Debt Free 2007.....

[charliecat]

Following on from this thread there are a fair few mumsnetter trying to get out of and stay out of debt....chatting about it and moaning about skint
We are a friendly bunch please come in

A round up of a lot of the tips/links so far:

• Decent food budgetting/planning - Email Flamesparrow at gmail dot com for a copy of Capp?s spreadsheet! (Didn?t want to tell everyone to CAT you Capp unless you wanted them to )
• uswitch
• s/o for savings AND a s/o for treats
• Work out the birthdays that will be coming across the year and make sure I put aside enough each month to cover the hell months.

BUDGET
Work out a spreadsheet for your monthly/weekly spending. Spend a couple of months tracking every penny you spend ? you will be able to see where your money trickles away to!!!

SHOPPING
*Shop online if you make a comprehensive list (it will cost more if you miss lots off)
*Menu plan ? easier to make a stickable to shopping list

• Use Quidco to get money back on shopping
• If you can be trusted to pay it all off before the end of the month, do your shopping on a Tesco credit card to get the points to use elsewhere
• Eat before you shop
• Buy extras like milk and bread at the corner shop ? what slight extra you pay for the milk, you save on not seeing tempting offers!! (4 pts of milk is actually CHEAPER at my corner shop than Tesco Express)
• Sign up for anything that will send you free vouchers
• Pay at the self service machines in Tesco as they accept all vouchers regardless of purchases
• Avoid gift/cleaning aisle in shops ? you buy things you don?t need FOOD ? Menu plan! It can be a 2 or 3 week mix n match type thing, but have some plan to help you shop ? Work out which foods can be economised on, and which are just not worth it ? value mushrooms are just an odd shape, value mince is more fatty, but if you strain it it is fine, but frozen mince tastes like disintergrated cardboard ? Cook bulk meals and freeze ? 2 packs of mince can often make 3 meals, where as 1 pack makes 1 n a bit ? Bulk meals out with lots of veg ? again, a Bolognese sauce goes a lot further if its filled with peppers, grated carrots etc ? Take drinks out with you so you are not forced to buy ? Get Fruit and Veg at markets (have discovered that DH works next to the people who supply the organic veg box people ? we are now getting organic veg for less than basic tesco veg prices

GIFTS
? Keep a list of birthdays with you so you can buy presents as you spot bargains
? Save for Christmas NOW ? Use a club or a separate savings account with a standing order - don?t wait and see what you can afford at the end of the month ? you won?t be able to

GENERAL
? Save up spare £1 coins and coppers etc ? You can get it changed at most Sainsbury?s in a machine ? it does take some of your money in a charge, but I never get it changed if I have to take it to a bank, so it makes more sense.
? Claim back you bank charges if you have them
? Cut up credit cards ? If it is not a matter of starvation or eviction, it is NOT an emergency
ITS NOT A BARGAIN IF YOU DIDN?T NEED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!

Thats an awful high jump How much has it went a year from/too?

£38 I thought mine was bad at £10 extra! Don't suppose you are entitled to council tax benefit?

Tax credits gone in but was 20 less than normal

Hows everyones hols being?
We haven't done too bad money wise, have been swimming (free) and allotment (free) though had to buy dd1 some summer clothes today as she only had one pair of cropped pants!Tried to use my £10 MK1 voucher but nothing in her size.
Car Boot tomorrow!

Holidays so far........one picnic Cheap...
Then found some nice tiles at a pound a box..........BARGAIN!!!!!!!!! Then realised the worktop would need replaced too...hmm 40 a worktop x 3
and grout....etc etc...
BUT dp got a cheque for 350 from his old boss...not sure why exactly, but thats covered it with spending money left for our cheapo holiday at Pontins next week

Just got back from the car boot and took £45 , only sold about half the stuff though, so am still cluttered! It will be going to the charity shop first thing on Tuesday!
nd my Mam borrowed my car to nip home (hers was in the car boot) and when she came back she parked in near the nesting seagulls so it is now shit up

Shit Up Sorry lol
My mum done a booty today £113. £4 of its mine

£4

Hello all

DH still not been paid his boss says it will be this weekend but hey, I'll believe it when I see it.

