Money problems.......

[mum2oliver]

Things have never been this bad.We have a ds and another baby due in March.
We havent come out with enough money this month to cover all the bills.
My dh leaves the house at 5.30am and doesnt return until 11-12 hours later and I chilmind 2children.Im so tired and lifes poo.
Is this really how it should be?
Its not as if we have any luxuries.
Does anyone know how I can make a few hundred pound or more?

Have you checked you are getting all children's tax credits etc you are entitled to? just a thought.

I'd suggest you thoroughly go through your statements and see where the money goes after your regular bills. You may be surprised so if, for instance, you make a lot of cash withdrawals can you try to restrict yourselves a bit more each week, at least for now.

meal plan
use low energy lightbulbs
turn the telly off
wash at 30 degrees
buy clothes etc from charity shops
and dont worry about xmas

Following on from what LizS has said, keep a spending diary for a week (or fortnight or month) detailing absolutely everything you and your dh spend(from 30p for a packet of chewing gum upwards). This was recommended to us by the CCCS and was a real eye-opener.
I also found taking out a set ammount of money (budgeted for) to spend for a week rather than dribs and drabs was helpful too.
Also recommend looking at the Money-Saving Old Style board on the money saving expert site for more advice.

oh yes i do that

we worked out exactly how much money we can spend each week and i take that out in cash, buy the food shopping, and keep whats left in my purse

if none left before week is done then tough!

works really well

All done.Things have been poo for while.There is nothing we can do.We dont withdraw from the Cash machine.We live on my childminding money.I get £115 a week.
£70ish at tesco(no more),£10 fags(dh wont give up)£20 petrol,£7 to my dad aas borrowed money little whil ago and thats pretty much it.
Thanx anyway guys.

i bet you could spend less at tesco if you meal plan
i have 2 dd's and i spend about £50, no more than £60 a week shopping
inc nappies

and the fags, well, say no more

petrol? do you need a car? they are just money down the drain

What about his income ?

What does your other half bring in - and tax credits? Can you do a list of all income and all outgoing bills etc... and see if we can help you cut costs anywhere?

Can DH buy fags on the black market?

Much cheaper.

He already does buy them on the black market.My dh works all over so needs pack up stuff thats why our shopping bill costs this.We already buy the cheapest stuff and yes the fags are bad but Im not prepared to force him to give up.He doesnt cmoke a lot and we dont have any luxuries so life is tough.I dont think it would be fare.He hates his job too so a fag is a luxury for him.
Just so I can re-thin k some stuff.What exactly is your menu plan please?

wonder if there's a cheaper place to foodshop than Tesco? I find morrisons cheaper, but also local green grocers etc can be better value. if you do tesco, shopping online can be cheaper (though £5 delivery charge) as you stick to the list!

Try Lidl or Aldi for food shopping? Things like cheese, sandwich meat, frozen meals are much cheaper.

a menu plan i s to write down EXACTLY what you are going to eat that week and buy ONLY what you need

cheapest cuts of meat too, like turkey insteand of chicken ,thighs or whole chicken

mince

vegetarian dishes, cuts out the pricey meat, like baked potatoes and beans

macaroni cheese
mince and tatties
huge big pots of soup
sausages and mash
easy peasy
NO ready meals
make your own bread
no biscuits, crisps, just cheap fruit like apples, an apple is an apple, whether is supermarket best of or tesco blue stripe
own brand everything, there is nothing wrong with that