To just want some bloody money (not a begging thread)

[brokepoke]

Not a begging thread but I just want some money. I just want to feel I have something to my name 😩 Salary goes in and shoots back out again the following week no matter how much I faff around with budgets.

I know I’m not alone - it’s a solidarity thread more than anything. I just want to have some bloody MONEY!

Do you mind saying which one you use? I can't work out which ones are worth going for (I would be using it like you do, paying it off every month)

@User543211 have you thought about asking (anonymously if you'd prefer) on local Facebook groups if anyone is getting rid of furniture etc?
I agree the cost of second hand furniture has risen like everything else, but there are still loads of people who either just chuck stuff out or give stuff away for free, but maybe wouldn't want to offer it on fb as such because of all the chancers and time wasters.
However a direct appeal from someone really works, I've seen it on my own fb group.

Also where I live there is a local charity which only deals with collecting furniture and then selling it on from their warehouse really cheap. They deliver too.
They are so much cheaper than larger national charities because the aim is to reduce waste and provide lower income families furniture at as low a cost as possible. My friend went to it when she was really struggling and had moved house with nothing to her name. They pretty much furnished her own house and didn't charge very much at all, she got lots of stuff for free as they were so generous and really wanted to get her back on her feet.
Might be worth a google or asking on fb?

@litup Go on money saving expert and look through all deals on credit cards currently. You also need to look at your expenditure. I’m going to be shopping around for a different card soon. That’s another thing jump bank accounts for offers.

Number of children seems to be the issue for a lot of people struggling to make ends meet. I think if there was better childcare infrastructure more people would be thriving instead of surviving. Kids are expensive, even after the nursery years. I just have one and would be doing quite well if I wasn’t a lone parent. Growing up in poverty I’ve always been acutely aware of the link between children and poverty for women.

I read about matched betting on mumsnet over 1.5 years ago and decided to find it a go…. Made nearly £5k in that time (started with a few hundred quid) Don’t do it much now but enough to earn £100 or so a month by not doing much at all . Worth looking at.

Same here. We both work full time (I have 2 part time jobs but it's full time hours and salary). Husband works about 60hrs a week without including travel in his job. Granted we do have 3 children (and 1 step child) but we don't have money for anything. A 3 day UK holiday a year. I wear the same clothes I've had for years. I haven't had my hair cut in 3 years because the kids have theirs done regularly. I wear the same pair of trainers as they all need new shoes every few months.

When I was a kid, if both parents worked you'd have plenty money to live and for luxuries - like a holiday abroad! Imagine!. Instead, by this time in the month I'm borrowing from here, there and everywhere just to feed and house us. It brings me down.

Gambling addiction has soared. Please be really careful. Lots of people start their addiction with a free bet.

Yes agreed, but matched betting isn’t actual gambling, you make a profit whatever the outcome of the race/match etc, no excitement really to get addicted to….

Of course it is gambling. And I think it is irresponsible of you to push it to women who are struggling financially.
Some people do get a gambling addiction from matched betting.
You can make your issues a lot worse if you are not careful.

Also skint. I do try to save a bit, but it is a small amount. And all the savings seem to do is get me out a hole when something breaks. I have no doubt I am not as skint as some, and my kids have hobbies and (inexpensive) new clothes. But I'm sick of worrying about the gas bill and wondering how the hell everyone else seems to afford Audi car finance and foreign holidays.

It's the mental slog of constantly thinking about money and dreading any unexpected bills.
Solidarity to you all .

Yes, hearing a new clunk in the car and thinking 'oh no, I'm stuffed again!'

Thank you, I will have a look into it!
We are fortunate to not be a low income family. I know I'll get stick for this but we both earn 35k working full time. It's just doesn't go far when paying £1.5k a month for nursery for the last 3 years and obviously mat leave in that time taking a hit. We've spent 36k on nursery so far. We've had to borrow money to pay the bill sometimes. No holidays or cars or anything for years but we are fortunate to have a mortgage and in a few years our outgoings should go right down.

@sciaticafanatica I live in dread of unexpected bills - I know I should be putting more money away each month to cover (for example) new glasses, dentist costs etc - but TBH if I did that I couldn't afford all this month's expenses so all I can do is hope that I don't get a big bill somewhere!

