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The worst thing about having no money

416 replies

letsallmeetupinthehyear2000 · 18/06/2022 14:16

is after a hard week at work you look at your bank balance and not only have you no money but you are overdrawn you can't go out and enjoy yourself or even buy yourself a tiny treat or buy any food without worrying about being in debt, you don't know how you're going to pay the electricity bill and any bit of joy or creativity has been sapped out of you you feel anxious and overwhelmed most of the time and you are so tired so tired you can't get dressed and you can't stop crying at everything

OP posts:
Purplelion · 21/06/2022 16:02

I’m sorry but having “only £71” until payday but also having savings that you don’t want to dip into to pay a bill simply isn’t skint and struggling like the majority of the posters on this thread are

Snoredoeurve · 21/06/2022 18:33

Purplelion · 21/06/2022 16:02

I’m sorry but having “only £71” until payday but also having savings that you don’t want to dip into to pay a bill simply isn’t skint and struggling like the majority of the posters on this thread are

Oh give over!
Pp has a 183 bill to pay with only £71 to pay it
Even with a small amount of savings thats pretty skint -do we have to bash everyone over everything they post?
On the cost of living threads anyone who had even a few pounds wriggle room is resoundly bashed and silenced.
Its not remotely helpful to silence worried people with shut up other people have it worse and certainly not in the spirit of the site.

DoubleShotEspresso · 21/06/2022 18:40

@Snoredoeurve I agree. I don't have the luxury of savings but don't think they at all means anybody who might have some would be any less anxious/distressed than me.
It's a horrid time for so many of us right now, threads like this should be a support not a judgement.

Snoredoeurve · 21/06/2022 18:47

DoubleShotEspresso · 21/06/2022 18:40

@Snoredoeurve I agree. I don't have the luxury of savings but don't think they at all means anybody who might have some would be any less anxious/distressed than me.
It's a horrid time for so many of us right now, threads like this should be a support not a judgement.

Thanks .
Once that tiny amount of savings is gone, its gone -then what?
So many people are really scared and you are right judgement isnt helpful.

Twillow · 21/06/2022 19:27

How interesting! I posted earlier about having £71 till payday... got slated for calling myself skint.
I DO appreciate things could be a lot worse and are for some people.
Sorry if I upset anyone.
BUT I do have to balance my spending extremely carefully to be in the position of still having £71 (even though there's a bill I can't afford to pay yet). I go without most things for myself to be able to provide for my children. I work, I am not subsisting on benefits. I'd hardly say I'm living the dream.

GrumpynotGrumpy · 21/06/2022 19:50

Saying it's different is not a criticism, it is different to have no buffer, no choices, how could it not be? Why take someone pointing that out as criticism? Why does someone feel invalidated when that's talked about?

That poster may have £71 to pay a £183 bill, but they have the choice to pay it on Friday (poster said they have £71 until Friday therefore assuming payment of some description due Friday) or to use their savings to pay it. That's 5 days late (which is usually before companies get in touch) or dipping in to savings to pay it and ease the worry about it going unpaid. If you're not getting more money on Friday, or you don't have savings then you don't have that choice. You can choose not to use your savings, and that's a valid choice, but if you don't have the savings in the first place it's not a choice at all.

When we talk about silencing people, this is part of the issue, silencing people who point out that it's different to have savings and choices and choose not to use them, for whatever reason, than to have no choice because the savings aren't there to start with and there's no opportunity to save, or there's been no windfall to create savings. I've been in that situation of having no fall back at all, of having no choice but to not pay it and face the bailiffs at the door and have the attachment of earnings go to my employer - and now I'm not, my recognising and talking about that is not silencing anyone, it is not criticism of anyone, it is not slating anyone - but the reverse isn't true is it?
You can't talk about there being a difference in the two situations without being silenced as is happening here.

Posters have said on this thread, that's titled 'The worst thing about having no money' about how people who have savings, who have something to fall back on, who have choices talk about being skint to people who don't have those choices, and how demoralising that is, yet talk about that and the difference between the two situations in real terms and you're criticising and silencing people.

There is a difference, there's no two ways about that and trying to slap down posters who talk about that isn't going to change that fact.

Snoredoeurve · 21/06/2022 20:07

There is a difference, there's no two ways about that and trying to slap down posters who talk about that isn't going to change that fact.
Im not trying to slap anyone down.
I agree that having nothing is pretty grim.
Im asking that peoples concerns are not invalidated/ shut down by
" someone has it worse"
Thats where the support, listening ear and hope disappear.

Snoredoeurve · 21/06/2022 20:10

With that I will leave the thread as Im not getting into an argument.
Thats my opinion.
Its all over the cost of living threads and doesnt help.
Best wishes to all

JimMorrisonsleathertrousers · 22/06/2022 08:04

Twillow · 21/06/2022 19:27

How interesting! I posted earlier about having £71 till payday... got slated for calling myself skint.
I DO appreciate things could be a lot worse and are for some people.
Sorry if I upset anyone.
BUT I do have to balance my spending extremely carefully to be in the position of still having £71 (even though there's a bill I can't afford to pay yet). I go without most things for myself to be able to provide for my children. I work, I am not subsisting on benefits. I'd hardly say I'm living the dream.

