been living beyond my means - now its crunch time

[thebluebeyond]

I've known this was coming for a couple of years, but each month have eaten further and further into my savings. Now my savings are gone, credit cards maxed, overdraft at limit, and I really have to get my spending in check. My mortgage is paid, so that isn't an issue. I have upped my hours at work, but that won't start for a couple more months. I'm going to apply for a transfer to a zero percent credit card, and eat out of the freezer and store cupboard for the foreseeable.

I've frozen gym membership, amazon prime, audible, any other subscriptions I can, I know I need to put in an insurance claim, but am bamboozled by the paper work. Not entitled to any benefits. I have been treated for cancer, and have had several major surgeries, and I suppose money has just not really been a priority in my head in recent years.

It has to be now though.

Any constructive suggestions gratefully received! And yes, I am expecting much criticism as well, dont worry, it will all wash over me.

I can empathise. I can also relate to more or leas ignoring finances throughout cancer treatment. You’ve been in survival mode.

It’s extremely easy to get started on Vinted and I sold all my unwanted shoes on it last summer, relatively easily. I would say the tricks are to:

Keep your expectations low. Mine generally went for £5 to £10 a pair. Think of it as getting money for something you didn’t want anyway.

Take lots of photos from every angle. You want your buyer to know exactly what they are getting, and so to be happy when it arrives, not disappointed or feel cheated. Describe any “defects” or flaws.

Be aware that you might possibly get cheated or run into some “not nice” people. I haven’t had this happen but it’s definitely a thing.

Some excellent advice by PPs. I’ve got nothing to add but wanted to say all done for taking such positive steps and I hope that your health battles are behind you.
Hugs x

Another thing about selling on Vinted: you will be surprised how much of your unwanted stuff will be of interest to people, as long as you are honest about the condition and realistic about your prices. I even sold a white backpack that had some mud stains on it - I photographed them and described what they were, I was completely honest about the condition. I got £12 for the backpack and a 5-star review. Happy buyer and happy me!

On the selling front, I would start with low volumes. It can be quite exhausting keeping up with the admin, and you don't want to overstretch yourself, especially if you can make bigger savings through switching providers for things.

Tackle the insurance claim. I don't know what it's for but might give you bigger returns for your time investment.

I would definitely agree with this. I would suggest seeing the Vinted selling as a bit of a game and a way of clearing stuff out, rather than something that’s going to make you too much money 😊

Thought I would add a link to Thrift. I may drag myself up to fill one of the bags today as I just saw they collect from your house! I was half dreading a trip to the post office! https://thrift.plus/clearout

bless you! I hope you feel better quickly xx

Re your insurance claim, if you are really stuck with it can you access citizens advice for help? The library may be able to point you at other assistance with it.

Can you re-negotiate any of your standing orders? I just switched one and now get the same service for half the price. I could kick myself!
Do you have a water meter?

Vinted is great, my top tip is to withdraw the money as soon as it comes in to stop you buying stuff on there!

I also accept all offers, just get that money rolling in !

Another recc for Vinted ... I'd never even done EBay before but started selling about 3 years ago. I'm very honest about condition and any flaws and if in doubt I always select a lower category condition so if anything my buyer will be even happier.

I use 2 postage methods and state this on every listing and it's never affected sales.

Considering I don't price my items crazy cheap I checked the app a few days ago and saw I've made over £600!!!! Which is amazing for stuff I would have given away to ungrateful relatives who have never once said thank you for all the gorgeous items I've given them

Small suggestion - some banks let you round up debit transactions and save the difference off to another account e.g. NatWest. You will be surprised how quickly you can save a little bit if your need some cash spare.

Also, check for forgotten subscriptions where they wanted your details but gave you 3 months free e.g. LinkedIn, the Times. They are relying on you to forget to cancel them.

The insurance paperwork - if it's too complicated, citizens advice are great at helping with things, maybe give them a call?

Being ill or injured is so expensive. Make sure you've looked up your car insurance, home insurance deals etc so they haven't just rolled over to expensive contracts without you realising, which is exactly the sort of thing that would happen while you're ill.

