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.

I didn't see it as bad advice! Genuinely. Because they had helped me. I was trying to think of ways to help the OP.

That's all

Jolly good. You offered your opinion. I added my (trained) one.

People can weigh it up.

I like Dominos pizza. I never recommend it because it is expensive and unhealthy.

We have put forward differing views. No harm done.

kung

With all of this, you seem to just accept the first thing that anyone tells you. Of course the landlord/gym/phone people are going to say 'computer says no' - that's easier for them. You need to persist and be clear and firm. People aren't generally going to push on regardless of their own best interests. Talk figures and consequences and you will almost certainly get somewhere.

I agree I think op is very young, maybe mid late twenties? Thats OK, she will learn soon enough to toughen up.

Oh and at the time, I'd never heard of the free options, so yes, the OP should definitely use those if she can. I would of I'm sure if I'd known at the time.

But this is probably all academic since the OP doesn't seem to want to take any advice, good or bad!

She certainly doesn't.

She says the HMRC have told her she can never claim tax credits again because she previously fraudently UNDERCLAIMED. She apparently had legal advice at the time. Make of that what you will.

I don't think we are sure at this point that the income IS £30k

Re benefit calculators, I've found they always seem to come up with a conservative estimate (if any). The only way to be sure is to actually apply. The amount of CTC the calcs came up with and the amount HMRC decided I should actually get are not the same, even though the information out into the forms was identical!

The OP should apply

LittleBearPad, I live in dread of some re-banding of my house! I know I am extremely lucky. I bought the place, twenty years ago, at a huge discount because there was serious planning blight in the area in that there might be an overground eight track railway at the end of the road (something to do with the link to the Channel Tunnel). I was past caring, just returned from living abroad because my dear husband of only three years had suddenly died and thought to myself 'Hey ho, I just want to be back in England, near my kids, and so what if trains are roaring past ever couple of seconds?'.

Anyway, the huge railway line project never happened (it went underground), so that was great. I have to say, council tax, although it's gone up, is still reasonable, especially with my single occupancy discount. And my house has appreciated, somewhat not that I ever intend to move, but my kids will benefit (after Inheritance Tax liability).

But I digress ... it is maddening that OP dismisses out of hand any suggestions on this, and the other thread. Also, her story seems to change all the time. I can see that MNetters really try to help with constructive advice, suggestions, links to money advice sites etc. etc. I'm sorry, but her attitude seems to be 'Yes, BUT ...'.

Thje entire thread has all got a bit 'How many angels can dance on the head on a pin?' now. Short of us all taking up a collection to bail out the OP [sarcastic face!] don't really see what else we can bring to the table to help her?

The HMRCs own calculator only ever tells you what you should get for the remainder of the tax year, which is confusing to. The entitled to calculator is usually pretty accurate, offers weekly and annual amounts plus forecasts for the next tax year.

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.

thinking she took out the gym membership when she was 6 months pregnant so saying she no longer wants it because she is pregnant isn't going to wash. It's pretty easy for the gym to check the dates.

I did say that she should still try and get out of the contract but not to use the pregnancy as the reason.

'How many angels can dance on the head on a pin?'

Exactly the phrase that just popped into my head

Anyway, enough time spent wasted on this thread already today ...

I know bear but it still valid she is now heavily pregnant and will be recovering from birth.

I don't know why you nagging me about it loads have suggested it. Since you last post I've suggested a new budget but it still would leaver her short for food.

Ah ok fid , that's the one I used so that's probably why it was off. Whole tax credits thing is so confusing to me to be honest. But luckily my income etc is pretty straightforward so I just full out the form each year, keep them up to date re circumstances and let them sort it out!

I had gym membership once (in a moment of madness!) it said I couldn't leave before 12months. I just told them I was being made redundent. They didn't even question it and cancelled it straight away. Wasn't as expensive as the OPs membership though!

I'm not nagging thinking but the OP is 8 months pregnant so in a month that excuse will no longer be valid anyway. She needs a longer term solution to get out of the membership.

They can't afford to pay it again until something massively changes.

I think a much more important concern, raised by me and others, is how their financial situation might affect her husbands job in banking and she absolutely has to get advice on this before they do anything, or accept his studies might be worthless and he might be out if a job to boot.

OP "Ask me a question, I will answer it?*

Ok, I get why you are saying why you have "embroidered" a few details but such glaring inconsistencies about the most basic and essential details i.e you and your DHs income are harder to understand, particularly since you are asking for help with your finances! On this thread you state that your income is £10,000 yet on the other you state you have 3 jobs earning £9 K, £9 K and £4K, total £22,000....makes a big difference to figures! Cant you see why some people are suspicious of you, why would you do that?

OP - did you get to the bottom of what exactly the qualification is that your DH is doing? You weren't sure on the other thread and it could be useful to know if it's something he could possibly take a break from/transfer

Maybe he can answer my question then?!

Did you recently post in AIBU about your ILs stopping a £500 a month payment to you?

People are incredibly frustrated with the op, a lot of people have given excellent advice on this thread and the previous one, although yesterday's thread was about how unfair fil was being in stopping the money.

No one is actually bullying her all people are saying is what exactly is going on- yesterday your dh earned 11k, you had 3 jobs (2 fulltime working all day then all evening/night and 1 part time on the weekend), your rent was 1350 and your ds was 8 years old.

Today your dh earns 20k, you have 2 jobs, your rent is 1000, your ds is nearly 2 years old.
They stopped your tax credits because you didn't inform them that the childcare cost had gone UP??

You have a very expensive gym membership, (which quite frankly you did not have time to use as you worked way too much to have the time to use it and I assume any free time in between jobs you may want to spend time with your ds), but you can get out of it. Go there in person tell them you have no money and you are heavily pregnant and you can't afford to eat, they may just cancel it for you.

Switch your gas and electric to a cheaper supplier. This is not hard to do.
If you do this you will save yourself around 100 per month.

You have been given this advice and better advice numerous times.
You are here asking for advice but please do not misconstrue poster's questioning what the true story is or if this is a troll thread as bullying or nastiness. It's perfectly reasonable and understandable given the details you have provided

An he's just slagged us all off for allegedly bullying his wife, strangely enough he seems to have signed off and is getting a fair telling off...not surprising though is it? It's like being in the stocks, just in the 21 st century....love it, am new to mums net, but this is like the circus for all plebs!