So what do you do when you can't cut any more?

redsquirrel80

Melusine wrote: »

One other thing, if I lose Income Support and start earning, I have to pay rent and council tax. Rent is £83 a week, and tax is £30 a week. So I just worked out I'd have to find what i already spend, plus £359.90 a month rent, plus £129.90 council tax, after income tax and NI every month.

I make that an after tax figure of £1275.98 a month. That's an after tax annual salary of £15,311.76. People with my qualifications, round here, are earning a pre tax figure of about £11,000. So I am actually better off on benefits! Is that ridiculous or what?

I don't know much about benefits but I'm fairly sure you would get Working Tax Credits and other benefits even if you did start earning. It's true though that you'd probably not be much better off, or in about the same position, so yes, it is ridiculous!

Melusine

Just looked at the sammy kaye post. Am already buying value foods, and don't eat meat or fish. Also shop in Lidl where possible.

Average menu:
Breakfast
2 weetabix biscuits (not brand name, cheapest we can get)
Tesco or Asda version of Canderel
Asda value UHT skimmed milk. (Tesco value milk too expensive.)
Asda tea bags. (Don't ask for coffee if you visit me, we never buy it. Or sugar.)

Lunch:
Rice or pasta or jacket potato
Vegetable stew with whatever veg i've got, plus stock, plus either beans or tofu,

Evening:
More or less similar to lunch, with a yogurt or fresh fruit added for dessert.

We keep fresh fruit and fresh veg for my son to chomp on.

Then we buy dog meat at 67 pence a tin, plus biscuits for the dogs. (one tin a day feeds both.) We also buy these treats that keep the dog's bones supple. It's £8 a week for the two of them but I figure at their ages, it's worth it to avoid bigger vet's fees.

Of course, what you don't see in that are the things I have to replace because the phone rang and in rushing to answer I forgot to lock the kitchen up. Son can eat the entire week's shopping in one sitting. He did so in the middle of the night once.

squeaky

Melusine wrote: »

£216.50 for just you and your son?

That's £50 a week on Martin's thingy. Includes me, my son, two collie cross alsatians, all cleaning things, all deodorants, shampoos, etc., any new household things such as washing up bowls, mop heads, etc.

My son's condition mean he cannot eat more than 1000 calories a day without putting on weight, and yet is constantly hungry. (1000 calories a day maintains weight with constant exercise. His day centre takes him swimming twice a week, to a gym twice a week, long walks once a week. We walk the dogs daily.) To make sure he can eat what he can eat and have a chance to feel full, we buy fresh fruit, fresh veg, and keep it there to fill him up. It would be cheaper to buy the cheap meals in the freezer section, but they wouldn't satisfy him (the fresh stuff doesn't really), the calories, fat content, sugar content and all that junk would have him dead in a year.

Gawd no, and anyway you're wrong miss, honest miss. Old Style really is about eating more healthily and in fact costing less.

You can make your own bread for as little (with skill determination and knowledge of the game ) as 15p per loaf - and 60p per loaf is in easy reach.

You can make your own pizza for under a quid - depending on the toppings that you want.

Pasta based meals - just pasta and a nice sauce - can be done for 20p


The thing is - if you want to add extra topping or ingredients to the things I've quicly suggested then yes, they can cost a bit more than I've quoted - as I say "stay within your comfort zone" so if the bare minimal recipe makes you miserable then by all means add a few extras (using value products, bogofs, vouchers, freebie samples) until you get what you like. And I STILL bet it'll be cheaper than most shop bought stuff and very definitley healthier.

Obviously you need to sort out various finance things and bills as your first priority, but once the first rush of "things to do" has eased off... then Old Style is the best place to help you to make the very best use of what you have left. Promise

Melusine

You need other car costs - do you get any help with this, disabled parking badge, motability allowance?

Car is a motability car. All costs are covered. I don't have a disabled badge, as I encourage son to walk and exercise and badge would make it too easy for him to argue.

With reference to the dogs - as they are therapetic dogs in the sense that they keep your son active, could you apply for a grant from somewhere to pay for their upkeep?

People do that?

I don't know much about benefits but I'm fairly sure you would get Working Tax Credits and other benefits even if you did start earning.

No. I have no dependent children. If I worked less than 16 hours a week and earned under a certain amount, I would qualify. If I worked over 30 hours a week and earned under a certain amount, I woudl qualify. If i work between 16 and 30 hours a week, i don't qualify, no matter what I earn. Go figure. If I worked as a teaching assistant, or teachng adult ed, I would only earn 48 or 30 weeks a year. i'd have to fight to get benefits for the weeks I can't work because the schools are closed. Go figure.
And if I worked more than 30 hours, minimum wage would put me over working tax credits amount for someone in my position anyway.

RAS

The way benefits work is barmy sometimes.

Well...

Firstly, can you list your debts and CCs?

Secondly, there are a few ways, vis pay for clicks and survey sites, where you can scrap together another few quid each month, BUT

the big problem is ythat you are paying far too much each month towards your debts and this is not necessary in your financial situation.

squeaky

Melusine wrote: »

Just looked at the sammy kaye post. Am already buying value foods, and don't eat meat or fish. Also shop in Lidl where possible.

