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anyone else struggling financially?

long story short, i had my hours reduced in my last job (4 days a week, ??22.5k, working from home) so had to take a fulltime job (5 days a week, ??20k, office based) and ever since we've been struggling. We've had to up our days from two to three at nursery so we're now paying out an extra ??160 a month, i've had to take a pay cut, and i'm now travelling 25 miles a day - it doesn't help that my car is big and guzzles petrol!



We're only halfway through the month and we have no money. Waiting on hubby's credit card to come through so we can buy food. Right now my car's petrol guage is on red and I have no idea how i'm going to out petrol in it for tomorrow!



We have also lost our tax credits as we earn too much, and my boss won't do childcare vouchers so we've lost the tax break on that too.



I know that our income is a good one (??50k) and we're much better off then some people but I just don't know how we're ever going to be better off! We're constantly relying on overdrafts and credit cards and the fees are killing us!



Add on top I'm 11 weeks pregnant so come January I'm in maternity pay, if we're struggling now how are we going to cope then!



We've tried to change our shopping habits, shopping now in Lidl's and Asdas then Tescos and i'm signed up to a petrol website to check where the cheapest is in my area.



Is anyone else feeling the strain right now? :cry::cry:

Replies

  • Hi



    I sympathise. But there are usually some small things you can change which will add up to a resonable difference.



    We're looking at comparing insurance deals across everything, weekly shopping budget, comparing utilities and cutting out things like Sky etc.



    Individually there may not be much in it mgiht just all add up to a decent amount.



    We are also selling one of the cars, ebaying everything in sight and trying cheaper meals.



    I know it feels never ending but I hope something in the list above may help.
  • ps: I don't know what the difference is but is it more economical to reduce your hours and get the tax credits back?



    Or possibly see if you can still find another job closer to home or car share etc?
  • Thanks Tulip,



    I used to work for a price comparison website so already shop around for those things, our electricity is fixed with the building we live in - we have no control although am considering getting one of those monitors which tells you which appliances are costing you the most - and we don't have sky.



    With regards to my job, I'm 11 weeks pregnant and starting to show so there is no way anyone is going to take me on now.



    I have thought of changing our childcare, maybe getting my husband to fix his shifts so he has the same day off every week so he can have him, and also moving him to a nursery closer to where we live so I don't have such a mammoth journey.



    I've also though of selling my car but still need a car so unless we could trade it in, we can't afford to actually buy a car outright! And we're only a small office and nobody lives near me, I'd still have to travel halfway to where everyone else is.



    Thansk for your suggestions anyway! image
  • I know this thread is 2 weeks old but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents worth in anyway!



    We have a home-business (in its first year) which has been very very slow to start up. Aside from our now depleted savings, we have been living almost solely on the income generated from the home business. Like I said, it's slow, so we are on a ridiculously tight budget for absolutely everything. Sometimes we feel like it will never end, and it's so draining, so I can totally sympathise with you!



    One thing I've always done (and have been doing religiously since money became so tight) is to check out supermarket flyers and compare deals every week (if you don't get any in your mailbox, pick them up when you're out or check the shops' websites). If there's a big sale on anything we often need (butter, loo roll, meat, cat food, cereal, etc.) then we stock up. I also keep a shopping list and we jot down what we absolutely need (rather than want) and we try (try!) to stick to this list when out. Now we very rarely pay full price for anything - and feel ripped off if we doimage



    I'm 22 weeks pregnant and have begun stocking up on baby clothes via 2nd hand stores / local classified sites (babies wear stuff for a ridiculously short amount of time, so I have no problem purchasing 2nd hand stuff). Local garage sales / flea markets are brill for this too.



    The petrol price comparison site is a great idea! We do something similar.



    Do you cook your own meals? We have found that this is far and away the best money saver EVER. It may not seem easy to find time, but there are ways - cooking extra portions for example and popping the extras in the freezer provides no-effort meals later on. Once or twice a week I make a stash of biscuits / muffins / cake and we have those on the go for a few days. We also have a bread machine, so we make our own bread (takes 5 minutes and saves a ridiculous amount of money, not to mention calories and unhealthy additives). Our (half-price) bread machine came with a recipe book and we also look at http://www.bread-machine-recipes.com/ for ideas. We sometimes put it on the delay setting, so that bread is ready just when we wake up.



    I've found sites like WiseBread (http://www.wisebread.com/topic/frugal-living) very good for general ideas too.



    We also look out for coupons. I'm currently in Canada, but a lot of this can also be done in the dear old UK. Here are some coupon sites for example that I just found: http://www.shoppingcoupons.co.uk/, http://www.couponwatch.co.uk/ , http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/supermarket-coupons Maybe you'll also find more by doing a quick Google search.



    Good luck to you - I know how depressing it can be when there's not much money coming in and you have to struggle to make ends meet. The good thing is, there is a lot you can do to make it go as far as you can: control = power image



    Christy image
  • Hi,

     

    Can anyone help me?! I feel like i'm going out of my mind, i'm 25 and i have my own house which i've been struggling to pay for so my mam has been helping pay for bills etc and i got with my boyfriend just over 6 months ago and i've found out im pregnant! I struggle to make ends meet with my wages and my boyfriend has a lot of debt he has to pay for.

    I'm going out if my mind with worry as i dont think i can afford to have a baby right now, also although i'm a grown woman i'm worried about what my parents may think as they have been helpping me out with bill and buying things for my home. image 

     

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