Urgh just doing my budget and it's crappy crap crap

[nutcracker]

I am trying to organise myself and my finances so that I do not keep running out of money or food all of the time and have to go borrowing off my mum.

Ok, monthly incomings are £831.48

Monthly outgoings are £821.48 and I didn't include clothes in the outgoings, so thats £10 a month to keep 1 adult and 3 kids in clothes and shoes.

Have budgeted for £20 a week for a driving lesson (haven't started yet), but at this rate i'm gonna have to forget that.

Have budgetted £60 a week for food, if I could get it down to £40 that would be great, but is highly doubtful I think.

I do have quite a bit of debt but at the mo I cannot reduce any of the payments.

I need a job.

what exactly are your other outgoings?

Ahh will have to take a look for those then.

Am trying to meal plan but still not getting it below £55 really.

I am limited in what shops I can go to because of getting it all back.

Not sure I dare post them, I might get ripped apart. As I said, the majority is debt and I have already renegotiated with them all too.

So how about on line shopping, if you are shopping locally you are probably paying the highest penny.

Register with Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda etc and see what they charge in relation to your local shops.

Can't LGJ, I only have an Electron card and can only use that online with Sainsburys.

nutcraker - i can do a fiid shop or less than 60 quod a week for 2 adukts nd 2 kids
including packed lunch for ds1
and that is without scrimping really

what do you and the kids like to eat?
doyou have aldi nearby?

I think asda take electron & they are cheaper than sainsburys?

I may well be wrong but I think Califrau may mean Miaou's threads.......I remember being VERY impressed with their shopping and meal planning....
It is horrid doing budgets isn't it? Hope you get some help.

OK well rather than list all the outstanding debts why not just give us one line for debt repayment, and then list out tv, elec, phone, food etc

Nutty - would it help it people posted recipes for cheap meals?

Asda do take Electron but not online, and I can't manage with a whole weeks shop on the bus.

I'll not be lazy for a change Popsy, and do a search LOL, I have got some recipies written down somewhere from other threads, will look for them.

Monday - Friday, Dd1 and DD2 have a school dinner as they are free whilst I am on IS.
On a tuesday and thursday Ds also has a cooked dinner as he is at nursery but I do pay for that.

I still tend to give them a full cooked meal though which is probably silly, but I feel guilty if I just do them cheese on toast or something.

Outgoings per month then are ...............

Debts £152
Gas £40
Electric £40
Water £72 (includes repayments for debt)
Nursery £42.48
Ballet/Tap/Girls Brigade £21
Driving lessons £80
Phone £30
Mobile £10
Internet £18
Cat Ins £5
Trust fund £5
Tax credit OP £5
Tv Licence £12
Kids birthdays/xmas £40

I think that was it.

lolcal - I wish it was me no it's miaou who's brill for budgets althou i am trying! lol (I do normally go over)

nutty - is it cheaper to shop locally/in market/asda and get a taki home or is it cheaper to stay with online after discount codes etc? are you using all your discount codes? you must be strict thou if you go to the shops - ie just you if poss and take a calculator - something we have taken to doing a set amount each week and a calculator looks sad (not hat I care DH is the one addin up) but it's really helped. could you have your mobile on incomming only for a minute?

are you getting all the benifits you're entitled to?

I know about budgeting it's crap - i'm now faced with a dialema of working for £220 p/m after child care or not (for 64 hours - is it worth it etc?)

also miaous website

Could you save and bulk book the driving lessons?
One a fortnight also will still get you there in the end.
Do your kids really need that much more (40?)toys to be kicked about for birthday/xmas? Although appreciate you saving, thats good
Phone and internet combined cheaper?

Can you change your phone and internet provider?? We are with Tiscali and pay £22 for broadband and unlimited 01 and 02 phone calls plus £10 line rental......and I think you could get it cheaper than this now. We signed up for a years contract about 6 mths ago and have had no probs.

Yes and saving for the b'days is great but cut it down to £30 ????

Do you have a mate who can taxi you home with shopping or a family member?

Nutty,you are paying too much for your internet and phone - a combined deal from talktalk (if you can get it) or Tiscali would be cheaper. You should be paying £30 all in i.e. line rental/local and national calls and broadband. You could probably get a cheap mobile deal tacked on too.....

Do you do all the usual energy saving things to cut down your bills? Turn TV off/don't overfill kettle/don't bath the kids every day etc.? They do add up!!

After you pass your driving test will you be able to afford to run a car and if not would it be best to put this on hold?

If they are having a hot meal at school then there's no reason why they can't have something more snacky in the evening or even sandwiches. It's what lots of other do but in reverse (packed lunch and hot in the evening).

How long till the debts paid off?

at my mentions! Nutty, there are some recipes on my website for you to have a look at if you like.

Re food - I guess your girls get free school meals like ours do? They are on strict instructions to eat as much as possible at school () and they will get something light for tea - eg beans on toast, scrambled eggs, etc. So during the week we only have to manage a main meal for dh, ds and me, and it really does make a difference. A lasagne will feed us for three meals for example(freeze portions of it rather than eating it three days on the trot!).

crossed posts Skyler!
Also agree about the birthday and Xmas fund. We keepthis fairly low key as the kids get tons of pressies from other people anyway. I make a sponge cake and have a little party at home.

However I notice that you do not have a holiday fund. Why not divert some of this so that you can get away for a week?

Do you have the cheapest gas and electricity supplier?

Atlantic and Scottish Power are supposed to be the cheapest and it's quite signficant.

Agree re: kids' tea. Blimey, mine have packed lunches and regularly get beans/scrambled egg/toast for tea. THey also have picnic tea (basically fruit, sandwiches, chunks of cheese) a lot because they love it. Plenty of days they don't get a hot dinner and they are perfectly fine for it!

I do think that's wasting cash if they are getting a hot meal at school/nursery.

Cheese on wholemeal toast is perfectly healthy, as is eggs and beans on toast. Or just jacket spud and a bit of cheese or beans.

leyt me tell you about our phone service....
we have a bt line (11 if paid by direct debit) but have Primus as our provider.
We have option 2 saver which is barely advertised and you have to ask for it.
basically you pay nothing as a charge. then you get all evening and weekend calls for free. daytime calls are way cheaper than bt too (and dh works for bt lol!!)
then you also get 1899.com basically you get cheap daytime calls. You regiter with them online, and once registered you dial 1899 before dialling a number. there is no charge for the service. JanH is an expert on this!!!

This has REALLY reduced our phone bills.

Effectively, if you only make calls on a weekend or evening, all you will pay is your bt line rental of 33 quid per quarter. 1899 calls are 3p per call in the day no matter how long you are on for (for uk landlines)
hth