to wonder what the fuck to do now? (Immediate financial problem)

[Margaritte]

We are on a very tight budget for the next couple of months. We know this, and have got advice from StepChange & I posted a thread on here for recipe /shopping advice.

However, today our card declined trying to pay for £22 or so worth of shopping. We were not expecting that, and now I am very worried and starting to panic

We have some food in for dinners. No packed lunch food though, for ds1 & 2 and dh. We have no milk (well, enough for a bottle tonight for dd) and are down to 3 nappies.

Payday isn't until end of next week, so have to do something until then.

chandelierswinger I went and had a look the other day, as it was suggested on here. I wasn't sure which one was meant though, as I found Feed your family for £20 a week and Feed your family for about £20 a week. They both had a FB page & a website. Although each one has a different cooking style (I think so). Which one is it?

Hi margaritte , would you consider making a potatoe and leek soup and you could add in the carrots and onions. You could then freeze portions of it. That would be a wholesome lunch.

margaritte pan haggerty is a good way of using potatoes and onions , and a meal in itelf allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/5658/pan-haggerty.aspx
Or you could add a bit of cabbage to make bubble and squeak, which can be frozen.

Magaritte , when I have the odd veg about , usually swede , carrots , onions and leeks , I just chop them into various sizes,and freeze them . Then put them in pies , stews, etc from frozen . Apparently some methods say you should blanch stuff , but I never have. I turn spare potatoes into wedges - chop into size , put in freezer bag with a tiny bit of oil and some dried herb , mush about a bit then bung in the freezer. Works for me .

Also have a look at slow cooker recipies 4 families on FB, it's a fantastic site.

To answer your question - yes Cauliflower Cheese can be frozen. But under-cook the cauliflower to allow for heating up again (I usually also leave it whole to help with firmness whilst freezing. When you put a fork into it on re-heating it was 'fall' into pieces/portions)

Someone else on Mumsnet asked that question

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food/130870-freezing-cauliflower-cheese-instructions-please

Welcome to the thread adorabubble. This really is MN at its best.

We are always advised by MNHQ to make sure we only give what we can afford emotionally, financially and in RL meeting-up. But I guess you have already judged that you can pass on your re-usable nappies without an affect on your family. Thank you

Margaritte, if you would PM me your details too so I can send you something small.

I too was in your position with 2 children after leaving my EA exh, I was bad with depression and off sick from work to which they decided with no notice to stop my sick pay = no money at all coming in. It was a black period in my life, I forgo meals to make sure my children had dinner but was too proud/scared to tell anyone what a mess I was in (and subsequently run up debts using a CC to pay for everything !!).

I'm now remarried and in a much better place, better paid job and life is looking good so would like to pay it forward too. I'm afraid the kids are too old for me to have anything of any use clothes wise for your DD (and I do already bag up and pass on anything to a few friends).

So glad you've been brave enough and hope things improve sometime soon x

OP I've just thought: If you've had credit or loans in the past might you have been sold payment protection insurance (PPI)?

I claimed last year for a loan from 12 years ago - Natwest paid me 2k - 1k in interest on the payment I made! It honestly took me ten minutes to fill in the form - so don't even think about paying a company to claim on your behalf - that's a swizz. Took about 3 weeks to come through.

Worth a try

Hello Adorabubble I have pmed you, thank you for posting on here too

Thanks for all the recipe suggestions. Last night I made spaghetti with a 3rd of the packet of mince, a jar of sauce, lentils, grated carrots, onions, stock cubes & garlic. I cant believe how far it went, just by adding a handful of lentils & other bits. I only used 250g of mince, and it fed the 5 of us with leftovers

So I have 500g left in the open packet, and I want to try and make 2 more meals and freeze.

Boobyooby Glad things are better for you . Everyone that is sharing how they used to be in this position, and are now out of it, helps me to realise I can get out of it, even if it takes a while.

Girlwhowearsglasses I will look into that, we have, except from about 10-12yrs ago also.

