Is it possible to live on 1700 per month in these circumstances?

[Siskosisko]

... after mortgage has been paid. All other bills (utilities, food etc) will have to come out of that 1700. Facing a difficult situation due to job losses (both me and DH as the same time) as one of the children is very ill and need a lot of time off. Other DC is severely disabled and issues with school etc. So a lot going on and starting a new job not realistic for either of us due to both DC having such high needs and DC2 being in crisis. Current (flexible) employers even had enough so cannot see how someone else would take us on.

We do have saving as we always worked, so no UC.

I haven't slept for a few days as I am so worried about finances. DC are 15 and 17.

It will be tight, but its do-able. There won't be much fun money and you'll probably eat a lot of jacket potatoes, but its do-able. Do the children both get PIP/DLA (can't remember the age cut-off)? Do you get Carers Allowance?

I'm sorry you're going through this.

yes, pip and dla. We will apply both for CA once our notice periods are over. We currently dont qualify. plus child benefit. I don't think there is anything else we are entitled to due to savings..

It depends on your outgoings, but it looks very doable to me. People live on less before their mortgage or rent is paid.

The moneysavingexpert website would be a great place to start looking at how you can cut costs.

You can have £6000 in savings before your universal credit is affected and up to £16,000 before it stops altogether .

@x2boys I am aware. But we have that in saving. Never not worked and always ultra careful with money. I now wish we would have lived a bit more, gone on holidays etc. At least we would get some help. but we are where we are.

Do you keep personal/family accounts?

That way you can look back and see what you spent on utilities etc. which will give you a much better idea of how far £1,700 is going to go.

It sounds like you will all be in the house more, so energy costs are likely to go up. On the other hand you may be commuting less so transport costs may go down.

Your savings will be important for those unexpected costs that come up now again - car repairs/something breaking.

It would be tight here with similar family size, but could be achieved - only knowing savings can pick up the one off costs.

What are your monthly bills and food spends? Presumably these won’t change because you’re both unemployed? What are you left with for ‘spending money’ after you take off all bills?

Do you know how much you currently spend on bills, food and petrol?
Once you've put that down, you will know how much / if anything is left afterwards and how you'll fare.

It will be tough going, especially if you're accustomed to having plenty spare.

Best wishes to your family though, as it sounds like a tough time even without the financial complications 💐.

Also, is your new income based on all of the benefits you’ve listed or is there chance you might get a bit more somewhere?

Could one of you not plead with an employer to keep you on and then the other parent stays at home and claims carer allowance.

what do you mean by 'new income based'?

things are incredibly stressful as one child is severely disabled and the other is in crisis including suicide attempts. We need to provide 24/7 suicide watch. I needed so much time off, that I will be let go. Just waiting for the official restructuring in Jan. They are totally fed up with me despite always working my time back. DH doesn't cope well with stress and made too many mistake. We will be dismissed soon pending disciplinary steps. It's in the making. This year has been incredibly difficult and it's all falling apart. It's extra shit timing we will both be out of work around the same time. There is nothing I can do.

We live on that each month and I consider us to live quite comfortably. My kids are a bit younger though so probably eat (a bit!) less!

Our situations have some similarities OP. I have savings but a very low income (less than £1700). It is absolutely possible. Spreadsheet it out pound by pound to make yourself feel more secure on what you have to spend and cut it right back to the bone. Then use the 'spare' money to add things back in across a few months, as you discover that life feels sad without them (eg. cut your netflix cost or whatever and then add back in).

Try not to compare with people who are entitled to benefits. You're in a much stronger position. Think of it as an experiment for a year, and then see where you are. The thing i find hardest is when i have a big expense (eg the washing machine breaks down) and i have to take this out of savings. If you're used to 'saving for the future' this can feel hard. But the future is NOW! You won't be on this income forever... It's hard when you can't go out for a meal or do something fun that friends think of as nothing, but you also absolutely won't go under. Sounds like you've had a really tough few years. Not working will probably feel MUCH better in terms of your time and internal resources.

PP just means does the £1700 include the carers allowance etc?

Talk to your employer.

Yes they may well be fed up with you but they might, just might give you a leave of absence for a year or two.

Find out where your nearest community shop / pantry / fridge is and use it.

Apply for carer's allowance and ask for a benefit check to make sure you claim everything you are entitled to.

Contact your gas / electric / water/ every other provider and ask what help they offer. You might be suprised, Severn Trent Water bought my friend a bed!

Get your internet on to a 'social tariff'. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/saving-money/social-tariffs/

As soon as you are not in work contact HMRC, you might be entitled to some tax back.

Could one of you go on 'jobseekers' allowance? Or do you have a GP who would sign you off for 'stress and anxiety'? I can tell you are anxious just from reading your post. This would give you ESA, although it keeps changing.

Contact the council to see if you can reduce your council tax. This is easier if you are claiming benefits.

Good luck. You can do this.

can you lose the savings?

Also, my DH was made redundant and as he had a lot of saving he could claim new style jobseekers allowance

The 17 year old is entitled to universal credit in the own right......this can be up to £700 a month. I think the claiming age is 16 for disabilities. I'm not sure but it's worth checking.

yes, that will be including 2 x carers allowance. One DC on DLA and one on PIP so we can both claim.

You need to work this out for yourself. No one can tell you if it’s “enough”. Is it enough to maintain your current lifestyle? Maybe, or perhaps you will need cutbacks.
You need to work out all your bills, payments, commuting costs, petrol, spending money you give the kids, amount left for food etc and work out a budget.

17 year old is in full time education (special school). I didn't think they can claim in that situation?

And your savings aren't regarded for your dcs claim.....I work but claim it on my sons behalf despite having around 30k in savings.

I think £1700 after mortgage seems ok... £500 on food, maybe £500 on all utilities and then £700 spends (roughly £175 a week). Not luxurious but I think you will manage. Look at all subscriptions and make sure you're on good deals for broadband, gas and electric etc. I'm sorry it sounds really stressful and I hope things get better soon

What could I claim for my 17 year old? They are on PIP but in full time education. We get child benefit for them. We never claimed anything so totally clueless.

Yes. They can. It doesn't matter if they're in education, I know many people in your situation not entitled to extra help because they earn too much.

Go to your local disability advice centre, they can do a full benefits check up for you. You might also be entitled to a reduction in your council tax.