If you think the $600 doesn't add up with what you have/haven't paid then I would suggest getting a statement from them of your account and comparing it to your bank statement. Having recently been bailed out of a LOT of debt I can assure you that unless you and DF are doing groceries on $150 or less then you can reduce your shopping. You will be eating very boring things like snags and mash, but you will be able to get out of debt. My last grocery bill for myself and 3 children was $150 for a fortnight. It is do-able. Also controlling portion sizes will help. If your DF is anything like my DH, I have had to say that if there is no food left after X amount of time I take it from his pocket money (we budget $50 each per fortnight pocket money). You can run a household on $250 per week before bills. So if you can get your spending total (including fuel, food and luxuries) down to $250 the rest is for bills.

Do you have anything that is not currently under contract that you can disconnect? Disconnecting internet if you are under contract can also cost a fair bit. Pre-paid mobiles can be sold (luxury) any video game consoles can be sold (luxury) TV's can be sold (luxury). If you have anything that is unencumbered and not absolutely essential, Sell it now (cash converters will do cash in hand) and when you are back in the black you can buy a new one. There is not a lot that is absolutely essential, and in the meantime you can say that you trying a minimalist look. It will also mean less for you to clean

I understand what you mean about not wanting to pay a contract that you dont have the products for which I why I am suggesting selling anything that is unencumbered so that you are only paying for what you have. As soon as the laptops and internet come out of contract if you are still struggling financially I would recommend cancelling them and using the facilities at the local public library.

One thing I would like to say though is I think there has been a fair bit of rudeness in this thread, 1st time is where I was last year financially and I was miserable enough. If I had posted about it and gotten these responses I would have left BB pretty quickly. Re-read before posting, a little eloquence wouldn't go astray. I you would get offended at someone saying the same to you, then maybe you should just offer suggestions rather than telling her off. In this situation I am sure 1st time does not to hear the old parental line of 'Welcome to the real world', she is telling herself enough.

1st time