking the matter to court so don't pay that for now.

You'll have to pay utilities if you want to stay warm and have lights on. Make sure you are on a good deal. Switching will give you any credit back and you can start again skipping a month.

Mum's are understanding and can wait.

Lmh71365

HappyMJ wrote: »

You've had some opinions so far which are all good.

I'd pay the rent. You lose the roof over your head if you don't pay it. However, you could if you are a bit short you can pay £100 or £200 less this month and pay that when next month's pay clears into your bank account (don't wait until the rent is due). Most landlords won't mind that too much but only if it's very occasionally.

I'd pay the car finance but only if the finance is secured against the car. You could delay payment depending on your agreement they could take the car away and you lose any equity you've built up in the car.

Fuel and food of course must be paid before anything else.

EE, Three and EE? Why 3 entries for communications services? You could cancel all of these. You can get a SIM only contract. My contract is unlimited everything (tethering not permitted) for £12 per month. They can't repossess the phone.

Sky can be cancelled. If you are in contract you'll have to pay the remainder of the contract out so you might want to continue paying. However if Sky actually means landline and broadband then it's a priority and must be paid. You can save much more having broadband than what it costs. Researching deals and finding cashback saves more than £20 per month. I personally make £1,000 a month switching and taking advantage of offers.

Council tax. You can usually skip a month on council tax. As long as the full bill is cleared by April (when the next bill is due) then you'll be fine. As said you've got to talk to council and they will allow that. I personally wouldn't pay it. I've got thousands in arrears (around £8,000) and there is nothing the council can do about it.

You can allow the arrears on water to build up for about a year before they consider taking the matter to court so don't pay that for now.

You'll have to pay utilities if you want to stay warm and have lights on. Make sure you are on a good deal. Switching will give you any credit back and you can start again skipping a month.

Mum's are understanding and can wait.

Awesome response.

We can't cancel the phones as they're in contract and will owe the remainder and have to give up the phones. We have cancelled the iPad! YAY!

Sky - our broadband is FREE. We pay line rental and that's it. We have no landline, no TV.



Other people -

Damn I wish I had known they have data-free navs. It sounds so obvious on hindsight but I didn't even THINK that would be an option. what do I do now? I am past the 14 days to return it but haven't paid my first payment yet?

RE: Food. I don't get this site. Years ago when I posted saying for two adults our food bill was £100, I got my face bitten off for it not being ENOUGH. £160 a month pays for two adults, one child, loo roll, shampoo, conditioner, having to bring a bag of crisps or *something* going to people's houses at Christmas, and a buffer for if we have to go to the pub with people around Christmas time (we are going to stay with OH's family for a bit) for my OH to get Coke or a pint each time (I will only have water anyway, unless someone else buys it). We buy her the cheapest fruit and veg etc, and it comes to about £30 a month, then £30 is for the home essentials like loo roll, and our tiny weeny Christmas buffer!! I might be able to shave £10-20 off, but then I bet something crops up and it's needed.

I will get money towards my phone at work but only after 6 months and I have to apply for it, it's not just granted.

CIS

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Yes council tax is super important. So important that it's dealt with a the High Court rather than County Court and you wind up in jail if you do not pay it.

Council tax is dealt with by the Magistrates Court (High Court only if there's an appeal on a 'point of law). The County Court get involved if a bankruptcy or charging order is applied for.

The magistrates court deal with any sentencing for non-payment (The 90 day limit is within their sentencing range),

ViolaLass

Lmh71365 wrote: »

RE: Food. I don't get this site. Years ago when I posted saying for two adults our food bill was £100, I got my face bitten off for it not being ENOUGH. £160 a month pays for two adults, one child, loo roll, shampoo, conditioner, having to bring a bag of crisps or *something* going to people's houses at Christmas, and a buffer for if we have to go to the pub with people around Christmas time (we are going to stay with OH's family for a bit) for my OH to get Coke or a pint each time (I will only have water anyway, unless someone else buys it). We buy her the cheapest fruit and veg etc, and it comes to about £30 a month, then £30 is for the home essentials like loo roll, and our tiny weeny Christmas buffer!! I might be able to shave £10-20 off, but then I bet something crops up and it's needed.

We're a group of individuals, we don't have one voice. Plus, you've slightly changed the way you presented the figures i.e. £60 isn't all for the baby now.

shaundiamonds

If you're really desperate, a trick I used many years ago was to bump payments to the next month.

For example if your rent is on 15th+ of the month, ask as if they would mind taking it a couple of weeks later from now on (I think I did this when my wages day changed once).

90% of my bills that were on a similar payment date were able to be moved ahead a few days, into the next month freeing up a lot of money.

theoretica

Lmh71365 wrote: »

RE: Food. I don't get this site. Years ago when I posted saying for two adults our food bill was £100, I got my face bitten off for it not being ENOUGH. £160 a month pays for two adults, one child, loo roll, shampoo, conditioner, having to bring a bag of crisps or *something* going to people's houses at Christmas...

People are different and there is not one right answer. There is also a difference between a long term budget and what you can get down to in an emergency.