Money down the drain - tell me your tales of misery!

[SomeOtherGirl]

Bad luck comes in threes, and I've had three money ones this week (the second one's not too bad)!

1- DH used a toll bridge that won't let you pay at a toll gate, you have to log on to the website when you get home. Guess what, he forgot - and used it in both directions. £80 fine coming our way! (And he wonders why I'm so neurotic about stuff! :-D )

2 - The toilet broke and needed replacing. I called a plumber and he wanted £160 plus VAT for the first hour. DH is currently redeeming himself for item 1, with a youtube 'how to' video and a toilet from B&Q. Dodged a financial bullet there! And shredded the divorce papers. Phew!

3 - But the most annoying one - I just mucked up an accommodation reservation in a really daft way that has made it cost an extra £130. Nothing I can do to undo the damage - I've tried, it is what it is - basically I lost out on a one-off discount. Urgh. That's a lot of money to me!

When this kind of thing happens, it makes me reflect on how difficult it is to save / earn money, and how easy it is to lose it, if you're daft enough (like us!!) For example, last night I spent three hours on the internet researching baby equipment to save £30 on the price of a baby item for imminent DC2. I was dead chuffed to have saved the money and was all pleased for a bit. That's three hours of an evening to save £30. How have I just thrown away £130 then?! What is wrong with me?

Now I'm wondering what I could have done with that £130, all the lovely things I deny myself in the interest of saving money.

*15 books for DC
*Probably an entire layette (if you still use that word!) for DC2
*10ish reusable nappies
*A total hair makeover including dye, perm and other glitzy stuff
*260 cans of diet coke
*A babysitter and meal and cocktails out on two occasions for me and DH
*A fancy upgrade on the pram I want to get for DC2 but can't justify
*A fancier phone next time I upgrade
*proper leather boots this winter
*A Rymek keyboard (total frivolity!)
*Petrol for four and a half round trips to see my DPs
*Tickets to go and see DPILs
*A lot of cinema tickets
*A lovely(ier) birthday present for DH
*Some clothes that aren't in the sale for once! (And therefore probably fit a little better)

I could go on :-D

Then I was thinking, hmmm, what could I do to make up that money, little by little - and I realised the world doesn't really work that way. I found 18p on the street the other day and felt I'd won !!!

So aibu to ask you to cheer me up and tell me the face palm moments when you realise you'd lost / squandered / wasted a load of money, what would you have done with the money if you hadn't lost it, and whether you managed to do anything to make it up in the end? :-)

Lily and Mysa, no, it was the mersey crossing, alas!

Speaking of flights, I once booked a ryanair flight and booked for hand luggage only. This was before the restrictions on how much hand luggage you could have (2004). The check in lady said I did in fact, have too much, but I didn't have a suitcase. She advised me to use my (gigantic) laptop bag and just carry the laptop. So I paid to check in the laptop bag, filled with other junk that I had been carrying.

Then I dropped the laptop.

Needed bricks secured in chimney stack.
Every roofer wanted £300+ and I just couldn't afford it.
Chimney needed sweeping so when I booked the sweep I mentioned it, he would do it for £50 on top of sweep fee.
Night before he was due chimney fell over and through the roof AND the bedroom ceiling
Full new roof.

A company that comes up when you google passport application and charges the same amount as the passport application. But what you get is a filled out passport form. I then had to pay again to get my passport. Was RAGING. These days I always check the little padlock on websites but this was around 10 years ago

It’s a nightmare when things like that happen. I think the best thing to do is try and write it off and let it go, you’ll drive yourself mad otherwise! But I know it’s easier said than done.

I once bought tickets to see DP’s favourite comedian for his birthday and he was so excited. Had a look at the tickets the day before and realised it had already happened last week - I’d mixed up the dates! That was £60 down the drain when I was on a very tight income, but mostly I was upset I had let DP down. (We managed to finally go on the next tour).

A smaller sum of money but I remember as student I walked 30 mins to my university campus to buy a ticket for an event. Walked all the way back and couldn’t find the ticket - I must’ve somehow dropped it on the walk. Clearly I’m not meant to buy physical tickets!!

