To ask for budgeting advice

No because you end up a never ending cycle of debt.

for me this is what worked and now I don’t have any debt I cannot pay in full each month or is a planned spending.

I sound like a loon….

put all your figures on outgoings and incoming into ChatGPT and ask where efficiencies and improvements can be made. Also state what policies you have with what utility providers and ask for more affordable alternatives. It will run a deep search - take 10/15 mins.

I know people will be horrified but it’s maths - you’re spending more than you’re earning. There will be better policies than the ones you will likely have. It’s pretty clever. Lose nothing - give it a shot. Taking advice from strangers is no different, for all you know everyone on here is horrific with money and have terrible debt.

You need to do both - to get into good habits so you don't get into debt again. I currently owe about £500 on my credit card (just bought something, it was 0 before) and I have £1200 in my rainy day pot. I could have paid outright but made the decision to put it on the credit card.
My income is not steady and I feel I need that security. I can afford to make payments on the cc and will be overpaying so I pay it off ASAP.

But if you already have debt, it makes sense to pay that off before saving.

How much interest are you paying a month?

If you don’t save an emergency fund you end up spending on a credit card in an emergency.

having an emergency fund is operative IMHO

I second this. What you need to look for in the DebtFree Wannabee forum. You'll find there a template for a "statement of accounts" (SOA). Fill that out based on what's on your bank statements for the last 2 - 3 months. Average out your income.

You need to get a realistic picture of what exactly you spend each month and that will tell you how much, if anything, you have to chuck at your debts. The aim should be to get it down so you are paying no, or at least minimal, interest as that's just a waste of your hard earned ££.

If you post a copy back on the MSE forum helpful debt advice types will give you ideas on how to tighten up your budget or highlight where your blind spots are.

Have you checked if you are entitled to UC to top your wages up?

I am paid weekly on a zero hours contract so work is variable eg one day last week, 3 the week before. We are a 'family' of 3, oh doesn't work and we have one at school so get UC. The relief when we paid off the last credit card(£100) - OH's!

I still have a credit card which I use for essentials eg glasses and I pay back ASAP but without leaving us short. I pay the minimum monthly plus £10 for each day I have worked weekly. It soon goes down. I also pay the interest if any each month as I don't want to pay interest on interest!
Also I have a Chase account with saving pots and put £10 for each day I've worked into my rainy day pot. I also have pots for the car, christmas presents and my dd. I have a target and once I reach it I leave it. I also have a Help to Save account and save £50 a month which I plan on giving dd when she goes to university as it matures then.

Could you take out a 0% credit card and use it to consolidate your loans?

If you have access to credit, i.e. a higher limit on a credit card or overdraft facility than the balance owed, then I suggest you don't save up an 'emergency' fund first before paying debt - the credit card or overdraft will do for emergencies.
Instead, pay the card(s)/overdraft down ASAP. The more unused credit limit you have, the safer you will be in case of emergency.

I shop in charity shops/Ebay
No eyebrows/eyelashes/nails treatments
I do get my hair cut every few months, but I colour my own hair
No luxury holidays or expensive hobbies
Shop at lower cost supermarkets
Don't really go to expensive restaurants
Don't drink alcohol or smoke

You are already living quite cheaply. The answer is to increase your income.

Meanwhile, watch the pennies and don't go 'shopping' for leisure, and always got into a supermarket with a list and a meal plan - every single thing you buy should be pre-planned, never on impulse.
If you see something you want, wait three days then if you still want it go back and get it. If it is gone, never mind, just tell yourself you won't miss what you never had.

You need to know where your money is going in order to save.

Set up a spreadsheet and mirror your bank account in it, then analyse the expenditure.
If you use cash, stop & put everything on your card - it's easier to track when it goes through your bank account.

Then really look at your expenditure; maybe you do a big supermarket shop but then pop in and pick up a few bits every 2/3/4 days and it's £20 each time, maybe lunch is costing you more than you realised - make it at home & take it in, maybe that odd coffee is actually a toasties, a cake & a coffee & its 2 or 3 times a week - that's £50

There are 3 types of expenditure

• necessary - make sure you've got the best rates possible for energy, phone, broadband insurances, etc. Meal plan/bulk cook & freeze to avoid waste
• nice - cancel any old/little used subscriptions, allow yourself £x per week for yourself
• luxury - dont spend in this category until you've got some debt down & got some savings..

