Sick of having plenty of money on paper but not enough to actually live!

[MrsMop2026]

We get around £3,000 a month on paper that is loads.
Shouldn’t be struggling at all but why am I always struggling to put clubcard vouchers & pennies together at the end of the month.

Rent - £1,200
gas & elec - £300 (paying back some debt)
council tax - £150
water - £35 (on a special tarfif)
petrol - £200 (but obviously that’s now going up and god knows what that will come too - and yes I use my free bus pass where I can and no I can’t use less)
cats - £200 (i have four so it’s expensive Im trailing the cheaper supermarkets litter at £2.99 for 10 litres atm so hoping to get this down and next I will try cheaper cat food)
Food - £600 (cant get this cheaper ones diabetic other has AFRID)

leaving me with £260 a month but that just seems to go so quickly with school uniform, school trips, the occasional day out. :(

I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do expensive days out, takeaways are a luxury in this house.
It is so stressful isn’t it? How does everyone else manage?

Pretty clear that an awful lot of posters on here are as thick as pigshit

"Your husband is unemployed because you have a diabetic cat. That’s not an excuse at all. A relatives dog was diabetic. No one stopped working to become an unpaid carer for a diabetic cat."

@Muffinmam you've won the thread surely? 😂

The amount of people posting who have not read the OP’s posts properly is unbelievable. OP sounds like you have a good way forward now. I’d leave this thread to save your sanity!

Congratulations @MrsMop2026, glad to hear your husband got the job. Hope you are still entitled to some element of UC, as it does also help you access other help.

Having a child with uncontrolled type 1 is a f*ing nightmare. Never mind while also having an autistic child. Some posters just come here to attack.

Truly hope your little one gets the right balance of medication soon, even though I do know it might be a long uphill battle

Yes they are, you’d think everyone would have basic reading skills but nevermind. I won’t be returning as this post has made me undoubtably angry when we should be celebrating husbands new job!

Getting DLA even at middle rate hugely increases the thresholds at which people can claim UC with the addition of child disability element(s) and carers elment.

With an attitude like that, is it any wonder you get those responses? Why TF should I work my ass off and pay taxes so you can keep four bloody cats?

Yeah your tax pays for my cats. Suck it up buttercup. Might just quit my job so I can claim even more. heavy sarcasm

lol - good one op.

lol 😂 I love it when an OP get bashed and gives back as good as it comes
OP clearly has a good sense of humor

I really do hope you get your UC & DLA sorted out
Reddit / DWP / universal credit / benefit threads are really helpful as you have actual
DWP workers that can guide you

The cats sound very expensive, but I suppose you’re stuck with them. Not a lot you or the taxpayer can do about them. 🤷‍♀️

No, no one should. But the cats exist. It’s too late to moralise. One day, nature will sort it. 😉

Wow. I've lost three cats in the last five years and my oldest boy is 20 and I'm going to lose him soon as well

The OP works if people haven't bothered reading that part

The OP works. I have said this on other threads - I'm currently out of work and I have three cats - but I have worked a substantial part of my adult life. There are too many people who see animals as commodities and rehome them to anyone - when they no longer want them. People who struggle financially don't need to be shamed because they've taken in pets - all of my pets are rescues.

I am a taxpayer. 😂

The thread has really thrown up the dregs of society. Anyone who believes there should be no safety net in case of these kinds of circumstances ... I'm sure America would be happy to have you. Don't let the door hit you on the way out 👋🏻

Ah yes, but are you one of the sainted taxpayers OP? 🤣

Well done to Mr Mop @MrsMop2026 on his new job

hope it helps things

Because thats how a civilised society works.
We pay taxes so that when we need help its there. Do you get to decide who needs help? Do you get to decide whos worthy?
Shameful carryon out of you.
And i bey you dont actually "work your ass off'. Most people who whine that dont.9

You don’t work your ass off so OP can keep 4 cats … your work your ass off to give yourself an income and happy life. HTH.

Wow what an insightful and useful comment.

Well it’s not wrong like!!

She knows why she's struggling - if she didn't the sixteen pages of people saying the same thing have probably rammed it home. But as she's said several times she tried to rehome the cats (which weren't all hers to start with).

Paying back debt is responsible, is it not? Or is the advice here don't pay back your debt and then you'll be fine.

What should I do? Just kick the cats outside and ignore them when they stare through the windows? Should I just close the curtains and pray to the all mighty cat god that they leave me alone?
Honestly, half of these comments are nonsense.I asked for helpful insights not a load of jumping on high horses stating the obvious.
I am not an idiot.

I didn’t say that I just said the other poster wasn’t wrong, it’s a fact… you are paying off debts and you have a silly amount of pets.