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?

Absolutely do not advertise them for free all over social media for goodness sake! What an utterly stupid suggestion! Do you not realise that people scour social media for free cats to use in dog fighting?

Bloody hell!

@MrsMop2026 - if you were looking to rehome the two you took on (I would never suggest you rehomed your original cats - pets are not disposable like some on here seem to think), contact the rescues and ask if they will help you with a direct rehome.

You hold onto the cats but the rescue's will advertise them as a direct rehome on their pages for you. They will often also do the same home checks as they would for their own adoptions - at least that way you can be as certain as possible that they are going to a good home.

Independents are usually the best to approach for direct rehomes but some of the local Cats Protection league branches will help, as will some vets!

Catsan is rubbish - ours are outdoor cats but when we do need litter we use the wood pellets - seem to last a bit longer.

I didn't see your updates about £100 of the cost being insurance - we self-insure, so I didn't factor that in - sorry!

We already covered why that is not possible.

I’m sorry you’re getting the “just get rid of the cats” comments - really unhelpful.

£3k net a month is about £45-50k depending on pension and tax code. "minimum wage" FFS.

Reminds me of Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development. "It's just a banana. How much do they cost? Ten dollars?"

You are entitled to UC, so claim it. Ignore the benefit bashers - the system is there to provide when needed. And even if you don’t need it but are still entitled to it, then still claim it. Unless you have a disabled child, you will not understand the difference that makes to a household and family finances, and I think they are the ones banging on about going to work and not claiming benefits. I personally would keep the cat insurance, however I would definitely change them to a cheaper food - there are still many out there that are good, yet cheaper. Also, crystal cat litter is amazing, lasts so much longer than regular litter and can be bought in decent size bags in Home Bargains.

What would you like her to do with her disabled child?

Ok so
You can't move due to sen school
You can't get rid of cats as no space and for other reasons mentioned
You have looked for a better paid job and can't find one
2.options
Apply for UC and get everything you are entitled too. No need to feel guilty, if your applicable and entitled to it you should take it!
Dh finds job when you are home children have round the clock care ( this has been mentioned but I can't see a response)
Failing this not sure what else you can do but carry on and try and be frugal.

Oh do bore off.

Look at the turn to us website tonight to get an idea of what you'll be entitled to. Have you also applied for council tax benefit?

I have 4 as well, all getting on in years. I cancelled my pet insurance last year and put money into a savings account that is only for vet bills instead. I claimed once on insurance, having insured 6 cats for 25 years. The total pay out was £367, as I had £60 excess.

Highly recommend shopping around and taking advantages of offers for cat food too. I supplement with fresh chicken because large packs work out cheaper than cat food per 100g - sorry 85g - for protein. 😡

Don't ask @FlyingFlowers whatever you do. Innocent creatures deserve to die as far as they are concerned..

Be put down, along with the cats I assume...

I’m loathed to say get rid of the cats because it is just not that easy. DH needs to get some work when you’re home. Something flexible, my friend’s DH is a taxi driver around her shifts. Fast food place/security for events/care work? What did he do before?

Please don’t ever advertise animals free on Facebook.

Have a look at YouFibre to reduce your WiFi costs OP, they lock the price for the duration of the contract (unlike BT who hike it up £4 a year).
I feed my 10 year old cat Whiskers dry food, I know several people with cats who just buy Aldi/Morrisons/Asda etc. wet and dry food for their cats, add the insurance cut in and you'd be almost £150 a month freed up. Wood pellet lasts longer for the litter trays too.
Other than that OP claim what you can! Your income is reduced because your DCs needs have a direct impact on you/your DHs working capabilities, so if DLA is awarded don't feel guilty, it's for your child.

How are you doing things thst cheaply?

1 dog, £100 arden grange food, £15 butchers then add insurance, vets etc...
2 cats here, £10 whiskers dry, £30 whiskers wet, £10 litter, £15 insurance then annual jabs & flea/worm stuff £200

Although I dont have pets I do understand the love of them having had a much loved dog when growing up.
What I can't understand is why people are willing to spend hundreds of pounds a month on them meanwhile depriving themselves of the extras in life they wish they could afford.It would be a different story & opinion if money was no object.

How old is your diabetic child?

You should receive DLA middle rate for him, that entitles you to an uplift in UC, if your other child also gets DLA then again that’s an additional uplift.

You should apply, you will entitled.

I have ee broadband and its 29.99 per month, worth a look.

We had four cats at one point and didn’t spend anywhere near that. Does that include their insurance? If it does and they have no underlying or previous conditions,
shop around and change provider when the year is up. Try and get policies that give discounts for multiples.
Food- try Zooplus. We use Feringa dried cat food and the large bags are good value. Wet food I shop around, often get good reductions on Amazon. Home bargains and B&M have the large 40 sachet packs at good prices as well.

Start feeding them supermarket own brand food. I bet you aren't buying posh brands for your families food so why do you have the cats on a premium branded food? Every supermarket sells own brand pet foods that are absolutely fine.

How old is the diabetic child? Do they go to school? If yes, presumably your DH can work school hours.

Needless to say, you need to rehome the cats. I earn a lot more than you and can’t afford a pet.

You've carefully avoided responding to suggestions your husband could work evenings and weekends OP, when you are at home to care for the kids.