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.

I'm sorry you're in such a tight spot OP. I definitely would consider a moped to cut travel costs. PIP assessment for your eldest child suggested by PP sounds a good idea. Have you contacted your local social security office to run through your situation and check you're not entitled to any other benefits?

It's not much but I earn around £50-100 a month on various survey and market research sites - try Lifepoints, Ipsos, Pinecone, Prolific, Angelfish, Focus4People, Attapoll. Search MN for the Earn £10 a Day threads - there may be other suggestions on there - that's if you have any spare time!

Hi Op,

To echo the others I’m also really sad this is what the worlds come to and someone working so hard is in this position!

Do you and the kids like animals? You could put yourself on Rover to look after / walk dogs and get paid. It’s not much but might fit around your days and be enjoyable. People also often need help with small animals (Rabbits/ Guinea pigs /cats) when they are away so advertising locally might be a good option.

Id google reviews of working as a pip assessor before applying.

I seriously considered it last year as a mental health nurse when I was totally burnt out working in in patients. However when I googled some of the companies (I think one was capita or something) people were saying it isnt what it seems...massive, unrealistic targets and working more hours than you should to meet them.

Im now a band 6 in nhs in a prison, but previously worked for a private company in a mental health hospital, that also employed adult nurses but was a higher wage than NHS , would you consider moving from NHS?

What about doing some PA carer work for a local disabled person/child on your day off? Often the work isn't very difficult - taking a child to the cinema for example. Sometimes they just want someone for a few hours .

OP I just wanted to say what you’re doing is amazing. I hope things improve for you financially soon.

I'm not sure if you missed the pension opt out option, yes it's a last resort but needed now more than in 30 years!

I’d do the PIP role, even if it’s just for a year or two. Get yourself back on your feet. You’re a qualified nurse so can always go back to what you love when you can. There’s no shame in it, you do what’s right for you and your family. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

My contracted job including enhancements for nights is around £1900 a month. One week a month i do 4 shifts on my contracted. My bank shifts are about £120 after deductions, i get these paid weekly. My deductions are quite high as i have standard student loans, plus an MSc which is a different rate, however this one will be paid off in another 2 years as it was a much smaller loan.

Could you get a an e bike or a motor scooter?

If you have a licence then I'd get a car, if your parents can lend you the money.

Look for an older one with one owner. We literally just sold my grans old fiesta for £500. Less than 60,000 miles, serviced every year. Just 18yrs old but reliable as anything. Cost about £400 in insurance a year. We'd just been using it as an extra run around. That would pay for itself in no time.

I would look at how much the gaming and subscriptions are costing. PP guessing £20 sounds way off, I know people sending £100+ per month on these without noticing.

Sorry not read all the replies but your situation sounds truly unbearable and I feel for you.

Not a popular opinion perhaps but would you consider a change in job? Customer service agent in a call centre is around £25k and with the potential to earn a bonus and the shifts would be better suited to your family life. My work offers call centre staff to work from home 3 days a week too.

I get nursing is your vocation and it must be heart breaking to think of giving it up so early, but it's something you could pick back up when the time is right

could you ask your parents to buy the moped for you and you could pay them back. Your son could cycle scoot or moped to college too

I'm not sure why everyone's shocked though and saying what an awful world etc.

A newly qualified nurses salary isn't really expected to be enough to keep 4 people. I'm more inclined to say what a shitty ex you've got. £29 a month for 3 kids is the shocking part! Men like that should get hard labour shifts to pay for there offspring.

Just searched my employer scheme and you can get an i10 for around 270 a month which covers all costs. It's something to consider.

We have netflix prime and now tv, then the xbox gamer pass, and the playstation network that i pay for. They then pay for their own battle passes and my 16 year old pays for his own anime tv subcription out of their paper round moneys.

I saw some suggested a bike to reduce travel costs - I think they're OK if you have safe cycle lanes, but I would not cycle long distances esp given I'm inexperienced - I don't know if you are too. A 3 wheeler, like a piaggio MP3, might be an option, but you'd need to buy one, take lessons and obtain a licence, so more initial cost.

However, for the moment, I'd go with PIP assessor job to reduce your outgoings. In time, you can go back to A&E - career progression doesn't always go in a straight line or how we plan it in our heads but that doesn't mean you can't achieve your goal.

Your eldest is claiming PIP, right? If not, you should encourage him to apply and help him secure it. He may then be able to chip in a little to the household.

I appreciate you earn too much to claim carers allowance, but what about your middle child? If they're over 16yo they could claim it if they spend 35 hours a week supporting their brother.

The blue light, survey and using cash back sites is a good suggestion - ask your eldest to do some surveys too.

I get where you are, my kids are neurodiverse and aren't yet independent. I'm a widow and it's hard holding everything together.

Wishing you the best of luck, you sound like you have gone down a good route so far, so we'll done. Just the last big hurdle to get over and you'll find things will settle into a better state for you all x

you could give your son a lift on the moped some days

Please look up Dave Ramsay, Rachel Cruze, Dave ramsay uk and scrimping on a budget on Facebook- tons of free financial help from people in your situation. Good luck

I think the helpline someone recommended upthread is the best starting point.

Have you done the maths on changing to a different job you can walk to? It may be that the UC top up, no taxi money and reducing subscriptions as you will be home in the evening might outweigh your salary.

Sorry :(

Your adult child may qualify for UC in their own right - won’t be a lot but it’s something.

Consider a moped for your travel - you don’t need a driving licence. Taxis everywhere is just not sustainable.

We have several band 5 and 6's doing this. The NHS pension is expensive for what you get these days so opt out until you can afford it. Forget about the silly ideas around cycling and cancelling subscriptions - you and the kids need some joy in life.

What would I do ?

Stay in the NHS, especially if I was in my 40s as the pension and sick pay are worth gold bars
I might look to reduce pension for say a year, until the next pay scale is reached

Look at a moped, and see if I could pay monthly, like you can for a car on PCP.

See if the kids can get jobs and pay for the subscriptions

Food bank, Olio app, too good to go, community pantry,

Choose the higher paid weekend shifts

Hold faith, most of us have had times when we have had no money at all, but it works out in the end.

Thank you for the work you do, we need our nurses

If you don't need to be where you are and it's actually causing issues getting to work, can you move to a cheaper, less desirable area at all? Ideally closer to the hospital? I'm just thinking you don't need a catchment area anymore and you're renting so maybe now's a good time?

Between the OT, commuting and children I'm guessing you're quite time poor. A lot of people in this situation end up spending a fortune on easy food— takeaways, ready meals, etc. Maybe that isn't you, but if you do the sums and it's a big outgoing, might be worth tackling that end of it— batch cooking, not getting brand names etc. could save more than you'd earn doing surveys or whatever.