Hi reason for two posts so close together is that our internet server was down for 48 hours so I wrote the above post and then cut and pasted it here when we were restored to technology. So the above post is Monday's views and this one is an update including comments on questions.
~ What cost or expenses are easy to change and what's hard? What's impossible?
Funnily it is some of food/drink related treats that are probably the easiest expenditures to knock on the head. It is already becoming evident that my habitual tendency to stop off for a swift drink en route home is a luxury and needs cutting down for health and financial benefits - but having been on the Tube for 2 hours feel in need of refreshment! Yes, things like drinks and coffees out....it may only be £2.00 or less for a coffee but that adds up during the week. Things like incidental ice-creams in the park after school at £2 a throw are a definite no! Mind you they usually are as DW is quite strict about things like that!
It is hard to budget for all the school related expenditures that are often asked for with little notice and little turn-around time. The schools do say that if you can't afford to pay for trips etc...to go to see the Head but we would be too proud to do that and anyway I think the Head would assume we were trying to pull a fast one! DW did have the option not to give DS the £1 voluntary donation for his school disco but it's just not on and would you really begrudge him going for the sake of £1.00 (in which case DCs would soon start a mutiny!).
It is impossible to cut any more corners on food really. DW only buys very limited branded goods (where she personally feels there's a noticeable quality issue - for example Heinz Baked Beans and Fairy Washing Up Liquid) and the rest tend to be own brands. Every so often she does have a bit of a "I'm fed up with scrimping and saving on every last item" moment and will buy something she considers to be 'extravagant" but not often. She does try to buy more veggies than fruit to fulfil our five a day quotient but DS only eats a couple of different veggies so that is not always easy to achieve. Also, we have an impossibly fussy, pedigree puss who will only eat quality wet catfood so she generally has a more expensive diet than we humans!
~ What sort of benefits do you currently get from the state / your employer?
Well we get child benefit but nothing else. Work provides better than SSP I do believe although I have never been off sick for more than four days in succession so it's never been an issue. No other health benefits though.
~ What do you think you'd be entitled to (and when would they kick in) if this happened to you in real life?
Not sure but as I've queried up above possibly we might get free prescriptions/dental treatment and possibly some extra funding for the children?
~ What fixed costs do you have? Housing, childcare, utility bills - how would you cope with these in the short term and in the longer term if you had to live on SSP?
Our commitments in terms of fixed costs amount to over £1400 per month and there's very little flex unless we start cutting out boiler cover, pet insurance, mortgage protection insurance (maybe it's not worth having?). Thankfully don't have childcare costs as DW is a SAHM but of course things would probably change if I was on long-term sick pay.
It would be impossible to cope long-term but then as I said I think I get much better than SSP through my employer so hopefully we wouldn't be quite reduced to living on £85 a week. Obviously if I did only qualify for SSP then we'd be royally stuffed and would be in the red from the off.... It certainly wouldn't be a comfortable position to be in for more than a couple of weeks, even with some savings to fall back on.
~ How are children affected by cutting costs? What do they think about the challenge?
I think the children just think the 'hole in the wall' is a bottomless money pit and although I don't think they are spoiled they do rather seem to think that if the want a treat they stand a good chance of getting it! So this challenge is good in educating them about the value of money, prioritising expenditure and living as frugally as some families have to do permanently.
As I said in earlier post, this week we have free activities organised for the whole weekend so the challenge won't directly impact on them unless they start wanting ice-creams when we're out (which they're unlikely to get unless we are still in credit by this stage which is unlikely!)
~ What sort of family support do you think you could get?
Families are not forward in handing over any financial help currently and would be extremely reluctant to ask even though DW's parents are really quite comfortably off - don't think they'd offer either!
~ Any other issues/ comments?
It would be interesting to know what percentage of the workforce in the UK would only be entitled to SSP if off sick for more than four days in succession?