Please advise me financially

[TryASoapBar]

We currently have about £5 (literally) left over after everything is paid for each month. I'm on maternity leave.

I go back to a new job next month. Not only can I afford to work part time in this new job, it's only 18 hours and the money I'll be on makes me weep a little bit. We have been struggling a lot lately.

I'm hoping the wisdom of MN would give me some financial advice if I break down outgoings? It's just me, DS and DH.

Outgoings:

Rent - £930
TV package - £30
Netflix - £10
Spotify - £15
Living room furniture - £30
Gas and eclectic supplier - £110
Loan - £130
My phone - £35
DH's phone - £20
Council Tax - £160
Water bill - £25
Credit car DH - £100
My credit card - £50
Food shopping - £200
DH's vaping stuff - £120

Our new income (monthly), will be £3,200.

Can we realistically afford to save a bit and live comfortably with luxuries?

I'm really not great at estimating. It'll be nice to breathe easily for once :)

What about clothes, toys, days out, gifts, repairs, dental and eye checks, gas service and all the other things you are missing.

Honestly?

Rent - £930
TV package - £30 - expensive get rid
Netflix - £10 - why is this so high? Either get rid altogether or cut to 1 screen
Spotify - £15 - unnecessary get rid there's umpteen free streaming of music and digital radio stations
Living room furniture - £30 - bought on credit? What are the terms? Personally I think it's unnecessary to buy furniture on credit I've never done it. Bought cheap or obtained free through freecycle or FB pages etc
Gas and eclectic supplier - £110 - that's very high have you tried comparison sites and reducing usage?
Loan - £130 - what was the original loan for? How much is still outstanding and what are the terms?
My phone - £35 - when does contract end? Soon as you can go to sim only which can be as cheap as £7.50 pcm
DH's phone - £20 as for your phone
Council Tax - £160
Water bill - £25 - are you on a meter?
Credit car DH - £100 - interest rate? How much left owing?
My credit card - £50 - as for dh's
Food shopping - £200 - that's high could easily be reduced
DH's vaping stuff - £120 - insane! Dh needs to quit to be honest.

Total £1965

Leaves £1235 over at the end of the month. In theory.

Where else is your money going?

It doesn't make sense to save when you have £310 Pcm going out to pay debts!

Get the unnecessary spending and the debts sorted first.

Childcare £450
Car? What's the costs total there?

"he isn't willing to budge on the vaping" sorry but tough shit! If you (as a FAMILY) can't afford it he needs to grow the fuck up and make compromises! The Spotify & Netflix (and I suspect tv package) are down to him too - he needs to get a clue! You can't have champagne tastes on a beer budget!

Frankly your post is somewhat offensive to those GENUINELY struggling which you are not.

As you now have a child, you need to be more responsible. As you have a car on motability that means you're already significantly disabled. If you were to become more so such that you're unable to work where does that leave you financially? Benefits are no picnic and tbh from what you've already said I can see your dh being a nightmare for trying to follow a TRULY tight budget.

How old are you both?

Honestly without wanting to sound preachy I am in a comfortableish position, but couldn’t justify sky/virgin, Netflix and Spotify. I would cancel all three and get amazon prime (which gives you music and tv/movie streaming) and cancel the rest. Also vaping I know it’s personal as it would be easy for me to say “just stop” as a non smoker, but that amount sounds ridiculous.

So DH decided he got all the luxury money, did he? Nice. I know your position is about to improve, but that attitude still needs tackling. Because it's very telling and also very unpleasant.

I would 're write your budget including childcare , petrol , food shopping how much you actually spend as you seem to have underestimated a bit, do you get takeaways , coffees , lunch out ECT? I tho k it sounds like you don't really want to cut down loads and want to have some luxuries so obviously you could cut down a lot of more if you wanted to. Then say if you have 500 left I'd try to save 100 , pay extra 100 from debt , then you would have some savings and be paying the debt off quicker but also have 300 a month to spend on what you want. I would look at your gas and electric though that seems loads and as others have said what is your husbands an with vaping ? is he not planning on quitting ?

oh and pay the furniture off asap

Is this seriously for real???! I can't believe it is.

I have lost count of the number of times people tell me to get a proper phone (on contract) and get internet. I simply cannot afford it so I don't. If I had to cut back then those tv packages would be the first to go and if you have to seriously budget then your partner really needs to cut back on vaping. You may well like the packages. I am sure I would as well!!!

Reduce your gas and electric use.

Get rid of Netflix and spottily. Watch free view and listen to the radio.

Stop vaping!

Get those debts paid of ASAP as quick as possible with any extra.

Your food bill has a bit of room to be cut down by £10 or £20 too.