How skint are you ?

[Jbrown76]

Inspired by this thread on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/s/iR5TPqfSR7

-£130odd in the bank, £0 savings, haven't paid this weeks £150 childcare bill but I get paid Thursday (finally)

Simultaneously skint and doing ok.

We're in the midst of an offer on a house, to which we will put £350k of early inheritance and our cash.

But that's "sunk" money in bricks and mortar the moment it's paid. Many homeowners have equity, some a great deal, but that's quite separate to daily living costs.

We currently have £17 in our joint account, thanks to rent just gone out, a double nursery bill (twins) a garage bill and large food shop just done. The fact we have 4 cars (none particularly fancy) at the moment is fucking ridiculous for the two of us, and that four road taxes, insurances is not helping, but it's just been bad admin/two broke/one needs an MOT before we can put up for sale.

I don't know why but I always feel more skint now that I have to wait until the last working day of the month. I used to get paid on the last Friday, and though rationally I know it makes no difference over the course of the year, it always feels so much longer between payments now!

Don't take the piss.

We are struggling more than ever despite recent pay rises! I have about £100 in the bank until payday, 20k in debt due to maternity leave.

This time a few years ago I had maybe 10k savings and about £500 disposable each month, now we literally are down to the wire every single payday so unable to save. This is thanks to mortgage and bill increases, reduced earnings due to being unable to afford extortionate childcare and our food shop has gone mad- I’m unable to get it under £200 a week!!

You never forget being broke

It never leaves you

A long time ago I was really poor. My son would have been about 11 or 12. He is 25 now.
The longest I went without eating so he could eat was 5 or 6 days. It was hell. I mean I had no food at all.

I remember thinking if I find a quid on the floor it will save me! I never found a quid!

It really sucks. Sorry to all of you who have to make it to pay day on so little.

I have about £650 in my bank. Paid next Friday
And about 1.2k savings.
This time last year I had no savings at all so I'm really trying to change that

So no not skint but I do need to do a shop. Pay my phone bill & buy the kids new school uniform and train tickets for work training

not got masses in the current account, but I've got in food, fuel and bills covered until my husband gets paid on Friday.

Got some in things like savings account and Isa so no not skint but not rolling in it either.

I have £160 in my current account until pay day on Fri 26th Jan. I did have £250 but I did a food shop today for the week and spent £90 so the leftover is for top ups in the week if I need, plus a bit for fuel money for work next week. I also have £4,800 in a savings account but that's the grand total of my savings and that's been seriously depleted over Christmas so I'd rather not go into that, as it's my only buffer. I also have a credit card for emergencies if needed but I try not to use it if avoidable.

So in summary, I'm not rolling in it by any means, but I'm not that skint at the moment thankfully. Things could be much worse.

£17 until pay day Tuesday, but done a big shop today and enough fuel to last me so long as kids need anything between now and then.

About £500 on my credit card that will be cleared this week from Xmas. Managed to clear 3/4k debt in 2022 and last year saved about 3k which isn't a massive amount but I felt good about that and I'm on track to do same this year if not more so feeling pretty good. I'm a single parent and whilst earn a decent wage my out goings are high, but I try to be careful whilst still enjoying myself and treating the kids and making sure they have everything they need.

16p in the bank

No savings

Owe father in law. Mum, and husbands step dad as unexpected car repair £800 that we weren't expecting

It's shit really shit

sorry to add I have had times in my life I've been really fucking skint. When I lost my job when pregnant and the SMP ran out. Got into debt with the council tax then. When the banks used to take masses off you if you went overdrawn. When my kids were in childcare when I got back to work. When we fixed our mortgage before the financial crash and rates slumped and we were paying hundreds of pounds a month more than the SVR. Some shit times. It's taken me to 50 to be in a bit better position, appreciate I am fortunate.

Sorry you’ve just moved 10k from your current account into a savings account and you’re feeling skint? 😏

It's very interesting to read what people view as skint!

"Skint because I've committed to a 15k holiday." 🙄
"Skint because I've just moved 10k to savings." 🙄

In my world skint is having no or very little disposable income at all after essential bills. No savings or very little. Struggling to find money for the absolute essentials.

Skint and really shouldn't be. Husband is well paid.

Give an eg £1500 this week - out of that, £300 went straight to his living costs (he's working away at the minute so in hotel), we were £300 overdrawn due to unexpected vet costs, so £600 gone straight out, we need £600 a week for bills, so that left £300. However out of that £150 is needed straight away for rental cost of his temp place so that left £150.

For the week for 4 of us. Both cars need fuel - £70 for one car and £50 for the other. So that's £30 for the 4 of us to eat on for the week.

We should be well off but we have major debts due to covid (both of us lost our incomes and ended up with huge credit card debts) that we're still paying off. He's paid weekly which should make things easier but it absolutely does not. Also in the middle of a house renovation, so it's bills galore of £1k plus at a time paying for plastering, building work, windows etc etc.

Skint, have £40 to last until Friday, need a small bag of dog biscuits and some toilet rolls and probably milk, the rest will go on petrol, no other options as job involves driving a lot.
I don't have any savings and approx 6k in debt, hoping to change that this year. DH has lots in savings, but no job. So I can borrow money from him when really skint.

£94 in the current account until payday.

Just got hit with an £18,000 tax bill.

No mortgage.

£34 k in savings.

Not skint by any stretch and so bloody grateful.

Is this a joke? You’ve put £10k into savings and are moaning that you’ve only got a few hundred until the end of the month? Which is 11 days away! Some people only have a few hundred to last them a whole month!

Probs because the credit card is interest free and they earn interest on their savings

I would like to add (whilst being quite restricted on what I can post without being seen as advertising) that I work for a charity who issues food vouchers for really quite a lot of food, but it has to be collected in person from their premises in Norfolk and you need to live in a certain radius.

I know that won't help most people, but if just a couple of posters see that and think, wow, that would really help me, then please PM me and I can see if your postcode comes under our remit x

So many people saying they are 20k+ in debt due to maternity leave. How? Really just curious as we are TTC and I feel I can’t afford a whole year off. Never contemplated getting a loan to cover it but is that the done thing? X

I've got about £80 in my current account until I get paid next Friday and £900 in savings. Credit card has taken a hit though this month as my dog has been poorly and I've had to use it to pay vets bills. I'm actually in a much better situation than I was a couple of year's ago when I would have been seriously overdrawn by now with no savings.

@ellie09 , we are ( the youngest end )of the " boomer " generation and recently retired . Boomer bashing is very lazy , boring and incredibly aasumptive. We have not had a penny of inheritance. Both started work at aged 16 . Took 40 years to pay off the mortgage and don't have a massive savings pot . Not sure why you think you are entitled to your grandads money instead of your mum? . In that way I assume, if you have children you will ask your mum to leave the bulk of any money she has to them and not you ? .

£80 in current account to last until end of month, 1.8k on credit card. I'd consider that doing well considering my circumstances