Where is all the money going??

[Fragmentedbrain]

I've never been great at budgeting but my tastes are pretty normal, my husband and I both work full time, no kids, no mortgage.

I just accidentally went into my overdraft for the first time in 25 years (when I was a student).

Wtf is happening! I'm not sure I can handle this next phase in General Decay of Everyone's Quality of Life.

I would get a side gig but (a) tax really erodes much of the benefit and (b) AI seems to be taking the bottom out of much of the freelancing world.

I live in Scotland, already pay loads more than I would in England in income tax and terrified they're going to put it up again just before Christmas.

Maybe the op should apply so they can see the actual reality that disability payments aren't handed out to every man and his dog. Some who need those payments sometimes get turned down. One letter is not going to get them anywhere

Indeed. Plus a little bit of anti SNP Government and benefits bashing.

I’m guessing your ADHD affects your day to day living and mobility because my cancer treatment sure as hell does.

Wtf are you on about? Where did OP suggest moving to England or bring up people flying flags?

She's stated income tax is higher in Scotland than England.... which is a fact. Can you not even bear a fellow Scot stating a fact without being vile and calling English people gammons? If that's how you truly feel then you're hating a set of people because you don't like the idea of them. So you're no better than the people flying the flags.

Well said @TheGrimSqueakersFlea
Anyone who thinks PIP is “ easy” to claim, is deluded!

Anyone who says that PIP is handed out after a letter than says “I’m disabled. In the legs’ is a shit stirrer.

In fairness I've just compared my take home from wages if I was in Scotland Vs my take home in England with student loan repayments and id actually be better off by £100 per month in Scotland before you even take into account the prescriptions etc that I wouldn't have to pay for. So it's not even a case that income tax is particularly harsh in Scotland when you take into account other things
Can't understand the pp being so angry that we who live in England exist. I am certainly not a 'gammon'

How would you be su siding others to live in a bigger house? You've lost me!

But, but ... Op doesn't max out her ISA allowance sometimes, surely that would entitle her to disability payments, I mean she can get a letter... Surely that means she should get more money, after all, she pays tax (like every person who works above like £12k)
Don't go ruining her belief that disability payments are used to fund lazy people when you come here showing that some people are actually suffering with medical issues which mean that they actually need these payments

I started having a budget in the last few weeks for the first time since my student days ~15 years ago. I give myself $X per week and try to stick to it. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t as I have a buffer, but I’m sick of working and not being able to save as much as I’d like. It has led to some positive money-saving changes, like I now have a fancy coffee machine and make my own coffee in the morning, and I now pay as a I go with exercise classes because I wasn’t getting my money’s worth with the pricey unlimited membership due to being away on holiday or on work trips.

I’m only saving a little bit more each month with this budget, but I feel better about / more in control of my finances with it.

🤣🤣 @Juniperberry55 I hear you!
OP, please DO share the contents of this “letter” I would love to see!

How much extra are you paying in tax in Scotland, compared to the rest of the UK? You have no mortgage and are trying to max your ISA, what is your long term plan for your savings? Why not just relax and enjoy life?

Agree that things are stupidly expensive. I saw a chart about the fact a 100k salary had the same spending power noe as a 50k salary did 20 years ago. So when I aspired to earn 100k, I thought I would be skiing every winter and driving a new rangerover, not what I am currently doing which is holidaying in a caravan park and buying yellow sticker food whenever I can.

Honestly we manage on two basic wages so not sure where your money is going, hard to answer without seeing your outgoings

Ah so this is actually a benefit bashing, Labour bashing thread, I think you were just a little bit too subtle with your opening post!

Now you’ve opened up abit I’m sure you’ll get the reaction you were after!

^ this ^

This OP seems to post a lot of rage bait type threads.
IGNORE.

These threads are never useful because they’re full of people insisting you should be able to cut back.

put it this way, my sister said to me recently:

for years I would put £1000 a month into a savings account. A short term one- it would build to about 5,6k then I would use it for a car/ house repairs, holiday spending or Xmas. Maybe £1,2k a year would roll over.

she said last year (years deep into the COL crisis for many others) she noticed she had started needing to transfer back part of the £1k each month to cover her unchanged expenses. Then a bit more. Then a bit more. She says now she transfers back 5-600 a month.

can she survive? Of course. But if people like her aren’t able to manage that money under the exact same circumstances then surely we have to acknowledge this is more than budgeting skills?

Op tries to save the max into her ISA each year, so around £20k and admits she doesn't budget... She could do with a budget. She just wanted to moan about disability benefits