What’s your zero?

[TangySuits]

Name change… Curious to know what people’s ‘zero’ is when funds are low. What is in your account if you’re running low or skint? Be good to know peoples perception of how they view the value of money. In a single parent and my zero is £15. Really wish I could save more but food and general basics is very costly

My zero is now £100.

I've spent years in debt and only recently started to sort out my finances, so zero at £100 means I don't unexpectedly go into my overdraft if I miss something (not that I miss things any more now I have a budget, no credit card and am slowly building savings.)

For YEARS zero was the end of the £500 buffer that was BEYOND my ?£1700 overdraft limit. I think MN skews to financial savvy and privilege, and it's easy to forget that not everyone is doing as well as many on here.

I have savings, so don't really have a zero. I always keep £1000 in the current account, as that's what the monthly bills come to. That way I know I will never go overdrawn. I then have savings for any extra's. I have about 2 years salary in savings. But this is because I'm older (55), it wasn't like this in my (say) 30's.

replies are really informative - thank you! Reflecting on my income and expenses I think I have major anxiety over what’s left or available after bills and food are taking care of. I have mini mouths to feed and often do go hungry. In 2025 I never ever thought that would be the case. Ive been a single parent for a number of years. It’s only really now that I pay attention to what I’m purchasing and what food shops I can do. I can name the prices of most supermarket items from memory and notice how quickly it changes. I would feel better if I had a small pot of savings aside. Reducing the anxiety would certainly help reduce that energy. Feel a little more secure is a peace of mind I’m aiming for. I can live with that knowledge and not feel so jaded by it all.

I’ve made major cut backs as well. Especially when it comes to things like treats and days out. They are few and far between now.

this is starting to read like a ‘poor me’ story, it’s most definitely not that. It’s just good to know how others re managing and coping. And if people are on the breadline like me then they hide it pretty well.

I actually aim for zero.
i divide my after bills income by 30. Any money not spent on that day goes to savings even if only penny’s. Should I overspend, I buy nothing until I’m where I should be according to my 30 day plan.

I work to a zero balance budget so my zero is zero. Every penny is accounted for. However part of that is that I save £2k a month. So my current account will be down to zero by payday (intentionally, because that’s how I budget), but we have a substantial amount in savings and investments.
Rather than always keeping £1k in my current account, I’d rather have that £1k in an account earning decent interest.

I aim for zero on pay day in current account. There is a rainy day saver that gets 4.61% interest so sometimes money sits in that knowing that if something unexpected comes through I will notice quickly and just transfer something over which takes about a minute.

I don't count my savings, ISA or premium bonds in my 'zero'.

Like a PP I make sure that my current account doesn't drop below £1,000 and if it does I make adjustments to my spending.

However in my younger days zero was definitely literally £0.