Making £1k in one month

[Dog223]

Please note this isn’t a begging post!!!

I’m trying to do the impossible and make around £1k in a month.

Long story short:
I got a new job, so I handed my notice in and expected to start a couple days after my end date.
I was then told the new job will not be starting for a couple more weeks.

I already get a top up UC amount and so I changed my circumstances to not working.
My last pay from work was the end of August (£1200) and so my UC this month is around £500.

Unfortunately, my car broke down and so half of my £1200 earnings was spent on that, plus rent and other bills.
So the £500 UC is now meant to last me until the 20th October.

I could just about cope on £500 for the month if I don’t pay my rent and eat low cost meals.

But the reason I’m so desperate for the money is because my dog needed vet treatment and needs to be PTS within the next few weeks (she’s ok at the moment but has aggressive cancer and will eventually go down hill).
I have pet insurance fortunately which paid the majority of the emergency treatment.
But the costs for PTS is about £600 plus the extra vet costs that the insurance didn’t pay.

I had over £1k in savings for this but I recently had to pay for funeral costs of a family member, so i cannot take it out of that.

I’m reluctant to look into pay day loans as I’m going to be behind with my bills and don’t want extra debt, especially so close to Xmas.

I am a single parent with no family/friends to help.

Any ideas would be gratefully received.

Please no nasty comments.
I have recently lost my family member, I currently have no job and now I’m about to lose my dog who is my absolute world, so I’m already feeling quite sorry for myself.

I‘m sorry OP, that must be very upsetting.

Are you able to obtain assistance via PDSA? If you fall in the post code area and claim benefit you should be able to…

I'm so sorry you've had such a hard month. I'm afraid I don't have any good ideas but couldn't read and run.

I too would look at whether you qualify for PDSA help. Or can your usual vet set up a payment plan. I would think that any vet would not let an animal suffer because owner did not have the funds to pay immediately. Also £600 seems excessive to have an animal pts ? I'm sorry to read what you are going through. Also do you have a credit card you could put the costs on then try to transfer to a 0% card?

Low Cost Service – low cost treatments and medications
To qualify for low cost treatments and medications, you must live within the postcode catchment area of one of our Pet Hospitals and be receiving at least one of the following benefits:
• Child tax and working tax credits
• Universal credit without housing element
• Pension credit
• Income support
• Job seekers allowance
• ESA – (Income Based Only) Employment Support Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) / Personal Independence Payment (PIP) / Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
• State retired pensioners who are householders living in council tax bands a – d
Our low cost prices are typically 20% to 30% lower than private veterinary practices. This can vary, depending on the treatment.
There is no limit to the number of pets you can register for our Low Cost Service.

Sorry, that was copied from the PDSA website.

Hope you kind find a solution OP. I'm sorry you find yourself in this position 🌸

Sorry to hear about your dog and family member.

But if your dog needs to be PTS due to cancer, won't the insurance pay for that? I've had that happen to three cats and the insurance has always paid the cost.

But if you still need money, do you have anything you can sell on Vinted etc? Although, judging by my experience and another thread on here, converting sales into actual money you can spend outside Vinted is easier said than done.

If you have a good credit rating, you can probably get a 0% credit card to spread the cost over the next few months, likewise there are often offers that will pay up to about £200 to change your bank account - look on Moneysaving Expert for both.

Can you ask for an advance of UC?

Can you get some temporary work, especially if you're not working for a few days/weeks so have the time?

Last resort would be to ask a close relative (parent, sibling?) Explain the circumstances and show how you can pay them back and they might be able to help.

Unfortunately I do not live in a PDSA hospital area.

I have looked it up and I should be eligible for the pet care scheme but this is a monthly subscription which gives you 20% off treatment and doesn’t include emergency cover.

I don’t think it covers PTS (I will double check with them again) and I already have insurance so I don’t really need help with treatment costs.

My vets do not allow paying bit by bit and my concern is that if I move her to a new vets I’ll have to have a consultation etc which is going to cost more money.
I already owe my vets money which has to be paid at the end of the month.

