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?

Gosh, some people will find something to criticise no matter how small the outgoings are 🤦‍♀️
The only thing that actually looks high is the house insurance as we pay £21 a month.
To me, OP’s food +cloths+other essentials budget (including the dog) looks really tight.
The mortgage is cheap! Yes, she’s on a low income, but £600 is “high”? Come on, people…
If OP is in good health, I’d suggest picking up a second job, for instance a temporary Christmas one. That’d cover a new fridge-freezer. I wouldn’t go for a second-hand one unless it’s £10–20, as it probably wouldn’t last long. White goods don’t last these days.
Ours are 7 years old and the FF is already acting up. It’ll need replacing soon.
I’ve already started putting some money aside (not a brag), but if it packs in any time soon, we’ll just get a new one on a payment plan from Curry’s.

I assume this is her net income (and that comes to around £23K, so gross will be higher) because otherwise is doesn't make sense looking at her income/outgoings.

One basic issue is her mortgage is high ( 1/3rd of her net monthly income) which is really about the maximum finance experts suggest.

The mortgage is cheap! Yes, she’s on a low income, but £600 is “high”? Come on, people…

It's 1/3rd of her net income and that's regarded as high.

I agree, and also have Homeserve. I also have Domestic & General policies on all my appliances; and recently got my defunct dishwasher replaced free.

OP your costs for running a car are massive.

My adding up shows £3500 for fuel, road tax, insurance and parking.

Can you trim this in any way?

Do you have an incredibly long journey to work and then pay £20 a week for parking?

Just a thought, many workplaces have welfare schemes. You may at be able to access counselling through that free of charge.

Our fridge cost a lot less than that, you can get one for around £200. I use Currys and pay monthly if I need to make a major purchase.

Yep, 2nd hand when you're short on cash.
Actually, for most things I'd happily go 2nd hand now - but my husband doesn't understand it.

Unfortunately, if you have absolutely no savings and its something you need desperately, then its credit card (which takes away the 2nd hand option). There's a few refurb sites for appliances.

And going forward, even sticking £25 a month into savings (premium bonds so you need a few days notice to take it out and can't spend it on a whim) will soon add up. Get the transfer set up for pay day, and in 6 months you won't notice it.

Are you due a payrise any time soon? Or if any of your bills go down, stick that exact amount into savings each month on payday.

It sucks OP, that you have to spend more on something because you have less. But there's a way forward.

Pet insurance is a problem. Normally you won't need it but you may and vets charge what they like and publish no lists of fees - which I think they should. A pet is a committment but also a companion, a comfort, a friend. If one's friend is ill then one wants to be able to pay for the care - and the vet charities are now very strict on whose animals they will treat e.g. you must be on a benefit like UC etc.
So, on balance, I think insurance for one dog is reasonable.
Not sure what the house management fee is and the mortgage seems very high but assume in London or Home Counties.

I do have to agree here. I've had to have counselling over 2 separate periods in my life, I did struggle to afford it, but I did need it and it made a difference

So is that £200 to the CC clearing it each month? If so, then buy a (cheaper than £500) fridge on the CC.

On the other hand if that's the minimum payment, or paying off part of the total, can you move that debt? Won't help to get a fridge though - think cheap or second hand.

Imagine thinking people should be able to buy things they need? Everyone needs to get used to hand-me-downs so we can ensure the rich can take even bigger a share

Looks like your car, petrol, and parking is costing about 400 pounds a month. Possible to use public transport?

About the counselling, there are many self-help books, apps, and YouTube videos available that address many different issues. Maybe you could use those free resources (getting the books from the library)? Without the car and the counselling, you'd immediately be 500 pounds a month better off, and then you could pay down that debt faster. And then you'd be 700 pounds a month better off!

Is the parking in the same place each time - for work or something? If it's in a residential area, I don't suppose you could find somebody nearby with a drive that they don't use (look online or even drop a photocopied note through potential letterboxes) with whom you could strike a deal whereby you park on their drive and pay them, say, half as much as you're currently paying?

A nice little extra monthly bonus for them, with no real difference to their lives or inconvenience; and a 50% saving for you every month?!

I think a car is essential in some areas especially for a single woman as they provide more secure transport.

However, I wonder if OP is doing any digging before paying out for insurances, phone, etc etc or just sticking with the old provider?

I'm not hard up, but I always get 3 quotes for house and car insurance each time they need renewal and the difference can be staggering!

It's worth shopping around and for the future always paying annually rather than monthly, which costs more.

If you need a new fridge get it on klarna
but I would go to a British heart foundation charity shop and buy one there.

If you are paying 43.25 x 12 monthly payments for your house insurance that is 519.00 per year.

We have a 3 bedroomed semi in a Dorset village and our home and contents insurance premium for the next 12 months is 175.85. (This does not include Family Legal Protection or Home Emergency.) We have been with Churchill for years and pay our bill annually for the whole year, not monthly.

ps op I think you’re actually doing really well. You’re a home owner and you are responsible with investing in mental health and insurance. I think you should get pet insurance though in case dog gets ill!

I did finance on AO (mine broke on Christmas Eve last year)
paid £240 for a fridge freezer and it’s been great

Well it’s life 🤷‍♀️
I paid £600 to rent a one bedroom flat in 2009, and nowadays you’d pay £750 for a bloody room in the house share.
Ideal scenario (I heard) is to pay about 10% of income on the housing costs, but I don’t know anyone this category..

second hand or dented ones from discount place

In your situation the only reason I'd buy a £530 fridge is if it had at least £200 inside it; there's just no need to spend that much. Aside from that it's pretty clear you're not profligate; sure you might be able to trim a few quid here and there but there's no obvious big immediate savings to be had other than maybe with the credit card if the £200 is a lot more than the minimum payment. I'm guessing not as you would have thought of that yourself.

...and sorry but I have to ask (well I don't but I will): Why oh why do people with low incomes get dogs? It's no secret they can cost a fair bit, especially should they need a vet. I know the answer is basically 'because it's nice/I want one', but I could say the same about all sorts of stuff I want but don't get because I can't really afford it. I know that not at all helpful so apologies - but I just don't get it.

Premiums can vary hugely though - no matter how many quotes you get. I'm guessing that your Dorset village isn't exactly crime central?!

And then, of course, the more your premium, the harder it is to afford to pay the annual cost in one go - so you end up paying even more on top of that high price for having to pay it monthly.

The problem with pet insurance is that unless it’s a really well-known, established company that charges a lot in premiums (won’t name names, but pet owners will probably guess which one I mean), you just can’t rely on or trust them.
The cheaper insurers usually have very low annual coverage, endless exclusions, and will do absolutely anything to avoid paying out.
Vet bills are insane (££££) these days, even simple blood work is around £500. I know this all too well from recent experience…
Unless you’re on benefits and can use the PDSA (or similar), or you’re paying a high premium to a reputable insurer, or you’re genuinely loaded, getting a sick pet can easily lead to heartbreak and losing your beloved animal.

But anyway, that’s beside the main point of the discussion here.

What are your thoughts on all the wonderful advice you've received @coldinside?