I honestly cannot afford to live

[Inkdrinker]

I work 40 hour weeks, yet I was paid 6 days ago and I'm already completely out of money. My rent is more than half of my pay, council tax is a further 250 pounds, my energy bills are ridiculous despite trying to cut down on using so much.

I have 3 kids to look after. How are people going survive this? This is by no means a ploy to ask others for money, I do not want anyone's money. I just want to know I'm not alone in this situation

Your rent being more than half your wage is a big problem, but with 3DC you should get quite a bit of UC. This will also mean you get extra grants towards your utilities too.

However knowing others are in the same position doesn't help, you need to be proactive and review all aspects of your finances and living situation to make the best of it.

Start by looking at moneysavingexpert.com

www.moneysavingexpert.com/budgeting-debt-help/

This is an unrealistic comment that is just not helpful. Nobody knows what the future holds all it takes is a life event like a death, illness or divorce to change everything you can't plan for these things.

Look at Smartarse McSmugface here 🙄🤔

Mine's £142 a month over 10 months, single parent household. If I was one of a couple it would be only be £95. The amount sounds very high to me.

I'm a single person household.
18 months ago I'd say I was reasonably OK (could afford the odd meal out, few treats, life was happy)

I'm now screwed. Posted on here before but last week I was down to £6 on my electric meter. Had to turn my electric off at the wall and just allow myself an hour a day for the last 3 days before I got paid. I'm in a high ruse so on a water pump. For 23 hours a day I had no heating, no lighting, and no water.

You're certainly not alone.

She's not. I would hate to have to have 3 at Uni at the same time. Also 3 don't really fit well in the family car.

I’d second checking to see if you can apply for UC as a top up. With 3 children plus your allowance plus rent you’ll probably find you’d need to be earning 4k a month to not be entitled to anything. You could also qualify for a discount on your council tax.

Young adults are entitled to claim UC if unemployed it's not up to parents to support them.

If you really must post this smug nonsense somewhere, try a thread where someone who can just about afford it is considering a third child. Not a thread where people are going to food banks to feed their already alive kids.

BTW, great that your 20% headroom is working for you. Lucky that your husband didn’t die, wiping out over 50% of your household income. That’s what happened to me.

More helpfully. Check you are claiming all you are entitled to. Have a look at the CAB website.

I'm also on weekly prescription medication and can't afford to pay the prescription fees. Last week I lied and said I pre-paid as didn't have the money for the prescription. If I'm caught I'm fucked, but also I can't just not take a high dose antidepressant for a week.

Our band c on the Isle of Wight is around 2300 p/y

Bills are going up again in April? When are they going down?! 😭

Which young adults would they be?!!

@Canthave2manycats any young adults that are unemployed and not students.

A couple of people have suggested the OP move to a cheaper place - she said she has no money so how is she to rustle-up deposits, rent in advance, moving costs etc?

My oh had to leave work last Feb due to ill health. We are claiming everything we can but its so hard I've got hardly anything left in the bank after being paid last week, its half term next week and dds 16th birthday and I can't afford to do anything.
I'm so worried about next year when we move from tax credits to UC and lose a lot of disability benefits and dd is off to college in Sept I'm already worried about transport costs and money for lunches etc.
I'm really not enjoying g life there's nothing to look forward to

Don’t be a dick…. Could be dead as is my childrens dad.

@RedRedWhiney WTF? You should not be able to isolate the building water pump from your flat and in any case the costs of the building water pump will be paid by your freeholder not you (obviousyl soem of the costs will be clawed back via your service charge).

If you CAN isolate the water pump from your flat your freeholder has some serious questions to answer

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions-and-pharmacies/save-money-with-a-prescription-prepayment-certificate-ppc/

Have you considered the prepayment certificate? Works out about £10pm for unlimited prescriptions.

10% ?

Energy bills have risen by over 50%, and increased again in October and again from April.

Water rates have risen, average rents by 12% and food and basics such as toilet roll and sanitary products by roughly the same.

Fuel shot up and although reduced are due to go up again.

Council Tax is likely to go up. Insurance also raised.

My mortgage has shot up by £125 per month.

All combined it is not 10% it’s a lethal combination pushing people into poverty.

Same here. Husband and I are both severely ill and can't work. We have 2 kids. Our mortgage is 23k in arrears. We have credit card debt as it was the only way we could eat. Now they are maxed out and we can't even afford essentials like bread and milk. My depression and anxiety over this all plus how ill we both are, I really am hanging on by a very slim string. Can't stop crying. Sorry to hear so many are going through similar

They stopped them?!?! Wow that is awful. I had no idea.

Its only CTC and WTC that got me through raising kids :-(.

Exactly I never understood how people could not see the costs of relocating as a barrier.