Too much month at the end of the money

[theswordthatdangles]

January feels like it has been an exceptionally long month this month. Ive now got negative funds in the bank, have borrowed from family and sold/pawned goods to bring some much needed funds in. I can just about stretch meals to the end of the week thanks to some bargain shopping and tinned goods.

I am owed money by a friend who gets paid weekly and has said they can let me have what they have left after they have been shopping. I get it, the month has been as tight for them as it has been for us and theoretically we are better off than they are which is why, when I did have spare cash, I let them put off paying me what was owed for the last couple of months to get them through their children's birthdays and xmas. But now I am just disappointed that I have needed to call the favour in and they haven't forward planned. I shouldn't be. It's my fault in the first place for not insisting on being paid when it was due.

So moving forward, I need to budget plan much better than I am doing. I am also job hunting but having been a sahm for several years, I am finding it harder than I thought as my relevant work experience doesn't translate to the hours of work which I need - the much coveted term time only job.

So all tips for budgeting gratefully received. I try and bulk buy things at the beginning of the month, when dh's large wage goes in, because a huge box of washing powder can easily last a month or two, a catering size washing liquid lasts about the same. I buy on offer when I can so having run out of money, having bread flour and yeast available has meant the kids still have sandwiches for school. Even if the filling is only cheese which was bought when reduced and frozen. The nice snacks foods have had to go by the wayside since last week. But again, a reasonably well maintained baking cupboard has meant we can bake a cake or biscuits as a treat for the children - I am very conscious that I do not want them to worry so I have literally scraped together shrapnel to buy sausages and broccoli so we had a good hot meal yesterday (we already had potatoes thanks to PIL getting a large sack after we ran out).

But I am also conscious that once I start running out of store cupboard stuff, I have got to replace it.

Help!

Op you need to find your local welfare rights office and ask them to complete the DLA form. Make sure you evidence the diagnosis.

Regarding the universal Credit claim that's been made. You need to clarify this with the DWP. Last year there were numerous cases of fraudulent UC claims made by scammers with innocent claimants personal details. Clarify this ASAP.

Either way all new claim for benefits must be made through Universal Credit so please get this done ASAP.

If/when DLA is awarded, an additional element will be added to the UC Claim so that should boost your income even further.

Lots of really good advice on here about planning so you can manage your money as much as possible.
I think though you really want to generate some extra income and if so then it might be worth trying online surveys - I've been doing them for years and here are my recommendations:
I joined Swagbucks 6 months ago and have made £675 so far. I'm a bit evangelical about them tbh! As well as survey income, you get loads of tops up at the end of the month for all the days you hit your daily goal and then they give you extra points when you hit points levels called Swag Ups.Now is a great time to join as when you earn 300 points in the first 30 days, they give you a 300 bonus.
www.swagbucks.com/p/register?rb=59151827
Second favourite: You Gov as you never screen out :
yougov.co.uk/refer/5n4orle6y-iGn-xFyNEk-w/
Now is a great time to join these too as there will be lots of easy surveys with Brexit so imminent.
I use five more panels too but I think try these first as they are the best and generate 80% of my income. Best of luck OP.

I disagree slightly with some pps here and think it's very reasonable that you're managing the finances. Given you're home during the day, with all DCs at school and no cash to go out for a coffee, a gym class or even a bus trip, that should give you the better part of 5-6 hours most weekdays to do things around the home, including the budget and maybe checking out some of the things on the 'earn £10 a day' thread.

I do have 4 and know how busy it is, but think that once you're more organised - and less tight for cash - you'll also feel so much better, and will suddenly have more time, as your thoughts won't be spent panicking and scrabbling for pennies. Right now your life sounds so stressful but you're clearly working so hard, and if you follow all the great advice upthread you'll come out the other side soon!

@Stuckforthefourthtime, I don't disagree with you. I do think DH needs to have a better awareness of how we spend our money than he currently does, and looking at the excess spending, a lot of it is his as he sees things and thinks 'oh that's a good offer' and doesn't always take into account whether we need it or not. Example, our vacuum stopped picking up a lot of stuff. No visible blockages so dh starts his quest to buy a new (to us) cleaner. Bids on one for £60. I picked up a freebie from a local page, similar 'fault' but worked better than ours in the meantime so I could carry on cleaning. Then looked properly at the cleaner and googled how to remove a particular part (initially looked like this part didn't come off). Discovered a near complete blockage which, once removed, meant our cleaner works fine and we don't need a new one. But the freebie was in better condition so I did the same check on that one and exactly the same blockage. Have kept the freebie as it's in overall better condition and listed our old one on local selling sites as it still works, just needs a little tlc.

I've also signed up to people per hour as I have similar skills to some on there. My typing speed and accuracy is pretty good (60wpm & 100% accuracy on a speed test) so Im hoping to pick up a little income from there and will be looking at the £10 a day threads. As my nearly 100 year old grandmother would say "look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves" so even a small income is still an income.