We ditched the landline a couple of years ago, haven't missed it once. As long as you live somewhere with decent mobile signal, I don't know why anyone keeps one now.

On a more general note, if you've not done it yet, go through the last couple of months of statements and chuck every single transaction in a spreadsheet and categorise it. I found it really helpful to do when skint, to realise that I was spending 5% of my pay on lunch at work, or £300 a month in the pub etc.

Hi OP,

I'm sorry about your illness, but pleased to hear that you are recovering. It's easy for us to say, but please don't kick yourself. You had a lot else to deal with and needed to prioritise your health at such a difficult time.

As other posters have said, selling unused items is helpful. I found vinted very easy to get used to- take good pictures, including front/ back/ inside bags/soles of shoes etc and photograph labels for washing instructions, sizing, branding etc. You can view similar items that are already listed to get an idea of an item's value.

When I needed to budget, I found the Money Saving Expert budgeting planner was a helpful framework to start (the website has a lot of helpful information). I also spent a month logging all of my expenses so that I could account for every penny. You are right to leave a few small treats, otherwise the budget will be co.pletely unsustainable.

I also found the 'too good to go' app helpful to save money on food- this will depend on where you live and having enough freezer space, but I was able to buy large boxes of fruit and veg (usually labelled as soup and smoothie boxes) with items that are just about to turn. I then spent that afternoon or the next morning cooking up large vats of casseroles/soups/stews so I had a stash of cheap healthy meals available. You can find a lot of recipes on online if you need some help using the combination of ingredients. It's probably not quite the season for this, but worth doing in autumn and winter when more root veg is in season I found (reading between the lines on your previous post, it seems that you have your own home?)

Also Pret A Manger and I think some others do a filter coffee which is only £1.60 instead of £3 something for a barista coffee.

Hi OP I'm sorry to hear about your cancer. You might have already done this, but if not, contact your local Maggie's centre for help. They'll have a benefits advisor who will be able to make sure you've got everything you're entitled to. Even if it is 'only' a Macmillan grant, it will be something.

We also ditched landline. You've just got to be sure your mobile always has charge.

Depending on how often the OP likes to go out, where her friends are happy to meet, and if there’s a Pret nearby, a Pret subscription might be an option. £30 a month might sound like a lot, but if there’s room in the budget for it then it can be a great way to get yourself out of the house regularly without feeling at all deprived.

Check the insurance claim terms, some have to be notified of the claim within a week or a month or whatever of it happening so make sure you are within the notification period. You may not have as much time as you think?

If it's too complex, as a pp said, yet citizens advice.

Had a landline and we never used it. Don't miss it at all! Good luck

re amazon etc:
All amazon subscriptions can easily be cancelled through the account on the site.

I didn't think any subscription would continue when you remove all payment methods as suggested by PP, I would think they'd cancel automatically. But this might affect your credit rating, which is probably not what you need.

Some people have had success with asking customer service for refund for unused months (for example if you didn't read any books through Kindle for the past two months and now cancel anyways).

But cancelleling the contract properly will enable you to still use your amazon account later when you need something. Just removing all cards and defaulting on payment could mean you can't sign on again in a different year.

re landline:
That probably depends on the area you live in. If it is more rural it might have worse mobile coverage, and a storm that fells the mobile towers or damages long-distance cables could lead to service outages. If you then need an ambulance or anything else urgent, there is no signal. Classic landlines usually still work. The decision depends both on your location, history of past mobile outages and how urgent you might need help for something.

Use your library, often have free book clubs, digital & kindle books, free events ect.
Meal plan & use similar ingredients/veg helps reduce costs, I ve started to just buy 'common fruits' instead of expensive berries that go off to soon!! Same with salads!!

Reusable water bottles for days out & a flask for picnics out with friends rather than not socialising plus fresh air... use your freezer when meat on sale ect.

This an odd one but.... if you use an exfoliate puff in the shower... wet it & put a squeeze of body wash & sods up... it last far longer and not half down the drain!!

When you buy garlic & ginger you can grate it in food processor & freeze.
I think it is important to have things to look forward too. No matter how small...