Where are you based? I'm in Scotland and could help with nappies

Today is very hard. Pay day was yesterday, and it's all either been paid or allocated into bills, and we just keep falling short I feel so frustrated, and it's just so draining. I am so thankful to everyone who has advised, or organised food & nappies etc, I have no idea what I would have done without that help. It takes so much pressure off me to know the basic is covered.

Can someone please advise me on what to start with today? I have DVD's to finish listing for musicmagpie, more items to list on FB to sell, meals to finish planning, cooking to start so I can freeze (no waste), and a million other things too. It's very overwhelming and I am just running around today, doing a bit of each, and it feels like I'm doing so much, and yet achieving nothing

I need to get a grip, I just don't know where to start today for some reason

First thing sit down with a tea/coffee make a list give yourself 5 minutes.

If debt repayments are a problem, you really need to get talk to Consumer Credit Counselling or get on moneysavingexpert to read about free debt-counselling organisations. An IVA might be the best option for your family.

You might also need to think about getting a job round your husband's shifts.

It appears this is ongoing for you if you were having trouble in December as well. That's long-term and so the root causes of it need to be addressed.

I can put those things into and order and tell you why:

1. List items on FB - you get more sales at a weekend (W/end browers)
2. Plan meals (we'll help)
3. Cook and freeze meals
4. Finish listing DVDs for musicmagpie

What are the other things you have to do? Even writing them on here is helping you to make your list.

Cottage Pie

250g mince
onion
sliced carrot
frozen peas (or a tin)
beef stock cube
thicken the gravy with tablespoon of cornflour (or flour) mixed in cold water
mashed potato for topping

(you can add sweetcorn or another veg to stretch the meat even further)

expat Yes, each month we are quite tight through a blend of (fairly) old debt & low pay. We pay some debt off & fall into arrears with bills. Prioritise arrears & struggle with the essentials. Get those in & we're back where we started, with the repayments. Every month it's tight yet we manage to do it. I thought we were managing (just) as we always seemed to be just above the water. Last week, it all caught up & now we are completely on our arses, with no way to 'manage' which is when I posted for advice.

sadwidow thank you for the list, I'll start with that. The other things I have to do are call Payplan back -I had a telephone appointment with them this morning, as a second opinion to Step change. I have companies to call and pay (priority arrears) although I have been advised to offer them less (by debt charity) then the amount they are asking for currently (they keep refusing) I have to go back up into the loft, and out to the shed to find more things to sell, after I have listed what I already have. I want to find out about the PPI mentioned upthread. The DC want to go out, as the weathers nice. Plus I really do need to get some basic housework done as I have neglected it basically this week, trying to sort this, and it really does get my down & stressed when everything looks chaotic (recovering from PND)

I will make a coffee, like Brightermorning suggested, and just have 5 minutes.

Here is the FREE PPI site (guide, information and forms). You can complete on line.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/ppi-loan-insurance

PayPlan are only open until 3pm on Saturday (closed all day Sunday)

Phone NOW - or leave until Monday.

If it old debt it can definitely be re-structured. Please contact CCC or one of the other free charities on moneysaving expert. It can be a real help and get you back on an even keel.

Am calling Payplan back now. I thought they were open all weekend.

That's why MNetters are watching your back Margaritte

I was updating your list so I checked the phone times to know where to put it. It was clearly job No 1 .......

Roughly where are you in the country?
I have usually found it was easier to get extra work/two jobs etc than cut back and may be we can help with getting you both extra jobs?

OP - do you have anyone who could take the kids for an afternoon while you work through your list. Or could your DP take them all to the park?

List of jobs

1. Call Payplan (open until 3pm Saturday, closed Sunday)
2. Call priority arrears companies and pay
3. Take DCs out for a walk/play
4. Plan meals (with MN help)
5. Cook evening meal for 5 of you
6. Whilst in kitchen, cook and freeze 2 meals with the mince (see cottage pie ^^ for one)
7. Finish listing on Facebook (catch the weekend browsers)
8. Finish listing DVDs on musicmagpie
9. Go in loft and shed to seek more items to list on Sunday.