Another spreadsheet fan here....l couldn't live without it. Go on my online banking every day so l can monitor what has gone in and out of account. Not sure where you live but where l live we don't pay council tax in February and March and because l am not on a water meter l don't pay for water in March and April - may give you a bit of breathing space?

Well we've made a good start to the money. Hopefully I can continue with meal planning and finance tracking which will help shape our finances going forward. This month might be a little tight still but a) it's a shorter month and b) I've been reviewing things to make sure we're not excessively spending when we don't need to. Plus I've got 2-3 good leads for bringing in a bit more income.

I've started on the various survey sites. It might only be a few pence here and there but if I can whizz through a few while I'm hanging around waiting for various things then it will be beneficial in the long run.

I've also invested in some cash back cards, like gift cards but they'll give me a %age back everytime I use them. Plan on using them for a our grocery and other high value shops, even if it means I have to load them up and wait a day or two for the card to arrive to spend.

Good luck OP!

Well done OP. If you are doing www.swagbucks.com/p/register?rb=59151827 then don't forget all the extra earning stuff - pictures attached - that daily bonus + winning streaks really boosts your balance every month. The watch videos are useful for making up those last few points you need too.

Glad you are making progress OP I couldn’t see if the friend has repaid the loan yet?

If not then as you’ve made it through then put that money away when she does repay the loan. In a separate account, and add to that when you can. That way you’ll have a small buffer if you have another tough month.

HI, I've come back to say yes, friend has repaid loan and was massively apologetic about it. I had got it put aside and it was a good job too. DS2 came home from school a couple of days ago having shredded the leather on the toes of his shoes right through, rendering them unusable. I was annoyed with DS as his feet grow slowly and I had bought good shoes a little bigger incase he had a spurt - hadn't changed shoe size in a whole year! So that's got to be taken care of over half term. DD2 is also complaining about her shoes but she has sensory issues and I think it is that more than the shoes don't fit. She can wear them when it suits!!

In other news, I got a massively ridiculous electricity bill as I was burying my head in the sand. To the point they let me know they were going to be putting me onto a repayment meter. I spoke to them yesterday and they were adamant they couldn't do anything as I had ignored it for so long so I have spend the whole night having weird and wonderful dreams and then put my sensible head on.

Research showed me that one of the reasons to NOT put someone on a repayment meter was mental health issues, which I have been diagnosed as experiencing for the best part of the last decade and have recently sought further help and assessment to overcome them.

So I put my big girl pants on and rang my supplier again this morning. Spoke to a lovely gentleman who has sorted me out for the next 6 months at least and referred me on for additional support through their consumer support fund. It was hard and I did get teary and choked up but it is a relief that one more weight has been taken off my shoulders while I get myself sorted out.

I have also switched bank accounts and the new one has lovely graphics on it's app to show my spending! It makes it a lot easier for me to see exactly where our money is going rather than having to go through the statement line by line and categorise it myself. Small pleasures but helpful ones.

Well done OP.

It's great that you came back and sounds like you are well on the way to being sorted

Well done on sorting out the energy suppliers.

hi, good to hear things are a little better.

I use this to keep track, as well as my online banking:

www.lemonfool.co.uk/financecalculators/soa.php

And continuing with the positive updates. Yesterday I took part in a focus group, and received a £50 contribution towards fuel etc needed to attend. It was a 10 minute drive up the road and I was there for an hour. This came about as a result of filling in a survey for the DCs' school so I don't know if there will be anymore to come but hey, not a bad earner for an hour of chatting with tea and biscuits.

I have also got a job interview for a term time only job. Absolutely bricking it but want to remain optimistic. DH's view is not to take the job if it is going to end up costing us money, but I can't see that much will change if I don't. Ultimately our income needs to improve and I don't want to be relying on benefits, which we are inelligible for because of DH's past income being higher due to overtime. He isn't seeing that he either has to do more hours - which is a struggle at the moment as he has so much leave to use up or lose - or I have to do some.

Yet another positive update. My interview went well and I was offered a job. Fingers crossed.

Great going Op. Your thread has been great as you have been so proactive and taken on lots on board. Well done.

I start next Monday. Squeee! (Sorry, ever so slightly excited). Will also mean a reduction in household bills as less electricity use during the day 🤣

Wow! not read your thread before but congratulations on the job and every other step you have taken over the last few months. Sounds as though you are making good progress

That’s fabulous news, well done 🍾

Another quickie. 1 week and 2 days in and our establishment has closed due to Covid-19. I am now home for the next 4 weeks at least. Fortunately I got my bank details in before the cut off date and before were were sent home. I will be on paid leave.

Financial management is going much better this month. I know I have some expenses and bills coming up soon but I have pushed them all to after my pay day now. Thankfully the companies have been really helpful and supportive.