Losing 1k pm income

[Threeinyellow]

As the title goes, it looks likely that I may become unemployed and lose 1k in income. Owe approx 11k debt. Possibly housing too.

Total income £3290 (incl UC with housing benefit element and £70pw CM for 2DC)

Total debt
Loan 9650 excl interest
Credit card 780
Store cards 185

Outgoings
Rent 900
Council tax 111
Water 39
British Gas 105
Mobile 64
Broadband 20
Dental 22.50
Dc sports fees 10
Pet insurance 6
Vet 12.50
Tv licence 13.50
Union 10
Contents ins 8
Help to save 50
FOOD 550
Child ISA 10
Driving lessons 280
Tesco subs 7

Any advice or signposting very much appreciated.

Do pizza night instead of take aways for Fridays

Me too! But have you checked if you're entitled to universal credit?

Get a supermarket or decent frozen pizza instead of the takeaway. The Aldi takeaway ones are decent in the fridge section
Most supermarkets do KFC type stuff as well, chicken, chips, southern fried gravy etc that's not expensive

I wouldn't lose the dental plan - mine is denplan and covers everything except lab fees because I couldn't afford a filling etc otherwise so I guess it depends if yours covers treatment or just check ups

OP are you sure you'll.be getting £2010 per month on universal credit alone? It seems like an awfully high amount. I'd re run the figures through a benefits calculator before deciding to give up work.

If OP can't afford the dental plan and the dental plan is the only way she can afford fillings then she'll have to do what every other poor person does and pray she doesn't need one, resigned to having the tooth removed if she does and it's a big filling needed.

Store cards interest is often worse than loans and CC, OP. Yours is only £185, I'd get that paid ASAP.

Keep the Help To Save if you can. The money you get back from it makes it worth it.

Stop the takeaways, ready meals, driving lessons, TV License, other savings plans.

Treat food has to be just that, a treat when you can afford it and not part of the regular food shopping. Home made cakes are the cheapest treat, I find. They're filling in a way junk food stuffed with preservatives isn't. Teens will have to get whatever the modern equivalent of a Saturday job is, if they want more treats. Eat a lot of porridge, potatoes, pasta, bread and rice. Buy in bulk from the World Foods Isle of the supermarket. It's filling and cheap. Batch cook and freeze, for the days you're tired. Also saves on not heating the oven up from cold each day, if you batch cook it's more efficient. Frozen or tinned veg/fruit so it doesn't go off. Aim for zero wastage. Find out if there's a local food recycling/community pantry etc for cheaper food.

You haven't included travel costs in your budget, I don't think? Or electric? Unless I missed them.

That's a steep mobile contract. Ask about paying it off early. I'm guessing it's for an iPhone or similar? Sell it to pay off the contract if necessary/possible and pick up an unlocked £100 android phone with a £5/pcm Lebara SIM or similar.

Also ask utility bills if you qualify for any special rates due to income or disability.

For all those jealous of OPs prospective income. It probably includes PIP/DLA/carer's allowance too. Which you don't get for shits'n'giggles, so no, you really don't want her money and the life that goes with it. She's not giving up her work to home school DC for fun, it'll be because there's no school place able to deal with their needs. What's your alternative suggestions? Shoot the kid dead so it's no longer a barrier to OP working? Not practical or legal. Turn care of the kid over to the state, to force them to provide some type of 24/7 service, so OP is free to work? That's going to cost the state a lot more than UC for OP.

So STFU with your "I work and don't get that much" comments.

You want more in your pocket? Cease paying into a pension, cease paying your student loans and get taken to court to pay £1/wk and have a CCJ ruin your credit rating, rent forever so you can claim UC if you wages is low enough, then you'll have no mortgage or repairs to pay (and no security either, plus a whole load of stress), sell your car and walk/bus everywhere, never go out. Level yourself up(down) to the lifestyle of a poor person, then tell me you're not better off and you prefer it - nobody stopping you.

Out of interest, can people just cease paying their student loan when it’s taken at source from your employer?

Wow
Your income is actually decent.
Your management is awful.
Not sure why you are on UC???

£550 on food ....wow!!!!
You can easily cut this down to 250 a month with better planning.
Stock up on
Pasta, spaghetti, rice, wraps. Potatoes.
Chicken wraps, chicken pasta, chicken and rice, chicken lasagne, chicken soup
Lentil and rice
Stir fry
Don't buy any ready meals at all.

