I budget by cutting back on certain things, I eat less expensive food so I can do more with my child, I also put myself into debt by missing energy bills. I know it is shooting myself in the foot for the future. I’ll probably be in debt for the rest of my life and I’ve never even had a credit card.

This is a really, really hard one to answer. I basically try my very best not to use anything, Superfluous or extra every month and what little money I do get from the ex-husband, and I try not to use that, which means we're really, really sure every month of them, you know, I'm living on a shoestring.

Because I find that, sometimes he stops it, you know, to go on holiday and blah blah blah by the time the CSA or whatever the corner now, get back to him, it takes three or four months and then he pays it off in installments and and we go round and round. He knows how to play the system and he starts playing again just before the send them to caught. They've done it loads of times. So that money is then saved, whatever it is normally in cash.

We got it 100 or 50 pound a month.

Take care.

December budgeting is a strong topic.

My daughter has wrote a very expensive Xmas list. Last month my old car broke down and I had to replace it. This meant using savings and finance agreement.

I’ve asked my daughter to number some of the items and given her a budget luckily she is old enough to understand ‘Santa’ does not provide these !!

Luckily my boss offered me extra hours in one of my jobs so I will be working even more over Xmas to cover the extra expenses

There have been some huge changes for us over the past 5 years. My budget has definitely changed. As a solo parent I have to keep an eye on our finances. I ensure all bills are paid first when I receive my wages. I have had to move my direct debits to allow this. My rent is paid when my universal credit payment is made as I do not earn enough to cover it - which means our rent is paid late. I then have an allowance for essential living expenses, such as food and travel. The rest should be to pay for anything else. Because of the cost of living, we’re often left with very little to nothing at the end of the month. I always tell myself I need to save, but this does not happen.

I prioritise the most urgent bill like council tax bill, rent & utility bill when doing budget. To spend in large scale need to save bit by bit for a long period of time. Groceries can be done by looking the cheapest brand or basics options. Can dream of going back country as a holiday after cutting essentials from budget or by using credit cards.

Christmas is the worst time of year for me financially.

I'm mature enough to know it's not essential, but the pressure from adverts on TV, media and radio is constantly bombarded at us.

I have a 5 yr old granddaughter, older daughter and son in law have high incomes. They do not emphasise with my situation of claiming benefits as a full time carer for my younger daughter.

There are many activities of visiting Santa's Grotto, pantomime, light shows and Xmas village with funfair, that are all expensive to visit.

As I cannot afford to take my grandchild and do not drive, they don't see me as worthy of spending quality time with my grandchild. They are always busy when I ask to see my grandchild. They invite my younger daughter to spend time as a family at Xmas but not me.

What a week - the weather has become a lot colder so I’m sitting in the house during the day with loads of layers on and only turning the heating on when the kids return home from school. It’s a sad world that we can’t heat the house when we need to

I tried it budget as much as I can, but then sometimes the hardest thing, the budget would be surprised expenses like give you an example. Recently my daughter had, she does GCSE music and she had three music expenses and we kind only got like a weeks notice. So it's not something that I had in my head from August that, I needed the budget. So the surprise Trips Trips in Northern Ireland on subsidized anymore.

Usually the government would subsidize some of it so you only had to pay a small contribution. So now you have to pay for transportation as well as the actual trip. My son as well. So he is his last year in primary school. So over here it's called primary 7 and he has a trip to see a play and then he had another trip which was another educational trip to like a scientific place called W5 and it was trapped.

For like 15 pounds each, it's really hard as a say, the budget. Whenever you're not sure that these costs are common. The only way around this is to not let your child go. And if you don't like your child go, then there's they will be subjected to social exclusion and they will feel included, which would damage them at the house.

I budget for gas and electricity first . I moved into New flat in April and it has pre payment meters which I haven't used before. Summer was manageable but as winter arrived , I find I am obsessive reading the smart meter readings and I am stressed at how fast the meter balances go down.

I moved as a single mum with my teen daughter from an expensive private rental with no insulation and damp to a council flat. The rent is less than half the private rent and smaller to heat.

As the private rental had all kitchen white goods built into the kitchen, I applied to my local council welfare fund for a cooker, washing machine, fridge freezer and carpets/ flooring. I was refused by the council on the grounds I made the decision to move home when I didn't need to (in receipt of full housing benefit and paying extra towards private rent, I thought I was doing something positive and easing the council housing benefit bill).

