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Original poster

£100 a Week

29 replies

WorryCentral · 05/01/2018 14:25

My DH £1,600 a month after tax. Our bills are covered by approx £1,150 and we have about £100 a week left. I am having to give up work as we have a 9 month old and I am pregnant again. My salary will not cover full time childcare for two little ones and we have no family to assist with any care.

Out of the £100 a week we will have to cover food and petrol for the car but we don't need to use much as live close to place of work. Will be rare to fill up I should imagine. How can we survive? Panicking now!

OP posts:
Leatherboundanddown · 05/01/2018 14:54

So you will also have £33 per week child benefit too.

Have you checked if you can apply for tax credits? What is his gross yearly salary?

Would it be possible for you to get a part time job working opposite hours to your partner so that dc are looked after by him at home? That is what I do, night time bar job.

Chewbecca · 05/01/2018 14:55

Can you cut any bills down a little?

Viviennemary · 05/01/2018 14:58

I think it will be very tight indeed. Unless you have a good amount of savings to fall back on. Could you get an evening job to earn some money and your DH can do childcare. Are you counting child benefit in with this income. Because that will make a difference when you have to count pennies.

Frequency · 05/01/2018 15:02

£100 a week for fuel and food will be plenty if that's after bills. Christ, I'd love to have £100 a week for food and fuel. My budget is closer to £100 a month.

Aldi or Lidl and meal plan. Our food/pet food/cleaning products weekly shop comes in at around £40. That leaves £60 a week for fuel. I don't drive, so have no clue how much petrol is but I doubt it's £60 a week.

MiserableAsSin · 05/01/2018 15:03

Shop in Aldi and primark and you'll be fine . Speaking from experience .

molifly · 05/01/2018 15:05

More than enough for food and petrol

Viviennemary · 05/01/2018 15:08

But there are things like birthdays, Christmas, clothes, haircuts nappies, holidays, house repairs, that all have to be paid for. It's all the extras and I don't know if OP has accounted for this in her bills. If £100 is strictly only for food and fuel then yes she'll manage. But it won't stretch to all the extras. IMHO.

notangelinajolie · 05/01/2018 15:14

It's doable but you will have to keep a very close eye on your budget. We managed as a family of 4 on £100 a week food and petrol (one car) for several years but it was hard and I wouldn't want to live like that for the long term. We also didn't have nappies to buy either. I would say it will be ok for everyday living expenses but beware of unexpected expenses and have access to some emergency money just incase. We came unstuck a few times with car repairs and needing a new washing machine.

Frequency · 05/01/2018 15:16

With budgeting, of course it will cover extras. How do you think the rest of us manage?

Cheaper haircuts - go to a local training salon. You can ask for a level three student, who is effectively qualified as a junior stylist or a level two stylist which would be cheaper still. It's all watched over by fully qualified professionals.

Primark, New Look, ASOS sales for clothes, I'm not sure what holidays are, I vaguely remember going on something called a holiday over a decade ago.... house repairs - insurance or DIY. Birthdays, Christmas - strict one gift per child policy and save throughout the year.

I'd imagine there are bills that can be cut down on once contracts have expired and OP will go back to work once the children are older. She can also look for part-time evening or weekend work.

InDubiousBattle · 05/01/2018 15:41

Are you not entitled to any benefits? Would you be if you worked pt? £100 a week is very tight.

Leatherboundanddown · 05/01/2018 16:15

It may also help if you post your outgoings here so mumsnetters can advise if you can make any cutbacks. Do you bank online? You can scroll back through all your dorect debits and spending for the last few months to track it all.

Original poster
WorryCentral · 05/01/2018 18:06

We are going to look to get rid of sky when we are able. Change from BT to another broadband provider at the end of the contract in April.
DH works opposing shifts - morning to mid afternoon, evening to night and so it wouldn't be easy for me to get a part time job just fitting in around when he's not working. His days off fall oddly per week on weekdays too which would make it extremely difficult for me to plan ahead. There's no real structure.

The £100 is for things like food, nappies, fuel etc. Everything that isn't covered by bills and does include child benefit for one. I haven't looked at what I'd be entitled to claim as I'd be happy to survive on just what we have if we can. I think it's approx £120 all factored in per week.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 05/01/2018 18:09

2nd hand washable nappies save a fortune!!

Plipplops · 05/01/2018 18:11

Can you earn any more? Or sell some stuff? I always wondered about doing Avon or something like that although I’m sure someone will be along who actually knows about that kind of thing...

PaperdollCartoon · 05/01/2018 18:14

Definitely see what you might be entitled to, the system is there to support people don’t feel you can’t claim what you’re due.

Original poster
WorryCentral · 05/01/2018 18:17

£642.31 - mortgage
£90 - gas & elec
£43.23 - car ins (joint)
£160.20 - council tax (this should decrease to £109 once we tick into the new tax year)
£26 - water rates
£21.75 - life insurance (joint)
£39.09 - Sky
£12.37 - TV licence
£13.78 - building insurance
£7.49 - pet insurance
£52.49 - BT (stuck in contact currently)
£29 - mobile phone (joint)

I've discovered a DD that is unaccounted for as well - £9ish to a company I can't track. I'm going to investigate that tomorrow and try pin it down.

OP posts:
Emily7708 · 05/01/2018 18:18

Make sure you transfer your marriage tax allowance to your DH when you stop working. It’s worth about £230.

www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance

Original poster
WorryCentral · 05/01/2018 18:19

Thanks @PaperdollCartoon. We feel like we've gotten ourselves into this situation by carelessness. We weren't planning another baby and I was going back to work full time so this was a real shock as it was a failure on the pill. We've always earned our own way.

OP posts:
Loverunandwine · 05/01/2018 18:23

Could you take a mortgage break for a couple of months just to ‘bank’ that for savings/rainy day. I worry that your sums work fine until there is unexpected expenditure.

Littlechocola · 05/01/2018 18:24

Absolutely doable with just two children!

ArnoldBee · 05/01/2018 18:25

We manage this easily - £30 a week good shopping budget for 4 of us. We also have savings and go on holiday - to be honest it's become quite fun seeing what activities we can do for as little as possible. It makes me realise how much money we have wasted in the past.

RandomMess · 05/01/2018 18:29

Is it not worth going back now for a while so you at least get mat allowance??

Original poster
WorryCentral · 05/01/2018 18:38

I have been thinking about going back. The job I do is a pain to teach and they've had a whole slew of temps going in and out to try and cover. I just feel like it'd be a bit shit of me to go back and the temp contract be ended when if I admitted what was going on they'd offer the temp the full job and get to crack on. Small business so it makes a difference. Maybe I care too much about everyone else and feeling bad over it? Grin

OP posts:
RandomMess · 05/01/2018 18:43

But financially you need to put yourselves first...

Babyroobs · 05/01/2018 18:48

You will be entitled to some tax credits when the second is born if income under £32k. Otherwise can you look at an evening/ weekend job so no childcare costs.