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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is anyone else just stuck in debt and fed up?

235 replies

Catsarekings123 · 18/02/2025 14:55

I am actually owed a refund of £1500 from something which will be wonderful, but it's just a waiting game and could be another 2 months yet, however I know I will be getting it.

I'm not the worst with money but I'm not the best either. Every month before my wage comes in I calculate everything that's going out that month, and what ill have left.

I live alone. To give a rundown:
Mortgage- £440, boiler cover- £31.50, gas- £35, electric- £35, water not yet been billed as moved in last few months, ongoing orthodontic treatment- £54, petplan and insurance- £43, phone contract and handset- £32, gym- £14, YouTube/netflix- £22, wifi- £24, £300 on clearing debt atm across x2 credit cards and one loan.
Student loan- £30, then it's food, public transport etc.

I know i could cancel the gym but it's working out at around £3.50 a week and benefits me hugely. I don't have any Sky or anything like that and only have netflix so watch a lot of films etc on it.

If anyone sees any areas I could cut back on I'd be willing to take suggestions..I paid £300 alone on my credit card this month but then had an unexpected £190 repair bill.
It's living alone with a mortgage which is stressful as you have to plan for these unexpected emergencies.

I don't get expensive clothes, make up, hair etc. Everything is as cheap as I can make it.
I'm changing jobs next week and will be on 28k base salary and have got an evening job which will be £300 extra a month.
I don't drive, mainly use public transport but occasionally take an Uber, as waiting outside in blistering wind and rain is depressing a lot of the time.
I don't buy expensive food either, do what I can in terms of cheap or free hobbies. Used to do a dance class but now I just do one on YouTube. Will restart running once it warms up next week.

OP posts:
Howmanycatsistoomany · 19/02/2025 13:51

What's costing more in interest - the loan or the cc? I'd probably transfer the cc to a 0% and pay that off before the 0% period expires. Pay off the overdraft and loan (assuming no early repayment fees) with the refund.

Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:51

I don't really have any friends i can just walk to sadly, and people don't seem to want to come here

OP posts:
buffyfaithspikeangel · 19/02/2025 13:50

@LlamaDharma go out where? It's cold, and wet here
Where can she go out to entertain herself for a full month for the cost of Netflix? Sure you can go for a walk or to a friends or to the library but that's not a full month of cheap entertainment. It's probably the best value thing for something to "do" in winter

I also read and listen to the radio but after work sometimes I just want to do nothing and zone out with a TV programme

Hellskitchen24 · 19/02/2025 13:49

ExercicenformedeZ · 19/02/2025 11:02

Yes, it is. I replaced mine at 10 years.

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Must have had a crap one then.

Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:49

Even prisoners get to watch TV.

OP posts:
oldmanandtheangel · 19/02/2025 13:49

I'm alone with a cat too and earn next to nothing as hours got slashed (min wage job too)
I switched to Lyca for phone (pay £5.85 a month) and switched from Petplan to Many Pets (£17.25 a month)

Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:49

Sorry but I'm not going to give up watching any form of TV/film.. as I said there's saving money and then there's just living miserably.

OP posts:
HollywoodTease · 19/02/2025 13:47

Hi OP I work part-time for a local plumbing firm and most of our monthly service plans are £6.50 to £10. A one-off annual service is £66 to £90 depending on what sort of boiler you have. We have landlords with multi-property cover that are paying less than you!

We also offer several payment options including interest-free finance on replacement boilers.

I'm not trying to sell you anything, just saying shop around, you can definitely get a better deal than that!

MikeRafone · 19/02/2025 13:46

Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 12:11

Gym is low as it's during off peak hours only.

Do you shower at the gym?

LlamaDharma · 19/02/2025 13:46

Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:33

I don't have direct debits, that's what I put on my utilities each month and that covers them.

Show quote history

I do have direct debits and even without them I still can't get It down that much. It would go nowhere near covering my usage living alone, and I'm on the cheapest tariff. That's what I don't understand. The minimum monthly bill for my gas and electric is £96 per month. That's as a single person, so how are you managing to do it so cheaply? Who are you with?

CorvusNoir · 19/02/2025 13:45

Another one who jumps from streamer to streamer and only when there's something on I want to see. I never have more than one streamer at a time - and sometimes not at all. I never let them roll over month by month. I just stop and start one for a month when there's something I want to see.

And always the plans with adverts. I'm used to ITV, C4 & C5 so adverts don't bother me. And there are far less adverts on the streamers anyway.

BBC iplayer and C4 's on demand have amazing libraries of films and tv series - so plenty to watch if you want to save on the streamers altogether.

I didn't even know you had to pay for Youtube ? have never done that - didn't know you even could ?

LlamaDharma · 19/02/2025 13:43

Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 12:53

I don't have live TV or a licence. I don't have a dvd player. If I cancel all subscriptions I will be watching nothing. There's saving money and then there's just living in misery. I may as well just live by candlelight and eat gruel by the sounds of it.

