Could you live on £100 a month?

[UndertheCedartree]

That's how much I have left after paying my mortgage (interest only) and bills. I am currently undergoing treatment for my mental ill health so am unable to work. I have always worked up until my nervous breakdown. I also recieve Child benefit which I use for the children's clubs, clothes, presents and treats. I also get a food bag from the food bank weekly. It is tough going. Any suggestions of how to cope/how to save money or get more money appreciated

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

What's your total budget including child benefit, money you would usually use for savings for children etc?
It sounds like it might be a bit more than £100

[UndertheCedartree]

Knobjockey - I completely agree about smoking and attend the give up smoking group once a week. The trouble is until I have some better coping mechanisms smoking is preferable to self harm.

I think you're right - stopping the saving for now is a good idea to balance my budget more.

No tvs to spend on - just a communal tv

Unfortunately the medications make you horrendously hungry. The dietician says I should snack a couple of times a day to keep my blood sugar and blood pressure ok as the meds affect these (I had fainting spells initially) I get things like carrot sticks, cheap yogurts and malt loaf to snack on. There is no patient kitchen and I can't take unsealed food in. I might look for some cheap cereal bars but crisps are a nono as I'm trying to lose weight (horrendously difficult on the meds)

[UndertheCedartree]

Superloud - UC - money left after bills £100
CB - £137 Hosp job £16-£20
Total 253 - 257

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

'Food, toiletries, washing powder, cleaning stuff, clothes, transport.'

I used to walk up to 5 miles each way rather than getting the bus when I was totally broke.
That is not ideal though.

Toiletries/cleaning stuff/washing powder - the cheapest non-bio powder from Aldi or lidl, same for everything else, but hot water and a rag gets a lot of dirt shifted. I tended to forego everything but £1 shampoo and conditioner and cheap soap for handwashing.

Everything was from the budget range. If something was inedible I would try it from somewhere else eg asda budget tortilla chips are good but aldi are too salty.

Clothes - as I say, from freebay/freecycle/cheap second hand shops but I didn't buy them often. If you absolutely need to due to weight change, try posting a message in a local freebay fb group.

Food - stick to cheap recipes - baked potatoes and cheese / shakshuka/ chickpea curry/lentil curry/ potato and carrot curry etc etc.
It's hard when you're exhausted but some things come together quite quickly.

Bread from Tesco or aldi is about 36p.

Cheap cereal from aldi.

Milk is 2 big bottles for £2 from farm foods if you're likely to get through it over the week.

I check discount shops for cheap food bargains but usually supermarkets are cheaper for staples - tins of tomato, chickpeas, kidney beans etc. And 20p spaghetti and 59p pesto from aldi is a fine meal. Pesto will last 3 or 4 meals.

[LellowYedbetter]

No I couldn’t live on £100 a month. I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

I used to buy a bag of carrots for 30p ish as they're cheaper than fruit. And equally healthy if not more.

[KnobJockey]

Well already that budget is looking a little healthier. I understand that you don't want the kids to have to give up their activities, but spending all that CB on them in place of food is really not something that's possible. How old are the DC?

Do you want to write down some of your bills/ budget, see if there's any recommendations for savings elsewhere?

I agree that smoking is preferable to self harm. What other coping mechanisms do the hospital recommend? Are you able to take up exercise there, maybe running around the grounds, do they have any groups, etc?

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

How much do you currently spend on activities for children? Are there any activities that could give you a discount? When my kids' judo teacher knew I was struggling she dropped the price for a while.

Also are there any support organizations involved or social workers who could find out about grants for their activities?

[Highway]

It's not 100, it's 250?
That's more than £50 per week!

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

cookingonabootstrap.com/category/recipes-food/

More chat than recipes lately but you can search by ingredient.

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

2 cups of flour + some water = dough for roti which are delicious.
Flour is 45p from Aldi for 1.5 kg

[UndertheCedartree]

Thanks for all the useful replies with budgeting ideas. We only use public transport if necessary (i.e too far to walk). But I definitely want to see if I can get cheaper bills. I pay £130 per month for home phone and broadband. The home phone isn't used that much so I don't know why it is so high.

The reason I didn't include the CB is because that is already spent on essentials for the children. So £130 per month - £40 clubs. £10 clothes, £10 toiletries, £20 birthdays/Christmas, £10 friend's birthdays, £20 treats/activities, £20 savings

Knob jockey - they are 11 & 6. I wouldn't give up their activities (I have cut down to 1 each) as it would unsettle them too much especially my oldest who is ASD. Social services would not be happy, either. I am trying to exercise as much as I can. I go to the hospital gym twice a week, do sports and swimming every week. I also walk to the local shops or around the park. I think when I feel better physically and my self esteem it will help me give up.

