Does anyone else hate payday?

[cjt110]

I know it sounds random but I hate it. It gives me anxiety and makes me feel like it's a bloody military manouvere. Moving money to different accounts for things. Remembering if I have used my DD card in the last few days to account for it. Budgeting for the month ahead. And I always fall on my arse a few days before payday.

How do you all manage? I used to be great with finances but then it's all just gone a bit shit.

How would you budget for a meal out (anniversary meal this month) and also Christmas?

We save all our Tesco and Nectar points during the year and use them for Christmas food shopping, together with a £25 Sainsburys gift card that is a birthday gift from work. We have a "pauper's month" in November, where we eat as cheaply as possible, that usually leaves enough in the joint account to cover the booze for Christmas.

Having no family worth speaking of, I only buy presents for DP, so that comes out of my personal money. He only buys for his son, which comes out of his personal money, and the presents for DSS's partner and DGD come out of the joint account. His family have an agreement that only under 18s get presents, there are only 4 of them now and they all prefer money, so they get £20 each which DP pays. We buy his mum's gift out of our joint account, because she is utterly lovely and I'd do anything for her.

We've usually built up small surplus over the year so it's never been a problem, although I think that might not be the case this year (had a couple of unexpected repairs to the boiler and the motorhome).

We put £750 each into the joint account. All our bills except for insurance (car and home) are on DDs. That leaves around £500 a month for food and treats, and it has been at that amount for 4 years. I think we might need to pay in a bit more soon, as things are going up at an alarming rate.

Out of my personal money, I pay for my own car expenses and fuel, and the rest is mine to do what I like with. It covers hairdressing, make-up, clothes, books etc. I have some savings which I'm transferring into a 5% interest a/c at £500 a month.

We live month to month but I love pay day, it means I have money it is the 2 weeks before that get to me as that's when I have run out of money and my husband is starting to get low on funds too.

Start keeping your receipts for every purchase and got them up at the of the day/week and you will soon see where you can start saving that bit extra like lunches, coffee etc

I am with you, I have to pay for everything and most is not direct debit . then you have budget for the bills that are on direct debit but don't go out on pay day. then you have to budget for birthdays or Christmas or school trips the list is endless so I feel for you I also hate paydays .

I hate money full stop. if I was rich it would be a different story.

Mine usually lasts me a week!! I'm so bad with money. People are mocking me for buying my Christmas presents already,,, you don't understand ... if I don't buy them when I've got the money then I'll spend it!

I spend when feeling depressed or unhappy. When I left my job I had less money but what I had went further. The stuff I thought I needed U didn't.

The only way I get around the stress of bill sorting is to take out X amount each week for food shopping. DD's sort themselves out (I make them go out on the same day each month) and by the next payday I have 'leftovers' from the previous month for any extras.

E.g.

Payday 1st each month of £1000

Take out £100 a week for shopping

£100 bills

Then there's £500 'extra' the 1st of the next month

Some of it is put into savings, sometimes we needs something for the house, a family trip etc. It's a lot less stressful

Yes.. I get quite excited then the money is all gone for another month!

Today's my payday, I enjoy using ynab and budgeting the money around & then that's it there's the plan for the week ahead. I've my direct debits in date order there and fill them as necessary. Love when I can fill one a week ahead of schedule too. I don't have much to play around with but I'm happy to have enough to pay the bills and keep my dc happy.

I used to move money around in time to pay the bills every month. Then I had a baby and like you it all went to shit.
Now I just leave it be. It is less cost effective and I'd be financially better off if I could cope like I used to. But I can't. So I cut myself some slack and consider it the price of caring for my mental health.

Do you hate pay day because you see all of your hard earned cash being earmarked for bills? If so think how you can make a bit extra. Everyone has a talent for something or could develope one. My neighbor is on maternity pay so funds short so she makes hunting of baby names to order on ebay. A friend makes fabulous desserts and sells to other mums at nursery. My husband has friend who does service on our car we pay him for. There is always people who will pay for dog walking. Think what can you do to get extra cash.

So far I have signed up to a monzo card and put £100 onto that. Moved £50 into my savings. Have £50 in my current account. I drew out £10 cash to get my flu jab done with and buy some bits and bobs.

I have also found, since posting this thread, I have found the desire to be less frivolous. I went to the supermarket and was proud I only bought rice rather than rice and a fair few other things.

Looking forward to my monzo card arriving as I believe any transactions, even as a debit card, show instantly on he app unlike usual banking apps.

Great result @cjt110

I both love and loathe pay day. I love seeing our wages come in. I hate the almost instant anxiety I get working out all the bills and outgoings. Hubby went from a fantastically paid overseas job to a modestly paid one at home. Whilst it's lovely to have him home every day now, especially as we now have a second child, it's been incredibly difficult to change our spending habits and outgoings. Took him a year to stop spending like he did when he worked away. I now have all the bills down as low as we can get them but, as I'm just coming off SMP back onto real wages again, extras seem to be few and far between. Things won't be changing for the next couple of years either as we still have high childcare costs to pay. Just means we'll try to enjoy what we can have that bit more.
Does break my heart a little though every time ds asks for something we can't afford, when I used to be able to say yes. That's just the way it is though. Eventually I'll get better at this budgeting malarkey and be able to get some savings going.