Average menu:
Breakfast
2 weetabix biscuits (not brand name, cheapest we can get)
Tesco or Asda version of Canderel
Asda value UHT skimmed milk. (Tesco value milk too expensive.)
Asda tea bags. (Don't ask for coffee if you visit me, we never buy it. Or sugar.)

Lunch:
Rice or pasta or jacket potato
Vegetable stew with whatever veg i've got, plus stock, plus either beans or tofu,

Evening:
More or less similar to lunch, with a yogurt or fresh fruit added for dessert.

We keep fresh fruit and fresh veg for my son to chomp on.

Then we buy dog meat at 67 pence a tin, plus biscuits for the dogs. (one tin a day feeds both.) We also buy these treats that keep the dog's bones supple. It's £8 a week for the two of them but I figure at their ages, it's worth it to avoid bigger vet's fees.

Of course, what you don't see in that are the things I have to replace because the phone rang and in rushing to answer I forgot to lock the kitchen up. Son can eat the entire week's shopping in one sitting. He did so in the middle of the night once.

OK I can see that you're on the ball (mostly ) for food and that we might just have a tough time reducing that by much - but we can still help you with alternatives and variety - we have a vegetarian meal planner thread and various collected veggie recipes.

If you buy any household cleaner in squirty bottle - we can beat the socks off supermarket prices. Big time.

Same for laundry.

I'd guess you're pretty good on using up left overs from meals, and I hope that you've long since learned to check the use by dates of food items in the cupboards, fridge and freezer so that you don't end up binning them - so even if we can't help with that directly - if you're ever stuck over "what the heck can I make out of this?" or the oft said "house full of food and nothing to eat!" - just ask on Old Style for inspiration. You'll often get one or more answers back in a matter of minutes.

As for the midnight munchies... any chance of a secure cupboard? Do you REALLY have to rush to the phone rather than take a few seconds to close or lock things?

Right. I'm off for a cup of coffee since you don't have any

Good luck - and don't let the high flow of information here put you off. Pick the bits that matter to you most - do those first, then, when things have eased, go on to the next ones. Don't give up just 'cos it looks like a lot. Just do it in bite sized chunks at your own pace.

Melusine

squeaky wrote: »

Gawd no, and anyway you're wrong miss, honest miss. Old Style really is about eating more healthily and in fact costing less.

You can make your own bread for as little (with skill determination and knowledge of the game ) as 15p per loaf - and 60p per loaf is in easy reach.

You can make your own pizza for under a quid - depending on the toppings that you want.

Pasta based meals - just pasta and a nice sauce - can be done for 20p


The thing is - if you want to add extra topping or ingredients to the things I've quicly suggested then yes, they can cost a bit more than I've quoted - as I say "stay within your comfort zone" so if the bare minimal recipe makes you miserable then by all means add a few extras (using value products, bogofs, vouchers, freebie samples) until you get what you like. And I STILL bet it'll be cheaper than most shop bought stuff and very definitley healthier.

Obviously you need to sort out various finance things and bills as your first priority, but once the first rush of "things to do" has eased off... then Old Style is the best place to help you to make the very best use of what you have left. Promise

we don't eat bread or pizza. Far too many calories for too little fill up. Last time I bought a loaf of bread, son stole it. PWS people are not only addicted to food, but are also prone to heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity related diseases. We MUST keep his diet virtually calorie, fat and sugar free.

Some of my "food" bill is non food items. Shampoo, soap, shower gel, (you need quite a bit when you have an incontinent man of 23 stone), washing powder, (big pack every two to three weeks) disinfectant, deodorant etc. I'd say these things account for about £6 a week. Dogs account for about £14 a week. So of our £50, only £30 is going on actual food for humans. But I'm all for reducing it further.

Melusine

I'd guess you're pretty good on using up left overs from meals

hahaha People get leftovers after meals? Not with a PW, they don't.

All cupboards secure. But it is a home, not a prison, and I slip. The phone was just an example. I seem to spend half my life justifying (to social workers and the like) my son's weight gain and ability to get at food which i have secured. I've asked them to consider putting a key pad door on my kitchen, so I would have a code, and wouldn't have to worry about forgetting to lock it.

And am interested in cleaning products cheap.

squeaky

Again we can help with "diet" recipes - plenty of threads, and if none of them fit your needs - just start your own.

There's always somebody who can help.

The cleaning of self and household we can help with - all sorts of cheaper alternatives to cleaning agents, and lots of help with home made personal and beauty care too.

There's a Pets Care board here on MSE as well, and they have quite a few recipes for home made dog foods that may be of help.

floss2

Melusine wrote: »

... £30 is going on actual food for humans. But I'm all for reducing it further.

Please call CCCS...they will be able to advise you what to do about those debts.

I get the feeling that you don't want to go bankrupt because of friends' experiences...you are a differnt person to them, and it may well be the only thing that will release you from the financial burden of £184 a month that you cannot use - you clearly need this extra money to care for your son & for you to have the deserved breaks from that care.

Based on that £184 a month, and you mentioned a figure of £18k....that will take over 8 years to repay. I understand that you have had the benefit for your sons, and that you want to repay your debts, but you are financially crippling yourself & your son by paying them what they demand. If you pay them a token £1 each a week, that will give you a heck of a lot more to budget with.

Take care,
Floss x