Need to improve my situation

[RyanBergarasTeeth]

Starting a thread but doubt it will get much traffic. I need to sort out my financial life this year and try get into a better financial position. If anyone joins feel free to add your own acheivements hopes and ambitions for this year too.

Currently i have managed to reduce my credit card debt down to £40 as of today! Thats currently my only debt it was at £500 6 months ago!
I have 5 grand in savings towards a house deposit. Aim is 10 grand (live in north west now although originally from london). I am in a zero hour contract with a boss who hates me but ive been there 4 years now and cant leave as ttc and think im still entitled to some maternity so i would rather get a 2nd job around that and want to look into retraining and getting a maths gcse. Hopefully at least some of this is possible before 2021.

Well done on your debt OP! You can sit the equivalent
to maths gcse free online here :)

Well done, make sure you know exactly what you're entitled to if you're ttc, write down your goals and put your plans into action

@sleepismysuperpower1 thank you i will look into that now!

@doughnutmuffin thank you its funny you should say that because this morning i got a new notebook and have been writing down goals and costs and how much i need to save for. Nursery costs seem terrifying!

I would save and get the house before the baby. How old are you? A house will be much further away if you have child with the high cost of childcare.

@flirtygirl im 28 but am going to continue ttc especially after 2 miscarriages. It will take me years to save for a house as im doing it alone as dp has no savings and he pays the rent and pays for his child on a minimum wage job so has nothing left at the end of each month. I pay the other bills and try save a little even if its £20 to £50 a month. When lockdown is over we plan to use my credit card one last time to buy a 2nd hand car as we really struggle without and that means i can drive the 30 minutes to my parents house if we have a child as my dm has agreed she will childmind in the afternoons if i need it which would be a huge help. We have put a little money aside for dps driving lessons as i think thats an important thing for him to learn. We will get there very slowly but its possible as long as we own a home by retirement lol

Sounds like you have a good plan. If there is the opportunity for your dp to work more hours they would be worth exploring. I would get what you can behind you. If you go on to universal credits for any reason they will expect you to use your savings until they are under £6k. So although I understand you are keen to start a family of you can get the mortgage/house first your money will be safe.

As for childcare. I would suggest you look at local childminder. A lot cheaper and much more homely environment.

Im not sure if i qualify for any benefits as my hours vary so much so i can earn)£750 one month or £1100 another although i dont earn more than £10-11,000 a year.

The childminder is a good idea i was looking at last night if im lucky enough to ever have a child (not optimistic). I want to look at some online courses just to give me confidence and knowledge as i would love to work from home in a 2nd job. (i have ocd and anxiety issues and although i will of course work outside the home when needed as i do in my current job, i would love to work from home and be more productive. I feel that would be easier if i had a child as well as i would only have to drop them off and pick them up from a childminder rather than drop them off and drive to work and back.)

Unfortunately dp works full time in a shop so theres no extra hours for him. He has a lot of issues which mean he is quiet difficult and unwilling to change from what he knows. I can only. Focus on changing my circumstances :)

Has anyone had any success on the money saving tips threads here? Ive been writing down some of the best ones and need to start meal planning.

I watch a good you tuber Lydia senn not everything is relevant as she's American but gives some inspiration

@gingysmummy thank you i will have a look. I think its all mindset so learning how people do stuff could inspire me to make changes and save. Ive already decided i eventually need to change energy supplier as british gas is very expensive.

RyanBergarasTeeth

Sounds like you have a good plan. Continue to save and you will get there. It will be a long slog but so worth it.

The money saving and frugal threads are great. Shop around for all your utilities and when you get a car shop around for your insurance, yearly Mot, petrol.

When you get into the mindset of always finding the cheapest, it's no longer a chore and the money saved on something can be saved. Money saving expert.com is great.

Mealplanning is good, as is batch cooking and shopping from the evening markdowns in the supermarket.

Goodluck op.

Thank you! This board is brilliant for ideas to save. Hopefully loads of people will benefit especially with jobs like mine being so uncertain at the moment. (looks unlikely i will be working again until at least october.)

Meal plan
Shop around for utilities. Phone contracts etc
Walk or cycle whenever you can
Buy secondhand
Use what you have got. Clothes toiletries food etc how many pairs of jeans/trainers can u wear at one time
Budget. My bills are x. I have £50 a week in my purse for me and the kids. For hair cuts days out etc. I save £100/200 a month for birthday holidays school uniform etc. Once the money in my purse has gone that is it until the next Friday.
When buying something I always ask my self is this a want. Or a need. If I can't justify the purchase it doesn't happen.

Take your own water bottle and snacks out. Picnics etc. It gets expensive when you have kids.

Thanks @unicornsarereal72all good tips. If it helps anyone else out the things i already do that i found an easy change has been:
I only own about 20 pieces of clothes so i interchange each day. I cut my own hair. I use a safety razor and reusable pads and a meluna cup. I use wash clothes for my face and i plan to go through dps wardrobe and cut up any of his old tshirts for rags to clean with.

I plan to change utility providers when lockdown ends and would like to compare car insurance providers to get the best deal. As well as pet insurance and finding the cheapest deals on let food as 3 cats is pretty expensive.