If you were absolutely flat broke in this situation, how would you make money?

[stressedoutstudent]

Some context - single mum of 3 teenagers. Qualfied as a nurse a year ago, so on the lowest increment for band 5 pay. i work all night plus extra bank shifts to maximise my income with enhancements. Moving up pay scales/banding is impossible at the minute. The extra shifts means my UC entitlement is 0 most months. I get CB for 2/3 of the children. Eldest has autism and whilst he works, he doesnt earn enough to be contributing anything substantial to the household. Ex gave up working and claims benefits, i get the standard £29 a month deduction from his benefits via CMS, he hasnt seen the children in over a decade so doesnt contribute anything further. I dont drive and theres no public transport running at a time that i can get to work, so i have to pay for taxis which are expensive but i have no other options. Its a 2 hour walk before/after 13 hours shifts and i usually do 4 or 5 in a week, im so exhausted i cant do this walk on top of my very busy active shift. We live in a rented house, which is a reasonable rent for the area, but still expensive. 1 child in school who can walk, 1 child in college who cant walk as its too far so i have to ay transport costs for them. I have some "unnecessary" outgoings, gaming subscriptions and streaming services, however my children are home alone 4 or 5 nights a week so they need something to keep them occupied as i dislike them going out and about whilst im at work, as i work in a very busy A&E department, im not easily contactable and like to know they are safe. I have some small debts im paying off from when i was a student and really struggled to get by.

Every month i run i out of money, its just impossible. I cant work more, i cant see where i can reduce out goings. I cant get a third job (my substantial and bank are two different contracts). I cant afford christmas, which i know isnt the be all and end all. But, when i was a student i promised my children a better future when i was stressed writing assignments doing placements and missing important events. But its not gotten better. Infact im worse off each month now than i was when studying. The recent NHS payrise left me worse off, as it bumped me into the next pension bracket, so the little i got backdated last pay, i now owe in pension arrears from April when the pay rise was back dated to. This amount is more than i received in back pay last month.

Life is just impossible. I cant give my children any standard of living, despite working my arse off to improve my career and do as many shifts a week as i am physically able to do.

What would you do? Genuinely? My only potential plan at the minute is the WFH pip assessor roles, its the same money im on now, but no travel costs. Keep my bank job to pick up an extra weeked shift each week. But its a job role i struggle with morally, and i would lose the patient contact element of my job for the most part. And A&E was my dream job, i love it, and the experience is vital for my future career aspirations.

My two younger kids do paper rounds before school, they have 3 rounds between them 6 days a week and they cover kids who are absent and will often cover the one day a week that isnt thier rounds too. They both get up early to get to the paper shop for 6am each day. They have a fantastic relationship with the shop owner, and enjoy their rounds, come rain or snow they are out at 6am doing them, they have one set round each, and prganise whos doing what on the third round between them and split the pay for that accordingly. I know they could probably earn more and McDonalds, but they have a great work ethic, and it fits around school, college, homework, and revision, they still get to see thier friends on the weekend.

If you passed your driving test after 2001 you'll need to do CBT before you can ride a 50cc moped. Even if you don't need to, you should do it for safety if you've not ridden before.

Honestly, I think you'd be much better off getting a cheap second hand car. In theory you could get a moped cheaper but there's not really that many second hand 50cc bikes around. You'd also need helmet, gloves, potentially a storage box to carry all your stuff and in winter you'll probably want a proper jacket, handle bar muffs and anything else to keep you warm. You'll get cold very quickly on the bike.

I feel sad reading this OP.

What a state this country is in.

I noticed this a lot in OP’s replies. Really defensive and rigid and not willing to explore a lot of options.

Hi, also a fellow band 5 nurse and single parent. I work part time and have 2 children, my take home pay is somewhere in the region of £1600 a month and I get a UC top of around £700-800. Although I do have my own house so I am allowed to earn a bit more before deductions. Are you sure your defiantly recieveing all benefits your entitled to? Do your employers have a hardship fund?
My trust, have recently stopped nurses working more than the European working directive allows (I think that's the one) even if they have opted out. Their concerned about burnout and staff tiredness which will ultimately lead to mistakes. Just something to be mindful of.

