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FTM on a mission
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Abz12
Posts: 221 Forumite

Hi everyone, I have been a member for quite some time and a lurker for even longer. Had a few debt free diaries previously and managed to become debt free and buy my own house back in 2017 with the help of inheritance. Spent the rest of it doing the house up.
Fast forward almost five years and I’m still living in the house, separated from the partner I had for over ten years, in about £15k worth of debt and pregnant from a brief ‘relationship’!
What inspired me to return to the MSE forum...maternity leave and being refused additional borrowing on my mortgage yesterday. Apparently I have a good LTV but I have too much unsecured lending (credit card debt) so am not eligible to lend my requested £20k! Gutted to say the least.
What inspired me to return to the MSE forum...maternity leave and being refused additional borrowing on my mortgage yesterday. Apparently I have a good LTV but I have too much unsecured lending (credit card debt) so am not eligible to lend my requested £20k! Gutted to say the least.
Before becoming pregnant I had no idea it was so difficult to survive on maternity leave. I am single, in my early 30s, have a mortgage and debt I can afford to pay but have no savings to speak of. I will get 4 months full pay and then on SMP up until 9 months, after which I will get nothing for 3 months.
This afternoon I have been reading other debt free diaries to get inspiration on how to cope. Things I need to do before the end of the week;
•I need to update my signature with my new debts to get a clear idea of the picture.
•I need to update my signature with my new debts to get a clear idea of the picture.
•look for old clothes and list on ebay
•get back into surveys
•eat from home, no takeaways
•make a meal plan for the weeks ahead to reduce shopping budget
any other ideas would be welcome. I’m hoping regardless of my emotional/pregnant state I can keep the diary up as I remembering it helping so much the first time round.
•get back into surveys
•eat from home, no takeaways
•make a meal plan for the weeks ahead to reduce shopping budget
any other ideas would be welcome. I’m hoping regardless of my emotional/pregnant state I can keep the diary up as I remembering it helping so much the first time round.
Total debt when starting Sept 2021 - £14,629.61 / Current debt - £13,398.73
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Comments
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So debts are as follows;
Nationwide £1,095.58
Tesco £3,104.33Virgin £3,998.20MBNA £6,431.50
Total debt when starting Sept 2021 - £14,629.61 / Current debt - £13,398.730 -
Just been through my different pots on my online banking and transferred £279 to my nationwide credit card to clear this months balance. Might be worth mentioning that all CCs are 0% except the nationwide one.Total debt when starting Sept 2021 - £14,629.61 / Current debt - £13,398.730
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Welcome 👋🏻
When is the bundle of joy due?MFW 2022 #71 £4400/£44001 -
Small spend today at aldi £5 for a Thai green curry kit for dinner (can split this and use for lunch tomorrow) chicken from the fridge and microwave rice.Since lockdown I have been working from home and saving a fortune on lunchtime spends (odd shopping here and there) and buying lunches.Feeling very motivated atm thanks to reading everyone’s diaries. Need to do some houses stuff and shower and the will continue reading in between surveys.Total debt when starting Sept 2021 - £14,629.61 / Current debt - £13,398.730
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As a mum to several children, hence the name, my advice is to spend as little as you can on new baby. He/she will not care if it's clothes are second hand, or if it's toys come without boxes. As long as it is warm, fed and loved everything will be fine. Let it be known amongst your friends that you are being "eco friendly" and looking for second hand. You'll end up with more than you need. Use cloth nappies, breast feed if you can.
In time you will look back and be glad that you are not able to extend your mortgage. It is never a good idea to put unsecured debt onto your mortgage. If you get to the point of struggling to pay the cards look into a DMP or ask for payment holidays.
As soon as baby is here make sure you claim everything you can, universal credit, child benefit, council tax help, etc. Also look at what you are paying now for things, do you get single person discount for council tax, any unneeded direct debits, etc.
Good luck with this and well done on the pregnancy, mumtoomany.Frugal Living Challenge 2025.3 -
@mumtoomany thank you for your advice and suggestions. I have kept it quite simple on the clothes front, stuck to supermarket multipacks for vests and baby grows. Primark for bibs and Muslins. Family and friends have been very generous and after much heated debate the baby’s dad has given me the money towards a buggy. My plan is to surf the charity shops for outfits once I find out what I’m having.
i’m not really sure what benefits I’m entitled too as I have never needed to claim before. I currently get the discount for my council tax and have done since my ex moved out. Not sure if you would know the answer to this but can I claim benefits whilst on SMP? My income will drop to just over £600 a month which will only cover my mortgage! I’m not sure what I do about council tax, other essential bills and food? The baby’s dad said he will give me £200 a month but not sure if he will stick to that tbh, he’s not very honest.I did a review of my DDs when I first found out and cancelled the gym etc. I currently pay £25 a month for contact lenses so might put a stop to that as I have tons. Other than that I pay £51 for my tv/internet, which I need because I work from home. When I called to reduce it doesn’t make sense as it’s £46 without the tv! I’m not sure what else I can cut?Another spend today - a book for my friends birthday. Ordered on amazon so no cash back available.Total debt when starting Sept 2021 - £14,629.61 / Current debt - £13,398.730 -
Hi, @Adz12. Sorry I don't know about the benefits question. Have you looked at entitled too? I believe you can fill in your details anonymously, to find out what you can get. Try filling it in now with the amount you will have when on mat leave and see what it says. Or if not, post a question over on the benefits board.
Regarding the internet, £46 seems a lot! We are paying around £30 a month to John Lewis for internet, landline and calls. (not many calls). Have a look around on the comparison sites. I always think that, a bit like electricity and water, regardless of who you have supplying it, it's the same internet coming down the same wires.
If you want advice on other things you could cut out or down to save, try posting a SOA, (the link is somewhere at the top of the debt free wanabe thread) I'm sure people will be able to point you in the right direction.
If babies dad is paying towards a buggy, look around for second hand or ex display. Buggies/prams are almost as expensive as second hand cars now. You will get relatively little use from it considering the cost.
If you have any spare time, probably more now than when baby arrives, have a look at doing some surveys. I earn around £30 a month over the winter, when I don't need to spend as much time weeding, planting or looking after the sheep. I take this as Amazon vouchers and use them for Christmas and Birthdays for my children and grandchildren.
Working from home i believe you can claim a tax rebate because of the extra fuel etc. Maybe check that out.
Mumtoomany.Frugal Living Challenge 2025.2 -
There was a bit in the Money Saving Expert email about cheap broadband deals: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip/
I sacked off the survey sites as they took too long to accumulate money. Instead, I do tests through this site: https://www.usertesting.com/get-paid-to-test1 -
Will the baby's dad be paying child maintenance? https://www.gov.uk/calculate-child-maintenance1
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