To be so sick of being broke?

[PrincessC0nsuelaBananaHammock]

This is pretty much just a moan really. I'm already doing everything I can to try and improve our situation financially. Although nothing's working atm. 😑

Both DH and I work full-time, on minimum wage. Me 45 hours per week, him between 40-50 depending on the week. And we still can't make ends meet. I'm talking having about £50 left in the bank 2 days after payday because all the bills have come out.

Not entitled to any benefits as earn too much for UC (on MW? 😐). Kids are grown up (22 and 18) but still living at home. DD1 is in college and on UC and waiting to see if she's entitled to PIP for her autism. DD2 is starting uni next month and works part-time herself.

I'm just so fucking sick of the cost of everything. To the point I'm questioning whether I can afford to buy a £6 pack of Benadryl for my fucking hayfever! 😡

Applying for multiple better-paying jobs every week and getting bloody nowhere! Urgh.

I'm so sorry I have no advice but just wanted to say I'm sorry and I completely empathise with you. It does feel bloody impossible a lot of the time. Sending sincere solidarity your way. X

I'd rather stay on Mounjaro.

Can't believe the shit you're getting, OP. Two people who work the hours you both do should certainly be able to spend around £200 a month on things that invest in your health like a gym (£25 is a cheap gym membership especially if there's a pool) and some TV and yes, even weight loss medicine, shock horror.

If confirmed coeliac, in some areas can get a prescription for gf bread. My DH can't get it as he can't eat enough gluten for the test to be reliable, and DD we are waiting for a dieticians appt so can be prescribed.

it can vary with the supermarkets own brands, for me its try and taste etc

Neither, she's only been on it for 2 months, since college finished in June. So I'm not sure if she won't be entitled to it once September comes. Will depend on the hours she'll be doing.

Honestly, never ask for money advice on mumsnet, here we go again with people thinking that you should have no luxuries if you just want a vent about how rubbish the COL has been.

“OP if you buy a tent and a camp stove you could give up your house and live more frugally. A house is a want not a need. £850 for food and cleaning products? You can get 30 tins of beans and warm them up on your camp stove and save a fortune! You’re welcome by the way… I’ve just saved you £0000s!’

Sometimes I run through in my head what I think Dave Ramsey would say to me if I told him my money woes. Terrifying! But I have taken on board some of his thinking and done a budget to the penny - the money saving expert one is good OP. And it really opened my eyes as to where my money was going and I have cut my monthly spending about 15% just by being much more aware of my spending and re prioritizing.

As an aside from all the tedious money talk…… blumin’ well done on the weight loss, that’s amazing!
Is there a plan for tapering down or are you still in the losing phase? I’m assuming (and I know precisely zero in this area) that it’s an expense that will run its course once you get to maintenance?

Haven’t read the whole thread so someone may have mentioned it, but have you looked the Dave Ramsey baby steps. They involve hard work and sacrifice but they work.

It's Italian and definitely needs boiling for longer. Husband picks it up so I'm not sure if it's cheaper. I like the co-op gluten free fusili, and the Asda spaghetti .

Sometimes Amazon can be cheaper for bulk buying rice and pasta. I think Tesco was cheapest for bulk buying rice.

I'm sure there's a comparison site somewhere.

So presumably you were eating copious amounts of fat?

i know your post is in jest but the tins of beans would save a fair bit off the food bill

Looking through your budget, it is the debt payments which are killing you, plus the high grocery bill. As a couple of other posters have suggested, Dave Ramsey is great for this type of situation. He has a good plan for anyone looking to get out of debt. I know you don't want advice, but you are going to keep feeling miserable until the debt is cleared, but when it is finally cleared, you will feel like you've had a massive pay rise! Ditto cutting down your food bill - batch cooking stews etc in a slow cooker is your friend here.

Best of luck. Start at lowest grade and work up. The prospects and pension are great

Quite. You have to reduce your fat intake anyway. If she was passing loads of fat, she was eating loads of fat and.didn't adjust her diet

Thinking further about jobs - are you looking for jobs at a higher salary or the same as now without the free labour? If you and OH both did the same hours as now but got paid correctly for those worked, you’d be approx £800 a month better off!
iIn this instance, a sideways move would definitely be a massive step up

OP, if you have experience with caring for your daughter you should look at your local council and surrounding areas and look for jobs in adult social care, like unqualified social workers. In my LA they are call social care practitioners and we also have admin and team support workers who do lower level stuff, but if you’re good enough with computers and have experience being a carer then they could be good transferable skills. The starting salary is over 30k and you go up every year until you’re at the top of your band. 35kish

My friend has joined the council a new department finding properties that are empty, vacant and persuading owners to hand them over for social housing. They'll spend up to 35k to upgrade the property then lease from you. Guaranteed income. The salary is excellent and she enjoys it.

It's always worth checking out your local council, education authority, for posts.

Do you budget?

You could get buy on max £500 for groceries with things like meal prepping, batch cooking, using frozen veg etc, eating less meat. We're a family of 4 and spend about that. Also things like using a bar of soap instead of expensive shower gels, lots of little things like that can make a difference. I could do you a meal plan that would save you money

I am interested in where you are getting the mounjaro from at that price.
You state you are on the higher dose , i havent seen the lowest dose at less than £125 and higher ones goes up to well over £225 .
I am taking it myself and know thats not the correct price , but if it is i will be changing suppliers myself .
I am old , so only on a pension, but i spend between £80-100 A MONTH on my food shopping , one person.
So you must be shopping at Waitrose to spend that much .
Nothing else to say , but would love to know about the Mounjaro

Tesco gf spaghetti is much better than their fusilli/penne pasta. And their gf rolls are much better than their gf loaf, which I agree is like sawdust.

By your budget you do have at least £500 "spare" per month that you are choosing to spend on luxuries.

Subs, Gym, Mounjaro, Contract phones, ridiculous amounts of food/groveries, superfast internet.

No one who spends that much on food is broke.
I don't even know what to say about the idea that Mounjaro is an essential.

It is both actually depending on the product. Acrivastine is basically the same as cetirizine which you can get for about a quid. There is never any need to pay for branded drugs. Anyone who does wants their head feeling! It's easy to ask at the pharmacy if they have a generic version. My pharmacy always asks me if I want the cheaper version of everything. Of course I ffin do!