FFS always before xmas!!!!

[BrieAndChilli]

In the space of a week -
Wheeel bearing gone on car, garage reckons £100
Severe toothache, got dentist appt on Monday, I’ll be surprised if it’s not at least a filling
Bed just broke, like irreparably broken, the metal bar holding the mattress up has sheared apart.

Christmas was already on a tight budget this year as I had agreed DH could go on a weeks climbing holiday this month which wiped out all our extra cash.

Last year my handbrake went on my car at around the same time which costs £100s

Just having a moan really as if I moan at DH he will think I’m moaning about him having gone away.

Sorry to hear you're having a rubbish time.

I don't suppose any local groups/freecycle etc have any bed frames going?

Any other garages to quote for the car £100 seems a bit high? I wouldn't need have thought it would be a labour intensive job or a particularly expensive part.

Sympathies. Lots of stuff has just broken / been damaged here too and will have to be replaced. All to come out of December's pay. Groan.

Just asked OH & he said £100 is probably about right so ignore me on that

Sometimes the timing is terrible! Can't you just stick it on a credit card then be rigid about paying it off once Christmas has gone?

Oh dear! The car & dentist you can’t really do on the cheap bit you could get a bed cheap? Maybe freecycle or from a second hand site?

We've just had to buy new tyres for the car and my MIL has just told us she can't watch the kids this month (she was only watching them 1 day!) going to cost us £80 to put them in nursery 😒

I feel you! If you can could you buy the bed on finance? Presuming you live in U.K., bensons for beds etc have 0% APR.

Can match you op.our boiler has totally broken,suspected leak coming from roof,car problems the list goes On!

I feel your pain OP. I lost my job and within the space of a month TWO expensive things went wrong with the car then the TV died. Total of about £1k when I was having to try to eke out every penny while job hunting.

Surely the climbing holiday in November is your issue here? Totally extravagent given you're struggling with basics like dentists!

hindsight is of course easy but should you be be having holidays with no safety net savings at all ?

like others say dentist is non negotiable- car, can it wait? and bed, mattress on the floor or freecycle

Bed can wait until after xmas, we’ve put the slats down on the floor with the mattress on top. Just like being a student!!!
Car and tooth will go on credit card.

It’s not the end of the world, but it’s always now. After xmas would be so much better!! Just that between October and December we have the 2 DSs birthdays, niece and newphew, DH, Mine, MIL (60th so bigger present and I’ve just spent £70 on ingredients for her cake for her party), FIL, stepFIL, sister etc
I’d already said my birthday is cancelled this year and DH didn’t get anything as he went away.

Climbing holiday's tend to cost quite a lot depending on where you go. I think that was very selfish of your husband to do that when you have no savings.
Could he do extra hours at work or do some agency work etc to get you out of this situation or borrow from his parents?

Isn’t the issue that your DH is choosing to use the family’s emergency fund on a solo holiday? I know that’s not the point of your post but if he wasn’t going you would have the cash to fix these issues.

Get another quote for your car, my wheel bearing has gone and I have been quoted £50

Climbing holidays don’t have to cost that much. I’m guessing Spanish/Greek Island in a fire/refuge type with mates and they all have their own kit?

Just remember that next year op you can be the one that swans off away somewhere

How bad is the tooth? Can it wait until after Christmas?

In January (good time to sort out finance) set up an emergency account, put a bit away each and every month.
When that's sorted set up another for Christmas and if you still have any spare money one for holidays for all of you.
On a tight budget specific hobby holidays for one are not a financial priority.
It might be tough at first but you will not feel so stressed this time next year.

Ok, I’m going to be unsympathetic now. Christmas comes the same day every year. It’s not a surprise. You need to get organised and start saving year round. If you can spare the £100 to fix the car and spare money to go on a climbing holiday, you can spare at least £50 a month to put in an untouchable savings account. That would be £550 plus whatever your normal shopping money for Christmas week would be. If you can’t trust yourself with the savings, buy a gift card or supermarket voucher every week or month instead and give them to a trusted friend to look after.

I would imagine that what you are actually saying is that you can’t afford the ridiculous pile of food and presents that social media seems to make people think is normal. Christmas is out of control. Children don’t need 50 presents. You don’t need enough food to feed an army for one special meal on one day. You don’t need all the extra shit like Christmas Eve boxes and trips out here, there and everywhere.

You need to adjust your expectations and cut your suit to fit your cloth. By the time your kids go back to school, they are almost guaranteed to have forgotten most of what they got for Christmas anyway. As for whoever said to put it on a credit card? That is about the stupidest advice ever 🙄.

Oh, and stop buying presents you can’t afford for family. It’s so pointless. You buy them a present and then they buy you one back - you may as well all keep your money for your own nuclear families.

Wow, the holier-than-thou brigade are out in force early this morning.

I’m not holier than thou, just a damn sight more sensible than some people. Insulting me doesn’t make my post less valid.

I feel your pain. I've just been sent a £100 speeding fine! Seriously overdrawn already.

To be honest Wombling it’s only recently we’ve been in a position to save anything, and that has been with cutting our cloth.

OP it’s Sod’s law that the shit hits the fan just before Christmas/birthdays/anything that means you need money. Hopefully things get a bit easier soon

You have my sympathies. Almost every year something electrical and expensive breaks just before Christmas.

We’ve come to expect it now! It’s like Expensive Repairs Bingo!

Ebay - type in the search 'bed support metal'
You may find you can repair it.

It's always crap when you get unexpected bills this close to Christmas.
You moan away!

I feel your pain-4 new car tyres needed here last week.

I think possibly your DH shouldn’t be spending spare cash you need (for emergencies and Christmas) on a holiday for himself?