It astounds me how people near me regularly afford expensive holidays, newer cars etc - one school mum has been out of work for a few months (not her fault, I know she's job hunting) yet had overseas holidays over the Christmas holidays and now half term - how?! In common with a lot of people on here, I have suspected ADHD and previously had a lot of debt, which I clawed my way out of and really don't want to go back there. Some months though, I just don't see how it's avoidable

Putting your money in a pension is a gamble. Investments are a gamble. Buying a house is a gamble. Traditional ways that are seen as being financially prudent could still lose you significant amounts of money.

If you follow a matched betting strategy properly you're guaranteed to make a profit - it would be irresponsible to not mention this as a realistic option to people who need extra cash. If you're inclined to gambling addiction then obviously it would probably be best to avoid it.

I had around £2k balance constantly on a credit card for about 3 years that I just managed and never had the means to pay off. In the past year since starting matched betting I've paid it off, not living in my overdraft for probably the first time ever and paid for a summer holiday this year. Chances are I'll start to have my accounts closed down by the bookies and slowly lose that bit extra coming in, but it's made a difference to my life in a relatively short space of time.

Totally understand, I need so many things (necessities) but the salary is so low.

It’s not gambling as if you do it correctly there’s no way to lose money. I agree though it shouldn’t be pushed to everyone, you have to be good with numbers really or very good at following processes otherwise it’s easy to make mistakes and lose money that way. It’s not for everyone.

Can't believe people are pushing gambling as a way of making money. An absolutely irresponsible thing to do.

Then trying to compare the risks as the same as pensions and houses ffs!

We have just come out of the nursery years which makes huge difference, but some other things I use are:

• Cashback sites when ordering online.
• Trolley app for supermarket shopping. You can search by item to see where things are cheapest, so it shows things on offer (I dont think it shows nectar/club card prices though).
• All the supermarket reward cards/apps -Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Asda. Obviously only if you have them near you. I recently went to Morrisons after not going for a while and a £6.50 voucher had appeared on my app.
• Current account switching which can earn £200 a time. Money Saving Expert has all the details.
• Olio app. Free food listed by volunteers and other free items listed by anyone. I check at about 9pm for food, as the volunteers collect from supermarkets in the evening, and I browse regularly for other stuff. This week I collected a plate set and some brand new shoes.

Well, inflation has just gone up to 3% again, and that's pre-April NI rises, which are expected to push inflation up further.

Even with pay rises, it's no wonder we're all worse off - water, fuel, energy, council tax, communications providers and food are all expected to rise again, taking a good extra £100 out of my pockets every month while this year's pay increase may add £70 after tax, so I'll be £30 worse off again.

Where I live it seems only the lucky few get pay rises (apart from those on minimum wage) My team haven't had a pay rise in almost 6 years . Back then we were on well over minimum wage but 6 years on we are only slightly above it. Bonuses were aplenty then too, not anymore unfortunately. Obviously the cost of living was lower back then too. We really are a lot worse off now.

I don't have kids so no skin in the game, but I think the government should be paying more for childcare. Other countries seem to be able to do it (my sister in Canada pays $10/day for her child). Its impossible if you bring home (say 3000 a month, which is a good salary), but then 1500 of that flows out for childcare. I think how we fund and care for children is a measure of how caring your society is.

Nothing to add - just solidarity- feeling your pain. I get paid and it’s gone again.

Some bank accounts have this facility, such as hyperjar and Monzo.

@Thornybush no pay rise here either! I've been in my current job 3 years but have had zilch as a pay rise - it's a small company so I just don't think they have the wiggle room to offer any. I have to stay for now as the hours fit with childcare and in other ways I really like working there, but I'm hoping that when my DC are older I can increase my hours/ find something else that pays a bit better!

@mjf981 childcare for my twins was just over £100 per day for both, and that was 8 years ago, it must be well over that now and wages have hardly increased at all

I have a Chase account and that has the 'pots' too - I couldn't work with the cash envelopes, would far rather have the money in the bank than in the house/ my purse where I would constantly worry about losing it!