And I've overspent this month already. I had to get some summer uniform for DS so that was 30 quid. Mind you it will last him a couple of summer terms tbh. It just seems an awful lot at first. This month I saved 150 but I may have to dip in to cover the uniform etc. Good news is it's interest crediting week so that's the summer holiday paid for. (1 week in Sarborough in September!)

Oh can any of you advise me please. Are we entitled to any additional tax credits?Income is 1500 per month (when he gets paid) after tax. I get family allowance and child tax credit. I also get 230 per month DLA (I have MS). Are we getting all we should? (Yep I know it seems grasping but...y'know) You people seem to know aqll this stuff

Thanks in advance

put your details into entitledto.com or is it co.uk and see what it says...

Cheers Charliecat...It seems we get everything we are entitled to already. After the last budget Gordon Brown was banging on about tax credits and I wondered if we had missed something.

Never mind.

You're good to know. I've found a good account to stash DS's cash via your tips so I have to say an big Thanks to you

On the bbc there was a budget calculator, and you put in your stuff and it told you whether you would be better off this yet. OR NOT...search bbc.co.uk for budget calculator

Tax credits definelty know you get DLA? I thought DLA bumped it up quite a bit?

May I also suggest a pound in a jar a week till nest uniforms needed

Haven't informed the Taxpeeps re the DLA.

You're right, it does make life financially easier. It allows me to save a bit incase we need childcare should I have periods of ill health where I can't care for DS.

Should I inform the tax peeps. I thought they would be aware anyway?

don't assume that one govt dept knows anything about what another one pays you! Tell them asap and see if it increases your tax credits. I think that 's what cc meant, not that you were so much better off with it! DLA increases your entitlement to many benefits as it gives you a 'disability premium' on the means tested benefits (in a previous life I was a welfare rights adviser so vaguely remember this stuff), and just in case you've been told 'no' before, it's worth trying again each year when the allowances increase as it can make you entitled to something you weren't last year iyswim. Hve you checked with council tax benefit too? May give you a bit more. kep at them too, my dad got told no for years on end even when i wrote a letter in his name giving them chapter and verse from teh regulations. Five years later he got £3500 back dated money (I was right, natch) and he was so happy. Gave him some savings for the first time since my mum died.

sorry, i do know my stuff but just can't type....

Thanks Ska and CC...a job for me for tomorrow!

Didnt mean you shouldnt be asking for more with the DLA, What I meant was I think that if you get DLA and claim tax credits you get an extra something on top of normal tax credits that someone who wasnt claiming DLA would get!
Im sure you know what I mean now lol
Ring them up tommrow and clarify that they do know you are getting it.

defnitely contact them, my advice is do everything in writing tho'

google your local council, there willbe a benefits calculator on it somewhwere, put in all your details but dont put the amount of CTC you get. It should calculate it for you. Letting you know how much you should be getting, and at the same time seeing if you would get any housing benefit/council tax benefit.

Good idea about uniforms CC- dd1 changes schools in Spetember and will be buying from scratch and not much in cheaper versions available (purple!) at least dd2 has hand-me-donws!

Grouchy - def tell TCs about your DLA. We get disability element because DP gets DLA, and it's about £2K a year.

Hols have been rubbish. £425 in insurance excess payments.

At least all 3 accidents are out of the way now.

Accident 1. Picture fell off the wall and smashed. £150 excess becaue of accidental damage.

Accident 2. Car. £150 excess, will get that back from 3rd party. Car went in today, so now we have a crappy Fiat Panda. (well I guess at least the petrol will be cheaper for the week as neither of us will use the horrible thing except when it's essential!)

Accident 3. I knocked boxes of books onto my laptop last week. £125excess (should have been £150 but they cocked up ). So I've been without internet access for the last 10 days (not good when you have a smile account), but hey, looking on the bright side I have a brand new laptop for £125!

On the plus side, a friend has booked a book party with me, so will get a bit of money from that, and hopefully some of her friednds will book a party too.

I haven't been bloody paid today. I've just put us o/d becuase I paid a lump off the mint card last nihgt expecting to be having my wages going in today.

Sorry, but I haven't read the thread but I went onto another Money Saving website recently and they have a £2 club. You save all your £2 coins. I started doing this about 6 months ago and I counted my coins yesterday - £180 in £2 coins. I couldn't believe it and I haven't noticed saving the coins at all.