I am being upgraded from Mum to Nan - I need a plan!

Sarahwithlove

Also I know she is your sister but you really need to question whether you are doing what’s for the best. All the time someone is taking the pressure off her she is never going to leave him. If you were in a better position financially then maybe that would be different but you shouldn’t have to suffer because she isn’t willing to help herself out. I know it sounds harsh but sometimes people need that ultimatum given to them to force action.

Mum2Nan

beanielou wrote: »

That is a LOT on cat food for a month. I have two cats & spend half of that!
Your prersents seem high~~that is just on a £1000 quid a year.

Hi Beanielou, I know, you are right. I bulk buy when it's on offer but just not sure how I can get this any lower. Their cupboard is well stocked at the moment so going to try and go a couple of weeks without buying anymore. Of course, I have the cat litter to buy tomorrow and that's going to take up half the cats' monthly budget but will try and make it last as long as possible. 1 bag a week is definitely doable I think.


The presents budget does seem high but that is what I spent last year. :eek: A few years ago my brother, sister and I agreed not to buy each other Christmas presents to keep costs down. I will have a chat with my brother to see if there is any way we can cut costs further.

Mum2Nan

MidsHollie wrote: »

Hi M2N,
Congratulations on the birth of your Grandson!
As I was reading your thread it seems like you've been working so hard to pay down this debt. I've got a slightly radical question - have you ever considered a lodger or an Airbnb type set up? If it is possible, it is a really easy way to make money off an asset. I have a lodger and the money I get from them really helps me pay down my debt pretty quickly. I realise it'snot for everyone, but it may be worth considering for you

I would love to do this to get my debt down more quickly but I like my privacy. I have a decent size flat for one person but fear it would be cramped with two. This is why I haven't let my boyfriend move in, ha ha! I would also need the cats to decamp from the spare room and then find someone who didn't mind cats as they are a pair of messy things. They are not called Laurel & Hardy for nothing lol :rotfl:

Mum2Nan

Sarahwithlove wrote: »

Also I know she is your sister but you really need to question whether you are doing what’s for the best. All the time someone is taking the pressure off her she is never going to leave him. If you were in a better position financially then maybe that would be different but you shouldn’t have to suffer because she isn’t willing to help herself out. I know it sounds harsh but sometimes people need that ultimatum given to them to force action.

I know tough love is required but I am quite soft where my family are concerned. I can only hope that she sees sense and soon. I try not to get too involved in her relationship because the one time I did it came and bit me on the butt... my impression is they don't get on but it's a subject we both now avoid. I am grateful to my brother for taking on more of the burden though.

Mum2Nan

My SoA is so tight. No wiggle room at all. I've removed the clothes budget for now just to get it to balance. I don't need any clothes and do have my vouchers if anything does need replacing. I could also cash in some Nectar points to buy off eBay or even in Sainsbury's if need be.

I somehow managed to not read my figure for the dreaded Halifax correctly so that's now been reduced by £20. I could do with finding more mistakes like that! lol

So I went to the farm shop today and spent the grand sum of £19.60. Not bad and less than I usually spend. I was tempted to buy a piece of steak on offer but quickly put that idea out of my head on the basis that too much red meat is not good for me and I can't afford it.

The interest on my loan was applied so that's come down by another £1.

If I can stick to my budget then I should be able to make the overpayments to clear BC1 by the end date. Two months Council Tax free months, my work expenses, cash back and birthday money should see to that. Any shortfall will have to come out of my savings. As soon as that's out of the way I need to target the dreaded Halifax. That's the plan. Let's hope I can stick to it.

Mum2Nan

A busy day at work but less stressful. I think it's connected to the fact I now know where I stand financially and it seems to have taken the pressure off.

I applied for my STL which was approved but definitely won't go through payroll in time for the renewal on Friday morning so have decided to buy a weekly ticket rather than pay out for a monthly. It will definitely be processed and in my account by next week when it's up for renewal again.

I also submitted my expenses and they too have been approved. These will not be paid until the end of the month.

Cat Litter has been ordered and taken out of the cats' budget. The cash back had risen to £0.80 lol - every little helps right? 8 bags but am going to see if I can stretch it to 9 weeks. :eek:

I closed an old savings account to tidy things up and received a whopping 3p in interest. I just don't know what to do with it

It's the first time I have been under £20K since December 2016 could even be 2015 when I bought my flat so I am also looking at this as a win even though it's still a lot of money to owe and I am still 3 may be 4 years down the line and not much further forward. I have to keep reminding myself I lost 1/5th of my salary by reducing my working week to 4 days. I also lost a 1/5th of my annual leave / public holidays and initially bought an additional 5 days but had one clawed back financially so even less income.