I don’t know what happens if an animal is suffering whether they’d put it down and allow me to pay it off afterwards but if I can help it I don’t want to take that risk and would rather have some of the money ready just in case.

I have looked into getting a temporary job but a lot of the ones I’ve found don’t start for another couple of weeks and so aren’t that helpful.

Thank you for all of your kindness and advice x

Can you ask for an advance of UC?

I have asked but because I got £1200 on 31st August, I have earned too much to be considered for an advance.

It may be possible to ask for an Advance next month but that’s not a guarantee.
And I will not have been able to pay my rent and other bills this month and so if I can get an advance next month, I will have to spend most of it covering this months bills.

My vets said that the insurance won’t cover the cost of PTS and I have heard this before but I will double check as this would be a great relief if they do.

Contact any animal charity in your area. There's a large rescue centre near me that has an on-site vet, and I'm almost certain they'd help out if the alternative is an animal left to suffer. Plead your case, you have nothing to lose.

My vets said that the insurance won’t cover the cost of PTS and I have heard this before but I will double check as this would be a great relief if they do.

It's your policy - surely you should be checking not relying on what your vet says

Is there a resce centre near you eg Dogs Trust as I imagine that in your circumstances they'd be prepared to take in a suffering dog that needed putting to sleep.

@Dog223 why did you pay for the funeral? This should come out of the estate. I would be asking for a refund.

There is also useful info on this thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/money-matters/4759761-ways-to-supplement-your-income?reply=125443820

So sorry about your dog, we had to let our boy go in January. The cost you've been quoted by the vet seems very high to me.

I cannot find it in the details of my policy but by reading online it does look like the insurance may cover at least part of the cost which would be amazing!

I’m going to ring them and double check as at least that is one thing less i have to worry about.

They didn’t have an estate or any savings.

I will look at that thread thank you.

So sorry to read about your troubles, OP. It must be very difficult to be going through this.

Would you be able to consider taking a 0% purchase credit card? That way you can do grocery shopping on it and pay it off a little down the line. You may get a very low limit though, I'm not sure how it works in your situation.

No better ideas that haven't already been shared, I'm afraid.

Wishing you all the best - it's a really rough hand you've been dealt.

Sorry to hear things are tough. As it's temporary could you speak to your bank and ask about an overdraft or 0% credit credit which you'll have to be strict about paying off.

Can you offer babysitting services or cleaning jobs anywhere ?
How about a bit of temping if you ask an agency?
If not selling old clothes or unwanted items. Lastly really budgeting the month so you're eating as cheaply as possible.
If you have any energy bills coming up, asking if you can defer/ reduce these.

Last resort asking the landlord if you can pay some of the rent later (this might not go down too well though)

I am going to look into the credit card.

Although I’m on a lowish income I am (usually) quite good with money and so I could make the repayments quite easily.

The only issue is that I don’t currently have a job and so I’m classed as unemployed until my start date.
So I don’t know if I’d be allowed a credit card.
I will look it up and it’ll probably be worth looking into in the future to have one for emergencies.

I have set up a bubble babysitting account as my previous job was working with children but there are no current opportunities.

Try a childcare.Co.uk account for babysitting also

Or temp work for nursery's?

Vet here- £600 is way too much for a pts- shop around. Also save money with a communal cremation rather than individual.

Definitely check the policy op. I only have cars but the insurance has paid out for them to be PTS where the vet recommended that's what needed to happen. Obviously I had to pay the excess and there was a cap I think on the vet charges but the majority was paid.

Cats not cars!

I am a vet. Very sorry to hear about your dog. Every pet insurance company I have dealt with will pay for euthanasia and routine cremation, and there should only be one excess to pay. Some companies will allow a direct claim by the practice so you do not have to pay anything out yourself and wait to be refunded. Some practices will organise a payment plan. It’s always worth asking.

Thank you for all of your helpful advice and kindness. I don’t feel as stressed out as I have been feeling.

My vets require payment up front and then make an application to the insurance company (and charge an administration fee for doing so) and I would not be able to afford that this month and so I think I may ring around and see if other vets would accept either a payment plan or no payment up front.