living on CL alone as a single mum - paying private rental - how do you do it?

[tattoo_mama]

I don't know about other single mums but I shared with a housemate to share rent costs. That turned out to be a disaster but only cause I'm a bad judge of character. Also sign up for govt housing.

[Mum2Romone]

Where are you from? When you are a Single Parent there are all sorts of payments centrelink can give you, as opposed to being partnered.

Single Parent Pensiom +ftb a and B should give you enough with rent assistance to afford a $300.00 a wk place i'd think

My friend does it alone

[deletedit]

PPS is something like 600 a fortnight, plus $60 rent assistance, plus a few hundred in FTA/FTB ...

Back in the dark ages when I was a single parent I was sharing a house right near work. I rented a room out to a guy (there's a lot of paperwork with CL right there) who was only there on weekdays and went back to stay with his mum on weekends. He was a nice quiet Asian chap. My daughter used to boss him around something fierce and he'd do anything she said, and I'm not sure if it was a personality thing or a cultural thing but she liked it anyway

Get a house near a uni or TAFE and rent a room to a student, preferably not a white male party type or you'll have a house full of drunks.

[Amity]

I did it, but was living at home with parents (not renting). However I did pay massive amounts in child care (over $300/wk) which would be equivalent to private rental.

Plan every cent. Meal plan, drive plan, play plan.
Only use the car when you have to (or don't have a car at all, public transport is often much cheaper than maintaining a car).
Cook everything from scratch.
Eat vegetarian a few days a week.
Have play dates at the park.
Join the library for books and DVDs.
Freecycle.
Get to know your local op shop.
Go to church - they often have people who are willing and able to help you with $$ and other day to day things.
Don't be afraid to go to a charity if you have to.
Find out what your local Bakers' Delight do with their bread at the end of the day, tell them you're poor and see if they will donate you some.

Good luck. I've bought milk with 5c pieces more times than I care to count.

[Trillian]

I don't have any advice, but I hope that it all works out for you

[Jennifer13]

Oh hun

It seriously sounds like you should maybe find somewhere to stay until he settles down a little, even if just for a night or two.

It sucks that you're going to have to deal with him being like this. I'm sorry he's found out about your plans.

[Beatrix]

Gigi- come stay here!!! your are more then welcome. you and bilby will have to share a room and it may be crowded but please Im serious.. I can be there tonight to help you or even tomorrow when he is at work

[Gigi]

thanks Ness, you're so kind. if i thought it would be just for a few nights, i prolly would take you up on your kind offer. but i have no clue how long it will take me to find somewhere to live, and i coudln't do that to anyone (land on them indefinately).

[Jennifer13]

Gigi, I hope you and Bilby are doing okay. It must be so much to take in. Have you any IRL help where you are?

[widdly]

sweet heart, i hope you are coping okxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx sorry to hear that you are going through all of this, it is really overwhelming and emotional but you can and will do it.

When we were too poor for the internet I used to book weekly computer time at the local public library, just to catch up on BB.

Try hard to seek out a share house. I imagine it would be hard trying to share house with a child, but even if its just for 12 months while you sort things out and feel better and stronger, it cuts costs down SO much.

I cook a boggan load of pasta meals in this house! It is so cheap, yummy and DS loves it. Another staple is home made vege soup, just whatever vegies are going cheap, boil em up with water and some chook stock, yummy! I have a big bowl of soup and 2 pieces of toast for dinner, DS wont eat soup so he has 1/2 can of baked beans, very cheap also. Pancakes are wonderful too, kids love me, they are cheap as chips and you can do lots of different things with em.

Sending loads of love your way xxxxxxxx

[Gigi]

bilby's father went into Centrelink this morning, to lodge paperwork for his new business - they told him he doens't have to - cos we're separated. So BANG goes the confidentiality CL promised me. Now he knows what i've done.

he rang me up immed and wanted to know "is there another man"?
it would never occur to him, that i don't want to be with him, despite the whole "four years of separate sleeping arrangements" thang.

he is going to be livid
i bet he will spend all night convincing me not to go (not to live with bilby will break his heart).

he is going to corner me with so many questions
i wanted to avoid all this, doing a flit when he was at work (when i have somewhere to go)

i am so dreading tonight

so much for squirrelling away money. now he knows, that won't be possible either.

i think this happening, will force my hand, i'll end up leaving with very little
the time for sorting, packing etc will be gone

i'm scared (not of physical violence, but of endless arguing with a person that hasn't been able to communicate with me for years, so what's the point now).

being in a tiny unit, with a person you don't want to live with, has been unpleasant enough (for last four years)
but
being in a tiny unit, with a person you don't want to live with, who KNOWS you are leaving, i dread what that is going to be like.

feeling sick just thinking about it.