Lunch is made for tomorrow and it should also be a NSD

Mum2Nan

Typical! I submitted my expenses claim yesterday to make me feel better and ensure they were in on time only to accrue another £45 today, ha, ha that will teach me. To compensate, I have already started my next expenses claim to keep on top of it and submit the next one on time (note to self: not early just in case!). I did go through Quidco though so another £5.18 has been tracked.

The trains were delayed this morning so after having arrived at work flustered, once I'd made a coffee :money: logged on and settled down did delay repay so another £1.60 claim to be approved and paid.

It should have been a NSD but I have a work colleague's wedding to go to next month which is a 3 hour drive away and had planned to drive myself and stay overnight however I am now going with a couple of other colleagues who have rented a car so had to pay £19.75 deposit to secure my seat and the balance of £20.25 to be paid on the day. I also need to contribute towards a present so another £20 to find but I couldn't have turned up empty handed if I had gone on my own! but there will be no hotel costs as we are going up and down the same day. This is a much cheaper option as I am also factoring in the wear and tear of my car which is over 10 years old now so don't feel so bad.

My entertainment budget of £25 per month is totally unrealistic so I am going to need to revise this but there's no room to do that at the moment so it's going to have to come out of either my cash back or my savings until I can figure what to do. I am hoping Laurel & Hardy may be able to assist me next month!

I've got a few watchers on the items I've listed on eBay so am hoping they translate into sales.

Serious meal planning and batch cooking resumes on Saturday. I can already hear my freezer sounding relieved

Saturday night I am babysitting as my DD and DSIL are having a date night very important I think (for me as well )

Did I mention how much I love my little grandson? :rotfl:

enthusiasticsaver

The soa is tight but there is scope for savings on it but you probably won't like the recommendations.

Reduce the groceries budget. £200 is high for just one person. Use the discount supermarkets rather than farm shops which I think are expensive.

Cut back on presents.

Look for savings on the pets expenses.

Cut out vaping

Tell your sister you cannot afford to subsidise her any more

I know you use the car to visit family but your travel costs are very high because you are paying out for a train ticket and paying for a car to sit outside your flat all day. Looking for a way to save on that would help.

Mum2Nan

The soa is tight but there is scope for savings on it but you probably won't like the recommendations.

I still welcome your input.

Reduce the groceries budget. £200 is high for just one person. Use the discount supermarkets rather than farm shops which I think are expensive.

I agree. If I didn't go to the farm shop I would probably end up a pescetarian and there's nothing wrong with that. I do shop in Aldi but top-up in Sainsbury's for things I can't get in there.

Cut back on presents.

I agree. I am going to speak to my brother about things he can help me reduce i.e parents. Our parents often say we shouldn't be spending our money on them. He already has an idea of my predicament and feel sure he will help me with his.

Look for savings on the pets expenses.

I am hoping to do this from next month. There is very little wiggle room this month due to the delivery of cat litter so over half my budget has already been blown. The rest of it will be used up as I will run out of food before the end of the month but am going to make a big effort in this area.

Cut out vaping

I agree. I think I've been using the 'it's cheaper than smoking' excuse. I've been vaping now for over 2 years so will definitely have a think about this.

Tell your sister you cannot afford to subsidise her any more

My bum of a BIL works seasonal because he is self employed and his work dries up during the winter months so am hoping he will start getting some work in soon. This is the second year we've been helping her out.

I know you use the car to visit family but your travel costs are very high because you are paying out for a train ticket and paying for a car to sit outside your flat all day. Looking for a way to save on that would help.

My car is taxed, MoT'd and insured until November now. I already commute 5 days a week and doing yet another day with Sunday services would mean an additional day of an almost 6 hour round trip (without factoring in engineering works) and could well top me over the edge mentally as I already spend nearly 4 hours a day commuting, 3 on a good day. I already shop around for insurance.

Today has been a NSD

I sold one of my items on eBay which will net me a profit of £12.70 and I've already been paid.

beanielou

I think the sad reality is that you cant afford to subsidise your sister & her OH.
Can they not claim benefits if their income is low?