Anyone else feeling the pinch?

[nothingbyhalves]

Is it just us? We've got a above average income, I do work part time, but if i went back full time wouldn't make us better off as childcare costs for 20 month old twins doesn't come cheap.

I just can't get over how skint we are. We haven't got a massive house, flash cars, trendy new clothes,or go on holidays. So why are we struggling so much? We enquired about changing to an interest only mortgage to ease the pressure, but aparently our lender will only consider any application for interest only if there is £150,000 equity in the house. Our house is only worth £135,000. If we had that kind of cash we wouldn't have a mortgage! I appreciate mortgage companies have to ensure people can re pay their loan. And we can't change lenders due to huge redemption fees.

We have good jobs, so i do wounder how other families with people out of work are coping at the moment. Would just feel better to know that its not just us feeling the pinch!

[hester]

We are finding it very, very tough. I've had a pay freeze for two years, and am now being made redundant. We have no savings. I am trying not to freak out...

[nothingbyhalves]

I'm so sorry! I hope something comes up for you! 12 million on tuesdays lottery............

[lisad123]

yep same here, i gave up work last year to care for my two girls with SN, so living on dh wages alone.
We have gone to one car, do meal planning every week and dh cycles to work each day :(
Also had to give notice to dd2 special school as its a service we have to pay for, which we just cant afford anymore :(

[nothingbyhalves]

one of twins has just been dianosed with tonsilitus, and doc said to not send him to creche, (i agree he is not well enough poor little mite) if i take time off work to look after him I'll have my pay docked which we can't afford, and dh can't risk taking time off as he has escaped redundancy twice in the last 18 months, so we need to keep his nose as clean as poss! I guess i'll have to be "ill" .

[weeonion]

NBH - we are struggling as well. we both work but childcare takes a whack. no holidays either, clothes from charity shops / car boots, walk to work to keep mileage down to about 15 miles a week, DD doesnt go to as many groups / classes as beefore, nights out a distant memory. I also dont know how other folks are managing.

my job finishes shortly - I work in a charity on a funded post which is due t run out. I'm not doing so well with the no-freaking!

[livvylouis]

Hi NDH, you are not alone. We too always seem to be counting the pennies or lack of them. My dh works full time and I work 2 part-time jobs. I would like to do more hours but there really is no point as any extra money I will earn will just go on childcare. We have gone from a 2 car family down to 1 and also meal plan. We hardly ever go out, just special occasions and new clothes what are they! It does get you down when you work so hard and still always struggle, I really dont know how other families who are out of work or single parent families cope, things are tough enough with both of us working.

Keep your chin up tho, money isn't everything (I say this more for me than you)

[nothingbyhalves]

Reassuring to hear its not just us! Fingers crossed for the lottery i say!

[Meglet]

yes. I nearly keeled over when I filled the car up and it came to £50! Food and energy are the big spends for me. Mortgage is fixed, thank God.

I'm e-baying more things in a desperate attempt to clear out clutter and make the odd quid here and there.

I'm a LP and probably better off than some LP's (I work p/t with one dc at school and one at nursery), but it's frickin' scary these days. Childcare tax credits were cut and the deranged CSA charges will really hurt if they implement them .

[LovingChristmas]

Not the only ones, me and DH both work good jobs full time, and earn a really good amount, we don't have a huge house, or flash cars etc, but are managing month to month, all the bills are going up and we can't keep up. I budget all the ways I can now, but am still struggling to make it to the end of the month.

I'm on a mission to empty the cupboards over the next couple of weeks, we've got loads of food that gets shoved to the back (tins, pasta's crisps etc) so I am determined to eat as much as possible before I go shopping again!

