To feel depressed at how skint I am?

[Smolgoose]

I was furloughed for 8 months over the past year and a bit on 80 percent pay and it has tipped my precarious finances into total shit. Money is tight anyway on full pay (I only earn 16000 a year) so I've had to make up the shortfall with overdraft and credit card.

Endless expensive things keep happening, like the car needing repairs and it's starting to really get me down. I have £50 to last till the end of the month which is doable just about, as long as I stick to cheap food.

I've taken on an extra part time job cleaning that starts later this month, but I have no idea how I'm going to physically do it on top of full time work, as I've had health issues recently.

I just feel so depressed with it all.

Last year I was brassic with the pandemic and I managed to get a good reduction of the annual water bill. It may be worth ringing them for a hardship fund application or whatever they are called. They gave me a good 50 per cent off for the year and then after that I went on a water meter.

I use SMARTY for my phone, a £10 plan has 30GB and unlimited calls and texts, would that help you? i.smarty.co.uk/HRQohsx

@Longestfewdaysupcoming

It just needs to be WiFi.

You set your phone up as a WiFi hotspot and then use it like WiFi and connect the chrome cast to that WiFi.

It literally works. You cast the whole phone via chrome browser (click the view desktop website) and it works the same as if it was internet via a phone line.

Well if it works I’m glad. But then wouldn’t OP need unlimited phone data, negating any saving on the internet?

No. I only ever had 10gb of data and it was enough and a previous poster has linked to smarty which has 30gb.

@Maskless where are there Houseshares including everything for that amount? It can’t be a very nice at that price. Houseshares are not necessarily for everyone.

@Confused0904

Threads like these are annoying. It’s often the op describing a desperate situation, extremely low pay and as someone put it “competitive poverty” advice to the op on how they could save £10. When reality is cost of living continues to rise and op needs to think about how they can earn more.

That involves retraining. Like it or not. Not necessarily by studying, possibly apprenticeship? The bottom line is certain work is low paid, with little progression possibility and is only really meant as short term. I consider shop work/retail this type of work and traditionally was done by young people/students.

Op how old are you? You don’t have children and therefore this is the time now to change your life by finding a different path.

This makes absolute sense.

@Longestfewdaysupcoming

No. I only ever had 10gb of data and it was enough and a previous poster has linked to smarty which has 30gb.

To watch TV?!

Netflix says it takes 1 GB of data per hour when you stream a standard definition (SD) video. High definition (HD) videos, on the other hand, use 3 GB per hour.

I don’t think 10gb or even 30gb per month would be enough.

Well that’s your opinion. But I managed it and if the op is serious about cutting down her outgoings then she should seriously consider it.

Did you have access to Freeview though? If Netflix is OP’s only entertainment as she doesn’t have a TV license then telling her to cancel internet and Netflix is harsh.

@Sunny4876

Cancel Netflix and labour party membership.

What, cancel Netflix and just stare at the walls as OP can't afford to go out and get even more depressed ? Honestly this bloody classist thinking gives me the rage. Stop punishing the poor and focus on what's really caused this disparity between what people can earn at the bottom how our living costs have completely spiralled in the last years, it's not the OPs fault. However, I would concede that the Labour Party membership is a waste of money in my view.

@Longestfewdaysupcoming

Well that’s your opinion. But I managed it and if the op is serious about cutting down her outgoings then she should seriously consider it.

Here's your🏅

It’s literally a money saving thread. Why the medal? It’s a sensible suggestion.

No point cancelling the little bits like netflix audible etc, they don't add up to enough to make a difference do they?
It's the rent that's the big drain. Definitely try a house share or even ask family /friends if you can lodge with them for 6 months while you get on your feet. I wouldn't be breaking your back with another job when you already work full time, you will end up so run down.
Is there anything you are clued up on that you could buy and sell? I used to buy and sell prams, I watched loads on ebay and snapped up the decent ones that ended at really low prices, then cleaned them up if needed and sold them back on with a good advert.

Can I ask what job you are doing as on that rate, if you are full time you are under the minimum wage?

Basic admin jobs where I work are £21k so significantly more which if you could get something at that level would mean an increase in monthly income of £280 a month which would make a big difference to you?

There's a great thread on here about earning £10 a day, doing surveys etc. I do some surveys and make about £20 a week, which would help a bit. Prolific and intellizoom are good.

Ditch the audible membership and join your local library as they will have free audio books.

What job do you do? Can you look for a better paid job? Sorry if that is a stupid thing to say

16k is difficult to live on

Do you need to work in retail? If you're not going to look at promotion then it's always going to be low pay. Can you look at something else that's a similar skill level but pays more, a nursery assistant, care home, HCA in hospital, admin type job at company or council?

I think you need to go back and look at UC again. I just ran your figures through the benefits calculator and I think you are entitled to £50/week. I made some assumptions about council tax band and lack of savings and second homes….

I'd make short term and long term plans. Short term cancel all unessential spending. Put in as much over time as possible to save a small emergency fund, then clear debt. That will free up £100 odd a month. Long term id look at courses to retrain and apply for better paid jobs.

I would try matched betting but I don't have any money to get started!

Thank god for that.

Switch Audible for BorrowBox (free audio box loaning via your local library).

It's a small change but no point paying form something you can get for free

Do you have the single person discount applied to your council tax?

I hate when ppl say there's no point in cancelling Netflix etc THERE IS EVERY POINT...the point is that it free's up 28quid for OP so she can utilise it better!! It's not rocket science. The OP has debt and ANY bit extra thrown at that is beneficial to OP in the long run!!

They can always get it again when they have the debt paid off.

[quote Smolgoose]@mrsm43s I do budget. Hence why I can detail my outgoings.

Also food costs more than 100 a month, and then there is petrol, household supplies, prescriptions, clothes etc etc[/quote]
If you have lots of prescriptions then buying a yearly subscription plan (I can’t remember what it’s called) would be beneficial.

I agree with cancelling Netflix etc. You can always rejoin after a couple of months if you can’t live without them but until then there is loads of free content on more4 and other platforms.

You can also hop between the various streaming platforms to get offers and discounts. I've never had a discount from Netflix, but if there's only one of you, there's no point paying for the more expensive options, so it's only £5.99 anyway. But you can often get a deal on Now TV or Prime.

Phone data is a difficult one. You can use mobile broadband but you need unlimited and a decent signal, which we don't have. But if you have fixed broadband, always look for a deal on the price of this. If you're out of contract you can always reduce the cost by switching suppliers.