And finally a few years ago I’d treated myself to a fancy solo lunch at a trendy restaurant. It was lovely, pricey but the food was so rich and gorgeous and it felt like such a treat. I guess something disagreed with me though because moments after paying the bill I felt queasy. Rushed to the loo and promptly threw up (sorry for that image!). It was quite humbling to see what I’d just paid for re-emerge in a matter of seconds

At the start of lockdown we got debt free for the first time in 13 years. First week of lockdown my daughter knocked the laptop over smashing it, 3rd week our tumble dryer packed in, 6th week someone ran into our car and drove off, 8th week the washing machine packed in 🤦‍♀️ but none of these expenses compare to the utter rage I feel at the bill I got from taking the kids to 'stack and still' the rage is still high a year down the line! Bloody rip off pancakes!!!

I once lent a uni friend I thought I was close to around 800, paid some of it back, then blocked me. Both mature students on a professional course. My own stupid stupid fault.. still angry at me now. 2 years on.

Came back from a break away with kids to

1. A leaking roof
2. A knackered freezer & contents
3. Tumble drier gone as well

I've cried, you tubed had the drier in bits but bit the bullet and forked out £400 to replace - god knows what the builders costs will be

One income in my house too bloody marvellous 🙈 ex who owns half the house and works in the building trade will not entertain possibly helping me with the roof! Dick

Did it last eek. I bought 3 of an item on amazon and 1 was delivered. I then thought I'd only ordered 1 so re ordered another 2.

You guessed it, the original 2 were then delivered (one at a time) this morning and then ths afternoon the new 2 ons arrived.

So I mean have 5 of the bloody things!! I will send 2 back but will have to pay the return postage.

OP, if that's the Runcorn Bridge then you can appeal that. My sister did that - will find out for you if you like.

Thought of another one. I went to Timpsons to get a passport photo taken. I spent ages on my hair and makeup and it was one of the best pics I’ve had taken. Took it to the passport office (my appointment was incredibly early and it was my day off) so I hadn’t bothered with makeup or anything. I didn’t look scruffy just very plain and a little sleepy. The said they couldn’t accept the photo as I was smiling slightly and I’d have to take a new one then and there. I was raging. I still can’t bring myself to look at my new passport pic 😪 the gorgeous one I took haunts me as I can’t use it but I’m going to see if it’ll be accepted for my new drivers licence. I still curse timpsons whenever I walk by one

Lol Jesus so many - prob the biggest one was screwing up my self employed taxes when I was 20 and got fined - few hundred pounds that I needed for like, food. Ate a lot of beans and stolen apples (Thank you kindly neighbour for never getting angry about the apples) for a few months.

Probably the one that gives me the most angst, lent my ex money for rent as I was the one to leave - I had written this money off as he could not manage money, but he made many big loud promises to pay me back - which, you guessed it, were bullshit. ££££ down the drain.

Oh my goodness, these are all outrageous! And definitely making me feel like I'm amongst friends :-)

Restaurants - Two weeks ago I treated DH to a Eat Out to Help Out, then went to pay and the lady announced they (~were the one restaurant in town that~) weren't participating.

Appliances - This month, kettle has died, toastie maker has died, our car was crashed into by someone else.

Tickets - Yep. I have on several occasions lost tickets / forgotten the date!

I got a speeding ticket in lockdown when I had to go out to buy tampons. I saw the van checked my speed was under 40. It was it was 37 to be exact which was great but speed limit was 30. Entirely my own fault just really annoyed with myse as I'm quite speed aware and I've been driving 16 years without a speeding ticket. Or dojng much speeding! £90for course. But actually they did teach us how to know the limit which is apperently a big issue so hope it won't happen again!

@HollowTalk

OP, if that's the Runcorn Bridge then you can appeal that. My sister did that - will find out for you if you like.

Merseyflow...? I don't know if it's the same one. He doesn't have an excuse apart from by the time he got home to us at the other end, he'd forgotten. And he is but a man :-D :-D

It was twenty years ago and it still makes me furious.
I'd spent months calling people, waiting in for trades, watching the fucking chimney like a hawk scared to death a brick would fall and hit the dog or next doors kids. Scaring the crows off it.
I went to bed that night thinking thank God it's sorted tomorrow.
To be rudely woken with an unholy fucking crash and when the dust cleared that smug red bastard leaning jauntily on the wardrobe.