What's wrong with watching nothing? Why do you need to be watching something? Before smart phones I didn't own a television for 7 years or any other type of screen. It made me realise just how much other stuff I could do in the time I'd usually be sat doing nothing staring at a screen. You don't need to be watching something to enjoy life. I became an avid reader and got out a lot more. I also became a serious radio listener. There's always something interesting or entertaining on the radio. I would say Netflix is a luxury you don't really need to survive, at least not while you need to conserve finances on such a tight budget, so that would be something I'd probably look to scrap for now.

Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:37

I'm also owed £375 from a former landlord for not protecting or paying any of my deposit. They signed an out of settlement agreement with the solicitor to pay me this money by next week, they've had a week so far.
Hopefully they will pay, if they don't then it will go back to court with higher costs incurred but that'll be more hassle and waiting, I've already been waiting nearly a year.
It's just frustrating having all this money owed to me, nearly 2k which would pretty much clear my balance, yet deadlines keep getting pushed back.

OP posts:
Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:33

LlamaDharma · 19/02/2025 13:32

How are you only paying £70 a month for both gas and electricity combined? Have you spoken to Stepchange at all? They might be able to work out payment plans for you or free up money in other areas.

I don't have direct debits, that's what I put on my utilities each month and that covers them.

OP posts:
Stresshead84x · 19/02/2025 13:32

chocolateface · 19/02/2025 12:07

If your boiler broke do you have the means for a new one? I speak as someone who had to live with no boiler for two years. I might be a good idea just to look for cheaper insurance.

I agree, my boiler is 11 years old and I've just had to have a big repair done and looking like it might need replaced- no way I could afford to pay for a new one, a small monthly payment that covers repairs and maintenance is definitely worth it for me, I cover all my appliances and it doesn't add up to a lot a month but I've had a new washing machine and a few repairs on my oven and fridge that would have been over my budget.

LlamaDharma · 19/02/2025 13:32

How are you only paying £70 a month for both gas and electricity combined? Have you spoken to Stepchange at all? They might be able to work out payment plans for you or free up money in other areas.

Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:32

Bjorkdidit · 19/02/2025 13:31

Didn't the boiler cover pay for the boiler bill? Isn't that the whole point of it?

Show quote history

I only got the boiler cover after that. So I've only had that cover this month so far

OP posts:
Bjorkdidit · 19/02/2025 13:31

Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:27

The card isn't maxed out but out of £2300 limit i only have £300 available. It was £500 but then i had the unexpected boiler bill. If I could get it to 50% so £1150 I'd be happy with that. I am due a £1475 refund not sure if i mentioned upthread but it's just a waiting game.
I have a personal loan which was £1500 and I've paid £120 back (only got the loan a month ago)
Then I've got about £400 overdraft and I think that's it.

Didn't the boiler cover pay for the boiler bill? Isn't that the whole point of it?

Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:31

Thanks for the tutoring I have heard about the £1000 limit. Made a couple of hundred so far but tbh I might stop it once I can start the bank care home role (just waiting on DBS)

OP posts:
Itsnotallaboutyoulikeyouthink · 19/02/2025 13:30

My boiler cover is £6.5 per month. Essential for me as if it needs replacing I can’t afford to replace.

Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:30

OneGentleFinch · 19/02/2025 13:29

Can I ask about the student loan? This is usually deducted ‘at source’ at the same time as tax, pension and NI, and therefore wouldn’t usually factor into a budget. Are you paying extra off every month?
Also re: tutoring, if you earn over £1000/tax year, you’ll need to fill in a self-assessment tax return, or ask an accountant to do that on your behalf, which could be a few hundred pounds

I lived abroad for a few years when I was younger. There was a year I couldn't produce a payslip for so they've said I owe them £1400. So as well as it being deducted at source I pay them £30 a month, think I have about £500 left.

OP posts:
OneGentleFinch · 19/02/2025 13:29

Can I ask about the student loan? This is usually deducted ‘at source’ at the same time as tax, pension and NI, and therefore wouldn’t usually factor into a budget. Are you paying extra off every month?
Also re: tutoring, if you earn over £1000/tax year, you’ll need to fill in a self-assessment tax return, or ask an accountant to do that on your behalf, which could be a few hundred pounds

Original poster
Catsarekings123 · 19/02/2025 13:27

The card isn't maxed out but out of £2300 limit i only have £300 available. It was £500 but then i had the unexpected boiler bill. If I could get it to 50% so £1150 I'd be happy with that. I am due a £1475 refund not sure if i mentioned upthread but it's just a waiting game.
I have a personal loan which was £1500 and I've paid £120 back (only got the loan a month ago)
Then I've got about £400 overdraft and I think that's it.

OP posts:
Iscrewedupbadly · 19/02/2025 13:23

MyFlightWasAwfulThanksForAsking · 18/02/2025 14:59

😮 I live alone and my mortgage is three times that! If you can afford to pay for TV and the gym and have pets (I have none of these things) you don't seem that badly off.

maybe your earnings are higher...just because OP is paying for something you are not doesn't mean she's doing alright ffs!

Katemax82 · 19/02/2025 13:20

Tbh your bills look quite low already. I'm guessing you use your credit cards, if you were in the situation where you have maxed them out and not actually spending on them you could use stepchange.org to do a debt management plan