Running out of cash before payday

[Buttonmoons]

Is it just me, or does anyone else become short of money half way through the minth. My bills are paid and the fridge, freezer and cupboards are quite full, but it’s 2 weeks till payday and I’ve got £400 left. I really need to budget better!

aibu to be worrying about this?

Yeah actually if you only have 400 in total money then I do understand it. I don’t have much in my current account but I do have a large amount in savings. If I only had 400 to my name I’d be worried.

Hello, are you new to being a human?

Then I wonder how worried you’d be if like some us on this thread with £19, £3.61 and my £37 would feel?!

My car has just failed it’s MOT despite just having work done and told it was fine, it’s only a few years old but I can’t afford the repairs so it’ll have to wait till next month, I’ll be walking everywhere.

I just needed a new fridge but luckily it was covered by appliance repair or I’d have been screwed.

I have no money for Christmas, I had a ceramic piggy bank I couldn’t open that I was using to save for Christmas, I’m going to have to smash that open to use the money for my car.
I’m also lucky my best friend bought me a winter coat or I’d have had to have gone without.

I had savings but with the cost of living I had to use them to live, now it’s an overdraft and credit cards.

This thread has made me so angry and not sure what it was meant to achieve?! £400 for two weeks sounds like plenty of money to me. There are some of us with so much less who haven’t felt the need to start TWO threads!

Have you just got off a space ship where you've been in deep sleep for the past decade?

OP you've had a hard time on this thread but I completely understand why it would feel stressful if the £400 is all the money you have to your name. It's not being disrespectful or unempathetic to those that have less. £400 is not enough to cover lots of life's "surprises" like a car or white goods breaking down, an unexpected bill. So yes £400 may be more than many people have but jts far from ideal.

Some people don't even get that much when they get paid!

Wow.

What a fucking shitty thing to say. Vile.

Indeed. Let's hope you're never in a position to find out what that actually feels like. Situations can change so suddenly I'd hate for you to find yourself with so little and then to top it off someone comes along and calls you a failure...

I'd consider myself a failure if I had views like them.

At least OP has filled her freezer and cupboards full of food for the month. An obvious thing to do is to pay all bills as soon as you get paid, do as OP did and stock up freezer and cupboards with food then split remaining money into 4 as it's easier to manage on a weekly budget. OP can simply split her money into 2 so should easily manage to the next payday unless she's got some big expense she hasn't mentioned.

It sounds like you might have a bit of anxiety going on. It must be harder if you alone are responsible for everything.

This is how we budget as well, everything from holidays to Christmas to emergency car repairs and vets bills has a pot (Monzo account).

We don't always have loads in our main joint account, but plenty to cover expected or unexpected bills, and can always shuffle things around if we're short.

I had to replace 2 car tyres due to a rogue screw puncturing one last week - that 200 quid is my commuting budget for the month ergo commuting now goes on credit as there is NO spare money (single mum here on one income) You really are clueless.

Well thank you for your input. Extremely valuable to all people struggling and who have lived hand to mouth there whole lives.

Oh no, poor you!
I get paid in around 10 days and I have about £50 of my OVERDRAFT left.

My point was that previous poster was boasting about having so much in her current account when actually it’s not a sign of being good with money.
Completely agree about money management being taught in schools. I’ve said previously that we should get rid of RE lessons and replace with money management. RE could be spread across other subjects like history and PSE. Money management would be a much more valuable life skill.

Surely that's what an overdraft is for? I always hope to have enough by budgeting but sometimes unforeseen expenses take you over/xmas/splash out on something you shouldn't have.... and I might go overdrawn. Next month means you start on the back foot but such is life of an average/low wage earner IMO.

Some people don’t have overdraft facilities…I don’t have one, nor do I have a credit card.

Such humour doesn't go down well on MN. Tongue in cheek generally doesn't.

It’s not wealthy, but if you have that left after paying bills, it’s not exactly destitute. 🙄

I've got less than £400 for a month after rent & utilities.
Most people don't have that amount of disposable income for a month let alone 2 weeks!

I'd be thinking I was quids in if I had £200 LEFT
Living on disability benefits I barely get that in a week.. including bills!
Know your privilege and keep it to yourself

I understand how you feel OP. I get edgy if my current account goes below a certain amount. It is getting harder and harder to maintain an emergency fund too (even a small one) and that also puts me on edge.

Oh and I've never been able to get out of my overdraft for longer than 3 days