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Original poster

Living on 1k a month advice please

263 replies

Debtgalore · 01/08/2020 16:56

Hi MNers, long term poster but name changed as embarrassed.

Due to corona we've had a massive drop in income. We're still very lucky that we have £1,000 a month to live on (but that's significantly less than we're used to). Can we have any advice on how to make it stretch? There's two of us, two 10 year olds and a dog. It'll need to cover all food, petrol for 2 cars (we commute in opposite directions) and everything else.

Using the MSE boards we've made a budget for all our bills, switched energy suppliers, cancelled Sky, etc etc. The thousand is what's left over.

We sometimes shop at Aldi but will do this as our main shop now.

All help appreciated, I'm worried it won't go as far as we need.

Thank you,

OP posts:
SteelyPanther · 01/08/2020 21:29

If you’re going to the supermarket, know how much you can spend and take a calculator so you don’t go over.

itisntfriday0000000000l · 01/08/2020 21:39

www.companyshopgroup.co.uk/

Also as you are a nurse please look to see if there is a company shop near you. They are amazing!

SteelyPanther · 01/08/2020 21:45

Put a list on your freezer with everything in there on it.
That way you know what you’ve got and you won’t buy it again.
Also, list when the fresh stuff you have frozen needs to be eaten by.

Do the same with the fridge. List in date order when your meat/pies etc is going off.
Check your fridge frequently and put stuff close to going off at the front. Then tell the kids what needs eating.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General money
CurlsandCurves · 01/08/2020 21:46

@Lucylaine

£1000 after bills. Oh behave.

There's people on here that have deficits after bills and are running on credit at them moment.

If you earn enough to have that much left over, I'm sure you're smart enough to work out a bugdet. Stop spending on shit you don't need and goading people on MN.

I don’t think the op is being goading. She’s in a position she’s not found herself and her family in before and is asking for advice. Fortunately for her before now she’s had a lot more money and now she doesn’t and could do with some help.

What happened to women supporting women?

CoveredInBeeeees · 01/08/2020 21:56

Curls This with bells on. Everything is relative, fgs.

LeatherFlanny · 01/08/2020 22:02

I know a few people have mentioned it already but you can make quite a lot selling stuff on ebay/facebook. Get your kids involved in decluttering then helping to look up sold prices. You'll be surprised what you can make.

Dazzedandconfused · 01/08/2020 22:17

You've been given lots of great advice on here so just to add...
Get a nectar card and make a habit of buying petrol from sainsburys. I earn about £10 pm in points just from buying fuel.
Separate money for different things I.e Christmas savings account, petrol account etc and arrange a standing order the day you get paid. I have a seperate "fun' account that I save for holidays, nights out etc.
Plan meals weekly taking in to account what you can make with bulk buys. I.e larger bag of potatoes can do mash, boiled potatoes for dinner one night plus soup the next day.
Shop around with everything you buy and compare prices online
Also obvious one but take your own lunch and a flask of diluting juice to work instead of buying food and drinks.

Rose789 · 01/08/2020 22:27

A lot of good advice on this thread for food and meal planning.
You mentioned that you were in a lot of debt as a result of the business going under. It might be an idea to contact CAB or step change. If the debt is actually huge it could be beneficial for your husband to declare himself him bankrupt if it was his own company. If that isn’t possible I would look to pay as much as possible off the debt each month so reduce the £1000 considerably.

Snog · 01/08/2020 23:11

When my dd was young I used to plan our treats out of the tesco club card catalogue.

We had family days out, restaurant meals, ferry crossings, even our RAC subscription all on the points - so kind of free.

This was in no way miserable, I felt fortunate to be able to do things we couldn't afford otherwise.

Nowadays I would probably shop at Aldi as I find it to be 30% or so cheaper than Tesco. There are loads of youtubers showing you how to batch cook, menu plan and feed a family cheaply.

Boredbumhead · 01/08/2020 23:18

What 1000 after bills! You're fine! Even if you spend 150 per week on food. You have 400 left! Iceland for quality frozen fish, prawns, pizza, oven chips etc. Lidl for every thing else.

Boredbumhead · 01/08/2020 23:28

Home bargains for loo role and cleaning products.

GilderoyLockhart · 02/08/2020 03:19

Mumsnet -
Where any salary less than 'six figures' is considered measly yet having a whole £1k after bills is rolling in it Hmm.
We've got more disposable now and we often struggle month to month. Life is expensive!!

Namaste6 · 02/08/2020 04:51

Hi OP - sorry you have found yourself in this situation. Nothing to feel embarrassed about; it's happening all over. Some great practical advice on here though - Aldi, Collecting points with petrol purchase, meal planing, selling unwanted stuff on eBay to create a buffer etc etc.

I think for you though the help you really need is how to adjust mentally to a much reduced income. Check out the minimalists and other similar sites. They really help you rationalise what's important / necessary. It's not about not having / buying or doing anything, it's about having, buying or doing what's really important. I found it very helpful when we went from a very generous double income (that we had built a lifestyle and expectations around) to a single, precarious monthly income. Wishing you well. 🙏

eaglejulesk · 02/08/2020 05:12

That doesn’t seem much to me, so not sure why people are being so rude. A life of free days out, no takeaways, no meals out, no alcohol or treats doesn’t sound much fun, so I get where you’re coming from.

