Earn 40k single parent and struggling

[Noncomplyturkey]

Never thought I would get to 47 be earning 40k and struggling financially, I’m JUST getting by, before you ask I don’t live an extravagant life, no flash card or holidays, just two teenage sons with a £1k a month mortgage and regular bills. I have no idea how others in similar circumstances that earn less are managing. My monthly outgoings have gone up by over £300 due to increased int mortgage rates, food, petrol, energy. Child maintenance is due to finish in September too as my twins go to uni (fingers crossed). I’m going to have to get a second evening job, anyone got any suggestions or miracles?

You will be able to apply for a council tax reduction if you are the only adult living there in September. Hopefully that will offset a bit of the costs

@stayingpositiveifpossible tbf almost every person I knew at uni (2013-2017) bar the rich rich students (international and London) had a part time job. Even the medics. Otherwise nobody can bloody afford food.

£100 on water????? I'm on a meter with myself and teenage son and mine is about 20 a month! Dishwasher is run alot to etc. I guess I can shower at speed and we don't use the bath.

Food is so expensive but you could probably cut back there. Do you buy a lot of meat?

I already get 25% reduction as they are only just 18, presume the 25% discount will continue after sept as single occupant.

I think this where middle earners are squeezed with the tax and NI and a mortgage. If you had rent you would be eligible for a universal credit top up which would help considerably.

I'm sure you realise a second job will be taxed and NI in full too so might not be as lucrative as you hope.

Re water bill…I had a power shower put in 6 years ago… huge mistake with two teenagers now 🙈 we have huge fall outs over it… roll on sept when this should reduce too

Look at spending categories as ratios to each other.
Mortgage stands out as being a high percentage of your take home pay. Food is other stand out cost but you have teenagers so I am not surprised they eat a lot. I would sit down with them and discuss food though, as they need to realise how much that is going up in cost and they may be able to come up with ways to reduce it - they may even be keen to do some batch cooking.

I didn’t realize that I would have been entitled to UC had I been a renter. I just thought UC was based on income and family size etc

Thanks some good tips…. I bought out my ex so had to take on huge mortgage which was a really good move long term financially and don’t regret it, just need to get through the next 3 years.

Most meals include meat, we could cut back on this for sure 👍🏼

A really key (and healthy) way to cut down on food we’ve found is to “de-centralise” the animal protein. For example : serving meat/animal protein as “the main” in the form of pieces/fillets/cuts involves higher costs and higher meat intake.

instead - cooking innovatively by making the animal protein a part of a large rice/pasta based main cuts the animal protein by half.

for example: serving chicken thighs and drumsticks as chicken thighs and drumsticks - or serving sausages as sausages as mash - needs how many pieces in total to fill stomachs? And how much meat is being consumed that way?
instead - serving a chicken and mushroom risotto would need half that amount of chicken and a sausage, multiple veggie and mixed bean casserole would cut those sausages in half and pack in a whole loaD of veggies and beans into a filling meal.

These tweaks could halve your meat/animal protein costs, still have meat in meals and up the vegetables and plant based intake for your diets.

So you need to be careful for the next 3 years and then things improve? That makes things a bit easier in some ways.

Are your DC staying home for uni - if so they could get part time jobs and pay you a little perhaps.

Or if they are going away- I know someone who has foreign language students to stay- it's about £200 a week for one (teenage) but they need feeding. Could be an idea.

Lots of your bills will definitely go down loads when your boys go to uni OP. Food, water, electricity etc etc.

Until then I'd look at the food spend if possible, and also maybe get a shower timer, which I've seen recommended on here? Honestly I'd also have a chat with your boys about money being a bit tight - they won't have missed that it is for everyone currently - so they need to be more mindful about length of showers, leaving electrics on etc etc.

UC is based on family size but there is no allowance for mortgage costs.

Is extending your mortgage a realistic option to reduce costs?

Can you look for a better paying wage in the sector you are in?

I earn £38k take home is £2400 pm have one teenager and no housing costs and while I don't struggle , I do struggle to save enough to pay for basic house maintenance and afford a holiday a year. So with a £1k mortgage I don't think I could balance the books

Noncomplyturkey I'm in a similar situation to you - my 3 are now in early-mid 20's but when the maintenance from their dad ended when the youngest turned 20 I still had to find a house that could be a home for 4 of us until they got their own! Their dad is now with his new wife in a lovely little 2 bed cottage with, of course, no spare rooms! I'm funding a mortgage for a 4 bed house to look after the children. However like PP have said, when they aren't home it's much easier to economise.

When on my own I regularly have 'eat what I've got' weeks when I finish what's in the fridge/freezer/cupboards which saves so many incidental trips to the shops which always result in spending more than I need! Can result in some pretty disgusting food combinations but a bit of pepper or tomato puree makes everything better I also manage with much less hot water and heating, less TV, less washing and obviously am the only person who can ever organise themselves to use the airer/washing line rather than the drier . switch off plugs at the wall rather than leaving charging leads all over the place. Bought some draught excluders for the doors and hung heavy curtains over the front door. I also shut the doors to unused rooms in the winter which you can't easily do if you share the house.

I know of quite a few paying that, who I can understand still see it as good, when you pay quite a lot more for a rented flat for example.

I did too. But times have changed since then and with high pressure courses they do advise you not to do that.

Once they go to uni it’s going to be a lot easier to keep a tab on costs I agree. I won’t miss cooking for sure!

OP you may have checked this already, but if you are earning bang on £40k, your take home should be more like £2,500 - are you on a punitive tax code for some reason, or paying massive pension contributions?

I think a lot of people with younger children or girls don't realize just how much teenage boys can eat. They are expensive to feed.

I’m paying private health ins, cycle scheme and pension costs only

The eat non stop! An hour after a proper meal they are hungry again, definitely need to shop and eat more efficiently.

I'm a single mum on slightly more than you. Practical things that might help....

Since April 1 I've been turning off tv, digibox and router at wall overnight. Saves me £8 a month so far.

Stopped buying brands - saved me about £9 on a weekly shop for two.

Reduce the time the water heating is on, to what you actually use. For us 20 mins does 2 showers and leaves some for random washing up.

All the obvious like shop seasonal, cook from scratch etc.