I think the suggestion of really trying to get a moped and pulling up my big girl pants and getting back on the road has been really helpful, its definitely made me a little bit more optimistic i can continue the job i love and not have to give it up for the WFH assessor job that i really didnt want to do but felt i was going to have to. I know alot of suggestions are unrealistic for me, but that one isnt, and its definitely made me glad i posted.

Moped, £6 to fill up the tank and I can do 80/90 miles, tax £25 a year, insurance £300, CBT was £189 lasts for 2 years. It’s definitely worth it.

Bank shifts aren't worth the money. You would be better off joining a couple of agencies and doing extra shifts through them. The higher rate of pay will mean you could work a weekend day instead and use public transport. (I used to do agency shifts at a nursing home within walking distance of my house. That was a breeze.) It will also gain you experience in other areas of nursing which will be useful for future job applications.

Some (financial) banks have good Switching deals at the moment - Lloyds will give you £200 and free Disney+ subscription for a year if you switch to them <-- I would do that, cancel your other subscriptions and cancel your TV licence.

If you're out of contract on your mobile, iD mobile has great sim-only deals through the Carphone Warehouse. Unlimited everything for £15 a month on a 1 month contract. But they also do data rollover so if you went for, say, 60GB data for £8 a month, any unused data will roll over to the next month.

If anyone in your household receives Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or Income-based Employment Support Allowance, service providers like Virgin Media offer a basic broadband package for either £12.50 or £20 a month depending on speed. It is rather basic, I'm not sure how good it will be if you have a family of gamers. But it's a 1-month rolling contract so you can cancel/upgrade easily it if it's not working out for you.

Not relevant right now but when your student child reaches 18 and is still a student, they can get Amazon Prime for half-price (£47.48 a year), so that's something to bear in mind for the future.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else to suggest. Just sell old clothes on Vinted and make sure you use loyalty cards wherever you do your grocery shopping. Driving to work might not actually work out cheaper after you take into account the fuel costs and parking costs. My hospital charges £10 a day to park in the car park. There is a 3-year waiting list for a staff parking pass and it isn't even free!

First of all, I'd like to extend congratulations for qualifying and making it beyond your 1st year, especially in A&E. I know from personal experience that training to become a nurse is one of the most challenging & arduous things I've ever done.

I agree with an earlier comment, suspending your pension contributions for 1-2yrs until you achieve your next increment. If you can choose shifts - always select the weekend for the enhanced pay. I'm also going to suggest you swap your shifts to day shifts in order to achieve my next suggestion.

The most sustainable way to make extra £££ will be progression, either a band 6, a trainee ACP role, Resus officer or band 6 educator. You have a unique & valuable set of skills and competencies that you've developed via being an A&E nurse, and a mature NQN with life experience that has shaped and challenged your resilience. You are an excellent candidate for one of these leadership roles. The best Segway into this is by making your intentions known to your Matron, your Band 7 and the A&E consultant leading the development of ACP's (yes, all of them).

There is approx 6-12mth lead time involved in planning & creation of these roles. If you're "earmarked", they will start sending you on training courses to get you ready for when the roles are advertised & go live.

All of the networking & planning occurs during the day shifts. I know someone who progressed to band 7 within 3yrs of qualifying - his determination and motivation to achieve this rapid progression was purely financial, so that he could afford a mortgage on his own. You can definitely do this and you deserve to give your children the life you promised.

Would also be worth exploring pip for your asd child again. My son receives DLA as he is also ASD.

@stressedoutstudent
Nurse of 15 years here. I’ve done lots of work in welfare for nursing staff.
Look up the Cavell trust, the RCN foundation and many more. There are charitable and union funds which help nurses experiencing financial hardship. Give them a Google. Searching “funds for nurses with financial hardship” brings up a long list.

It is also worth contacting well-being or looking up a “legacy mentor” in your trust. Your managers may agree to you seeing them for an hour in work time. They may have access to further resources/financial advice that will get you through this time.

Check with HMRC your tax code; mine didn’t allow for my outgoings of washing uniforms, my registration fee and union fees etc, they may reduce your tax code or give you a rebate!

I know these aren’t life changing but just some resources I have tapped into as a nurse over the years.