Wow, just wow. Do you seriously think living on that amount, after the bills are paid, is difficult? Some people on MN simply haven't got a clue.

lovelemoncurd · 02/08/2020 05:15

Start match betting you will make up the shortfall in no time.

fairydustandpixies · 02/08/2020 05:17

You're so blessed! You have no idea how bloody blessed you are!

Unbelievable...

Silverbirch89 · 02/08/2020 05:27

I would recommend asking for advice on the moneysavingexpert.com forum rather than here. There is a lot of information on there on budgeting.

Ploughingthrough · 02/08/2020 06:01

I think people are being a bit harsh to you op. After your bills, mortgage and essential fuel you have 800 pounds a month for a family of 4, including two ten year olds who will be growing fast and probably starting to eat more.
I've had to live on less in the past, and to save money we started eating a lot less meat. I learnt to cook with lentils and chickpeas, and we ate a lot of eggs. Buy your pasta and rice in bulk, and shop at a cheaper supermarket.
Put 20 quid aside each week to cover birthdays and xmas when they come up.
Forget takeways for a while.
Buy good quality clothing that lasts better. Look on ebay for bundles of decent clothes that are often barely worn.
It takes a while to adjust to a drop in income but you will get used to it.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 02/08/2020 06:59

Mumsnet -Where any salary less than 'six figures' is considered measly yet having a whole £1k after bills is rolling in it hmm so true, from 800quid being enough for two foreign holidays by putting away £20 a month, to anything less than 100k meaning you have to cull the cleaner.

as a middle income earner it seems to me OPs dilemma it will manageable if painfully managed but at times tight

AutumnLeavesSeptember · 02/08/2020 07:17

Yes, do get professional advice about the debt. Visit the money saving expert debt free wannabe forum. It's brilliant! I'm really sorry that you're in this situation Thanks

SandysMam · 02/08/2020 07:19

Sorry to hear about your husbands business OP, reduced income AND debt is scary so don’t worry about feeling worried. It was probably just the title of your thread that got people going, if you’d called it husband lost job, money saving tips please, it probably would have gone a different way.

Do you have any savings at all or is the £1000 a month it completely? Have you taken a mortgage break etc? If you are part time, can you increase your hours or do bank shifts?
If you have no savings, the Dave Ramsey method of trying to build £1000 emergency fund is good. Do bank shifts, sell on eBay, whatever you can to get that £1000 together then put it somewhere you can’t touch it. A couple of mega frugal food weeks will help with this. Be honest with your kids. Tell them you are all fine and are so lucky to have what you do but money is a bit tight at the moment. A good chance for them to learn about budgeting. People try to protect kids from money issues but in reality, this does them no favours.
Do you know anyone with older girls who might have some clothes to hand down? I always ask friends, and I say it’s because I am on an environmental mission!
Use up all beauty products etc and try not to buy anything new unless you really need it.
Good luck!

SteelyPanther · 02/08/2020 07:22

Also, keep an eye on Freecycle as something might come up that you want. Such as a bigger bike as the kids grow.

Deathraystare · 02/08/2020 07:33

I wonder how much you would spend on Christmas and Birthdays? You could probably cut down there at least? Do you have many presents to buy. It is worth mentioning now to friends and family that you will be cutting back (and they should too as far as presents to you go). We have all been guilty of paying too much for frankly crap.

I remember our Grandma worrying what to buy us years ago. At first my mum aid not to bother but that upset Grandma. So I suggested a box of quality street each. This was before the £5 tubs! Do you know, we really looked forward to those boxes each year! I am not suggesting that as a present but definitely don't spend as much. Now might be the time to giving cards and gifts to those that don't give back!

Also search for frugal cooking sites - in fact anything frugal online. You mention MSE online and that is very good - especially the 'Old School' stuff - like cleaning and cooking on a budget.

There is only one of me and no pets but I have had to learn the hard way when unemployed and now I do not work every day/week or month but as and when I need to (still searching for a full time job!). Not as grim as when I was on job seekers allowance. My meals were spaghetti with a dab of marg (could not afford onions/garlic/herbs/tomato puree etc) or white bread and butter. No wonder I was so ill. I always laughed at people who said eat fruit, it is cheap, not a few days after I was paid it wasn't! . I always prided myself on a full stock cupboard but that soon dwindled to nothing!

Deathraystare · 02/08/2020 07:43

I mean work as and when I was needed not when I needed to! I really need to all the time

Deathraystare · 02/08/2020 07:48

What happened to women supporting women?

Exactly, it must be very hard to come down from a very good salary!

I went from £24K, the best I had ever earned down to - well the most I reckon I could earn at the moment being around £800k but that amount is if I would work every day for a month, I think. I do sometimes get help from Universal Credit towards my rent but it depends how much I earnt during a certain time period but it is rare for me to work a whole week.