I agree with you @Twillow. It's not a competition about who is the most skint, we are all having to make difficult choices and sacrifices that maybe a few years ago we didn't have to make.

Today's tale of skintness from me: I have to go to the bank this morning and pay coins into my account so that I can cover the cost of a school trip.

CarryonKay · 22/06/2022 18:19

For a long while I struggled to understand a lot of financial stuff and was quite afraid of taking on debt. However, I did find some fairly good brokers who tidied me over a while. That said, beyond a mortgage it was the first time I had ever taken out a short-term loan. Thanks Covid!

CarryonKay · 22/06/2022 18:19

For a long while I struggled to understand a lot of financial stuff and was quite afraid of taking on debt. However, I did find some fairly good brokers who tidied me over a while. That said, beyond a mortgage it was the first time I had ever taken out a short-term loan. Thanks Covid!

ImFree2doasiwant · 23/06/2022 17:49

Another one - DS got an ice pop from the freezer and didn't shut the door properly. There are several items that are fully/partly defrosted including chicken. So now, I've gone from having enough food til payday (but no money) to, well wondering if I can get away with refreezing it tbh.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 23/06/2022 17:57

Today's tale of skintness from me: I have to go to the bank this morning and pay coins into my account so that I can cover the cost of a school trip.

That's familiar. Electronic transfers are just so much easier for everybody, as the bank is where everybody stores their money. Unless they're poor, in which case they can do the running around (possibly incurring extra cost) for somebody else's 'just so simple' convenience....

goldengirlsoncraic · 23/06/2022 18:18

I'm surviving on food that's in my freezer.
I don't get paid till next Monday.
It's going to be a long few days.

Invisibelle · 23/06/2022 18:32

ImFree2doasiwant · 23/06/2022 17:49

Another one - DS got an ice pop from the freezer and didn't shut the door properly. There are several items that are fully/partly defrosted including chicken. So now, I've gone from having enough food til payday (but no money) to, well wondering if I can get away with refreezing it tbh.

Just cook it and then freeze.

JimMorrisonsleathertrousers · 23/06/2022 20:04

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 23/06/2022 17:57

Today's tale of skintness from me: I have to go to the bank this morning and pay coins into my account so that I can cover the cost of a school trip.

That's familiar. Electronic transfers are just so much easier for everybody, as the bank is where everybody stores their money. Unless they're poor, in which case they can do the running around (possibly incurring extra cost) for somebody else's 'just so simple' convenience....

I think what annoyed me the most was that the trip was first come first serve. It's that assumption that everyone just has the money.

Anyway. It's done now.

Payday tomorrow, made it though by the skin of our teeth again.

StickyFingeredWeeNed · 23/06/2022 20:19

I made a huge song and dance about “first come first served” wrt the leisure centre doing activities. They did change their policy and now ALL parents get the chance to get the money together - so it’s worth pushing back.

ImFree2doasiwant · 23/06/2022 23:14

@Invisibelle I didn't have time. I had to go to work and wouldn't get time to cook it til the weekend. Also, frozen veg, oven chips, quorn nuggets etc . I mean, I'd eat them but dc1 has just had 4 days of sickness bug I'm not keen to go through that again.

Orangesandlemons77 · 24/06/2022 07:52

Just to mention again about school funds- some have these to help towards trips, uniforms etc...please get in touch with the school if it can help you

Sometimes it is to do with the pupil premium / free school meals but not always.

Invisibelle · 24/06/2022 09:41

ImFree2doasiwant · 23/06/2022 23:14

@Invisibelle I didn't have time. I had to go to work and wouldn't get time to cook it til the weekend. Also, frozen veg, oven chips, quorn nuggets etc . I mean, I'd eat them but dc1 has just had 4 days of sickness bug I'm not keen to go through that again.

@ImFree2doasiwant ok that’s crap..happened to me once when away, such a waste of money.

goldengirlsoncraic · 24/06/2022 16:26

Next week I would have been ok.
Now my son has been accepted on a course that has to be paid.
€200.
I got on to them,there's some funding available but they need some money on Monday and I can pay the rest the week after.

My CB is that week,but I had that earmarked for some days out.

Doesn't look likely now☹️

DoubleShotEspresso · 24/06/2022 21:51

Pay at pump bastard system has taken £100 and I only filled £25.
Bank advises I'm now in unauthorised overdraft and google suggests it could take upto 72 hours for petrol station to return the funds which I'm now going to lose some of fgs who allows these systems???

BertieBotts · 24/06/2022 22:12

You might be able to appeal it with the bank since you didn't intentionally spend it and get the charge reversed.

FreetheKhalo · 24/06/2022 22:28

I do things I don’t even realise others probably aren’t doing! I complain constantly that my hayfever medication isn’t working this year, in reality I can’t afford to buy it yet

DoubleShotEspresso · 24/06/2022 22:46

@BertieBotts I did try this, but they said they are not able to do this. So annoyed as I rarely use pay at pump but had my child with me.