Keep your head down, once you gain traction, experience and confidence the path to band 6 is quite do able and the pay jumps up!
Pension payments are not mandated. Stop them for a year or two.

Hugs. Thanks for all you do as a nurse.

What about outgoings other than subscriptions are there any savings to be made on other bills, cutting electric costs, foil behind radiators or insulating windows to reduce heating costs or food costs by changing meal options/where you shop etc?

Old clothing, toys, gadgets - is there anything you can sell?

Are you claiming tax back for your uniform and on professional subscription to NMC?

https://www.rcn.org.uk/membership/Membership-fees/Tax-relief

https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/uniforms-work-clothing-and-tools

because a lot of suggestions i have thought about. This isnt a new sudden problem, its been building for a year. Moving is unrealistic with my daughters school, and rent increases the closer to the area the hospital is in as its more sought after and closer to the city and transport links etc. I know i wont have the energy for a bike, and an electric bike too, i just dont think its "for me". changing job roles is something ive considered, the market isnt great, i dont really want to give up my NHS job, but i was at the point of filling in applications for the WFH roles. If my son does manage to claim pip, which i will explore, that is for him, not for me. He has no responsibility to provide income for his siblings. He pays towards living costs now, but also funds alot of his own expenses. But ultimately, he is over 18. Pip would be his income, not mine. So even if he is entitled. I cannot count that towards my income.

The moped suggestion however is realistic, and im looking into it now.

Their stuff

There's an active drive to eliminate the lucrative agency shifts.

All of the trusts within my local area have stopped using these agencies and have ramped up recruitment onto the trust bank. The overtime shifts are only put onto the bank.

However, I can't speak on how agencies are being used in the private sector.

I don't really understand why you're prioritising a moped over an electric bike? The ongoing costs are much lower. No petrol, no insurance, electricity is cheaper than petrol.
You may think it's tiring but it's really not. Please go have a test ride if there's a bike shop near you, borrow a friend's, or try a Lime bike if they're in your area.

Band 6 A&E educator/quality is my career goal, which is why i dont want to leave the department if i can help it. But its also why moving up yet isnt realistic, 1 year qualified does not give me the experience or knowledge required, but im hoping all the effort i put in at work, and the amount of additional training i do, will mean i am able to get a role in education in the department in teh coming years.

I'm glad posting has helped OP.

Fingers crossed your parents will be able to help out with the moped costs

(Ignore the posters saying your defensive/rigid, some people are just itching for a fight)

This made me laugh. 🤣I have my former foster son on the shared lives scheme. I'm amazed you don't think you have to do much. I have to get the teen up, drive him to college in the morning 20 miles then drive 20 miles home, then collect in the afternoon another 20 miles then go home 20 more miles through rush hour. I do all his laundry, cooking and cleaning and he has a severe learning disability so he can't cope with public transport or looking after himself. He can't read or handle his finances either. Then I have to drive him to the gym 3 evenings a week.and cricket training and karate the other 2 days. OP would have no time for all of this. 🤷

I've got an electric bike. They are definitely harder work physically than a moped.

I wouldn't want to use mine after a long physical shift where I've been on my feet for hours.

Moped is the sensible choice.

are you in the SW @stressedoutstudent ? I have no idea why but feel like you might be

Have you considered working in a care home as a nurse?

Sorry if already mentioned, good electric bike ?
No insurance / licence/tax , I picked up a 2nd hand one on eBay.

You sound under so much pressure ,hope things can improve for you.

You can get a fairly decent amount of money tax-free and with no implications for benefits by using banking switch incentives. So create a personal account, move 2 direct debits onto it, and then switch it from bank to bank as their offers come up. You can probably go through about 6 banks in a year and each will pay about £150-£200. It's a bit of a faff with usually having to use the new card or transferring money in and out but can get you through a hard time or raise funds for a one off purchase.

You could consider using YourParkingSpace or Just Park to rent your driveway if you have one.

Are you making the best use of things like cashback sites, blue light discount, cheapest deals on broadband/phone etc, free subscription trials and so on? Money saving expert has a lot of good advice.

There is plenty of agency work out there if you don't limit yourself to hospital ward work. Sometimes it even pays more to work as a support worker/healthcare assistant for an agency than as a bank nurse. Nursing homes, community care work, private sits etc.