Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Would you look/help with my budget please.

65 replies

StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 10:21

I have £1416 a month which is enough but my budgeting skills are a little crap and things like kids needing new clothes, school trips or Christmas come as a shock every single time. If I budget my money to the last penny I know I can relieve some of the stress I have been feeling of late. Apart from direct debits leaving my account for essential bills I am going to go cash only. If I take the cash out and use the envelope system I have read about on here I can see the money I have left. I am thinking about online food shopping as you can switch up basket to fit in with budget and Tesco have a range that seems to be in line with Aldi and Lidl prices but I can't pay in cash for that so not sure. I do have debt and some ccj's but I am going to be using Step Change to hopefully help me get that under control. So here it goes, I am willing to switch energy companies if I can get a cheaper rate currently with Eon but have read on here Ovo? I think it is called is cheaper although my credit sucks so might not be possible to switch as I have a credit meter not pre paid, I don't want a pre payment meter as that would just be an added stress. So here it goes,
£1426 -
£642 rent
£15 water
£74 dual fuel
£12 home insurance (part of tenancy agreement that we have this)
£50 Transport
£10 CCJ
£25 CCJ
£30 debt payments but not CCJ
£15 HMRC over payment standing order
£40 BT
£30 Council tax
£6 Netflix (cheaper than tv licence)
Leaves me £454 or £113 a week.
£113-
£60 shopping/house hold/toiletries
Leaves £53
Then if I save £10 week in an envelope for clothes
£10 xmas/birthdays
£10 emergency fund
Should leave me £23 a week spare.
I certainly don't have that much spare money at the moment, this is starting December where I will get no more bank charges as I will use cash so can't over spend. I would absolutely love to have money put away for emergencies it is just one less thing to worry about. The bank charges are anything between £8-£30 a month as the money for direct debit hasn't been there and that is £8 each time and then I get charged £6 as I went over drawn then there isn't enough for a different direct debit because of charges and the cycle continues but today that cycle stops. So I haven't added that to my budget as by using cash that will stop.
Does this look ok am I missing anything? Or am I putting to much into the savings envelopes? I have had a big wake up call and am no longer sticking my head in the sand.
I try and take the dc swimming once a week kids are free in my area and adults who get housing benefit are £1 and locker is 20p so that is £4.80 a month but I don't pay for any other activities.
I do have a other debts that I am not paying anything towards yet hoping step change will help get the payments for them lower than I can and maybe help adjust the payments I have in place now.

OP posts:
StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 10:25

Reading that back it is the bank charges that is eating my money up, that has been going on for far to long and will now be stopping. I have had a few charges this month so will pay those in December as they take them the following month but that will be the last lot of charges I pay out.

OP posts:
Neverender · 20/11/2018 10:29

Don't be afraid to call the bank and ask them if they will consider refunding some of your bank charges as you are struggling. My bank have done this for me before. If you don't ask, you don't get and it has to be worth the price of a phone call.

Queenofthestress · 20/11/2018 10:31

It's two things that are eating up your money - the debt and the bank charges

If you can use stepchange to lower it to one amount thats some more freed up, as well as finish up with the bank charges you'll have a decent amount spare to put away each month

StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 10:32

I would feel very cheeky! I do think they have snow balled looking back and caused me more problems.

OP posts:
Houseonahill · 20/11/2018 10:35

In principal it all reads fine, how many kids do you have? I spend about £40 a week on food but there is only me and a 2 year old to feed. I had your issue with my bank (are you with Halifax by any chance?) I was lucky in that my mum and dad paid off my £500 over draft and I shut my Halifax account and opened one with first direct as the charges are so so much lower, I went from paying at least £30 a month bank charges to not having paid any for 18 months! Is there any way you could do something similar?

I did also find having jars with money helped me manage so I put every bill on a DD and then when I get paid I leave enough money for bills in the account and then take out £120 for shopping, £50 for fun things and £20 for emergency and they go in separate jars and when they are gone hey are gone and if there is any left it gets added to my emergency jar. (I do tend to use my emergency jar for non emergency things but things I can't budget for like Christmas and birthdays)

StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 10:35

Yes debt is out of control and I haven't dealt with it well at all, looked the other way I guess. I am waiting for my first consultation I guess I could call it, can they go anything to lower CCJ payments? I am not overly worried about bailiffs as I have nothing to take.

OP posts:
Houseonahill · 20/11/2018 10:37

That should say £150 for food

Blanchedupetitpois · 20/11/2018 10:37

Your weekly food / household shop looks high to me - how many is that to feed?

StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 10:37

Not Halifax but I think my bank is in the same group.
3 dc 7-11

OP posts:
bridgetreilly · 20/11/2018 10:37

£40 BT sounds like more than you need to be paying. I'd look around for a cheaper deal for phone/internet. Generally if you can switch at the end of your contract it's worth doing.

bridgetreilly · 20/11/2018 10:40

Phone and broadband starting from £17/month: www.moneysupermarket.com/broadband/packages/broadband-and-phone/

StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 10:42

I agree bt is high, that is my broadband, SIM only and landline. I would prefer not to have landline but they make you. Talk talk are cheaper but because my credit is bad they wanted a deposit to hold for the 18 months so couldn't afford to switch. So I don't think that is an option.
Is £60 a lot for shopping? That is for cleaning stuff, shampoo, food etc to be honest I feel hungry on that but I will look to cutting that down.

