... to think I CAN manage on this income

[lilachair]

I think I can, but I am recently out of a marriage where money wasn't really a problem, so I'm getting used to budgeting, and its tricky. It will be a while before my divorce settlement comes through, and I really don't want to go into debt.

So, after my rent and all my bills are paid, I'll have £120 a week left over. But that will be for all extras, food, clothes (haha.) toiletries, school trips, Brownies etc.

I can do that can't I? Also, any tips very gratefully received.

How many of you are there?

Is that including money from your ex towards the kids, or without?

how long do you reckon til divorce settlement comes?

it IS do-able

Newidentity Me, DD1 10, DD2 8, and a ginormous lurcher.

squeakytoy yes, that includes maintenance for the children

Raisin a few months probably. I'm working on around 4, hoping it will be 3. But even then, I wont want to be dipping into that every month. This is the figure really for the next year. I'm going to college next month, and then hopefully University this time next year. But there will be other benefits and bursaries for that. So not quite as tight.

Yep, you'll be fine. Shop in aldi and just try to spend as little as possible all of the time, penny pinching can actually be addictive. I imagine you'll have some weeks with money leftover that you can save for big purchases such as shoes and coats for kids. Do use much petrol though as that us my main expense?

I live on £600-700/month in London with 2 small kids, this is after paying mortgage/bills. I work so this includes lunch at work. If you don't work, £120 per week is doable.

fish Really? Oh thank you that's cheered me up. Yes, I will be using a fair bit of petrol, but I tend to get it at Tesco where it is cheap and I get the clubcard points. Got £8.50 in vouchers this month . I live in a little village in the middle of nowhere, so it's unavoidable.

The girls' dad has plenty of money that he is trying desperately not to give me in the divorce settlement so I will have no hesitation in telling his mum him when they need coats and shoes and school stuff, I think.

I think that sounds doable.

Have you looked to see what benefits you would also be entitled to? Or is that including benefits? Tax credits if you're working?

Is that after car running costs are taken out?
I think it's perfectly do-able. Shop somewhere like aldi and you'll manage fine. I'd try to manage on as little as pos - £70 a week for food and clubs and try to save the rest for bigger things as and when they're necessary.

confusedperson ok, thank you. This is giving me confidence

squishy not really car costs, no. my car is taxed and insured for a year, so don't need to worry about that. But other stuff... no...

folkgirl Good, thank you. Yes, that is all benefits included, I'm getting tax credits, housing benefit and Child Benefit.
Once I get my college timetable I will see if I can squeeze some part time work in. I did work for a bit, on a short term contract, stopped in June, and it has taken til now to get benefits sorted out. This is why I only know now what I'm going to be living on.

my car is taxed and insured for a year, so don't need to worry about that

Will you be able to save the money to pay for these next year, and what about car maintenance and other irregular costs, such as Christmas, holidays, vet bills?

One of the most important aspects of budgetting is dealing with these, so you can easily pay for irregular items and its less of a worry if the car fails the MOT etc.

I think it would be do-able. I would think that you could probably get away with spending £40 per week or less on food per week, especially if you shop at Aldi or Lidl, as someone else has already mentioned.

It's scary, but when DS was born I ended up a single parent on benefits (totally not my choice, totally unexpected) and I found it to be quite manageable.

I also went to university and lived on student finance for 3 years. As far as that goes, make sure you get all your finance forms in early and apply for any assistance the university offers as soon as you can. I'm rubbish at that sort of thing and lost out on university grants I would have been entitled to purely because there is a finite pot of money and it's allocated first come first served.

Good luck.

Bulk shopping and batch cooking is the way to go!

Do you have any big costs due over the next 6 months? I'm thinking house/contents insurance, AA/RAC, etc? I used to volunteer for the Prince's Trust, and it was those predictable but irregular costs which used to trip up the start-up businesses I mentored.

lizziemint Thank you this is what I needed. As I said above, this is for a year, and after that my income will go up a bit. Also I am waiting for my divorce settlement to come, but don't know when, it will not be more than a year. I think what I'll do is what squishy said whatever is left over at the end of the week goes into a savings account for emergencies. It's so important to me that I finally get to start college and do something with my life after not having been allowed to do anything for so long.

Quite a scary time, but also very exciting! You won't recognise yourself at the end of it.

What do you want to study?

Quite a lot of living on a budget is "all in the mind" - you must constantly think "I have no money". The instant you think "oh well I have a few quid spare" you let go of the reins so to speak and before you know it, you've overspent. If you can, carry cash rather than using a debit card, and then you are aware of exactly how much you're spending and have left. Don't buy anything unecessary - not a cup of coffee, not a few sweets for the DCs, without thinking it over. Once you're into the habit it gets easier to do, it's when you first start that it's hard. It's doable, you have more left than we do each week and we have 4DCs still at home. It just takes care

Crosstraineraddict do you have any tips on a 40-pounds-a-week shop? I'm definitely going to Aldi. What do you buy/eat?

Folkgirl Oh well done you for doing it though. Ok, I am the worlds worst procrastintor, but I will now bear that in mind. Thank you.

Cinnabar Nothing I can think of, except Christmas, and I have the girls main present already paid for (x-factor tour tickets - so will need to be saving for the trip to London, I suppose...) I have the car MOT next week, and enough to cover that barring total disaster, then that's it. But I will have another think and a double-check, thank you.

Folkgirl I've just enrolled on the Access to Nursing course, and I want to do the Adult Nursing degree next year. I have wanted to do it forever, I'm so excited

Pom I have already found that if I know I have £10 to spare I spend £50. This is going to be hard, but I am going to take your points about No Money. We have None. This will be my mantra.

lilachair my main tip would be to eat less meat. We only have meat maybe once or twice a week now and the rest of the time I cook vegetarian meals and it is so much cheaper. Pulses are generally low cost and really do bulk out a meal, and eggs are also a cheap source of protein. Vegetable curry is a really popular meal in our house; it costs under £3 to feed 5 of us. I use Sainsburys basics curry sauce, I think it's 29p and it's delish.

Buy porridge and other value cereals for breakfasts. And meal plan as much as possible.

I think you need to track what you are spending. Either set up a spreadsheet on excel and note down everything you spend or withdraw £120 at the start of the week from your bank account and only use that cash. If you don't track it then you can very easily go over the £120 freshhold.

I agree with the others about meal planning too, this can save a fortune. If you can then i would advise shopping online, you can see how much you are spending, can meal plan and cannot impulse buy. Depending on the supermarket and the delivery time, the delivery can be far cheaper than driving to and back.

Coming back to the point about 'little' purchases like a coffee or a packet of sweets, this is really helpful www.moneysavingexpert.com/income/demohohotivator/