To ask how people afford plumbers or new fridges?

[coldinside]

I need a plumber to look at a drain blockage in my bathroom (have already tried to clear it myself to no avail) and my fridge has broken so needs replaced. But I’m wondering how I can even afford these things. I earn £1979 per month and my bills are as follows:

Mortgage £620.48
Council tax £125
Income protection insurance £17.48
Car tax £16.62
Gas £20
Electricity £40
Broadband £23.99
Mobile phone £10.50
TV licence £29.08
Counselling £100
Petrol £150
Parking £80
Dentist £20
House management fee £20
Car insurance £45
Home insurance £43.25
Credit card £200

This leaves me with a total of £417 per month to feed myself and a dog, to buy clothes, shoes and toiletries. I can’t save any money each month and I have no idea how I will pay for a fridge (£530) and plumber. AIBU?

It really is. We paid it every month, and extra £100 on top of our mortgage. It was meant to cover everything, illness, loss of job etc. I became seriously ill and my husband became my full time carer. We put in the claim for my illness and they didn't cover it. We ended up having our house repossessed and were made homeless right in the middle of me getting treatment and a lot of other things. It's one of the biggest scams going

Also depends on whether OP has claimed before or not

second hand fridge - you could probably get a free one somewhere on marketplace or similar - or go in a British heart foundation furniture store and see what they have

How often do you need shoes on clothes? i've not bought either for at least 6 months

The cheapest fridge freezer on ao is the fridgemaster at £179, not £500.

Or wait for Black Friday and get something better with a discount.

Can you not use klarna to pay for a fridge a8 pay in 3 over 3 months? Abd surely you dont need new clothes every month?

Oh yeah and dont pay TV license. I haven't for years so you can save yourself a bit that way

This has already been discussed. I wouldn't be telling someone with a Tv to just stop paying their licence. I watch catch up TV and that costs me nothing

Save. Cut back everywhere you can. Buy second hand clothes etc. Learn to make do and mend. Go without. (1970s child of 1930s poor parents gives a very different perspective on necessities) learn to budget to within an inch of your life. Buy a second hand fridge to tide you over. It is difficult if you are not used to it. Try downsizing a level in the supermarket until you find the cheapest you like. Some essentials and some own brand.( Eg: Swapped branded cornflakes for own brand different cereal or essential weetbiscs as I only like Kellogg's.)

This of course will not be possible for the lowest incomes as they are already doing this.

Do without a fridge for the short term.....it's getting colder....and watch out for a second hand one.
Some of your figures seem high....house insurance, etc.
TV licenses are not £348 a year.
Take a break from counselling.

Some of the comments on here?

Counselling is important for a few people and employee schemes aren't that good.

Can you get a second job? This is what I did when I was short of cash, I worked on Sundays.
Lots of shops are recruiting seasonal staff at the moment.

Are you for real? Without a fridge?

Has OP been back yet?

If you can't afford to pay your heating bills the house is freezing anyway, not far above fridge temperatures.

In the 70s we didn't have a freezer, only a fridge with a freezer compartment.

You can buy tins, fresh veg will keep out of the fridge at low temps.

Evaporated milk or nasty powered milk non dairy creamer for tea/coffee.

I think it is actually quite easy to live without a fridge. Not great but certainly possible. You just need to shop a bit more regularly if you want fresh food, especially meat, and eat it on the day you get it.

You may find calling the Samaritans for emotional support is more effective than counselling. The latter often makes you go round in circles. I used to call them when much younger. Very good indeed IMHO.

You are paying too much for your TV licence at £29.08 - its around £180 a year
Home insurance can be shopped around for less than £43.25 a month ditto car insurance

Yes, I'm real. I have gone without a fridge before, when I haven't been able to afford one. People did live without fridges in the past!

Lol at the horror people express when you dare to suggest they go without a fridge for a short period.

I once said go without electric for a couple of days and the reaction that got you would have sworn that I'd suggested slaughtering every firstborn in the country! People are VERY attached to their mod cons and very narrow minded too to think they can't possibly exist without them,

Have a look at Olio and too good to go for some of your food. Try and get the credit card debt moved onto a 0 per cent balance transfer. Look at buying second hand clothes - charity shops, vinted etc.

@Roobarbtwo If you are watching catch up on iPlayer (BBC) you do need a licence.

I assume that @coldinside is at work, hence no posts.

The TV licence cost has been explained upthread. If you pay monthly, your first 6 months are double - that's how TV Licensing work their monthly payment scheme.

It's not like there are lots of companies that sell TV licences and compete on price: you either pay TVL the standard rate (unless you qualify for a discounted rate) or you don't buy one at all!

If you need to go without a fridge for a couple of days put items you need to keep cool in a sealed plastic bag and submerge it in a large bucket of very cold water, then place the bucket outside or in a cold part of the house.

Thank you; it was as if I had suggested going without food for six months!
Attached, yes....also unaware of how recent these things are, how many people still go without, and what alternatives there are.

Thanks, but it was already clear - I didn’t need your explanation. Which, while technically correct was unhelpful because it took.no account of the OPs circumstances and was thus misleading as best, and wrong at worst . :)

The simple fact is that for a single person on around £30k gross with a mortgage and no savings universal credit is of no use at all if one is ill or loses their job. It will not cover the mortgage, nor give them £2k net, which is what the OP needs to cover her costs. £20odd income protection premium is a good deal for people like her, and advising to cancel somewhat foolish. The benefits system (a) shouldn’t be relied on and (b) is unhelpful if one is single and has no children. I hope that clarifies things for you.