OP posts:
StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 10:43

Thank you for that link I will try switching, I don't think I am in contract with by any more been with them for years

OP posts:
Houseonahill · 20/11/2018 10:44

No I don't think £60 Is a lot to feed 4 people I wouldn't cut that down. Also £40 isn't too bad if it's your internet Nd mobile phone. I think getting your debts in order is step one.

Well done on taking the first step though! Things will get easier and I know how pleased and proud with myself I felt when I did get it sorted. Smile

adaline · 20/11/2018 10:45

I would switch to a different provider, get a cheap mobile handset and go with someone like GiffGaff for your minutes/data.

StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 10:47

I will switch if anyone will have me without a deposit. Are any companies good with bad credit? Or is it just keep trying

OP posts:
RB68 · 20/11/2018 10:51

The only place you really have flex is in the food budget, but I do understand how difficult it is to keep this down when you include things like wash liquid, shampoo etc.

We have been living off around this much for last 18mths and our costs are higher - but then I have been ebaying/carbooting and so on like a fiend to make up to 500 a month. Its cleared alot from the house but there is still more but its getting harder to make that much now.

My advice would be carefully plan the food, shop cheap - aldi and lidl are great. Learn when they reduce and try and shop around then. Eat veggie at least once a week more if you can. I have a veggie curry I do which satisfies everyone and also baked potatoes beans and cheese is another good one.

I also try and find free food - so at the moment we are just coming to end of the apples lots of people have in gardens. So a couple of crumbles and custard will fill everyone and less needed for the mains and snacks in the evening.

The expensive foods are snacks - crisps, biscuits, chocolates etc I have cut right back on these we have one six bag crisps, one pack of biscuits and one lot of choc for the week - we occasionally buy more but not often now. I always vary what I buy by offers if I can - e,g, sains six bag crisps 85p, if you are having a cheap week buy sains choc at 50p a bar and make rice crispie cakes with the kids using cheap krispies though. Make stew - not rich beef or anything but use left overs for a scouse type thing - onion, cook off, add stock cube with water, chopped carrot, potatoes (if you can mix starchy and new that is good as naturally thickens soup/stew) and then add a meat - can be roast beef or Lamb (although I appreciate v expensive) but also chicken or gammon from a joint which is really cheap . You can throw peas in at the end and its lovely on a cold day and as the meat is cooked is ready to eat when the potatoes are and its all in one pot.

I think you are right to use the envelopes for saving but do keep them safe and where no one can pilfer from them.

Don't be afraid to ask friends and rellies if they have slightly older kids if they have any clothes or toys they are looking to get rid of as this can help enormously, even if you give them a bit of cash for them its no where near the cost of new etc.

Also if you have a clear down of toys etc before christmas its a good time to sell of excess toys as people are looking for things around now for Christmas - I just sold an outgrown bike that was in reasonable condition.

RB68 · 20/11/2018 11:03

60 isn't alot for 4 when it includes everything - but look at what cleaning stuff you actually need and don't buy branded etc. Plus I refuse to spend a fortune on stuff I am flushing down the loo so loo rolls, toilet cleaner etc - Aldi is nice loo roll at a good price :-).

Its suprising what you can do without if you stop buying it. I know take a view that if it doesn't go in the weekly shop it has to wait till next week!

If you need to have the oven on use it properly so if a stew then pop some scones or buns/crumble in, as this will help stop the hungry. Or bake potatoes ready for just a quick warm trough another day for lunch or tea, or cook double so it can be used in a couple of days time - we have left over bolognaise tonight.

Blanchedupetitpois · 20/11/2018 11:06

No, I don’t think £60 is a lot for 4! Just didn’t know how many you were feeding on that.

StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 11:06

I think with the debt I will make 1 monthly payment instead of several, I am still not sure with regards to what happens with existing CCJ. I definitely let the people on the phone talk me into a higher repayments than I can afford and then they were unflexible with the dates, had to be the date the ccj was issued which caused the spiralling bank charges and I just never dealt with it.

OP posts:
Missingstreetlife · 20/11/2018 11:13

It's the debt and bank charges, stepwise should help you get these sorted into a ayment you can manage.
The envelope method is god fir weekly things as you need cash in your hand. Rubbish for saving. Open a saving account and standing order to put this money in there, try to forget about it. You will get some little interest and not so easy to dip in.

adaline · 20/11/2018 11:20

How long until you pay all your debts off? They're the biggest problem you've got at the moment.

StressfullTimes · 20/11/2018 11:26

The debt will be years unfortunately it is a 5 figure number in total and something that I am not proud of and is not all my doing but such is life. When I rang step change yesterday the lady I spoke to said I might be able to get a debt relief order but will find out more at my proper appointment. I have considered bank ruptcy in the past but am a bit worried about housing as I rent. Although I am now in HA housing so maybe something to look into again as I think they are more flexible with that sort of thing.

OP posts:
Jackshouse · 20/11/2018 11:30

Agree that the biggest issue is your debt at £80 a month. Definitely give step change a ring.

Your budget is tight anyway. What about hair cuts, medicine (calpol) and other unexpected purchases. Step change or moneysavingexpert is good for this. Have you checked that you are claiming all benefits including free school meals that you are entitled to?

HotInWinter · 20/11/2018 11:42

454/month is only 105/week. Most months have more than 4 weeks. So you only have £15 unallocated for a month, which will get eaten up by bank charges. I've not double checked the rest of it.
If you can get rid of the bank charges, that would make a massive, immediate, increase in your budget.
Do you need to spend much over Xmas? Can you scale that back so you don't save, but dont over spend in December, and start saving in Jan?
Good luck!

Swipe left for the next trending thread