What would be the best starting point?

LeahDyl

...and I forgot to mentsion I also have a free bus [!!! so I dont have any travel costs. My children are too young to pay bus fare still.

JayneC

Sorry missed your last post, ignore the query about benefits. lol

JayneC

I know it won't help with your outgoings but it's worth looking at joining cashback sites and survey sites to earn some 'points' that you can exchange for goods, useful for Christmas and clothing, X

Tustastic

Hello there, well done for finding this forum and posting. You're already getting good advice and support.
How about contacting one of the debt counselling charities such as http://www.cccs.co.uk/? they are non-profit and on your side.
They have a good website and you can also have telephone appointments.
I think this would be wise as your outgoings are more than your income and you have young children to care for.
£35 for your phone and broadband is maybe a bit high - you could try calling the provider/s and telling them you're considering leaving. Look at the articles on phones and utilities on the main MSE website to see what bargains are out there. I pay £9.99/month to Tiscali for my broadband and about £14/month for my BT landline.
£22 is a bit high for your home insurance - look at the insurance article on the main MSE website and get some quotes for comparison. When you do get a new policy, go through a cashback website like quidco.com or topcashback, and you will get some cashback for taking out the policy.
Look at the Oldstyle Board on this forum for brilliant ideas on eating well on a tight budget. It's all about meal planning and cooking from scratch to avoid waste.
Last but not least, start a spending diary tomorrow - write down absolutely everything you are spending so that you know exactly where the money is going.
Good luck and keep posting!

LeahDyl

Where I live £22 is ver cheap for insurence. I only took the policy out in Jan and it was the best around. It's because I've been burgled twice in the last 6 months!
Im with tiscali for phone and broadband and used to pay about £20-£22 for both but over the last couple of months it's gone up by alot and I haven't made many calls. I'll phone them and tell them i'll have to leave if they cant give me a better deal, that usually works.
I will see CAB first of all for advice and call the water and tiscali tomorrow. Also my eyes are open for a suitable job and I'll start a spending diary like you suggest. I think that;ll be a good staring point. Thanks for the tips so far, really helpful and supportive.

Does anyone think that the managed loan from the bank might be a good temporary solution? Or would it be best avoided? I just thought it might help me get to a level field and then I could always convert it back when I'm working? I'm not keen on the idea but it may help for a few months.

Thanks again.

MissEyre

I don't know much about managed loans, but there was a poster on here a few weeks ago who had dreadful trouble with them-I would ask for some advice on here before doing anything about it, if I were you. Think they wanted to change from a managed loan and had been told they could just switch it back when they were ready, only to find they were landed with it...sure one of the others will eb able to give you a bit more info though! x

joeblack066

Can I ask what the course is that you are doing? Will it help towards you getting a job? Also, what area of the country are you in? I might know of organisations that can help you with your job search.
Lastly, does the Benefits Agency think that you are getting the maintenance every month, becuase they may have reduced your entitlement by £150 if so?