Trying to reduce outgoings

[Lifeispassingby]

DH and I are struggling not to overspend each month, which takes us into our overdraft and causes more issues. We bring home £2709 between us. Any advice on reducing outgoings would be great!
Here are our outgoings:
Mortgage £881.79
Union fees £11.50
Vision express £16
Loan £300
Tax credits repayment £12.65
Council tax £170
Help to buy £65
British gas boiler cover £25
Caravan storage £35
Eon gas & electricity £90
Water £16.00
Tv license £13.20
Life insurance £57
Car tax £39
Car insurance £65
Home insurance £14
NHS prescriptions £10
Pet insurance- £65
Mobiles, phone and broadband £47
Breakdown cover £11
Sofa repayment £35

We spend £200-£250 a month on fuel for both cars.

[quote HeyUpits2022]Does your DH qualify for a medical exemption certificate?

Worth looking into further:
services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/check-my-nhs-exemption/start[/quote]
Thank you, he has a pre payment certificate which is what the money each month is for. When that expires I will check it out again

In addition to the cost cutting ideas, I would try and raise some extra cash to get the debts paid off and then when they are done, save for the insurances as they may be cheaper if paid yearly and try and get some savings behind you.

Have a declutter, look at the make £10 a day thread, do some surveys to pay for Christmas, do a food challenge where you try and eat up the contents of the kitchen instead of buying more food, have a look on Money Saving Expert as well as there are plenty of challenges and ideas

As well as cutting back, could you take on some extra work? Babysitting or ironing? Just a thought…

How long is left on the loan? That's a big chunk and once that is repaid you will have a bit of a buffer.

How much is the loan ? How much longer do you have to go on it ? Is it worth re financing it ?
Adding on to mortgage or 0% card over 3 years.

I wouldnt get rid of the pet insurance. I have it for 2 elderly cats, costs be £98 a month as they both have life long medical conditions but I would be paying thousands out on each of them yearly otherwise. Sadly, with pre existing conditions I cant move to a new provider for cheaper than I currently pay.

I'd shop around for your BG cover, they are one of the most expensive (and unreliable). I use Homeserve.

How long left on the loans? Can you overpay them to get rid quicker

Do you know car insurance is cheaper if you pay annually? Saving for this would be best but tough if you have very little spare. When does the loan finish?

Shop around for pet insurance.

Have your council tax spread over 12 months instead of 10 (you're best asking for this to be changed as soon as you get you're new bill in March)

What is the Vision Express payment for?

Asda do specs, all in, £80, any prescription. They have opticians so they do the test too which I think is £20. Two pairs £120. So, far cheaper than £16pm.

I use daysoft lenses. 12.50 a month for daily contact lenses and as I don't use them daily it isn't even that much. Wear your glasses more.
I have quite a low prescription but got my glasses online for 22 quid. Very cheap and absolutely fine for work.

I think your pet insurance is cheap and would recommend keeping it. Mine for 2 dogs and 2 cats was over 100 a month in 2019 and going up every year. I cancelled as decided saving the money monthly should cover costs, they were all well at that point. Within 2 years of cancelling every single animal had at least one health issue or injury (one dog had 3!) none of them were things you would want to put a pet down over and it cost us thousands, since then we have had ongoing health conditions for the cats and a dental with complications for a dog and we have spent so much more than the insurance would have cost us. We received an inheritance from a relative which we have put away for retirement so we have this to fall back on and have had to use a bit. I don't know what we would have done otherwise.

@Yesthatscorrect

I use daysoft lenses. 12.50 a month for daily contact lenses and as I don't use them daily it isn't even that much. Wear your glasses more. I have quite a low prescription but got my glasses online for 22 quid. Very cheap and absolutely fine for work.

the VE is for DH who needs distance glasses and reading glasses, plus prescription sunglasses. all have to be thinned so that always costs extra too. He has swapped glasses for contact lenses but will get him to look into this, thanks

Why can't he wear varifocals? As I said - Asda, £80 all in (test separate). £120 for two, thinned to 1.67 at no extra cost - I'm +7.25 so I need all the thinning and I'm happy with them. The second pair can be tinted if you want (also free) so act as sunglasses.

Or, buy the distance glasses on prescription and buy those £15 reading glasses off the shelf.

Can you move to a better rate with the mortgage or remortgage?

Depending 9n the age of your boiler I'd get rid of the British Gas cover as it's a massive rip off. Pet insurance is also a con as they'll just try to get out of paying you out.

Tweaking your driving technique and making your vehicle more fuel efficient can help reduce fuel consumption: www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/cheaper-fuel/