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.

Sorry you're going through this, dogs mean so much to us. Might not be useful but you could consider opening a spare current account and switching it to first direct for the £175 switch bonus, if you're not already with them. You can have a spare one and don't need to switch your main one as it's faffy. There will be a minimum pay in for the bonus but you can just put say £100 into the account and bank out again however many times (say 5) to get a total amount added of whatever the minimum is (say if the minimum was £500). Take a look at money saving expert website for more details and make sure you pay attention to the details to make sure you get it. It won't be immediate but should be able to get the bonus money in a few weeks. It's a hard credit check though and you'd need some money to put in/out/in etc so it's not for everyone.

Does the RSPCA help? They make reference to assistance on the website but I’m not sure it covers what OP needs…

Shocked to see how much it costs, so many people must struggle with the cost of this final act for their pet.

I wi have a look at the different bank accounts, I hadn’t thought of that.

No I don’t believe the RSPCA would help unless I surrender her to them, which I don’t want to do when she doesn’t have long left.
But this would have to be my absolute last option so I will remember it as a back up option.

Someone upthread asked if the vets wouldn’t put them down if they are suffering and you had no money and I believe if that’s the case you ring the PDSA or RSPCA.

I’m really surprised how much vets bills have gone up.
I do have a very heavy dog so I knew it wouldn’t be cheap but the consultation fee alone has gone up from £30 to £45.
I’m just thankful I have insurance as there’s no way I’d be able to afford the treatment.

If you have DBS could you look into getting an immediate start care job? I’m sure I’ve seen a company that has an app and pays you daily. Care workers are always in demand.

Or casual work for any local pub or business or events company - something that will give you shifts and money quickly.

Advertise on your local FB parent groups for babysitting services.

Sorry to hear you’re going through such a rough time, it’s very hard when so many things land at once.

I’m so sorry OP, this sounds really tough 💔

Some good advice here already. There’s an article on money saving expert about switching bank accounts, some offer £150-200 cash to sign up if you qualify. Switching bank account is easy too, I did it a couple years ago when NatWest had a cash back offer.

Have you tried the too good to go app? Can get some decent food in supermarkets/cafes that way.

I haven't read the whole thread, but just wanted to advise that when my family dog was due to be pts my mums local vet wanted to charge a fortune. We rang the next nearest vets and it was about half the price. I think they accepted the situation without needing to charge a consultation (even if they had it still would have been a few hundred pounds cheaper) as we had copies of the diagnosis and the age of the dog and breed etc they could see we weren't trying to have a healthy animal pts

could you set up a go fund me for the dog ?

@Dog223 I'm not sure if you're aware, but on UC you're able to get something called a Budgeting Advance. This is a differed advance from the one you initially take during the five week wait.

Please call the helpline and see if they can do anything. Best of luck. 💐

Hey! Use my code U3P92Q on Eureka Surveys and unlock a short 80p survey just for signing up! https://eurekasurveys.page.link/itXYYemRzvzwCXuQ9
I make around £3 a day plus you get 10% extra for each friend referral you make.Not a lot,but the money adds up quickly and really helps me out.

I've been doing all the mini surveys and I've earned £102 in the last month. The sites/apps I use are Eureka, LifePoints and Curious Cat.
It's totally monotonous but if you're just idling on your phone anyway, worth doing.

Yes,the surveys can be a bit boring/time consuming,but to be able to do a survey as I am relaxing on the bed at home,looking after my son,waiting to pick him up from school etc,just killing time,is perfect for me to earn extra pounds that I really value without needing to go anywhere out of my way or disrupt my routine.

I have put together this guide of the best sites/apps I have found for making a bit of extra money. Please note I have been through lots and lots of sites but these are the ones that I would recommend – I know there are lots more! Sometimes the registration process is a bit of a pain but it’s worth persevering because once you’re set up you can just keep using them. You might want to create an email just for these.
I would be really grateful if you could use my referral codes where there are any.

Hope it helps someone

Surveys:

Pros:
· No interaction with anyone
· Time to suit yourself
· Easy
Cons:
· Pay variable
· Can be boring

There are masses of survey sites – but the site I think is best for ease of use, varied surveys and easy payment:

Eureka

Market Research (usually Face to Face studies)

Pros:
· Good incentives
· Easy if you’re happy to talk to people
Cons:
· You need to be able to schedule timeslots
· You need to keep applying because you don’t get everything you apply for.

Sites/Apps
Testing Time

Resondent.io

Askable

User Interviews

Website Testing:
User Testing

UserBrain

Academic Research:
Prolific

What about Rover? Think it’s fairly easy to set up and you could do some dog walking/doggy day care whilst you are in between jobs? Just an idea for a bit of extra cash. Think it’s fairly easy to get set up on there, a few of my friends do it.

I would check and apply for discretionary housing support fund that my council funds. I have no idea if your local council has the same or similar thing.

The household support fund might also be able to help you with household expenses.

I wouldn't just not pay rent, but let the landlord know and ask for a payment plan on how to repay this month rent when you can.