Advice needed, please

[NeedMoneyAdvice]

DH and I have just found out we are about to lose £500 a month income.

I had started another thread, but I was advised to come here for some advice. We don't know what we are going to do and I wondered if anyone could help us. Name changed because lots of these details would out us.

We have just taken on an 18 month lease with a letting agent. We have spoken to them this morning, and we cannot break this. We could simply not pay, but we would lose our deposit, and would struggle to find a landlord that would take us on if we did this.

We currently earn about £30k between us, take home about £23k.

Rent is £1000
Council Tax is £200
Gas and Electricity is £190
Phone/Broadband is £50
Childcare is (currently) £350
Car insurance is £60
Car payment is £140
Petrol around £80
Home insurance is £20
Gym membership is £75

Think that is everything. Obviously, this leaves us over budget. I genuinely don't know what we will do without this money?

We aren't entitled to any benefits, including WTC and CTC.

I genuinely don't know what to do.

little bear I don think giving advice then realising what the OP has posted doesn't add up is not the same as troll hunting.

I don't think she is a troll but I don't trust the op has explained herself well enough to give accurately advice. She seems as many have said unwilling to take any on board. It's glaringly obvious they cannot afford that huge rent.

She has said she works from home part time (some sort of online work I'm guessing). And she works in a bar.

Have you tried putting another family member on your car insurance to lower it?

Sounds mad but I have my FIL on my car insurance; he is a company director and has had his license for 15+ years. He has HALVED it.
I'm 22, pay £419 a year and have had my license since Aug 2011. It should be £1000 + but I've saved massively by having FIL as an additional driver.
Have a look into it.

I'm astonished at how many of your facts have changed since the other thread though

Crap thinking. Your whole post prior to mine said that it wasn't true. If you don't believe it then report it. There's a whole bevy of little Sherlocks cross checking the facts between this thread and the other one.

A few years back I was in loads of debt, credit rating so poor I couldn't even open a bank account.

I went to Thinkbanking.co.uk

They renegotiated contracts and repayments on my behalf and managed my income and outcome so everyone got paid but only what I could afford. I didn't have to deal with anyone directly and it was a huge weight off my shoulders, which, given your pregnancy, sounds like something you could use

Thinkbanking is an awful thing to advise.

Why not suggest a credit union or a basic bank a/c?

Is your only connection with them as a customer?

I got out of my gym membership when I lost my job. Just waddle in there heavily pregnant and tell them you have lost your job and have to cancel please. I think even being heavily pregnant is a reason to suspend payment for a while. I am sure they will do the decent thing. If they refuse ask for an address of the MD and write/email them. Could you cut the petrol bill a bit? Advertise the flat quite generally on Gumtree - not too many details - see if you get any takers then approach the Letting agent to discuss. Speak to CAB? They are quite good with finances. Do you have any family that could help you out short term? Please try not to worry too much - if there's one thing I have learnt it is that things ALWAYS sort themselves out. You are under a lot of pressure at the moment. Be kind to yourself.

The best place to get help with debt is through a recognised debt charity. Always.

I only have one piece of advice. You need to speak to a properly qualified benefits adviser about tax credits. Many high street solicitors do not have the specialist knowledge on welfare rights issues.

I suggest your local CAB or independent law centre that does benefits advice.

Not sure the 'being pregnant so need to suspend gym membership' will help when it was taken out when the OP was 6 months pregnant anyway.

I'm not saying not to try and get out of it, but using the pregnancy as an excuse isn't going to work.

Adamant mrsd she is not entitled to any.

"We currently earn about £30k between us, take home about £23k.

Rent is £1000
Council Tax is £200
Gas and Electricity is £190
Phone/Broadband is £50
Childcare is (currently) £350
Car insurance is £60
Car payment is £140
Petrol around £80
Home insurance is £20
Gym membership is £75"

Income £1916.6 I've assumed this is after drop in £500 per month.
Outgoings £2165

Short by £249 plus strict food budget £250

I would stop working in the job that causes you incur child are costs? Increase hours on other one if possible

Insurance 'new' withdraw off is £44
Suspend gym membership
Change broadband to another provider should be able to get fit down to £20 at least.
Half energy-ish to £100

Estimated savings so far £190 that's gym, car ins and energy.house insurance I'd wing it for a couple of months but we pay £9.

New total 210, I'd trim rest off by trading car in for cheaper model, even a rand new small car per month is less than that.get that downto £100 per month.

So without leaving your house which you are adamant about you could cover churn rent and bills by doing the above but you literally would have to to your food from a food bank.

Is this rent and way of living tenable?

Not really necessary to cross check, the inconsistencies are glaringly obvious and are even within this thread.
FWIW I believe the OP is genuine and has received good advice on both threads, however she chooses to embroider the truth and stonewall continually. She asked for advice, she got it, didn't like it, can't do this, can't do that, that won't work for us, ad nauseum.
Some people can't be helped.

It's normally a valid reason to suspend gym membership, saying not to do something that others have managed to do and help her cut outgoings isn't helpful either.

You can definitely cut down on the gas and electric - ours is that for a 5 bed house. Have a look on moneysupermarket.com or similar.

Gym memberships can usually be put on hold due to pregnancy/redundancy - throw yourself on their mercy. Even if it buys you a year off payments, it's a bonus.

DH needs to speak to his employers re his low wage (I was on your other thread).

DH is going to have to get an evening job, perhaps only once a week, but it will add up over the month. I know it's not ideal in your circumstances.

I havn't seen the other thread I took this at face value at first.

If the details you have given here are correct, you are entitled to tax credits. I just checked this and it is correct. I understand you may have changed small details, but the figures would have to be very significantly different for you to get nothing. You need to go to CAB to get help, you really sound too distraught to be making sensible decisions.

I'm sure it's been said but if you are 8 months pregnant why do you need £350 on childcare for the next few months? Why do you need landline and broadband and mobile phones (like, yes - need no) - my mobile phone contract costs £7.50, dd's is £14 and ds's is £30 (and he has an expensive phone and tastes and I have pandered).

I can't help much with the cost of bills because I'm afraid I've no idea but you don't need a gym membership (and I'm sure you can give written notice if there has been a change in circumstances - the same for your rental lease as well - most letting agents would prefer honesty and the opportunity to get in a family who can pay rather than trying to recoup unpaid rent/evict over six months).

If your dh wants to continue studying and you want to continue to run a car you will have to rent a smaller property for a while with a bedroom for the dc and a sofa bed for you and dh.

You have to cut your cloth - how far are you from school that you HAVE to drive there daily - isn't there a school closer to your home. I know someone who bought a car for £150 and it lasted for 2.5 years.

solomon OP has said up thread they are not allowed to claim due to a previous claim and they owe them money.

thinking she then said she'd done the calculation and it said she was entitled to nothing. That is not correct and her previous history should not stop her from claiming now.

fideline er yes? Been with them for years now.

Why such a terrible thing to advise?

I did clearly say I couldnt get a basic bank account!

Oh, and all my debts where paid in full, by me, nothing was written off, just interest frozen and took longer. Proud of mysf when is done it though. What's so bad about that?

Oh

Nothing ad at all, wish I could say the same about our debt.

Our mortgage which we are stuck with is the same as OP's rent if. I could reduced it to pay down debts I would like a shot. I up pose that's why I'm frustrated with the OP and the moving goal posts.