To ask how much you survive on as single parent?

[helpmeplease2045]

Recently separated and working three days, plus tax credits and contribution from ex we will have about £26,000.. doesn't seem a lot!

Does anyone have any good ideas for cutting monthly costs? My mortgage, council tax and bills will be about £600 a month..

Thanks for any advice!

A lot of confusion - if Op really needs some advice she needs to come back and clarify

Could a chunk of it be childcare?

OP if you want brutal detailed advice you could post a detailed list of your outgoings either on here or on moneysavingexpert. They have a budgeting section with a list of all possible outgoings to fill in. They also go through all these outgoings and give hints on how to reduce them - eg check you are getting single person council tax rate, can you get childcare vouchers, change your gas and electric, use quidco, shop in Aldi, that sort of thing.

But if your £26k income is the after tax equivalent, ie you have £2166 income per month that is equivalent to a £33k salary, which should be plenty considering how low your mortgage and bills are. Do you have debts?

Sounds more than enough to me. If you struggle you have to cut back on non essentials.

Sooooo - nursery is£600 a month (three days a week while I work), food plus petrol around £300 a month and then £300 a month roughly for clubs for the kids + after school clubs for my son on days I work. My mortgage is very small (350 a month) I had inheritance so paid for most of flat.

Obviously on top of that there is other things, e.g. paying for school trips, car tax, car permit, insurance, a child's birthday / present for another child if we get invited out to their party, going out anywhere for the day (cinema for e.g.), bus fares etc etc. And then any house expense that suddenly appears (needing to repair dishwasher), you catch my drift!

Ok with £600 childcare it's more reasonable.
But I think you could save easily if you wanted. £300 food is about right for a family, but £300 for activities is a lot, how much is afterschool and how much activities?

Also the £600 is just nursery then if doesn't include afterschool club? I would look and see if alternate would be cheaper

Is child maintenence included?

Have you requested the 25% council tax discount for a single adult occupier?

I'm a single parent of 2.
After paying tax and then recieving all benefits I have circa 27k per year. Approx £2250 pcm. Which sounds like loads! Crikey.

Rent is 800pcm.
Childcare is about £130 pcm
Then all other bills which includes 2 contract mobile phones, Internet and sky TV.
I'm planning on cancelling sky just because I would know I can get the same stuff cheaper.

£300 on activities sounds like an awful lot to me. I spend approx £220 per year on clubs.

How long until the littlest is in school? How much will that save in childcare? Will is still be tight after that?

Bloody hell I survived on £1000 a month for 4 years as kids were at school and I had a house I wanted to hang onto and could only work part time as no child care. Got into massive debt and spent the first 5 yrs of new job paying it off.

You need to do a budget, look at what you are spending and what you can cut.

Shop in Lidl/Aldi/Morrisons buy own brands, cook from scratch, make packed lunches for everyone, review your energy, mobile bills, anything else non essential (can you get cheaper haircuts/kids clothes).

Get rid of non essential TV channels etc.

Save vouchers, freeze left overs etc.

Cut some of the clubs!

Is the after school club a childcare type one?

Yes sorry the after school club is childcare. The swimming / gymnastics are because I want them to have structured exercise and they love it, but I know it all adds up! I could cut back on the gymnastics as they do it twice a week.

I am a single mum of three living on approx £330 a week, and that's only because I get disability benefits. So I'd love your income.

I'd cut the gymnastics back then tbh. Mine only do swimming and beavers /cubs. Time and money haven't allowed any other regular commitments.

Oopsdearyme how much of that £330 goes on your rent or mortgage?

I get HB but pay £50 a month towards rent. Otherwise that has to cover everything else.

Oops if you include your HB in your total you're prob not far off?

Oopsdearyme you have an income of £1,380 pcm with your rent already paid. I don't think you can compare yourself too negatively to the OP. Do you get child maintenance?

OP it's doable. And as the children get older it's so much easier to increase your working hours.

Yy oops if you get hb then you have nearly £1400/month left :).

Like i said upthread, i have £1400/month after tax, but my rent is £500, so i have £900 for all bills, food, petrol etc.

It's all relative.

How do you work that out when I only get £1320 a month, to begin with! Take utilities off at £160 a month, internet / phone £40, TV licence £15, £600 for food, £50 rent. That leaves £460 for transport, clothing, school trips, household items that break or need replacing, brownies and beavers

My rent is £820 pcm and I cover £50 that means HB is £ 770.

£600 on food - how many of you are there?!