Really struggling to make ends meet

fergalicious

Hi all,

I'm pretty good with money and have managed not to get myself into any debt, but at the moment my income is so low compared to my essential expenses I'm really struggling. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for how to trim the fat even more - not that there is much.

Here are my in comings and outgoings - these are for both me and my husband, who is out of work at the moment (but not long enough to claim JSA):

Income - £1040/month

Expenses - £1016.12/month

Rent - £550
Council tax - £93
Electric - £33
Water - £10
TV licence - £12.12
Phones - £52 (this could be cheaper but husband is stuck in contract)
Internet - £20
Food - £120
Netflix - £6
Travel - £90 (this is to and from work, I get bus there and taxi back because it is too late to get bus, even then I split taxi fare with coworker)
Smoking - £40 (this is husbands habit)

This leaves £23 a month for any other expenses, including birthdays, seeing friends, clothing, household items, my husband getting a bus anywhere etc.

So as you can see, I'm pretty skint! pretty good at getting by and not complaining as long as I have the basics covered but I feel like I can't even do that... so many things I own are so old and worn out and I simply cannot replace them. Any help is much appreciated xx

easy

I'm afraid the obvious one is smoking, If your husband isn't working and has no income I don't see why you should fund his unhealthy habit while you go without essential clothes.

Also you need to find a way out of the expensive phone contract. Does he have a fancy phone with it ? The obvious way is to sell the phone on ebay to pay off the contract fee, then get a much cheaper contract/PAYG with a basic phone. Once your husband is working again he can upgrade once more when the family can afford it.

fergalicious

That's a really good idea about the phone thank you! Mine is just a £5 sim only, his is some fancy new thing he got when he was working. I never thought of selling the phone to cover the cost. It's one where you have to pay the full amount of the contract so I'll look into it.

And I know I've tried to get him to quit so many times, does annoy me a lot. If anyone had any ideas of how to help people to cut down at least that would be a help. He gets very grumpy whenever he tries to quit we just argue a lot and he gets even more stressed and smokes again

p00hsticks

fergalicious wrote: »

my husband, who is out of work at the moment (but not long enough to claim JSA):

I don't understand this remark - you should be able to sign on for JSA as soon as you become unemployed - as far as I'm aware there's no requirement to wait.

Do you mean that he didn't build up sufficient NI contributions when working to qualify for contributions based JSA ? Or was he self-employed ?

WibblyGirly

I'd cancel Netflix, cut down on the smoking (could he switch to a cheaper brand or roll ups?). I'd also try cut the food bill. I'd be having very basic meals on that money. Lots of rice and pasta as that's cheap to bulk buy.

fergalicious

WibblyGirly/anyone else, is this too much for food? I'm not really sure what the average is for 2 people or what it can really go down to? I was thinking about going veggie to cut down on meat which is always the most expensive. I really struggle with meal planning and such, need to look into this...

About the JSA - I will look into this, I think he would have to wait for 26 weeks because he left voluntarily after becoming unable to continue the work on medical grounds. Not sure if he could have gone on sick leave/left another way but the condition is ongoing so he wouldn't have been able to return to the same position. He did pay NI so should be entitled after the 26 weeks

Thank you everyone for your help x

easy

BTW I wouldn't cancel the Netflix. £6 per month is neither here nor there, and a dam sight cheaper than going to the pub for an evening ... I think it would make me feel very sorry for myself if even that small pleasure was denied me (esp as £40 per month is literally going up in smoke). Being able to sit down to a film or your favourite tv programme can make life more bearable sometimes.




If your husband left work on health grounds he might be able to get some benefits. Has he been and explained it all to DWP?

WibblyGirly

Personally, no it's not too high for 2 people. But food is usually a flexible area to save money. Maybe look at what you eat for meals and how you can make them cheaper? Cheaper brands, I really hope your partner is looking for any job he can! Does he have an particular skills? He could bid for jobs on sites like peopleperhour for a little bit of cash to at least help ease things.

Flobberchops

That's a very stretched budget. Rather than trying to look for ways to reduce outgoings, because you don't have any HUGE expenses, even the fags are only £10 a week, look at increasing income.

1) Can your partner get a job, ANY job? Even just part time, temporary, or gig work.
2) Make sure your partner (and you) fully explore all benefits available to you. Working tax credits, housing benefit, etc.
3) Can you get a raise, work extra hours, or switch to a higher paying job?
4) Sell old belongings you don't use or need. Ebay is a good way to get quick cash.

p00hsticks

fergalicious wrote: »

About the JSA - I will look into this, I think he would have to wait for 26 weeks because he left voluntarily after becoming unable to continue the work on medical grounds. Not sure if he could have gone on sick leave/left another way but the condition is ongoing so he wouldn't have been able to return to the same position. He did pay NI so should be entitled after the 26 weeks

Check the procedure over on the benefits board with the experts, but I think he should be submitting a claim straight away, and letting them decide if he will be sanctioned - any sanction would starts from when he claims, nor when he left work, so delaying claiming doesn't make sense, especially as you only get contributions based JSA for 26 weeks.

If he has medical reasons which restrict his working then ESA may be an alternative he could look into.

DCFC79

Have you considered moving closer to work or a job closer to home with better hours ?

Could your husband not get a work from home job ?
He could do some surveys, check the boost your income thread.