To ask if you can live on £500 a month?

[calliiee]

No housing costs but council tax, electricity and gas and insurance, phone, Internet and groceries. Is it doable?

I'm not eligible to claim them. If we could maybe just try to stick to the topic that would be good :)

Violeta I feel like that now about lidls.

Unfortunately there are sometimes people who despite being low on actual income have assets that they are unable to access but that prevent them from claiming any benefits, I suspect that the op comes into that category.

Op it will be hard but it should be doable short term especially if you are moving from a position of more privilege. The more privilege matters in that it probably means that you have a good selection of basics like decent clothes etc so will not need to replace any for some time. I would recommend trying to save some money in the meantime to cushion things if you can, build up a rainy day fund.

Type in all outgoings on a spreadsheet, easier if you use your bank statements so it's realistic, see how much you currently spend, if there's any areas that will reduce or increase soon due to circumstances time of year etc then if there's any areas you think you could reduce by changing habits. Myself and partner use around £500-600 per month after rent that includes all bills, council tax, sofa repayments of £50pm, all food plus some treats (meals out, cinema, day trips etc) but not our own clothes, petrol, car insurance or holidays as we pay that out our own accounts/savings. I think it's definitely doable unless you have any really high transport costs or extras and don't spoil yourself and baby with clothes too often!

OP, any parent who earns less than £16100 a year is entitled to basic child tax credits which work out at about £63 per week for one child. As I said earlier, it's your passport to free prescriptions, free dental care, free eye tests and a voucher towards the cost of glasses. It will also entitle your child to free school meals and pupil premium, which at the school's discretion can be used towards activities that will be of benefit to your child; such as educational trips and music lessons.

I can understand you not wishing to claim income support or JSA, if you can get by without it (I don't claim JSA, as I can get by on child tax credits, child benefit, housing benefit and child maintenance), but why would you not claim child tax credits? It is your right and you will make life so much easier for you and your child. I would say YABU to not claim it if you're entitled.

No they aren't and I really am not getting into this I have given the exact figures

For one person maybe? Depends on house I guess, for example. If you get the reduced rate council tax near me it would be;
£100 c/t
£60 gas/electric ( this would massively depend on how much your at home. If you at home loads you would probably put this up considerably)
£120 food (I used to budget about £30 per week for food as a student and I ate very well - so doable)
£30 mobile phone (you can have sim only plans from about £10 for unlimited calls/texts and a data plan)
£40 water bill (again dependant on area)
£12.12 tv licence

It would be doable (depending on area) but you would need to be good with a budget and it doesn't really allow for many luxuries. Clothes shopping, travel, car, insurance for both home, contingency incase washing machine dies a death? If you have child care costs or even a child to feed I think it would be extremely difficult, but I'm sure people survive on a lot less.

Yes, easily. We'd have money left over, actually. But it's only me and 9 year old DD (plus the dog and cat), we have no debts and our outgoings are very low. We don't bother with insurances, I don't own a car and we have no childcare payments to make.

To see us through for a month with no 'treats' in the food or toiletries shop:

Council tax - £101
Gas and electric - £100 (we don't actually pay for this as it's included in our cheap rent, but I've added it for the sake of the thread)
Sim only mobile contract - £11.00
Home phone and broadband - £30.00
DD's extracurricular activities membership for several classes - £11.80
Netflix - £7.49
Amazon Prime - £7.99
Microsoft package - £5.99
Dog and cat food - £23.99
Toiletries/cleaning products/toilet paper, etc. - £13.00
Food - £120.00

Total: £432.26 leaving a windfall of £67.74.

If I needed to cut that back further, I'd scrap Netflix, Prime and Microsoft which would save me a further £21.47 a month.

Have you posted about this before OP? In which case I sort of remember why you think wouldn't be entitled to help. I'm very sorry that your baby has arrived and you are still in this situation but happy you are getting out

Don't think you're thinking of me Briar.

Just as a general point, UC has an asset cap unlike TC which were income based.

I agree it's doable - my bills are about £270 but I could get them down to £250 with a cheap mobile and less if I scrapped my landline / broadband which I have done in the past and used a MIFI dongle.

Ah, okay - good luck anyway - it is doable and won't be forever

TC had an asset cap too

I'm sorry i haven't read the full thread but just wanted to say I'm amazed at what some of you are paying for gas and electricity.
We paid £64 pm for both in a 3 bed house with 4 people for a year and when we moved out were in credit by £237. The heating went on whenever we we're cold. I'm not sure if I can name the supplier we used but it doesnt have to be expensive.
Good luck OP

Dear OP, if you have assets that prevent you claiming benefits to support yourself and DC but are prevented from having access to then, you are being financially abused. Womens Aid may be better able to guide you than Mumsnetters. I hope you get free soon.

I'm not being abused

No tax credits have no asset cap at all. Interest in savings above £300 that's £300 interest are classed as income.
But that's because the nice middle classes originally claimed tax credits and universal credits are for benefit scum.

They do seven. Honestly.

If a person is denied access to money by a close relative or spouse/partner, it is classed as financial abuse.
This may not be the case for you, but for the benefit of anyone who reads your thread and is in a similar situation. ........

£500 a month is £125 a week, thats very tight but doable.
You have no luxury items at all and that includes a mobile phone and car. Have a PAYG for absolute emergencies.
Have the cheapest broadband only deal. Thats around £20 - £30 a month.
Gas, electricity and water are often cheaper if you pay by monthly DD and have one supplier.
Go paperless on all your bills.
Run the washing machine on Economy 7 only.
Dont use a tumble drier.

Could you do it very short term while you get access to one of your assets? I assume you own property/properties which you rent out and plan to live in one, so it may make sense to sell your property if there is any equity in it.

No it's not that straightforward. I don't think it's flat. Just playing around with ideas

fusspot6 I agree if a person is denied access to their money by a close relative etc then it is financial abuse however that is not the only situation where people can have assets which they can't at that exact time access. When I left my marriage we had various property but I couldn't access my share of the equity until it had gone through the financial settlement in the divorce. No abuse involved just they system as it is. Neither of us had access to that equity for quite some time.

Then hopefully eventual access to assets would be the light at the end of the tunnel?

Calliee categorically they do not honestly there is no capital limit at all on tax credits. Any interest above £300 is treated as income. So if you have thousands in the bank earning you say £350 a year in interest and you earn £15000 a year your new annual income will be £15050 a year.
The actual thousands of pounds in savings or house worth 2.5 million is not counted at all.