[breadandbutterfly]

I'm the same. Had rather blackly amusing conversation with 2 colleagues at work along the lines of the Monty Python sketch - I realised part way through we were trying to outdo each other with tales of how skint we were! So yes, I think everyone (bar bankers and MPs of course) is struggling. :(

[ravenc]

We are the same just we just seem to manage from one month to the next but if something unexpected comes along we will be up in the air. Dp may be made redundant by xmas so really stressed at the moment. I work part time so dont pay any child care costs couldnt afford them anyway. Just seems to be utility bills and food shop goes up and up. We have one car that gets used only to get my dp to work.

[oksonowwhat]

yep me too, and i'm always moaning about the lack of money i suppose!

I one full time job and a couple of other part time jobs, i've also just applied for another part time job. God knows where i'll find the time to do it if i get it! I hardly ever sleep all i do is work and occassionally clean the house!
Nights out just don't happen, i wear old clothes and i'm starting to look abit scruffy now!
I've more or less got to the end of the food that was lurking in the cupboards which is causing me stress as i basically just don't have money for food!

Petrol takes most of my money so i am trying to find a job closer to home.

Are you all worried about Christmas? I used to LOVE Christmas, nowadays i dread it.

[nothingbyhalves]

made a list of xmas presents we have to buy this year, for family etc and birthdays we have coming up in next 2 months. Simply no way we can afford any of it. I'm hoping for another tesco double up your vouchers event so i can get as much with the vouchers i was saving for a holiday in the summer. Also frantically looking for stuff we can sell on ebay. Fed up of saying no to nights out. friends are stopping inviting us to things as we always say no.

[flowermonkey]

Err no....

Business as usual here. You probably don't want to hear that though! (We're not rolling in it though!)

[NormanTebbit]

We are now in debt and looking to consolidate them into 'one easy payment,' as the adverts say.

I have three DC and have just taken a job working shifts: evenings/nights/weekends. Also another job one day a week. DP is worki g all day and then all evening ( self employed/ computer based)

Our debt has sort of crept up on us. We do not have a lavish lifestyle by a long chalk but have found it harder and harder to get to the end of the month. My new job should help. We have stopped cable TV, do not put heating on, try not to tumble dry, never have takeaways. Kids winter gear is from Lidl ( thank God for Lidl, I am obsessed with it)

The cost of living is rising all the time for us but nevertheless we need to move next year for more room ( three in one room, eldest now 7) I hope we get a mortgage.

[PattySimcox]

Yes same here - DH has had a wage freeze for 3 years meanwhile everything has gone up so we are massively worse off.

[jenni75]

Things are bad here, and i'm dreading xmas, all on to manage each month and end up using an ever increasing credit card just to live :(
Trying to do all i can as never have holidays, don't go anywhere, shop frugally for groceries at aldi and top up at asda.

[jenni75]

Keep thinking though, things are tough just now but they will get better :)
and trying to make the best of what i've got :)

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Realise this isn't a new thread but if the OP is still around... some tips. Best one is to keep a very accurate account of everything that comes into the household budget and everything that goes out. Do this for a few weeks until you can see where the patterns are. Then go through the following process.

• All regular outgoings... mortgage, bills, insurance etc., that are usually paid by Direct Debit... see if you can reduce them by looking on comparison sites or similar. Even if you can save £5/month here or there it quickly adds up. You don't have to go interest only or change lender to make monthly payments cheaper. You could possibly extend the term of your mortgage, for example.
  
• Look again at the regular outgoings and make sure that you know what they are paying for (you'd be suprised how many people don't!). Then ask if they are essential or 'nice to have' and seriously considering getting rid of the nice to haves.
  
• Next look at irregular outgoings... petrol, food, leisure activities, gifts, cashpoint withdrawals... and see if you can bring those down at all e.g. using the car less, meal-planning, finding free activities for weekends, sticking to one cashpoint amount and not going back for more.
  
• Any debts... if you have any credit card balances or loans, take a look at whether you can convert the more expensive ones to a cheaper method of repayment. And if debts are eating up your income to the extent that you can't manage on what's left, that's the time to talk to CAB, CCCS or National Debtline
  

Good luck