Know it alls!!!

[McBear]

I'm skint. Got paid 6 days ago. Earn an ok wage but Childcare and a loan from my mum for house deposit take almost £600 a month from wages. Missed a sky payment. Only have sky broadband and phone to save tv license money and obviously sky's extortionate fees (though they have offered a second years free tv we said no)

I moaned to my dad about it and me being skint. He said I shouldn't have broadband if I can't afford it! Broadband! That's £17!!!! It might not even be that. How can I not have broadband especially if no access to tv and Netflix only. I told him I can't read a book in the evening. It's the 21st century. He will be telling me electric is a waste and I should read my book by candlelight soon! Grrrrrrr

[AnyoneInOldcotesUnder100Says]

Hi
drop sky down to just internet, can your mum accept a little less over longer? Sorry to hear your struggling, are there any other areas you can cut back? Good Luck...

[McBear]

It is basically just internet. Last time I spoke to them you have to have the phone line to get the internet.

My mum got a loan out in her name and we just make the payments. I'd rather get it out of the way and it's only £250 a month. Childcare is £360. That's my half. No I've cut down all my bills. I have £68 disposable a month

I could sell my car and get a hatchback and save ins and petrol but mine is (so far) extremely reliable so could be setting myself up to fail with an old cheap hatchback. If that makes sense

[Mum4Fergus]

Can you give more of a breakdown of all your expenditure? Maybe we can give you a few ideas. My biggest saving was a serious look at food budget..I now meal plan, bulk cook/freeze...I got weekly bill down from over £100 to just over £30!

[Fluffycloudland77]

If you rang sky and said to put you though to disconnections they might offer you a discount to stay.

It's worth a shot.

It'll get better for you when you don't have childcare to pay for.

[McBear]

Fluffy, that's what I did recently as the contract came to an end in August. They offered me a second yr of free tv but I said no as DP and I decided it wasn't worth it due to extra cost of tv licence when we usually just watch Netflix anyway.

Break down... I agree food is prob an issue here...

Salary 1155 take home (salary sacrifice of childcare vouchers included here, was 1321 prev)

Loan to mum 250
Load to dad 105 (credit and very account paid by him to save extortionate interest, previously was 105 at minimum payment)
Council tax 97
Gas 0
Elec 60
Car ins 63
Petrol 150 (25 for work a week only)
Phone 33 (my old phone was payg but 2weeks a month I couldn't call ppl)
Sky 17
Gym 26
Food 150
Mortgage comes out of DPs bank which is why I pay the loan and c tax
Remainder of childcare after vouchers 117 (I think, this is first month I've used them)

[McBear]

I'm sure I'll have missed something but that's all I can think of. I'll look through my account tomorrow.

I think the food bill is widely overestimated BUT I have included make up and toiletries etc as I buy them at the food shop.

[trinity0097]

Could you cancel the gym until you have more disposable income?

The phone contract seems high, how far are you into this deal?

Also surely you should be doing a joint statement of affairs as you have a DP?

[NovemberRainbow]

I'm confused, why would you not have to pay tv licence because you have sky?

Are the DC your DP? Could he contribute more for childcare etc?

I would cancel the gym ASAP.

[NovemberRainbow]

Sorry, just realised you don't have sky tv. Just the broadband.

[NovemberRainbow]

Could you both get by with one car between you? Saves us a fortune, we had to re-work our start times with work so DH could drop me off and pick me up.

[ilovepowerhoop]

what does your dh earn? Do you both end up with the same disposable income after bills are paid?

[hallamoo]

£63 a month for car insurance??? That seems really high, mine I'd about £125 a year (but I am really old and drive a bus).

[BikeRunSki]

How many people is the food shop for? Seems high.

Phone deal also seems high.

And petrol.

I live rurally, commute 40 mile round trip, take dc about, and spend about £100 per month on diesel.

[ilovepowerhoop]

£150 a month food is not that high - we spend about £100 a week (includes non food items too)

[Fairylea]

Your food spend isn't high - £150 a month is low! (We spend about £100 a week just me dh and two dc).

The loans are what is crippling you. Any way you could reduce the amounts? Borrow elsewhere at a lower rate for longer perhaps to pay your mum and dad off?

What does your incoming / out coming look like if you treat your dhs income as pooled income?

[specialsubject]

please tell me the comment about reading a book is a joke!!

[Viviennemary]

It's the loans that are causing this hardship. Can your DP not contribute more if he earns more than you. There doesn't really seem that much you can cut back on. Would your Mum accept a lower payment for a short time till you get back on track. But I don't really like stretching out loans but if you're really struggling you could ask her.

[WipsGlitter]

How much longer will you be paying the loans off?
How are you planning to pay for Christmas? Will you get into more debt?
Cancel the gym.

[BikeRunSki]

Sorry, no, your food spend is not high. I originally read it as £150 a week!!

[springbabydays]

Ditch the gym membership that's the first thing. You're paying above the odds for the car insurance and the phone by the look of it. Even the most reliable cars can go wrong at some point.

I suppose it depends how long this situation is likely to continue. If you can stick it out for a few months great. Otherwise you need to make some changes.

[Bluecarrot]

Do you get child benefit, tax credits etc?

[McBear]

Eeek, sorry not checked mumsnet all day!!!

Ok...

No can't have one car. We work separate directions quite far apart and I start before and finish after.

The car ins is split over 10 months but yes still very high. That's the cheapest I could get. It's a biggish car (BMW 318i that's s reg so 1999) but I have 9 yrs no claims and am 27. You'd have thought it'd be less. Like I say, it would be cheaper to get say a fiat punto but my car is so reliable, I think I'd be shooting myself in the foot to get another and if I drive well the fuel consumption isn't bad.

Gym... It's a contract til around April. I do need to lose weight tho. I can get out of it of I relocate/am made redundant/am seriously ill. All need proof.

Phone... I got the contract on Father's Day whenever that was. I got it because my phone was fucked and although it was only costing me ten pounds a month on payg, I couldn't call anyone after 2 weeks and was getting fed up of it. Especially as I have long journeys with just me and DD in the car I was nervous if anything happened I wouldn't be able to call. Calls etc are unlimited and it was the best deal where I wouldn't end up paying more as I'd gone over the limit.

Tax credits... We get none. Do get cb.

DP earns 9k more than me but has similar disposable income as he has more bills. He's worked really hard to get that pay rise over the last three years. He earned the same as me then. I haven't. I've been a bit of a drifter. He pays more than I do of the monthly total but I don't think it's an appropriate percentage but like I say, disposable income is similar.

Has that answered everything????

[McBear]

P.s I worry about my cars reliability as the last year I had a Picasso that broke every month of the six months I had it and a focus before that which was horrific.

Car ins is definitely cheapest around as I always search around!

[LoadsaBlusher]

Do you pay your council tax over ten. months or 12 months ? Our std council rate is 10 months but I changed mine to 12 to make the payments less . Maybe your local council do this too ?
Also your BMW is insurance group 27 so always going to be high to insure , you can google models of cars that are in the low Insurance groups (1,2,3) to get an idea of which Models would be cheaper to insure if you change cars .