Rookie Error! Advise/handhold needed

[LittleLostOne]

Currently on maternity leave and having the lovely back to work talks (currently on a zero hour contract when I return)

Sat tonight and looked at what hours I’ll roughly be earning over the school holidays and with the hours I’m available and realised that the maths doesn’t add up. Turns out when I’ve added a line to my spreadsheet at some point it’s shifted the formula. Absolutely zero savings as our boiler breaking the day I gave birth wiped them all out and we’ve not been able to replace them

So between me earning less than I’ve predicted and the missing row I’ve got 70 days to find £968 (£13.82 a day 🙈)

Im doing my last two KIT days this weekend and hoping someone rings in sick and DH is working as many hours as he can legally with his job) and sometimes he puts more in than we predict which his bonuses and I’m hoping on my working days I get more hours than I think I’m going to get. Also planning on the begging bowl with childcare and picking up a couple more hours if I can. And I’ll be able to cut a bit off the food shop each week (although with 5 of us and one still needing baby milk and nappies there’s only so much I can cut)

Financially there is very little I can cut down on the spreadsheet. I’ve already cancelled any extra spending and reduced down everything I can and I’m hoping we both earn more

So any top tips on saving money? Or anyways for making things stretch further? Or anyways for making any extra pennies? Very much in the every penny count stage and would love some ideas that I might not have thought of!

Could you do a bank account switch? I think nationwide are currently offering £200 for this.

I never think of switching my bank account! I’m going to look into this! Thank you so much!

Have you taken into account funded hours + tax-free childcare, any benefits you're entitled to?

Currently don’t have children in childcare over the holidays, it would add up to more than I’d earn so that’s saved me some money (although have school uniform to buy instead so it evens out), but at the end of August I’ve got two to pay for nursery for

Not entitled to any extra benefits, I’d checked while I was first on maternity to try and top it up

Any spare nectar/clubcard etc points you can use to reduce the shopping costs? Or boots advantage card points for things like nappies?

Any loyalty vouchers /points you can spend ?

Also is there any newborn stuff you can sell on now ? (Assuming you plan for this to be your last child).

Even selling for small amounts will help chip away.

I don't really understand your post, do you mean you're £900ish short of budget for the next 70 days? What happens after the 70 days? If its all OK after that get a 0% credit card?

Anyway, suggestions. Sell anything you don't need any more on vinted, can either of you take on a flexible small second job eg bar work, baby sitting, ironing.

You should be able to apply for help with childcare costs

so I’m £900 short. After the 5th it’s showing as still a minus £900 but by that point it will have a balance of zero because I’ll have done a magic trick and found it (we pretty much live week to week but it works and we manage to get a small amount away each week)

thank you for the suggestions, I actually have a huge amount on Vinted which if it all magically sold would cover 2/3 of what I need typically! But I do have some more to put up over the weekend

I’m currently still on maternity and then it’s the school holidays (my hours are reduced in the holidays because paying for 2 kids to cover the holidays means I don’t actually earn enough to cover the childcare so me and DH tag team the kids between us as we don’t always have anyone else to watch them- especially now with three!)

Although I know he would DH has literally worked 5-6 days doing 12 hours shifts to cover my maternity and I don’t want to put anymore on him working because he’s burnt himself out

trying to avoid the extra credit route for various reasons, but I would really struggle to pay anything else back and don’t want to add to our monthly expenses!

register on some cash back sites?

Thank you to those who have suggested vouchers!

Ive currently got about £20 Tesco, £15 in Asda and £10 in Sainsburys!

This is definitely my last child! All outgrown stuff is currently on Vinted and we’re not too far on another lot going up when they’re outgrown!

Definitely claiming all I can towards childcare costs, one child does term time only, ones in school and the last one doesn’t start until September when we’re entitled to the 30 free hours. And I do the tax free

Currently have about £70 on TopCashback which isn’t payable yet 🙈

Are you eligible for Pluxee and the ode card? They aren't much but you get a bit of cash back on groceries.

I know this is boring, but id probably plan for a lot of pasta and frozen veg and jacket potato type meals and living from any cupboard stuff to cut the shopping cost down temporarily.
Can you cancel any Netflix, Disney plus etc subscriptions for a few months if you have them or temporarily stop kids activities?
Id have a very boring few months of no activities or accepting party invites.
Lowering costs of things on Vinted just to get stuff sold and get the cash in, even if you think you might get more money by holding out a bit longer.
Good luck!

Short term you can really scrimp on food. Beans on toast with egg, pasta and cheese, egg fried rice etc.
home made vegetable soup with soup mix in.

I already get discount on Tesco or Asda (depending where I shop) and I currently go to three different shops to save money (which I’ve been doing since on maternity)

I’ve just popped in a Iceland order for the freezer because I got a higher cashback being a new member and also a £2 bonus (bonus that my kids would live off freezer teas)

No parties apart from my little boys one (but it was booked and paid for months ago before I realised) and I’ve already got some sweets for some party bags so just need to buy a cake (he’s told me he wants a caterpillar one so luckily not a more expensive one)

Everything I can cancel has been cancelled and luckily the kids don’t do activities!

Can you do some evenings babysitting? It pays very well nowadays and people always appreciate experienced babysitters (ie mums!)

Are you in credit with any of your utilities that you can ask for the money back? Quidco? Any larger/more expensive items you don't use that you can sell?

Download the olio app. It is people offering free food in your area.

I am a food waste hero. Tesco items appear around 8:30pm and Sainsbury around 10pm.

Use by must be collected that evening but best before can be collected following day.

Morrisons do a £5 caterpillar cake by the way

It’s summer swap to cloth nappies.

eat pulses - vey cheap, very healthy

Too good to go is a brilliant app which will help you reduce your food costs, though you would need to be open to receiving anything and not be picky eaters. I got a huge amount from an M&S TGTG for £4.99, so I’d highly recommend!

Re bank account switching, if you have a joint account, you could max out by both switching your own accounts to one bank then your joint to another, so that's 3 payouts.

We switched our single accounts to Nationwide and they paid I think £150 to each of us plus for the past few years we've had £100 each per year as part of their "fair share" promotion.