in getting so fed up of being skint and having to read about people who claim to be skint bbut are buying games consoles for their DC when mine will have to have whatever I can scrape from the charity shop or freecycle?

[conniedescending]

I know this is a bit 'living in a council house with flat screen tv' and I'v always been hugely against benefit bashing threads but I'm wondering if the worm has turned?

we are struggling to pay the essentials, my DH is working all the hours he possibly can in a job thats not going well at all (due to loss of customers due to aforementioned credit crunch) meanwhile I'm working from whenever he gets home till 1/2 am, 6 days a week trying to make up the shortfall.

Have had a disastrous week as washing machine packed up and my mum is on holiday so I can't use hers. I have a baby in cloth nappies so have had to buy disposables. Have spent all morning or the last few days handwashing clothes and deserately trying to get them dry which is impossible in this weather. Cant get to launderetter because car needs mot and we have no money to do that.

Then I saw some small toy items on freecylce that I asked for and hoped I'd get because the lady who was offering them has had several items from me (curtains, breadmaker and some hardly worn shoes). Anyway - she's not gifting me them (was hoping they may be okfor xmas pressies).

so I come on MN and read threads about people on benefits who are skint and have 'only' bought nintendos ds'or a wii...........

honestly have no clue how we are going to get through this - we have eaten into both our overdrafts, looking to increase income in everyway possible, have cut back everything to the bone. There is no safety net there now at all and I am starting to really worry.

We have a wedding we're supposed to go to next mth as well - god knows how we are going to make that, plus birthdays galore.

cant see the wood for the trees at the minute

HRHSaintMamazon talks sense

£350 a week

even when I add in income support, child tax credit and child benefit - I don't get that much!

Shesells - i think CD meant minus £350 as she put a little "-" sign before the £350

Minus 350 I think.

sorry to here your having a tough time we jst come from a big shitty area and are jst about back on our feet even if we had to work all hours we could get to get here saying that our fridge freezer packed up yesterday but got a chest so will have to make do till can get a small fridge or sumthing anyway goodluck you'll get their

ah - that makes slightly more sense - but that's a hell of a lot to be short by.

Have you been to CAB to get help to get your monthly outgoings reduced? Even in the current climate creditors would rather be getting something than nothing.

okay is that a week or a monthly short fall??

I think you should be careful conniedescending, alot of us on benefits are lone parents and if you are suggesting that is easy because we don't work,karma may ensure you get what you seem to be wishing for. Then you will think of your life now as charmed.

I am finding things unbelievably hard atm but I wouldn't dream of putting others down the way you so obviously are.It isn't the cushy life you seem to think it is, how many times do you need to be told that.Although I think you know this already or you would have stopped working so hard and got money for nothing..

Have you checked how much you would actually get on benefits if not do so, you may just go to work with a spring in your step.

Oh right sorry CD. Agree go to CAB they will contact your creditors re reducing payments etc.

That was a truly awful statement Connie - its not easy being on benefits my best friend is a single mum and its not easy when your cupboards are bordering on bare and your children have to walk to town cos you cant afford the busfare for you all.

We have had some dreadfully hard times when between us we have looked after 2 children and worked 2 jobs each,one year we were so skint i was babysitting for parents at the nursery i worked at for £10 a night as well as working in the day.

Its no good begrudging other people what they have you have to look at what you have - theres loads of cheap/free stuff if you put your mind to it.....nestle cereals have a dvd for £1 offer on,the £1 shop has some fab bits in for stocking fillers,felt tips and plasticene are cheap gifts-look at it as a challenge - you have your husband and your children and you can cook a roast dinner and enjoy the spitit of xmas.

FAQ my lone parent advisor told me that if I work 16 hours I am better off. If I work 20 hours I get less than if was doing 16 hours but I am best off doing 25 hours or more. It makes no sense to me at all.

yes my cupboards are bare and i have no bus fare

thats a minus £350.....probbaly closer to £400 a month .........we have no creditors (other thanmortgage) it is eveyday bills e.g. food, mortgage, utlities........eveything has gone up while income has gone down

shesell - i did a psych degree...have lots of textbooks if u are interested - just gathering dust now.

oh she worked it out at 16hrs too - still wasn't much better lol.

But she agreed it was better for me to get my degree started while I'm still able to - although it's no guarantee of a better paid job when I'm ready to go back to work, it will at least increase the number and type of job I could get.

A major problem round here is that I would say 75% of the work is shift or night work. Obviously night work is totally out of the question, and shift work would be tricky too - especially as childcare for 8yrs+ is extremely hard to come by in our town. Then most of the rest of the jobs are made up of work that is only 0-16hrs a week, or "specialised"

When I was looking for work (and I looked at EVERYTHING) 3yrs ago when I had to work due to finances when exH and I were together there was hardly anything then - I ended up working a night shift 3 (or 4 or 5!) times a week - at minimum wage too the feckers.

for free....not asking for money btw

Connie get yourself onto www.moneysavingexpert.com and sign up to the forums. Post for help on the Debtfree Wanabe board and the good chaps there will help you sort out your finances.

okay that's a start connie.. what extra hours are you or dh able to work.. ie can you or he do what your doing and have time to take on extra work??

I'm asking this because.. I have been in the situation your now in.. between dh and I we covered the childcare and worked 14-16 hour days. It's tough but it can be done.. and if you can do another 20 hours a week between the 2 of you.. you can pick up work to fill the gaps.

he can do what I do but I cant do what what he does. I need to find a f/t post as that will be more guaranteed income

right CD - get yourself over to the money saving threads (can't find any atm - or start one yourself - I'm sure lots of MNers will help you reduce your outgoings

Can't promise we'll reduce them by £400 a month - but may be able to help your debts rising as fast as they are. (so long as you don't start complaining about us benefits claimants )

Just thought if you have no creditors other than mortgage how are you spending the £400 a month (it's late and I'm tired so I may have missed something crucial in a post so apologies if I have)

A pal of mine lives on Asda own brand 9p super noodles.
It is all she eats at the moment because she is trying to save money for christmas presents.

I know what you mean CD about working and still being in debt and the frustration, our life has gone in 6 months from us both working up to 60/70 hrs a week to being on benefits due to dh sudden illness and me having to be his carer. We were probably minus 150 a month on the basics when working.
Now at least we know what is coming in and get help with school meals, free milk/veg and other little bits we didnt when working.

No it's not ideal and we still have to budget our money but in some ways it is less frustrating than being physically exhausted and STILL having no money.

a friend of mine (MNer actualy ) is currently spending £20 a week on food and milk for her and her DS.

connie.. I'm off to bed.. I will be on here tomorrow.. we can get this sorted you know.. there is light at the end of the tunnel.. I'll promise you that ( might just be a slightly long tunnel)

try and get some sleep..
this can be sorted.

Thanks Connie its through OU so I think I get most of my books anyway but yeah I'll still be interested. I used to read my A level ones for night time reading I love Pysch. Not sure what jobs it leads to though? I'd like to do something with kids I think.

Or you could sell them for a bit extra cash on amazon? Like I said I get most of what I need from OU and a grant for anything else as I am on a low income and still will be when I eventually move in with dh. So it will be free all the way through the course.

Have you thought of doing Avon in your sparetime? Its not much but it's a start.