Once the debt is gone treat saving as a necessary expense.

Oh, & dont give up paying into your pension - you'll always regret that down the line.

You really should aim to clear your debts completely. It’s very worrying that having debt has become so normalised to some people that you’re not even that bothered by it. I find it bizarre that someone would aim for debt to be a certain percentage of their income, rather than seeing it as a problem to be got rid of. Being blunt you will never sort your finances without a massive shift in your fundamental attitude. Step one being: stop expecting to be in significant debt and seeing that as unproblematic.

Try the (free and very simple) rebel finance school course, it changes lives.

Can you get a consideration loan at a low interest rate to move all the other debts, then you have one payment?

Take a few months to log every penny of income and outgoings. Only then, you can budget and plan. Look at the patterns and see where you can make small incremental savings.

You have a tight budget with not much wiggle room so may have to be creative.

Do you only have one bedroom? If you have a spare room that could act as a bedroom renting it out is how I paid off my mortgage. My tenant was lovely and stayed for 7 years!

Op grab a pen and paper, go on your internet banking and write down everything that's come out of your account in the last month. Bills (including all debts, subscriptions, food and nescacerries -i know that's not spelt right but I'm in a hurry and autocorrect isn't doing it's job 😂) itemized in 1 section. All other stuff in another section, I.e eating out etc. You need all of it but in order to help you we need the bills and other stuff plus net pay (ignore overtime as it's not Guaranteed, we need a guaranteed starting line). Are you paid weekly, monthly or luna? Xx

I managed to get rid of my debt by consolidating it onto one credit card, I just took out the lowest interest one I could get. After a while of paying each month I qualified for a lower interest one, and then again. I now have a 0% card which I handle as below-

i transfer any ‘cash’ (so direct debit/standing orders and actual cash I need for the month out of my current account and then I pay the rest of my wages onto my credit card. Which I then use for the month.

someone will likely be along shortly to tell me that this is TERRIBLE advice but I’m just passing on what worked for me

might not work for others but it had for me. Gone from about £8k debt to £1k a month on my credit card (but I’m a want it buy it kind of person 😆 so this doesn’t bother me)

Also should add that new style bank account like starling has saving pots to help you budget. So I would open one of those for a spending account

I use to get paid weekly and varibly as a supply teacher but it is harder
To manage but this system makes the lean times not so lean!

Assuming we are taking money management - having three account system is the best- a spending account where I transfer say £500 a month (on the first)for non direct debit expenses. Then the salary and a direct debits keep ticking over. and add a savings account for n emergency fund.

Its tricky with weekly pay but at the end of the month (the day before the 1st) reconvene and see how much you have a pay of a Chunk of debt.

Before you start to erode the debt save an emergency fund of 1k.
Then pay of the smallest debt first
For spending write down evething you need now and for the rest of the year- hair cuts, clothes, gifts, trips, shoes, costs, birthdays, pets, travel, home essentials, maintenance, holidays prescription or medicines.

Set it up using your base salary.
Use a take home pay calculator to work this out.

The easiest savings I have made involved taking lunch to work, and not buying food at work.

It saves £5 per day. Instead you can make lunch easily at home for £1, using supermarket ingredients. Savings are £80 a month. Better tasting too, and only takes 10 minutes each evening.

That would wipe out your credit card debt in a year, on its own.

OK, are you doing the obvious: minimum payments on the lowest APR debt and as much as you can afford on the highest APR?

Head to Moneysavingexpert - a great website and the forums are good too.

How much are you left with after all of your bills are paid? It’s tough living alone and managing all the bills that’s for sure.

I find I'm an all or nothing kind of person, so the easiest way to control my spending is to spend "nothing".

Obviously there are some things you can't avoid, but when I'm saving, I set a time limit and don't buy and "stuff" at all during that period. Most of what we think we need we can manage without if need be. I also have a policy of absolutely no buying drinks or snacks out, always take it with me. It seems very tight, but makes a big difference without any real hardship.

This. Get it all on a spreadsheet so you know where you stand.

There’s a big point in reaching £0 debt as it will free up your income for other things in life - whether it’s essentials like food, or building your wealth like savings, pension, investments.