Ok, any idea how I can make £15000? Any at all?

[Dalrymps]

We live on a very tight budget. I am a SAHM through choice and dh works full time. We had to take a debt consolidation loan 3 years ago due to debts run up by both of us whilst studying at uni. We will be still paying it off for the next 5 years.

I don't want extra money for luxuries, just to be able to live without worrying about getting in to further debt.

I've been trying to think lately if there is some way I could make enough to pay it off quicker. I can't apy of part of it, it has to be the whole amount. It's probably a bit less that 15000 now as we've been paying it off for 3 years but will still be quite high because of the interest.

I am interested in all ideas great and small

dweedle - I get the money saving expert email every week but will have a closer look on the site .

I would do cleaning, maybe that's an option...

this time last year i wsa £10000,
firstly i became a childminder (although it hasnt bought in that much extra money)
secondly any 'extra' money we had was put in to a high intrest account, were making sure we put in money every month even if it £25. were keeping an eye on the loan i'm still paying off, and when the 2 amounts mach up i will pay the whole thing at once.
and finally we have a loose change jar, we put all loose change we have in a jar and bank that at the end of the month.

please dont flmae me, i know 'extra' money and loose change is hard to come by in this day and age but its working for us. we have also cut back on shopping, days/meals out etc, any thing that isnt necessary has been cut out and we keep a very tight budget. it hasnt been ideal, but hopefully it will all be paid off at the end of this month, and in may we are treating ourselvs with a trip to disney (done on budget) using the money that we would have spent on loan repayments.

there aare also babysitting, nannying, cleaning lots of jobs that you could do on the weekend or in the evening. its not ideal but focus on the bigger picture, being debt free.

hth

ahh, sorry spelling really bad on that one!

How about putting an ad up in your local shop, for doing Ironing? You can easily get that done at home around your little one. Can you offer your services as a dog walker? Or house sitter whilst people are away?(popping in every day to collect post, water plants, feed cat etc.).
NB childminding not NECESSARILy as straightforward these days, with the new EYFS. I would look into that and all it entails before deciding.
Lots of luck!

Thanks for that leonifay, that gives me hope! We are doing the spare change and trying to save £40 a month too. When you say high interest acc, do you mean an isa or something different? Will take your tips on board, as you know extra money is hard to come by but thats what i'm looking to make somehow!

SugarSkyHigh - Good idea on the ironing, i'm quite good at that . Dog walker is another good one, we have a dog anyway so have to walk her regardless. House sitting sounds good.

Maybe I should just advertise all these services and see what I get back

I'll be dog walking, cleaning, ironing, house sitting, etc all at once!

Dalrymps, I felt the same as you when my 2 were as little as yours. I was a FT SAHM till my youngest had just turned 1, and then I realised that general cost of living was going up faster than DH's salary and our overdraft was going up and up bit by bit every month. Whilst I liked to THINK we were managing on just DH's salary, we weren't really when we looked at it closely.

I was very lucky and managed to get a fairly well-paid job on a Sunday, term-time only. DH looks after the kids when I'm at work, and then on the odd weekday that I have to attend training events etc, the grandparents lend a hand and mind them (well, DS1 is at school now anyway). It works really well - the kids have got a really good bond with DH and he also quickly realised that being on your own with them all day is a hard job and so appreciates me more I think!

So if you CAN find something on a day that your DH/P can look after your LO, particularly with regards to the feeding issues, then I'd recommend that. Even if it IS just a Sunday shift in a supermarket.

i suggested baby sitting because that doesnt erode time with your little ones... they are asleep when you are their in the evenings (most of the time), so basically, you get paid to watch tv.

i'm not very good with savings accounts and money, since i got married dh took over my accounts (they were in a bad way hence the £10000 debt!) about 3 years ago i opened the savings account and the intrest was about 6% now dh deals with it all and i have no idea what the intrest rate is since it all got slashed by the bank of england.

Curly I hear what you're saying. I have considered working evenings. My problem is I try to think of everyone and then can't find a solituion for all. I could easily work a sunday but worry that sunday is my dh's only day off. He works most sat mornings you see.

But as I saud, evenings is an option. Ideally i'd rather do something that allows me to stay home though .

Baby sitting is a good plan ickletickle. I wonder if you have to have the same sort of set up as a childminder to do that or whether it's more informal?

leonifay I think our isa is around 6% but I could just have a bad memory on that one!

I've thought many times about setting up an internet based business but can't think of a good enough idea. Not sure it'd take off in the current recession anyway...

babysitting is more informal, usually works by word of mouth.

Baby sitting is usually at the child's own home on an ad hoc basis, on a more regular basis you would be a nanny or mother's help -in either case you don't have to be registered or regulated. If you look after a child for reward (whether financial or another form such as reciprocation) in your own home for more than the odd couple of hours at a time then it is childminding and you would need to be registered.

do you "need" to be registered if it is an informal arrangement between two parties??

If it is a regular thing looking after a non-relative's child in your home, usually yes.

My sister trained as a childminder a couple of years ago; she took a course at the local college (evening sessions so her DH could babysit while she attended) including first aid etc. It helped that she already had her PGCE in primary teaching though but she got set up in a matter of months. I would contact your local college for info on courses.

