wishing my life away waiting for payday!! Anyone else?|

[headlikearobbersdog]

Hi,

I have falled foul of the early December pay trap. I get paid on Friday 24th and I have a grand total of £201. Looks like we'll be eating pasta and sauce for a couple of weeks!!

Is anyone else feeling the pain? When is your payday and what do you have left ( if you don't mind sharing, of course"). I am hoping that it will make me feel better about my own financial ineptitude!!

Honestly, unless you have an enormous family, k think £200 is a lot for a couple of weeks. You can buy ingredients to cook rather than readymade stuff, batch cook etc. doesn't have to be pasta for 2 weeks

Yep. I have until 31st - and £26. The freezer and food cupboards are full, I have bread in the freezer and DS' school meals account is topped up.
In an absolute emergency, I can use the cat's money - there's enough in their Monzo pot to cover the excess on their vet insurance.

But it's just so bloody boring. I thought about popping to the shop for a bottle of wine, but then remembered I can't.

Then it's DS' birthday, 2 days later. He was due on the 1st, but I managed to hold him in a bit longer, for this very reason! Everyone is the skintest they'll be all year, just in time for his birthday, for ever 😢

£200 is loads if it's mainly for food.

Yes, I am living hand-to-mouth and counting the days until payday too. We've had to borrow from the banks of mums and dad to pay for food and diesel (or else I can't actually get to work) and had to let the water rates bounce again. I have <£4 of my overdraft left; dh has none. Luckily, some money comes in on Tuesday and this week's wage goes in on Friday.

I have done an inventory of the cupboards and freezer and I think I can week a weeks's worth of meals from bits and bobs. I also found a turkey roasting joint in the freezer! who knew!

Did you mean £20 as £201 seems plenty

No it is £201 - I have 3 kids though so I pretty much always spend over £100 a week on food plus £20 on diesel. It's a bit tight for me based on a 'normal' month

Op I moved our food money into a different bank account and swop what I need for ocado over each week so it would be safe and ring fenced unlike previous year's.
It's worked so far.
I've literally just checked the calendar for pay day

great idea

bless you. Isn't it crazy how we have to live

@Lellamir Sorry, but that did make me laugh re using the cats money! I envisaged a cat trying to put coins into a piggy bank!

And then the cat stomping around the house shouting "where's my f***g money" ha ha

Yes, was working out our outgoings for the next couple of weeks earlier, to see if we had enough in the bank.

Every bloody year, I say I'm going to be sensible this December pay day.... Every bloody January, I am skint!! 🤣

I get paid tomorrow but almost all of it will be put into savings.
I don’t overspend so don’t have to wait for payday but there was a time when I did.

I cut out all unnecessary subscriptions and kept my outgoings to essentials only for a period of time to get to this point.

I get paid on the last Friday of the month. So it was 27th December and now I won't be paid again until 31st January. I currently have £11 to last until then and I don't know how I'm going to manage. I've put nearly all my belongings on ebay/vinted, but haven't managed to sell a single thing!

@ClassicBBQ reduce prices on vinted stuff. As soon as you sell a few items your profile becomes more visible to others

"Where's my money bitch?"

The CC will take another battering this month as I have DC2 and DC3 birthday before payday (they aren't twins!). Although I always get a bonus in February so am able to clear CC.

I know I'm lucky to have that option as if I didn't more poor kids would get fuck all for their birthday's.

Once all my bills are paid I have about £60 left for two more weekly shops and travel to work. I live on my own so should be able to just about do it. Fingers crossed

Haha. They actually have 2 Monzo pots. That one - the serious one, and another one, where all my card payments are rounded up. That's their fun one, and when they have a bit saved, they spend it on new toys and treats.

Unless major unexpected expenses you had time to plan, like the rest of us

I’m doing ok this month but it wasn’t always the case - I was the one counting the days till January pay day and squeezing out whatever was in the freezer.

Using You Need a Budget massively helped me get on top of finances and plan throughout the year so Christmas isn’t much of a bump in the road. My DS has a January birthday too so I need to be organised with money.

I have £193 to last me until the 24th but will make it last - not an issue - can eat economically enough and got a full tank of fuel. Credit card for any emergencies!

I'm not a Monzo sales rep, but I managed my money so much better, since I switched, and I always recommend it.
The pots, the round ups, the reminders. It works for me.
The round up pot usually ends up with about £20-30 a month in it. If I just left it alone, that £150 would be enough to get me through to the end of each seemingly endless January.