The council woman also abruptly said I received plenty in disability benefits to purchase all white goods and carpets myself.

I didn't argue back ,however citizens advice explained the council had calculated Disabity benefits as income but is supposed to be dismissed as its used to pay for support for my daughter with autism.

I was mentally and physically exhausted moving home without family and no friends for support.

I took out a £812 loan from my benefits to purchase a cooker, washing machine, carpets/ flooring, the highest amount allowed.

The carpets/ flooring was quoted at £1700 fully fitted.

I browsed online for used white goods but all sellers needed me to pick up. I do not drive and had nobody to rely on to help.

So I bought a new basic washing machine, fridge and carpeted daughter's bedroom and living room. I purchased an air fryer and have a microwave to heat up food, until I could afford a cooker. After a few months I bought the cooker however wasn't prepared for extra expense of paying for plumbing in washing machine and fixing electric cooker to wall was not included in cost. I still have a cooker sitting not connected to wall. The DWP took £70 a fortnight from my benefits to pay back the loan.

Buying ready made meals is more expensive and less nutritious, but I'm juggling my budget for gas and electricity which has tripled in costs now it's winter.

8 months later and Xmas fast approaching, I have been forced to migrate to UC. First payment is due 28th Dec.

We have child benefit and disability payment to live off. It works out less than £200 a week. I am at breaking point mentally and frantically looking at high interest loans to buy food, gas and electricity for the next month, I have a second bank account opened and my thoughts are to have UC paid into new bank account when it's finally processed to ensure its not taken out to pay the high interest loan. Wrong I know, but what do I do when DWP closes its offices for Xmas and my pre payment meters run out?

Next on prioity list is Broadband for wifi. I got rid of the house phone as paying extra and I hardly used it. I use a mobile phone for contact with GP, as appts are to be asked for online, an email gives me an appt time and GP will phone or see me in person.

We live semi rural and I depend on supermarkets home deliveries. The nearest supermarkets are 10 to 15 miles away and I do not drive.

I have bus pass for free bus travel, however the timetables have been reduced and I once experienced waiting in the snow on the main dual carriageway with no shelter for over 1 hour to carry heavy shopping bags home.

Home delivery fresh food goes out of date quicker and I've learned not to buy too much as I thrown out rotten vegetables.

There is a small supermarket in town but it's very expensive and caters for workers with wine and spicy food.

I am a non drinker, do not smoke and do not take drugs.

I have no friends as I moved to this town after fleeing domestic violence and majority of families who live here are married to offshore workers and have affluent lifestyles. I cannot afford a taxi out never mind a social life . I cut my own hair in the bathroom and no nail appts as expected from stereo typical single mums.

I find doing a budget this time of year very difficult, because with having children you only want the best for them, I have to not only budget for my partners family but also for my children who live with my ex wife, so for this reason it can be difficult to get things right for all concerned with regard to Christmas gifts etc, the biggest struggle I also find this time of year is keeping on top of gas and electric bills due to having to put heating on more and the extra costs this causes. Planning for Christmas we as a family tend to use logbox to help by putting a little away each month to help with Christmas with regards the extra luxuries we all like at Christmas, so if it were not for that and also rewards we get from supermarkets etc things would be a lot bleaker than they are. The other issues come with regard to having the children off school and the extra costs with food etc to keep them all happy. Trying to budget this time of year is never easy and you tend to feel that you may end up letting people down for no apparent reason just trying to make your benefits stretch to pay for the every day bills and extras needed for Christmas.

I think I budget very well from month to month. I'm still left with little to nothing 1 week before my wages are due. My budget has been hammered lately with car repairs and also Christmas.

It seems no matter how hard you try... the more is threw at you to push you off course.

I could really do with a younger car but I know that would take £200 a month out of my budget! An already very tight managed budget. All I can do is keep hoping for a reprieve or the lottery, but I have to play to win! I can't justify the play so I'll never win.

Yesterday I went to work in one of the offices to save using my heating has sat still on the laptop means having to keep warm by using the heating instead of moving about. I will do this so I can have my heating on in the night too has if it’s too cold I can’t sleep unless I am warm first. I also work from the library which is always warm and welcoming.