To ask you, if you’re one week away from payday…

[Munnymunnymunny]

How much disposable income do you usually have left? Purely nosey and nobody has to answer. I have about £300 left in my current account. All bills have gone out and I have savings and shouldn’t need fuel until after I am paid, so it will just be top up food shop, a few train tickets and anything else I need to get. I haven’t saved anything this month 😬

What an obnoxious reply!! That’s clearly not what she means. Of course you’ve worked hard and those are amazing achievements, but equally someone who simply does not have those opportunities (and some will just not, and it’s nothing to do with not trying hard enough) but works 50 hours a week in a crappy low paid job and manages to provide for their kids is also working bloody hard - you are implying that they are not, because they don’t have a masters.

We've got £137 left for the next fortnight (discretionary - all bills covered) but that's because both the annual memberships for Amazon Prime and the AA left the account this month.

So if you’re working as hard why aren’t you reaping the same benefits?? Not as qualified, not as experienced, wrong choice of career path, not
prepared to move to where the well paid jobs are, not
willing to leave your kids overnight for business trips??? Trust me, there’s a lot of people do sweet FA compared to what I do and reap far more benefits!

I get paid 2 weeks on Fri, I have a bit more left this month as I’ve lived off jackets/beans, tuna salad etc (instead of nice lunches/teas) as I want to buy an air con unit at £300.

If not need to buy anything big (this month air con, last month doc martens) I just take it off my (usually a bit more extravagant) food money for it & eat accordingly!

Sometimes just enough for food shop and petrol, sometimes a few hundred/a grand. Depends on how hard that month has been (I miss being paid weekly!!)

It was £273 a week before my pension payment last Thursday. I'm now at £326. I was awarded PIP two years ago, that makes a huge difference! It will go in on the 27th, by which time I'll be a bit in the red. Without the PIP and the discounts it brings on rent & CT, I'd be fucked. People survive on a state pension alone but, bloody hell, it must be miserable year in, year out.

I move money into savings at the beginning of the month, not the end so don't expect to have much left in my disposable money amount by the end of the month, sometimes it's £100 or so, but I don't think that's comparable to PPs saying they have £500 left but haven't saved anything this month. Similar with joint account, savings moved at the start of the month and the money left in the account is right what the outgoings will be with a bit of a buffer £100-150 ish

I have £600 left until payday in 9 days time. Tax and savings have already been set aside.

However I need to fill up, do a massive food shop, buy some clothes for the kids, train tickets and some gifts. Will probably get a takeaway. I'm self employed and didn't work for 2 weeks last month so next month will be lean.

Wow you sound incredibly arrogant. As you'll see from my earlier post I'm also in a fortunate financial position, and my CV reads similar to yours (other than the male-dominated industry, because of other choices I made). But I'm open-minded enough to realise that one piece of bad luck at the wrong time and it could all have been a very different story. One diagnosis of ill health, one boiler or car breakdown in my first few months of a mortgage, one job interview going the other way, and it could all be different. There but for the grace of god, and all that.

Paid on 15th and I have 1p in my bank.

So if you’re working as hard why aren’t you reaping the same benefits??

Well maybe because shit happens in life 🤷‍♀️
Circumstances change. I work hard 6 days a week to support my family because right now we are going through a difficult time with ill health in my family. But you can feel superior because you've worked so much harder of course.....

Checked this morning, I have £1850 left in my account, all bills paid for this month. 2 weeks to pay day. Saving £500 pcm in a separate account for summer holidays.. yet to decide where we are going! I panic if there's not at least £500 sitting there as a buffer 🫣 I do actively try to have no spend days. Fuel in the car is almost full, food shop comes out another account weekly already accounted for.

I have £800 left each month. Sometimes slightly more.
I move it to savings on payday.
I do not have a mortgage though or own a car

@innerdesign i’m not being arrogant as such but I’ve worked with too many women who literally want to have it all but can’t walk the walk as well as talk the talk the talk!

Negative money. This will change when our child qualifies for free hours next January.
We are earning around 100k between us and we literally have no fucking money. It's insane.

I’ve got 6 days till payday and I’ve got £21.26 in my current account 😂 It’s less than I would usually have left at this stage, but it’s fine as can totally get by without spending anything. All food and bills come out of joint account and are already budgeted for. I don’t often go on social outings and don’t need to buy anything so it just means I’ll do less frittering than I usually do.

A couple of thousand, plus savings. But everyone's situations are so different, is knowing that in any way useful?

I don’t know because I don’t have to know. I’ve paid off my mortgage and my kids are self sufficient. I’m very comfortable at this life stage.
However, there was a period in my life where I would have NO money before pay day and counting the days until I could lift my monthly child benefit from the Post Office (plus my £6 per week lone parent benefit!) . We lived on beans and eggs for a few days. DCs got a hot meal at school.
I agree with @caringcarer - once the DCs leave home your income is yours. Once you no longer have childcare costs and expensive teens wearing out their clothes quicker than you can replace them, the pressure is significantly less. I used to earn twice as much as I do now, but now have far more disposable income than I ever had previously because my outgoings are reduced.

I divide all my money up into various pots on payday: bills, groceries, fuel, gifts, holidays, savings etc. I generally then have around £250 - £300 per month for frivolous spending - meals out, clothes, entertainment, days out, things for house, but this is nearly always gone by the next pay day.

@Scattercushiony earning interest aside … if you lose your debit card or are hit by some sort of scam or fraud then that sum is vulnerable. Never keep high amounts in a current account, it’s more vulnerable than in a savings account only you and your bank know about..

I used to live in my overdraft. Nowadays I have a good few grand in my current account so I don’t have to worry about payday.

@WavyLines11

well said!!

@NotFastButFurious

what an arrogant pov. Pride in your achievements is one thing, maybe consider others weren't in the position to be offered or take up those opportunities.

you're one accident/health condition to no longer be in your situation. Think on that before telling people they're not as wonderful as you.

Joys of being a divorcee with a mortgage and a kid in uni!

I am all that bar a uni child and am not in the same position. Being a single mum doesn’t mean barely surviving. I hate that stereotype

We have just under 7500 in the joint. Mortgage, bills and cars accounted for. DINKs though.

We're 2 weeks out and have about £500 for food and petrol.

I'm not spendy in terms of clothes, don't drink or smoke but I do buy whatever I fancy food wise everyday so that money will go fast.