Exam boards are often looking for exam markers - is that something you could do with your degree?

I agree with others who suggest evening shifts at pubs/restaurants etc or weekend shifts in retail - that seems an ideal solution, as does taking in ironing. Can you type? - offer secretarial services for people who need letters, etc typing?

My aunt takes in other people's dogs while they're on holiday - sort of a step up from kennels, a home-away-from-home.

She's pretty choosy, only takes referals from people she knows, insists on the dog meeting her dogs so she knows they get on, but she's getting quite a lot of business.

Possibly a little bit of extra income if you've got experience of dogs (sorry, I've no idea what she charges).

I think in your circumstances I would look at ways to save/earn small amounts of money and then put them into a high interest/tax free account. E.G shop through quidco or another cashback site where you can, do yougov or similar online surveys, babysit occasionally, think about something like avon or usbourne books that you could do in a (relatively) small amount of time at home, sell books on greenmetropolis and other items on ebay, you could get a paperround - I know this sounds daft but its basically regular money for taking your child for a stroll round the neighbourhood. You could also see if there are areas where you could trim your current budget to funnel extra money into a savings account.

are yopu entitiled to any extra money for your little one, disability living allowance is based on if they need more care than an average child of the same age, applying for this if it sounds as if you may be entitled may help a little, not loads but cant do any harm. if you do ring up to request for and then if you fill it in and return by the set date then if you are entitled its backdated to the date you requested form. sorry dont know your childs needs so this maynot be possible but if youre not sure worth looking into, if you do want to apply the number to ring is 08457123456 to request form

what about surrogacy or egg donation?

Could you make something?

Sell on the net or at craft markets?

Cards?
Baby products-blankets,quilts.clothing.

Wow thanks for all the ideas ladies. Been away sorting boxes of stuff to sell on ebay.

nametaken - I couldn't do surrogacy. Have considered egg donation but wouldn't do that until after i've had my children so not for quite a few years yet.

FlyMeToDunoon - I can make things yes, I made my own wedidng invitations as a matter of fact. I guess when I think about that I think 'who would buy my stuff when there's better out there' then I sort of give up on the idea. I know deep down I can make good stuff but lack confidence iyswim.

jenbens - I'm not sure. I know ds is difficult to feed but I don't think he's that bad iyswim. I would feel a bit of a fraud claiming something like that I think. Thanks for the suggestoin though

wolfclub - lots of good ideas! I didn't know about the selling books site, will have a look. Am looking in to Usborne at the mo too. I quite like the idea of a paper round, I walk with ds anyway so would fit in nicely.

Slayerette - I suppose I can type, well as well as anyone else on MN, haven't learnt how to type properly though. Am quite fast in my own way though.

I think the solution is going to be to do lots of little jobs to chip away at the debt. To save it all in a high interest acc and then pay it off when we've saved enough.

Does anyone know how it works if you are earning money and not sure what your income will be for that year. I mean, how do the tax credits people work out what you're due? I know it goes on the past financial year but would I just have to keep a track of what I earn? If i'm classed as self employed however then there's the thing where i can earn something like 6000 tax free, does that still go against your tax credits? Maybe things I sell on ebay don't count but Usborne etc does

Thanks sally80, will have a look

Dalrymps - a friends dh's business went under , and she managed to keep their only DC in private school by taking in ironing! She was totally shameless about handing out flyers, and asking friends to pass them out too. Loads of the teachers at our kids school give her their ironing, as do other mothers. She also goes to a few offices and picks up ironing from their staff members.
She charges £1 per shirt, or 6 for £5, and £10 per medium-basket of non-shirts. I know others have suggested it, but just wanted to highlight it as a workable plan.

You sound like a very loving and commited mother. Have you considered foster caring (could help short term with raising more money, and/or longer term as a challenging and interesting job.) There are many options such as;

• regular day or weekend respite (for a disabled child to give their parents a break, or for a child whose family or foster carer needs regular time off)
• Occasional weekly/fornightly respite (eg to cover regular foster carers holiday)
• short-term emergency placements
• long term foster care
• mother & baby fostering (a vulnerable mum and her baby; there is extra training for this as the sahm trains the babies mum in looking after her baby; budgeting; cooking etc...)

Fostering doesn't suit everyone but we've done it in the past (and will again in the future) and local authorities are desperate for more... You get to specify the ages you feel able to provide care for, and get masses of free training.

Wow hedgiemum, thanks for all the info. The ironing does sound workable when you put it like that.

Didn't realise there were so many different fostering options either, lots to look in to, thanks!

Its a pleasure - I'm a keen advocate of fostering as you can tell! (Though it can also be bloody awful at times, like anything really worthwhile.) To be honest, it was the way you spoke about the care you give your DC, and your reasons for not wanting to get a job outside the home, that made me think about telling you about fostering, not the fact that you need to make money. (But fostering does tend to make a healthy profit.)

If you think about it/talk to DP etc..and are still potentially interested your local authority will do events about fostering you can turn up to. (My DH couldn't make the first one, and I could't drive at the time, so they sent a cab for me. That's how much they need foster carers!)

Good luck with ironing/other ideas here. Well done for wanting to do something to alter your situation - I admire that.