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.

Oh right, I thought you meant leave the NHS, because she studied long and hard for that. But yes, that would be good.

OP double check for any benefits on Turn to Us, sure you knew that anyway.

This might not be a feasible idea but it’s something my mum did for a while.. If you switch to day shifts can you then get some sleep in/on call night shifts eg in a residential children’s setting or as a private carer.

Also depending on your area and the route an electric scooter might be a cheaper alternative to a moped. Here the police don’t care and there are plenty of cycle lanes that they feel safe to ride in (with helmet, lights, etc).

Literally says what he contributes. Why are you implying its her fault his lack of contribution?

That's hard. Can you not arrange your work/life balance so that you still get UC? That would surely be easier than what you are currently doing and might allow you to put some money aside to learn to drive and then get a cheap car?

Are there any cleaning or babysitting jobs you could pick up? Even 1 shift of babysitting can be around £60. A cleaning job could be around the same. Just 1 shift of this would be an extra £240 per month and could help towards the moped etc

What about online tutoring? With all your qualifications, could you tutor in a particular subject? Online tutoring could be more lucrative. No travel costs. Prep work would be needed.. but hourly rate high?

Actually- you said you couldn't take on another job- fair. But, does the bank work contribute to your future career? If not, would it be more lucrative to swap those shifts for something that pays more per hour - like tutoring? It would only be a short term thing. Could be done from home (so no transport costs) flexible around your schedule, not sure of tax implications.

Apart from the PIP role sounding soul destroying if your son already has to use a connecting dining room as a bedroom where would you use to WFH on confidential phone calls?

How much short a month are you and could you get your children involved in an age appropriate way? E.g. they know the total food budget and decide with you what that is spent on? They know the heating budget and help decide if lower heat for longer is preferred to higher heat for a shorter time etc.

I think you need to sit down and work out exactly what you are spending your money on. And then how you think your income/expenditure will change over the next few years. It feels like if you can stick out the next year or two then you will be in a really strong position. Commuting is only 15% of your post tax income. Yes, save money if you can, but don't give up a career you've worked hard for just to reduce commuting costs.

If the moped doesn’t work out could you at least do part of the journey by bus? So get a taxi to the nearest bus stop going directly to the hospital from your house to arrive in time to catch the bus? Even if you can’t eliminate the need for a taxi you could potentially save money by shortening the journey.

I have only read OP's posts and didn't get that impression at all.
I think she has read all the suggestions and responded politely to those which she has either considered and ruled out (e.g. moving house, buying a car), those which don't work for her situation (e.g. changing pension contribution, getting a lift with colleagues) and the one which is worth looking into (getting a moped).

Something about BOTOX I don't understand.
It has to be prescribed in person by a Doctor. But they never do.
I don't know if that would lose the nurse her registration.

Definitely look into the Cycle to Work scheme.

An eBike will easily do the hills with little effort from you. Do not buy secondhand as you could run a fire risk of potential dodgy batteries, if you go through the scheme you'll be buying a decent model
Salary sacrifice for the Cycle to Work scheme is taken from gross salary BEFORE NI and tax are included and should cost you the equivalent of about £50/month for 12-18 months depending on the model you choose. SO the equivalent of 4-5 days of taxis A MONTH. Should save you masses, and you will get the bike before you get a deduction, so instant savings.
All you'd then need is a helmet and a waterproof jacket, gloves and trousers - maybe ask your parents ? Christmas pressie?

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/get-active/the-cycle-to-work-scheme-explained/

I'm a keen cyclist, but the thought of HAVING to cycle 6 miles either side of a hard night shift sounds really horrible. Getting all dressed up in the grim weather in the winter, or all hot in the summer.

Christ. That professionals have to live like this. And it's normal.

Just a few nhs thoughts.... most Trusts have (see intranet) a link to staff / financial help pages etc - ours has lots of grants & financial assistance for nurses, staff discount schemes (money off / discounted shop vouchers etc) - pretty much get 5% minimum off everything I buy, sometimes both %off plus pay with discounted vouchers. 8% off Xbox store.

Use all the supermarket apps, asda, nectar and lidl particularly good for discounts, points, cashback etc (plus discounted vouchers to spend at most of these).

Spend time on Money Saving Expert if you don't already.

See if RCN has a hardship fund or similar also.

You need to declare other work if you're NHS so you don't run the risk of overdoing it and compromising your working standards ( like excessive hours worked)

NHS Trusts always maintain that their Staff is their biggest asset so want to protect us .
In my Trust it's a 'mare with travel and parking , we can get the bikes on Salary Sacrifice but I wouldn't be safe on a bike , and I carry a load of stuff with me

If you cycle in can you shower or freshen up at work ( 'cos I would be a big old sweaty mess if I cycled in m especially in waterproofs and protective headgear )

There was a PIP assessor AMA on here recently, see if you can find the thread and ask her about it.

Some excellent advice already so nothing to add other than to say what an inspiration you are to your children in modelling the absolute grit, determination and resilience it takes to achieve your goals and provide for your family - keep
Going and take all the advice and support you can get to ease your situation.

I did cycle to work, no cycling in the dark or shifts and it was 5 miles. I think cycling at night plus your actual job it would be a bit too much

What gaming consoles do they use? Is it Xbox ? Do they share game pass?

Olio offers free food form people who pick it up as shops close, it’s to stop waste.

Hi can you give some more info on this please? How did you learn? Can you link to an example (doesn't have to be your product) thanks x

How is it "cruel"? It's an economical and practical way of travelling short distances. I work shifts and cycle year-round (in North Wales mind, not somewhere easy like Cambridgeshire). This is the UK, not Finland. Though actually many Finns do cycle - the city of Oulu is pretty close to the Arctic Circle and a significant chunk of the population cycle even in the depths of winter.

There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothes.

You're doing amazing op. You've put yourself through a nursing degree which is bloody hard. You've raised your kids alone.

I'm a nurse lecturer. It might not be something for right now but the point I want to make is that you won't always be on a band 5. We have quite new staff lecturing and they earn good money. I would think twice before moving out of A&E because your skills and knowledge in that area will help you progress up the bands more than PIP assessing will.

One thing I did when strapped for cash once is match betting. I just did it for a year and earned £10k extra that year. You don't pay tax on winnings. Read up on it. It's not gambling it's just basic maths.

The other tax free income is renting spare rooms but not sure that's an option.