I'm really desperately short of money. What can i do?

Question

Although i work 37 hours a week and i'm a single mother of two i still struggle to pay mortgage debts and so on. I justwish a fairy godmother would come up with some magical solution!!! Any ideas (sensibleones pls) i dont want to be a hooker!!!!

Answer 1

Cut corners.

Use coupons, walk when you can instead of using the car, cut off either your house phone or your cellphone, you don;t need both. get basic cable instead pf the premium chanells, Get a second job for weekends, seasonal or evening. By wholesale groceries. Buy only when is on sale, buy store brands instead of national brands... lower yuor electricity/gas bill buy setting your thermostat at 65 degrees and put an extra blanket. Avoid going to restaurants and cook at home, make your own coffee and stop goint to fast food restaurants for luch... pack your lunch to go to work.

Good luck

Answer 2

i believe in good planning. to achieve anything in life you have to pay a price. you either forfeit the mortgage and other pleasures or the future of your kids. if your mortgage is due that you can get the money you have put in do that. you can then move to a council flat or into a very cheap appartment. there is no way in your situation that you alone can pay the mortgage and raise the kids with the little you get every week. forget the magic stuff and be real. the little money you will get from the mortgage you can now invest it. you can either put it in a fixed deposit to get interest at the end of the month or you buy shares. try and invest the money in a business that will not involve your time so much. this is because you realy have to be working so you could have two streams of income. mortgage is good but i dont realy see it as what someone should go into when you are just dependent on a calculated salary. many people in europe get frustrated in life because of mortgage. there is an amount of money you will invest in fixed deposit account or any little business that will be yielding money enough to start another mortgage. mortgage is never late. for more advice on the business to invest write [e-mail]

Answer 3

sorry to hear you're struggling. You're not alone. I know that my answer will probably be considered the weirdest by most people, but I don't agree with the person who said to work 2-3 jobs. To that person I'd say: Excuse me... who the hell do you think is going to be raising this woman's kids? I don't care what anyone says... you're first and foremost a mother. If your kids end up being raised by a babysitter or the school or whatever, because when you come home from work you're dead tired and have no energy for them, then you might as well get someone to adopt them.
I don't know what you could do in the short term, but in the long term, I would say that the best thing you could do is to make an effort to change that "single parent" status.
I have a couple of friends that have done exactly this, and it has worked out great for them.
I don't know how you ended up being single (whether your were never married or you're divorced), but in most cases, the kids father would be the safest person to have around your kids (and I said most cases, not all.. there are plenty of weird fathers out there). Other than that, there are many single fathers out there who probably understand you better than I do, and there might be one that you might click with and be able to make a team with.
I know you might think this could be dangerous, but leaving your kids with someone who is doing it for money is probably not any more safe (especially for the amounts you can afford to pay them).
You must find someone who is mature, and someone who has learned from past mistakes and can tell the difference between "falling in love" and loving. Remember, love can be something you grow together, as you've probably learned that the kind you "fall into" or "step into" usually stinks pretty bad after a while.

Answer 4

Sit down, write all your necessary bills down, anything that is a 'want' and not a 'need' stop purchasing. If you are already doing that you need to look into a cheaper place to live or a better paying job. There are always places you can cut costs, such as turning the thermostat down, basic cable instead of basic plus, no long distance, etc etc I am a single Mom of 4, although they are grown now I always found ways to make ends meet, if it meant i went without so be it Kids are first, they grow up too fast!

Answer 5

I had £5 when I was a broken man I decided to buy some stuff from my local Auction house (1 x job lot) I sold it at my local Car boot sale (along with anything else I had lying around to sell and made £50. Re invest the £50 into another Auction and so On NOW You have EBAy The world is your Oyster...... Be wary what you buy and what you sell Thats the Skill and can only be learnt through Time.

Answer 6

before i got the job that i have now i went and sorted out my garage contents and sold everything i had at a car boot sale....it's surprising how much money you can make by doing this...i too raised my kids single handed an found it a struggle to raise money to make ends meet and i was working at the time, that's when a friend suggested that i clear out the garage and remove stuff from my home that i did not use any more...it cost me £8 to rent a space for the day...i had a great day and i raised just over £300 on junk that i had stored over the years...you could ask some friends if they would like to pitch in with you...you'll have a great day out and come back with a pocket full of money...try it out, you'll be quids in

Answer 7

why do you have debts in the first place? i do not understand how come a person such as you who have children do not know how to budget in the first place. you brits are even lucky that you have child benefits and you are still not happy. listen here lady, i live in britain but i am a foreigner, i have only 36 hours a week, pay my monthly rents, have two sisters who are very small and are in my care, so i do not get any benefits at all. but i always managed to save a little money in my bank.we are also eating very healthy, pay my rent which is 350 pounds a month. and until now i have no problem with what i am getting. people like you are very much spoiled and do not know how to save. all you want is money for entertainment only, and do not think about the future, i think its you who is greedy and not the money. furhter more what do you want money for? if you work 37 hours i think that is even a blessing to you. some one out there is looking for a job which she or he can not find, and you are complaining of the hours or money you get. my God you are so greedy isn,t it. learn how to live simple. buy all your clothes from charities, but can still wear clothes in fashion at the same time. learn how to buy clothes on sale and not normal prices. learn to save your electricity, your water, buy food at bargain prices, and not weekly foods. learn to accerpt and utilise what you have. i am sorry that i won,t give you an answer, you are big enough to know how to save and use your resources.

Answer 8

You would be better off if you work less than 30 hours a weeks, you will be entitled to so much more. Talk to your employer and see if you can go part time, not only will you be better off financially but will have more time with your children. Maybe a good idea to see if you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to, if you don't ask they won't tell you. Good luck

Answer 9

you can't say get another job, she already works 37 hours and has 2 kids, what would she do with the kids whilst she works, childminders cost money, usually more that you earn in your 2nd job so whats the point!

sell off your kids clothes that they have grown out of, toys, books, videos, ornaments, stick them on Ebay you'll make a fair bit. when the weather warms up a bit you could get a paper round (don't laugh) them free newspapers that everyone gets, they pay about £20 for you to deliver them, you could take the kids with you and let them help, with the cash you could have a family night in with pop, sweets and a video! fun for all :)

Answer 10

i have a friend a mother of one who earns £995 month
she pays a £800 a month mortgage and council tax of £120
so she trys to live off her £64 working/tax credit but has to pay her water gas and electric bills so ends up asking her parents for money for food each week
if she was an illegal immigrant then she would have no worries
so the Only way to make money is become a foreigner