To think I can live off £350 a month

[SethWho]

Just me and DD after bills and rent. Is it possible?

Does that include any childcare? And food?

Hi, OP!

Are you entitled to any government help? I'd check that first. Not familiar, though, I don't live in the UK anymore.

What other outgoings do you have?

Do you cook/meal prep?

Literally all the money left after rent and utility bills?

Or do bills include food, insurances, mobile phone, car/transport, dentist, childcare etc etc? Even if so I think it sounds pretty tight.

Are you getting everything you're entitled to op?

Where is this coming from? Have you suddenly changed financial positions? If that’s truly after all bills and is just for food and spends then yes. If you’re used to spending lots more it’ll take some getting used to but is perfectly doable.

If you don't drink or smoke and your travel bills are not too high then yes £350 pm is not difficult to live on.

What's left to cover in that money? How old is DD?
Insurance, clothes, phones, presents etc?

Do you need to buy food/petrol from that. I’d think it’s just doable but would be tight and quite miserable

After all essentials are paid, we're left with £120 a month. Its very tight but we manage

What does that have to cover? Food and fuel? Clubs? Hair? Uniform?
Impossible to say without more information.

An unexpected car cost, dental work, new pair of glasses or contact lenses. It's a tight budget, depends what is included.

Really depends on what that is left to cover. Do you have a car? Does it include diesel? Is it just to cover food and "fun"? Tight but do-able I think.

Hi all, thank you for your replies. Food- I put £200 in my Monzo for that. Separate from the £350. I could deffo prep more and use the grocery money on other things.
DD had just qualified for 30 hours childcare so that is going to be £43. Hoping to live on the rest of the £350 for petrol, hair and beauty, treats and clothes. When I write it like that it seems a lot!
How could I see what I'm entitled to? I'm a single parent with no contact with ex.

Ballet is £55 a term but we luckily get the uniform/ shoes as hand me downs

If it doesn't include food, then it's tight but doable...the problem comes when unexpected things crop up like an appliance breaks

Use either entitledto or turn2us website to use their benefits calculator.

Put some of it in an emergency fund for unexpected expenses every month.

DD and me live on £950 total.
Rent, council tax, electric, insurance etc.
Everything is budgeted for down to the £1
We end up with less than £300 not budgeted for a month and out of that we have to buy food.

You'll he fine, just budget properly, use a spreadsheet of you need to.

Honestly the easiest thing to do is just apply for UC if you haven’t already. Get the claim in and you’ll know for sure. You could get help with rent, childcare and there will be an allowance for you and your daughter.
Doesn’t matter if you’re working when you apply - lots of people claim whilst working and I’m sure you can use the childcare element if you ever needed additional childcare in summer etc.

If it is only for those things it would be more than enough for me.
Petrol £60
Hair & beauty £10
Clothes for me and DD £50
Treats £100 max
Total £220
If everything else is accounted for and it is just for the above it is loads.

So you're not actually trying to live off £350 a month then.

There are people for whom the £350 would be covering food, petrol, a portion of childcare etc. who haven't got a chance of treats and 'hair and beauty'.

Yes, I'm sure you'll survive on that.

@INeedNewShoes

So you're not actually trying to live off £350 a month then.

There are people for whom the £350 would be covering food, petrol, a portion of childcare etc. who haven't got a chance of treats and 'hair and beauty'.

Yes, I'm sure you'll survive on that.

No need to make out the op is living lavishly! That is a pretty tight budget

How much do you spend on your hair per month? From the way you have prioritised it I’m assuming it’s a lot

@Comedycook £350 a month to spend on luxuries is not a tight budget at all.

@SethWho

Hi all, thank you for your replies. Food- I put £200 in my Monzo for that. Separate from the £350. I could deffo prep more and use the grocery money on other things. DD had just qualified for 30 hours childcare so that is going to be £43. Hoping to live on the rest of the £350 for petrol, hair and beauty, treats and clothes. When I write it like that it seems a lot! How could I see what I'm entitled to? I'm a single parent with no contact with ex.

How much is petrol a month? If you're left with £200 - £250 after petrol and the £43 childcare I'd say that's pretty good for luxuries every month!

@SethWho

Hi all, thank you for your replies. Food- I put £200 in my Monzo for that. Separate from the £350. I could deffo prep more and use the grocery money on other things. DD had just qualified for 30 hours childcare so that is going to be £43. Hoping to live on the rest of the £350 for petrol, hair and beauty, treats and clothes. When I write it like that it seems a lot! How could I see what I'm entitled to? I'm a single parent with no contact with ex.

Yes I think so

Shopping lists and making as much from scratch helps a lot I find