Help please

foxgloves

£900 per month for groceries? What on earth are you eating? I'd be surprised if you can't make a significant saving there. 

NeverendingDMP

booandboo said:

Thankyou I’ve read a lot on here and this is what I thought, it just seems scary and wrong. Obviously I can see the logic.

Will it be possible for me to come off the mortgage when it’s due for renewal next year? Or will his credit be so poor that that’s not an option? I think he would pass the affordability checks.

If you renew with your current mortgage provider they won't do a credit check. You just can normally just log online pick your new rate ie two,three or five years and be sorted out in a few minutes. I've renewed the fix on our mortgage twice whilst in a dmp. It meant i couldn't go shopping around for better deals as we wouldn't have passes the affordability checks but in all honesty what we got was pretty much the same as everywhere else was offering. 

enthusiasticsaver

You have enough to pay the mortgage and you can stick with the same provider when the deal you are on finishes so they won't credit check. 

You do not have enough income to service the debts so as I can see your only option is to default and do a DMP. I would focus on saving for emergencies first and  letting the debts all default before starting that though. You can self manage which is more flexible or you can approach a free debt charity like Stepchange to manage it for you. 

There are some areas you could cut back though which have already been mentioned. 

booandboo

foxgloves said:

£900 per month for groceries? What on earth are you eating? I'd be surprised if you can't make a significant saving there. 

I definetly want to look at this, we have gluten and dairy and egg allergies, I also try and buy organic fruit & veg because of the glysophates but I may need to reevaluate this

RAS

It may be useful to look at collecting recipes that do not include ingredients to which family have allergies, rather than trying to replicate "normal" diet using freefrom replacement ingredients? So rice, root veggies, maize and beans, minor grains rather than wheat breads, margarines and oils rather than butter etc? 

I appreciate it can be a major pain, particularly when supermarkets change ingredients without warning.

kimwp

RAS said:

It may be useful to look at collecting recipes that do not include ingredients to which family have allergies, rather than trying to replicate "normal" diet using freefrom replacement ingredients? So rice, root veggies, maize and beans, minor grains rather than wheat breads, margarines and oils rather than butter etc? 

I appreciate it can be a major pain, particularly when supermarkets change ingredients without warning.

I agree with this, it also means eating fewer preservatives and processed foods (though it is harder!)

booandboo

Yeah I will definitely look at the groceries, healthier too like you say

EssexHebridean

I'd be focusing on eating more fruit and veg regardless of organic status rather than buying expensive organic and probably eating less of it as a result. I'd also suggest that the approach that RAS suggests is the way forwards assuming you have the cooking skills to be able to do so - it will undoubtedly save you money AND probably taste better as well!  Lots of GF recipes here to start you off: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/category/dietary-needs-collections

I also agree that your first step here it to 
a) Stop paying the credit cards and
b) stop USING the credit cards!

You need to get your budget into shape an ensure that without the payments to consumer debt you can cover your outgoings each month - that's your priority up front and central. Everything else follows from there. Check that you are getting every penny you should in benefits, that the NHS are doing everything they should for your children, and you're not getting fobbed off - is there a charity for your children's conditions that might help with this aspect? 

Why would you want to be taken off the mortgage? That would very likely mean you being taken off the title to the property as well - so be really careful suggesting that as an option assuming it is currently jointly owned - it can really complicate things, particularly if you do decide to split up. As already said, a new deal with your current lender will deal with issues there anyway. Selling the house isn't any sort of immediate solution because we still need somewhere to live anyway - whether together or separately. If you are considering splitting then you need proper legal advise on that side of things. 

Your energy costs look high but if you are electric-only and have to keep the home warmer than average due to health issues that could easily explain that. 

Sncjw

Have you tried meal planning for the week. 

Have you looked at motab cars yes you will loose the motability element but you would save on maintenence, mot, tax ,insurance , tyres cost for the car.  You may need to put a down payment down. 

LzzyIsGod

The Motabiliy scheme did cross my mind so might be worth exploring? I think they do require an advanced payment but the website explains more. 

If there is a charity associated with the children's condition they may have advisors who can check you are getting everything you are entitled to (although I appreciate you may have already checked this)

Wishing you all the best. It can be very difficult to sustain employment whilst juggling caring responsibilities for children with medical needs or disabilities and many families find working is just impossible.so although you may feel alone, you most definitely aren't. And there are many helpful people here for the debt busting side.