Highway - how would you live on £50 per week?

[crimsonlake]

Sorry you are going through this, but I agree you need to stop putting money in to the trust fund for your children as it is money you all need now. As for the smoking , I realise it is a crutch and you need it, but is not a packet of 20 over £10 unless you roll your own? Perhaps if you focus on the real cost of that and physically put the money to some other use it would give you the strength to give up. There is no 2 ways about it you cannot afford to smoke. There must be more help out there for you as this is no way to live for you or your children.

[PalmTree101]

No. No way.

[Lazypuppy]

You spend £130 a month on homephone and broadband? Mine costs £25 a month so no idea what you are paying for. My mobile is £30

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

broadband.moneysavingexpert.com/?_ga=2.46720559.988236368.1550839948-909482737.1548846504

Hope this link works.
I pay 29.99 for broadband and landline.

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

Social services especially if your DC has asd might be able to find out if grants are available for activities.

Children don't need new clothes - second hand is fine or from free cycle etc.
What toiletries do they need? Is there a specific skin condition?
Mine have shampoo and conditioner and soap - £3 every 2 months or so.

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

If anybody hosting a party judges you for providing a pound land present they aren't worth bothering with.
I love children coming to the parties we host and don't expect them to bring a gift. A handmade card is lovely even made out of folded a4 paper.
My DC would love a huge bar of chocolate which is about £1.50 from home bargains.

[FriarTuck]

I pay £130 per month for home phone and broadband.
I pay £45 for landline, anytime calls and unlimited broadband and I know I could get it cheaper. How on earth can you be paying £130?????

[KnobJockey]

Are you in an area where you have to pay that much for broadband? (I'm in/ near Hull, for example, so we HAVE to use the local provider, there are no options for BT, Sky, etc, but I thought that Hull was the only place that had that problem. And I don't pay that much for fibre broadband still!). If you could get that down to £50 a month, thats a great saving! But you probably have to give a months notice, so if you can change, then hand in that ASAP.

Mortgage provider- can you ask for interest only in the short term?

Water- are you on a meter? Normally massively cheaper than bills, almost definitely will be in your situation. You still pay by a monthly DD, they just only charge for what you use, and normally fit a meter for free.

Other outgoings- are you paying for any loans, CC, catalogues, etc? If you are, then contact the and tell them you're having problems paying. pretty sure now they have to give you options to pay, try to freeze interest.

Whens the last time you actually sat and looked at your bank statements? Most people have random DDs set up, most of which aren't necessary in times where money is very stretched. For example, I have probably 2-3 lots of life insurance at about £6 each set up, a magazine subscription that I ordered for 6 months for a present for my nan that I have ended up leaving running for the past 6 years (not a problem!). Just check for various bits that soon add up.

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

I know you're not asking about this but have your caregivers looked into whether you might have ASD?
Just seeing as it's in the family.
I have it.
Without my ASD diagnosis treating the mental health symptoms wouldn't work very well.
Forgive the intrusion though - I don't expect you to answer. Just thought it might be something to consider for you

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

Mortgage is already interest only

[famousfour]

Hopefully you can do something about your broadband bill. Looks massive to me. Look at groups for cheap kids clothes. So you don’t need to spend £20 a month on clothes and toiletries.

[UndertheCedartree]

Thank you so much for all the really helpful advice.

Giving up smoking is definitely one of my goals. I spend £12 for a pouch of tobbacco - I make it last 2 weeks as my boyfriend tops it up for me at the weekend and I roll them small. I'm limited to smoking when on leave at hospital so it cuts down the amount I smoke. It is a terrible waste of money, though.

Thanks for the information on cheaper broadband - it sounds like I have a terrible deal. Will add that to my to-do list to go through with my social worker.

I have nothing against charity shop clothes but there are none near the hospital or my home so the transport to get to them I think would negate any saving compared to me getting things in Asda near hospital.

My eldest has very sensitive skin so need something decent. The approx £10 a month includes shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap, flannels, toothpaste, floss and toothbrushes

Superloud - thank you for what you said about birthday presents. I do feel the pressure as my daughter's school is in a very affluent area and the parties are all completely amazing. The last present I got was a £1 pencil case, with discounted felt tips (£1.50) and a note book (£1.50) - it looked quite a decent present but was only £4. I suspect I may be ASD as my son is my mini-me. I will speak to my psychologist about it.

Knobjockey - I don't have a water meter so will look into that. I have no other debts except student finance. I have cancelled all DDs except essentials

Thank you so much - you've given me lots of ideas to make my money go further

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

Just remember you're doing amazingly well.
You're going through so much.
You seem to put so much thought into what your children need - that's really incredible when you're having such a hard time yourself.