Slowly sinking

[Lovemusic82]

I need to try and sort out my money, I seem to have more going out than going in. I’m in a pretty awful situation as I am a carer to dd2 who is almost 18, she needs 24 hour supervision when at home and is only on a part time timetable at college with extra long holidays (already broken up for Christmas) so I can’t hold down a full time job or even a decent part time job. I am trying to get her moved from college to a full time placement and she’s also looking for a residential placement for 18+ (but this could take some time). Most of her PIP money gets used up for things she breaks and for trips out once a week with her carer (she has 2 hours respite care a week), the mobility component is used for a car.

I get most the rent payed and £178 tax credits a week but this isn’t really covering bills. I get £76 carers allowance each week. Child benefit £100 per month.

Gas £30-£40 a week in winter
Electric £40 a week
Food £50-£65 a week
Broadband £15 a week
water £10
Fuel for the car £30 a week (we live rurally so can’t really get this down)
Phones £10 a week
Pet food £15 a week
insurances £10 a week (life insurance, contents insurance)
debt to HRMC due to overpayment £5 a week.
Dd’s travel to college £85 a month
£20 a week saved for Christmas or emergencies

This doesn’t include extras like hair cuts, tv licence, new glasses (last month), any extras for the house.

Im not sure there’s anything I can cut back on? We rarely eat out anymore, rarely buy clothes for myself (if I do it’s vinted), broadband is coming to an end so I can shop around for a better deal. We grow our own veg which saves a few £ and have cut back on meat intake. Christmas has really made things tough, I try and save but dd1 needed a bus pass for uni which set me back £500 and wiped out the Christmas fund.

DD1 back from uni next week so food shop will go up.

Ideally I need to find some work I can do from home it I’m struggling to find anything. Hopefully things will get easier when dd turns 18 and is in a full time placement (so I can work) but at the moment it’s just one big struggle. I wake up feeling anxious with the worry of how we are going to keep going. I know there are many others in a similar situation. Any tips on how to save some money?

And yes I have checked I am claiming all I am entitled too.

Thank you I will have a look.
We had such a battle to get her PIP in the first place but contested it and they changed their mind. She has Autism and physical disabilities (walks with a stick on bad days), she gets a lot of support from me and from her lovely friends. She has had huge issues with the buses as she often gets in and there are no seats, she can’t stand so has to get off and wait for another bus. I have told her that she could push for DSA to pay for taxis but she keeps saying she wants to use the bus.

Yes, you need to tell them you want the ‘social tariff’. It’s £15-20 a month depending on speed and anyone on UC or disability benefits is eligible for it.

3 mobile do broadband for £22 a month, you just need to check if it's available in your area

I am in sky but they are totally ripping me off. I needed a land line as phone signal here is rubbish but they charge me a fortune for it (calls). I now know I can ditch the landline and connect my mobile to the WiFi (I’m not good with tech) so I could probably get a cheaper deal but would rather not go with Sky. I will look at BT.

Check out social tariffs for broadband. Different suppliers have different rules though.

From memory I think only Vodafone is available for your circumstances but its only £12 a month.

www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/costs-and-billing/social-tariffs

I don’t think 3 is available. Seems my options are plus net or BT.

Are either daughters claiming PIP?

@Chersfrozenface You got that totally wrong I do wish you would read posts before berating others!

OP can DD at UNIVERSITY work in a part time job?

It will get better once other DD turns 18 and hopefully gets into residential placement and you can work.

Broadband you can cut to under £30 a month.

You could possibly eat cheaper after DD goes back to Uni maybe £10.00 a week cheaper so £55.00 a week for two?

Any chance you can go to a food bank? Olio is pretty good in my area but I accept if you are rural it may it be for you.

I know this is just one small part of the picture, but your DD1 needs to pay for her own bus pass. I sympathise that she can’t access the kind of jobs most students do (hospitality etc) but there are lots of online jobs in website testing, proof reading, editing etc.

Hi OP sorry if I'm repeating any previous posts but have you tried asking your broadband provider about being transferred to a social tariff? Most providers do one for low income/vulnerable customers but don't advertise this. Worth a look.

