To use the kids Christmas money to get me through January?

You might be happy, but it’s not working 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you need it you need it. Don't feel guilty. Even if you cannot pay it back straight away you may be able to when things are a little more steady.

It is much more important that your DC have a roof and food than savings in their bank account at the moment.

I used to give my DGodson a small gift and the rest as cash for his DM to use as she saw fit. He never went without so if she needed it for the light bill then so be it. My DS does the same with his friend.

Ok I’ve skipped posts. Please stop saving for your kids. It is imo a total waste of effort. DH insisted on trusts for our four dgc . I love them as life itself but the times he said no you can’t have a new fridge at £800 but have to buy a rubbish one at £300 because money must go into the trusts. 20 years later one child has taken £10000 out to buy luxuries while at uni. Parents are extremely high earners and are funding her. Another dgs has said he hoped he would love to be able to do this for his GC one day but is going to use it for travelling the world . Save and spend for the quality of your own life. Give your children education and common sense not money.

Happy? You're happy with being so low that you're borrowing the kids' Christmas money??? Ok!

Next time you know you're right and are so delighted with how clever you are to be in debt, don't go asking for advice. People hold back a bit more at Christmas.

You saved £100 for the kids this month, now you’re so short of available cash that you’re contemplating taking the £100 they got from their grandparents…. . This is nuts.
You seem to have major credit card debt, you can’t afford to save for your kids whilst servicing cc debt, it’s ludicrous.

I don’t really see the issue. PIL gave you cash to lodge to your account, and to transfer to your kids’ accounts?

You will do this, just once you get paid.

If you’re absolutely certain that you will do this, then needs must. It’s not as if you’re blowing it on a night out or getting your nails done

I wouldn’t have an issue with this if you were my DIL.

Don't steal your kids' money. Tell DH or his parents that you can't afford the drive over. They may decide to help, or forgo the pleasure of your company. You can't use your IL's money to pay for your visit to them, without discussing that with them!

I'm not sure about this idea that there could be a DH who has his "own" money while OP is drowning in debt and expected to fund the petrol to visit his family. More likely he has his own debt or isn't working. OP was hiding her own credit cards debt at the start of the thread...

Not a problem. As long as you pay it back it's all good!

Oh god, the car is on lease too? You really have got to have a reduce some of this debt, it must be so stressful for you. At least think about swapping down to a car that's more fuel efficient. What's the plan to clear the other debts?

I don’t actually understand why you’ve posted, if every person on here said don’t do it would you not spend it? Not fill your car up or buy food? You either really need it or you don’t and only you know that. Not a bunch of strangers

This is not a situation of "borrowing a few quid". OP is up to her eyes in debt across 3 credit cards (and it was 4!). She is spending twice as much just in petrol cost in the car as the public transport equivalent. She's then commenting about not having enough food in the house either. The car is an asset that can be easily sold to clear possibly all, or at least most of, the credit card debt. Meanwhile no insurance cost, breakdown service cost, "x has happened and now I need to spend £500 on the car" etc.

Clearly you can't imagine life without a car, but thinking creatively may help dig OP out of this financial mess.

change your car😂 It's clearly very uneconomical.

Not sure why you have to be rude when I was stating a fact about fuel consumption even allowing for 40 mpg.

So instead of borrowing a few quid from preschoolers who have no notion of it, you GENUINELY think a better and more workable option here is to sell her car, take trains and eat more frugally?

I mean, despite the fact you're assuming that OP can get to work breezily on abundant public transport, you do know that's an absolutely bonkers overreaction?

Theft, my arse.

You say to get through January, but it's still December, so just trying to understand when you'll be paid again - do you mean you've already had December pay and spent it, so presumably you're not talking end of the month?
I also don't understand how you will buy food etc. for 2 adults and 2 children with £30.
I think from reading some of the other posts on here, that the suggestion is it isn't a case of that's all the family have to last, but that's all the OP has access to, which obviously raises lots of questions that presumably is what the OP isn't willing to discuss.

It sounds to me like both OP and her DH need educating in how to organise their finances.

I suspect he’s just as terrible with money as she is, if not worse.

It's not that much of a stretch given what she's said and not said. I truly hope I'm wrong. I just wanted to let her know that there is support there if she needs and wants it.

You can't use the kids' money, it's theft, so just put that in their accounts and cancel their ongoing DD for their accounts from January because you can't afford it. If you can't afford the petrol then sorry PIL but we'll visit in February or you can visit us. Sounds like you have a lot of credit card debt you're trying to pay off on 3 cards, so chop all of those up. Can you sell the car to pay off the cards and use a bus or train? Think of the saving in petrol, insurance, new tires, MOT etc etc. £100 for petrol is eye watering; we got return train fares to come away over xmas £34 for the 3 of us (long route); 33% off from the railcard but also cheaper because they are bought early. Easiest to tighten your belts for a short time buying frugally knowing it's only a couple of months to pay off debt; make cheap meals from fresh ingredients like pancakes, baked potatoes, pasta, tinned tomatoes etc. Once you've cut right back to get yourself solvent again, you can start to plan where you actually want to spend money; a small DD for your own savings first and then the kids, then savings for trips away to PIL etc. Wouldn't that feel better than wasting the kids' gift money?