Managed to shut my front door with the key on the inside. Called out for locksmith - £80 to pop open my door. Then friend and I realised that we hadn’t turned the handle inside my large living room window- so I could have easily just pulled the window open from the outside and climbed in
🤦🏻‍♀️

Managed to loose my return ticket for my train journey home from one end of the country to another. Frantically searching at ticket gate, had flipped open my suitcase, couldn’t find it.....Train was departing in two minutes (one of the last so I needed to catch it) so ended up buying another single fare to get home. Found it in my jeans pocket (in the suitcase) once home. That was £40 down the pan.

@workhomesleeprepeat

Lol Jesus so many - prob the biggest one was screwing up my self employed taxes when I was 20 and got fined - few hundred pounds that I needed for like, food. Ate a lot of beans and stolen apples (Thank you kindly neighbour for never getting angry about the apples) for a few months.

Probably the one that gives me the most angst, lent my ex money for rent as I was the one to leave - I had written this money off as he could not manage money, but he made many big loud promises to pay me back - which, you guessed it, were bullshit. ££££ down the drain.

Gosh really, they fined you?! Yuk, I get the chills about anything to do with my tax return. Shudder.

@DurhamDurham a did a similar thing but it was a battery for £150 then failed it's mot would need £700 of work. Got like £90 for scrapping it. I was so skint at the time as I'd just moved to London and really wanted to keep the car going to visit home. But wasn't to be!

@bellalou1234

I once lent a uni friend I thought I was close to around 800, paid some of it back, then blocked me. Both mature students on a professional course. My own stupid stupid fault.. still angry at me now. 2 years on.

I would take that to the small claims court if there's evidence it was a loan.

Having for the first time a lovely family holiday in France (offered 10 days in a friend-owned gite) only to find that our ancient car was too old for european travel insurance and then the car started making odd noises and we were very worried about a 1000+ mile drive with 2 children in the car... we ended up having to replace the car to go on the holiday...Still laugh about the ‘cheap’ holiday (that wasn’t)

@SomeOtherGirl considering I earned a bit less than £20k that year I thought it was a little harsh! I could have appealed but I was young and scared that it would just cost me more money

@bananaskinsnomnom

Managed to shut my front door with the key on the inside. Called out for locksmith - £80 to pop open my door. Then friend and I realised that we hadn’t turned the handle inside my large living room window- so I could have easily just pulled the window open from the outside and climbed in 🤦🏻‍♀️

Managed to loose my return ticket for my train journey home from one end of the country to another. Frantically searching at ticket gate, had flipped open my suitcase, couldn’t find it.....Train was departing in two minutes (one of the last so I needed to catch it) so ended up buying another single fare to get home. Found it in my jeans pocket (in the suitcase) once home. That was £40 down the pan.

Locksmiths are another one like emergency plumbers, who pray on those in a vulnerable situation. I've done this twice :-( The first time, because of it I missed a train booking to start a new job. I was so embarrassed.

Many, many train ones too. One where we were late to buy tickets, so the man at the ticket counter said - the train is there, as the conductor if you can buy from him. We found the conductor standing at the door and asked him. He told us to climb aboard. Then the doors closed behind us, and he said "Ok, that's a £££ fine for boarding without a ticket". My jaw hit the floor and I got the absolute rage. We got off at the next stop without paying him, but had to wait an hour for the next train.

I recently moved house and the change of address led to a £25 reduction of my premium - yay - subject to a £30 admin fee 😡

I left our brand new camera in a hire car in America that had all our photos on.

I once left my purse on top of the pushchair and some shitbag stole it whilst I was smelling scented candles in Wilko.

I got a parking ticket whilst going to get change for the meter. Made the most out of it though as I left my car there for 5+ hours.

I once bought a cheap laptop as mine had broken and ended up replacing in 3 months later as it was incredibly slow. I suppose the buy cheap, buy twice holds true.

I went on a weekend away to visit friends, left DH with the 3 DC. Bought them each a toy IRO £40 (not for DH though ) and forgot them on the train when I got off at my home station. They never made it to lost property. Still bitter 9 years on about that. .