Don't be too proud to ask for help . https://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/

My charity struggles to give away it's allocated grant budget each year as people aren't applying. There are lots on here, you might need a referral but your DD college could help with that.

Yes once 18 becomes adult is different money pot from ss.

Is dd claiming everything eg esa ? between dla or pip and esa etc she should be able to pay her transport out of her income

Speak to Contact adviser or mencap

She could talk to the university about hardship grants?

Have you done a benefits check to make sure you're getting everything you are entitled to? eg https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/find-information/benefits/benefits-checkers/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA7OqrBhD9ARIsAK3UXh0HC_z-37DKYkdNF0_W5_rPqj9hLAUaAX35I05wGI1t3BhCOV-cwRgaAnI6EALw_wcB

I'd also look into work that you can do very part time form home- there are lots of options these days that are a much better bet than surveys and competitions eg claims handling work. Do you have any admin experience?

Broadband: you can a social tariff with some providers like BT and Vodafone if you are on benefits. It works out at around £20 a month.

Can you work whilst she is at college?

Is there anything you do regarding pet food - I don't have pets but £ 15 a week sounds a lot - how many pets do you have ?

I have a cat who’s on a special diet and we have reptiles. TBH, most of it is the cat, he eats a lot more in the winter too ☹️

I do a little bit but it’s hard as sometimes she’s on a 3 day week, sometimes in a 4, her half terms are sometimes 2-3 weeks long and summer holidays 10 weeks so it’s hard to get anyone to employ me. I do a bit of dog waking and sometimes cover a family member who’s a self employed carer but it’s hard when I can’t commit to certain days. I’m trying to find work from home so I can still be here to watch dd and work at the same time but it’s proving tricky.

I also got the olio app and ‘too good to go’ but there’s not much on offer locally, I have signed up to a local food larder scheme but haven’t heard back from them yet (it’s a place that lets you do a shop for £5, mainly close to sell by date food).

It seems my broadband contract doesn’t end until July, I need to look into it further to see if I can get out of the contract, sky are not easy to contact.

I have listed a few things on eBay today including a mobile phone (my dad gave me his old one which was better than mine).

I will spend less on food once dd1 goes back, dd2 is on a lactose free diet which makes things a little more expensive (cheese and milk) but luckily she’s not a fussy eater, she has one cooked meal a week at college.

If I can just save £20 a week it would help a lot, I can probably do this by cutting back on food. Christmas is an expensive time (big ish family) and I have probably over spent a little.

Have you done the bank account switching thing? You can make a one off couple of hundred £ doing that. It takes a bit of admin time but you can do it any time of day / week.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/compare-best-bank-accounts/#nationwideswitch

DSA has covered taxis for a friend of my daughter.

Failing that a wheelchair for the bus is quite a good idea.

Most uni's have hardship funds and if she is autistic and has physical disabilities as well she will be high up the list.

Her tutor might help or the union will have a disabilities officer.

• Have you looked at social tariffs for your water? Or seen if you can get water saving devices from your water company?
Also check for water leaks in and outside your home and get them repaired quickly to avoid a big bill. (Also includes things like dripping toilet overflows).
• Social tariff for broadband.
• Are you the only adult in the house? If so claim single adult discount on your council tax.
• have you looked to see if you can get a cheaper energy tariff? The market is starting to open up again.
•If you drive instal the Petrol Prices app which tells you the price of the cheapest petrol or diesel in your area.

I have done most of those. I need to look into electric and gas prices now prices are changing, I am on a pay as you go metre but last time I looked (a while ago) there wasn’t a better deal in my area.

Petrol prices are tricky as I have to drive quite far just to get to a garage so it’s hard to shop around, when I spot lower prices when we are out I top up. Dd has a mobility car so it’s a hybrid and pretty good on fuel.

Getting dd1 to apply for everything she’s entitled too is tricky, she’s almost 20 so I can’t do these things for her unless she agrees, she gets DSA but no money towards taxis, she says she doesn’t want to use them. She is looking for part time work but is often exhausted from lectures and studying, her condition makes her get tired quickly and she’s often in pain, she hasn’t even managed to register with the uni GP despite me nagging her every week, again there’s not much I can do as she’s an adult.