to be irrationally worried that we only have £140 left to last to next Tuesday.........

[WheresTheMoneyGone]

and have 4 DCs? 2 x DCs need new school shoes before Monday (I threw their last ones out when they finished school because they were wrecked - they only last a term - bloody boys). We have enough food until Monday - online shop will be delivered today with enough food for 4 days and I have taken that off bank total. I always feel irrationally insecure if we have less than £100 in account!

We will need to put £15 on electric meter and £25 on gas meter today (meters installed before we moved in and bloody costing £5 a day just for gas!!).

Big car bill this month for MOT repairs and tax credits reduced by £60 last week and every week until end of June due to DH earning slightly higher than expected - £1000 - which I informed them of immediately we got his final payslip for the last tax year so they reduce our payments by £240 month!

I fucking well hate this obssessing about money all the time . We don't smoke/drink/go out/have holidays/do anything really. Before anyone says we should not have had 4 DCs, we were better off until last year when I got made redundant and can't now find another job earning enough to cover childcare.

Stranded can I have a copy of your meal planner please. Thanks.

stranded I would love a copy too please (if your computer hasn't exploded under the strain of requests already).

I'm a bit confused, a joke yes? I'd like £140 til next week.

Blimey, what are you planning on spending it on?

I know this is not helping but I DREAM of only having £140 to last 5 days! I'd be rich

I wish I had £140, would also think I was rich! :o

I have had £5 to last from Sunday to today, not fun in the holidays but thankfully the park is free :) Get £100 tomorrow which has to last 5 days but also have 2 pairs of school shoes, they have always had expensive shoes but will be going back in cheapy ones, £15 gas, £10 elec and food to buy.

stranded I would love a copy please :)

I have £40 to last me until God knows when and that has to cover petrol plus electricity. I would just LOVE £140 and know that more would arrive on Tuesday .

Sorry OP I know that doesn't help but you have plenty of money there to last you.

Definitely check out the Gas though - it sounds expensive and I am just remembering that the previous occupant of my house had a debt and my meter was taking £7 of every £10 which went in. Had to get a new meter token to sort it out.

I'm going to be cashing in the coppers. Raiding DSs money box. Sold all my CDS but won't come through quick enough, sold a bit on eBay, again won't come through fast enough to be useful.

Am late with rent for first time ever, am too scared to tell tax credits DH is back on JsA in case they reduce payments further still (£200 drop recently), waiting on CB, cancelling all my DIrect Debits. I fear there are other bills too.

Sports direct for school shoes.

Can i have a copy too please stranded. Tia

me too please stranded. we have £30 to last us until monday and you ahve just reminded me i need to get dd school shoes. whoops! i think she can wear old ones for one more school day though. if you have food you will be fine op x

Thanks all. It is not a pisstake, I really am quite worried but I am sure I will get over it! I bloody hate having no control over my life and finances and lets face it, you have a lot more control and choices if you have enough money rather than struggling through all the bloody time. I think I've aged about 10 years over the last year.

Spent £30 on 2 x pairs of shoes today (half price and really nice, may even last the blighters through to the end of the school year), £1.50 on a DVD for the DCs from the library, £15 each on gas and electric and £11.00 buying some odds and sods in Tesco that was not on the online shop . Have enough petrol for the school run and DH to get to work until Monday. He will have to take sandwiches to work.

Now have £69 left (palpatations starting). I have challenged myself to have £20 left over just to make it interesting! Can't do much over the weekend anyway as DC4 has chickenpox, others have all had it long time ago so they will have to amuse themselves at home for the next 3 days probably rain anyway. They have done a few activities over the half term (swimming/cinema/AquaBall/GoApe Forest tripy/visited relatives, not as much as I would have liked though. We have no relatives nearby, we have to travel to them so that's an extra cost.

I have made a heartfelt promise to myself that I will get a job, any job before the next school holidays, so at least I will be too busy to worry about money all day anyway and I might actually not need to (well in 2 years at least when DC4 starts school)!

It sounds like you are doing really well OP, I'm sure it will all work out fine for you. Are you able to get a weekend or evening job so that your OH can look after the DCs so then you won't need childcare? I think I saw further up the thread that you said you needed a job that paid enough to have some left over after childcare.

So you have food for 4 days which takes you to Monday and you need £40 on gas/elec so you have £100 left? If you wish Clarks shoes max are £30x2=£60 so you still have £40 left? I don't get it

do we think this is a joke thread then ? i was going to go into a rant about the money being fine for a week blah blah , go and get supermarket shoes which im doing this weekend as dd2 shoes are done and we only have 10 weeks left till summer in scotland ,

So you have £69 left which you need to spend on NOTHING, and you are having palpitations?
Your kids have done far more this holiday than mine have- trips to the cinema and go ape are really expensive. If you were running out of cash why couldn't your kids have made do with the park like everyone else's have to?

I'm sorry, but this is really making me angry. There are people on here who have virtually nothing, and when they say they are skint it means they are struggling for food.
By all means, moan about not being loaded- I often wish I had plenty of money so that I could take my kids out more often/go on holiday/buy new clothes. But please don't make out that you are struggling when you clearly have plenty.

you have loads left though I am living off my credit card till monday that is having zilch money , try and not panic about it you really have loads left ,

If you read the title, the Op KNOWS she was 'irrationally' worried - but you still get that panicky feeling when you can see the end of the money looming up at you.

of course you feel panicked but she needs to think she has nearly £70 left till early next week and she doesnt need anything gawd she has enough for a take away at the weekend if she was inclined to ,

Stranded please can I have a copy, thanks

swimming/cinema/AquaBall/GoApe Forest tripy/visited relatives, not as much as I would have liked though

O.k. Apart from the swimming, and rellies of course, I would say cut out all of the others.

What's wrong with sending kids to the park to run around?! Or hire a DVD? Much cheaper than the cinema...

agree with what angelberry said!

try cant afford fuck all!
try £150 a week is the norm here.but we cope we live to our means! holiday treats are paddling in a river, a bike ride.

Strandedbear, I'd be I treated in that food plan!

I think your children are very lucky to have done all of those activities!! Mine have been to the park,long dog walks and baked lots of fairy cakes.
ie free things!! They are going to sleep at their aunties tomorrow night but I can't even afford a cheap bottle of wine!!

I have £80.00 to last until the 27th,also on gas/elec meters and need food and petrol.

Also Dd needs £130 for a school trip???????

I don't think you need to worry