To be so sick of being broke?

did you not appeal? both of my DC are severely disabled and I always had to work. We also got turned down for DLA and had to appeal to tribunal. It's hard but sometimes, you have to go all the way.

Well when you are saying you can’t afford £6 on Benadryl but paying out for non essentials the message you are sending is not one of prioritising the most important things in life is it?
You can’t have it both ways - either you don’t have the money for essential medication or you do but are choosing to spend the money on other thjnfs

VPNs, weight loss drugs on private prescriptions, expensive phone contracts and super expensive broadband aren't luxuries. You clearly aren't very good work money (don't mean that as a attack - you also have a lot of debts which are testament to it). But this is how people end up in debt and not coping - by spending money on things they really don't need.

Yep. This is the col crisis for many people. Low wages, many hours, expensive food / bills / anything. It’s hard for lots of people.

And also ref the weight loss drugs, worth it for you. Less £ spent on food and less likely to be ill / less likely that being overweight would make an illness worse, as you’ve lost / continue to lose weight.

You probably could spend less on food if you batch cooked / made stuff from scratch, but that takes time (and freezer space).

You def don’t need to pay for VPN, work should do that.

Otherwise yep, you and millions of others 🙈.

I’m sorry to hear that.

im autistic and so are my children. It’s tough.

@PrincessC0nsuelaBananaHammock your comments are a good example of how the cycle of not getting ahead self perpetuates.
You’ve scrimped so much so long you think you “deserve” XYZ, and can’t see how giving up ABC would help.
Moan away BUT it’s a terrible example to set for your teens.

How much does the tax rebate save?

The problem is everything is so expensive now compared to wages. I sympathise with you it’s really tough and horrible. I feel like there doesn’t feel like there is anything to look forward to anymore. It’s not like you are being frivolous these are just normal things you are paying for. Things seemed so much easier years ago with a lot less money imo 🥰

Are you claiming the tax rebate for WFH? My IT company (also WFH) reassure me that I don’t need a VPN. If you need one for work, claim it back.

could you negotiate lower debt repayments?

And why is there council tax debt?

This . .. We dont know how you acquired so much debt so I won't comment on that, but while you are paying it off you need to minimise your outgoings and if possible increase what you have coming in .
Both your adult children have an income and need to make a small contribution to household costs .
You need to cancel or reduce anything that won't incur a penalty , eg gym ,weight loss meds and subscriptions.

I understand these are valuable to you but they are not essential in the short term .
Your food bill is high , even for 4 adults. Try to trim this by 50-100 per month minimum .
See if you can renegotiate any debt payments over a slightly longer period .
When are your council tax arrears and fuel bill debt due to be paid off .
I was once in a position where debt became hard to manage and we had to make some very tough choices to enable us to become debt free.

Hi OP. How much longer are you paying off the debts? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? It’ll be noticeable when those are paid off for sure.

What are the subscriptions for?

I do think your groceries are high - can these be reduced at all?

Moneysavingexpert is a great website. The forums are good and were a lifesaver when I was in debt.

On MW it’s very unwise to pay for a private weight loss drug and then moan that you’re struggling.

Hi OP, your income is going less far than it could because of debt repayments. If you've not done so already, you should contact a regulated debt charity for free help with your debts - such as Stepchange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice etc You might be able to get the debts written off or made more affordable at least.

£450 for gas and electricity in summer is quite a lot. How much is for arrears? The energy companies have grants you can apply for, potentially wiping out arrears. Who is your supplier?

As well as getting debt advice, I think you could look to see if some of your outgoings could be reduced. For example, I WFH too and require decent broadband but mine is less than £30pcm. Check out the 'Money Makeover' on MSE: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/money-help/

Good luck!

It’s very tight OP. I’d agree with others that food is on the high side, so as a realistic (I hope) step look at how many meals each week / £ and then plan a few very cheap ones - veg soup and cheese toasties or garlic bread, egg and chips and so on.

On the bright side some of that is going to stop eventually, and make life much more comfortable.

I'd stop the weightloss drugs, gym membership and VPN immediately. Revisit the subscriptions. About 150/month.

The phones can switch to PAYG once the contracts are up - and the kids can pay for their own phones. Another £50 a month
The gas, water and counciltax will all drop once the debts are paid - how long til the first finishes? That's around another 400/month. Add all the above up, and you will suddenly have slack in the budget.

A lowly minimum wage worker? Bro I'm on benefits as a carer for my disabled husband so I'm in no position look down on anyone.

It's a fact that you are skint cos of stuff you don't need. You know this.

Weightloss meds are obviously needed by some people, ignor anyone saying otherwise. I wish my mum had used them, being obese killed her