I don't think you should be getting UC....a 64 mobile bill is a joke tbh.
Driving lessons I would continue with as will open job opportunities

Do you get £70 a week for each child a week???

I think admin should ban you.
No need to swear.

And fyi.
The majority of working people are living a very poor life
They don't eat out
The can't afford ready meals
They are sensible with money so they do not have to live off the state. But certain folk abuse the system and don't work and get benefits so rent is paid and go on holidays etc. I work with plenty of this sort. And to top it off, the state pays for their care!!

The government should not give money but instead tokens.

I know. It's the harsh reality.
Plus ..living on rental mean that care home fees are paid for.
I want to cry to.

People who rent could afford a house if they worked their butt off on a minimum wage job in their 20's and not spend on luxuries.
But
Then they will have to work
And his will they go on their annual holidays.
It's a joke of a system.

It sounds like you’re just frivolous tbh I find this thread laughable- it’s highly obvious where you can cut back!! Simply ridiculous. Speak to a debt charity if you really don’t know.

Tbh
To add more insult to Injury
I knew a person
Who spent 15k on a luxury honeymoon to Maldives (bare in mind minimum wage job and wife not working)
Then came back and declared bankruptcy
Then the government paid 50 percent of the debt off
The person still enjoys luxuries like takeaway three times a week and hotel stays and Beyonce concert tickets.
The government needs to get a grip.
This is why it should be tokens and not money.

To be fair there is a lot of checks in place and fraud can be investigated after the fact.

£70pw child maintenance in total for both DC.

Might I add that I work full time and do want to continue working. It's not a lifestyle choice to have to give up work or reduce hours and therefore income.

£550 on food includes:
Takeaways - which will be cut altogether.
School meals - which will be halved. I used to do packed lunches in primary, however I am so bogged down that I have opted for this.
Cat food - non-negotiable.
Non food items - cheap toiletries, cleaning & detergents and all other household items.

Driving lessons are £280pm @ £70 for a 2hr slot.

Mobile contract @ £64pm includes £10pm that I pay for a relative who helps me in kind.

British Gas bill includes electricity costs

I used to budget a lot better than this and live debt free. The cost of living and some essential items for our home and DC have recently and sharply increased living expenses.

Just to let you know I work and have always done up until this crisis point. I do hope for some sort of miracle where I'm not forced to give up working.

It's kind of tangential given the bigger problems you are dealing with, but don't forget to step up your teens' responsibilities round the house as they get older. Even young teens can take on chores like making their own packed lunches, doing laundry, a bit of cleaning, simple meal prep. That in turn will take some of the pressure off you.

I think you'd struggle to get food to £250 a month for what is essentially 3 adults given food prices at the moment tbh. Less than £550 sure, but I'd struggle below £100 per person.

It also sounds like the mobile bill is for 3 phones not just 1.

Mobile contract is for 4, which includes £10pm for a relative who does not live with me. I will be looking at paying off handsets and changing over to sim only.

If you're unemployed, do you need union membership?

Also, there may be a perfectly good reason why you're paying a vet and for pet insurance, but it jumped out at me as odd. Can you consolidate that and get a better deal?

Takeaway once a month rather than once a week?

Either stop the driving lessons or get the teens to cook (doesn't have to be a complicated meal!) that day?

Vet is probably worming/flea meds/annual checkup etc on a paid for plan which makes it cheaper than just buying them as and when. We have this for our dog and it's slightly dearer than the OP is paying, but assume it's a bit cheaper for a cat as they're smaller and need less medicine!

Hahaha oh that typical assumption! Are you oneof these that brought your house for 5k. Circumstances change not everyone can afford the huge hefty deposits and houses prices are expensive, so stop being ignorant and thinking cutting back on 1 Starbucks a week is going to afford people a house.

Oh and op £550 a month on food is too much!

Ah, this makes sense. We don't have a pet so I thought I might be missing something, but that it was worth checking.

Wow, the figures here are insanity. Most people earn must less than the UC figure quoted?! I earn about the same working part time on a really high (to me) salary. What's the point?!

I feel like a raging Tory but I am gobsmacked by these amounts.