Work hard but still skint!

[Sensiblade 10]

Food wise

Always buy Pasta & Rice in bulk, so no matter what you have something filling and healthy to cook that will go with pretty much anything.

I always try and find reduced Fruit and Veg at the supermarket as they 9 times out of 10 actually don't go off for at least a week after purchase.

[Donato 10]

I work full time earning £14K, have a mortgage, a child etc.... and am constantly frustrated about how skint I am. I sometimes wonder if it is just me or if other people struggle as much as I do. At the end of the month, once all bills are paid I'm lucky if I have £50 spare for clothes, a social life or luxuries. I'm interested in knowing if it is just me or does everyone else share this frustration?

 

Exactly the same here. Work full time, got rent, kids etc..The wages go in at the end of the month, by the 1st of the next month, i am lucky to have £50. But like others say, it then becomes important and you want to spend it on something useful.

[InBlack 10]

All well and good and thank you all so much for your contributions here but doesn't it make you sick that you are tiring yourself out working hard after being at Uni for 4 years (and still having to pay off that debt) and still finding things so tough. I tend to think that because I work hard (which in all honesty I do, just not in a well paid (financially) job) that I should deserve some type of comfort or the occasional luxury?

[carboy42 10]

You live to your means, i the last 3 years I went from 28k net too 48k net and this year looking at about 55k net, and yes i still manange to spend it all, own my own small apartment and have a car paid off and it all goes goes goes, maybe i should have less lapdances on a weekend :-)

 

in fairness though I always have the latest toy the day it comes out

[Sensiblade 10]

You live to your means, i the last 3 years I went from 28k net too 48k net and this year looking at about 55k net, and yes i still manange to spend it all, own my own small apartment and have a car paid off and it all goes goes goes, maybe i should have less lapdances on a weekend :-)

 

in fairness though I always have the latest toy the day it comes out

 

That doesn't really help in this thread does it?

[Allen 38]

You live to your means, i the last 3 years I went from 28k net too 48k net and this year looking at about 55k net, and yes i still manange to spend it all, own my own small apartment and have a car paid off and it all goes goes goes, maybe i should have less lapdances on a weekend :-)

 

in fairness though I always have the latest toy the day it comes out

And you like bragging too.....

 

Your post has no relevance to the Op's question.

 

Living on a budget isn't easy!

[InBlack 10]

And you like bragging too.....

 

Your post has no relevance to the Op's question.

 

Living on a budget isn't easy!

 

Thank you and also Sensiblade

[InBlack 10]

And you like bragging too.....

 

Your post has no relevance to the Op's question.

 

Living on a budget isn't easy!

 

 

Living on a budget is not easy. When I was doing my degree I didn't once think that life would end up this tough. The fact is it has. I work full time, have a child, am in the situation I'm in. I now want to address the situation, maintain my contribution to society and yet enrich my own life somehow. I don't need anyone rubbing my nose in it! I don't want to go into details of what I do for a living but I can honestly say that my contribution to society and to people's lives is nothing but valuable and I have great job satisfaction....if this is the price have to pay then so be it...my values are so much higher than financial! I was just looking for a bit of support and suggestions of how to manage better, not to have someone tell me how much richer than me they were!

[dell12 10]

Living on a budget is not easy. When I was doing my degree I didn't once think that life would end up this tough. The fact is it has. I work full time, have a child, am in the situation I'm in. I now want to address the situation, maintain my contribution to society and yet enrich my own life somehow. I don't need anyone rubbing my nose in it! I don't want to go into details of what I do for a living but I can honestly say that my contribution to society and to people's lives is nothing but valuable and I have great job satisfaction....if this is the price have to pay then so be it...my values are so much higher than financial! I was just looking for a bit of support and suggestions of how to manage better, not to have someone tell me how much richer than me they were!

 

Good on you for sticking to your principles. There are so many more important things in life than money.

[carboy42 10]

just making a point, we all have a budget, just your circumstances change around it too fit! bet you £1 if the OP income doubled overnight he would be back in 12months with the same post!

[katy1981 10]

our homes income is the same as the op's but that includes all tax credits and child benefits etc etc. we have 4 in our house and we just manage but birthdays and xmas and unexpected costs can be difficult to budget for, in the past when we were younger well it was mainly me not my partner i was a little stupid with money but we managed to get most of that paid off but we are still payin little bits off now, we somehow manage to run a very small cheap car, have sky tv (cheapest package), house phone and the internet (again its a cheap package) and pay our small ish morgage. im currently quitting smoking which is saving us. our food bill is around £200 a month but that includes everything like milk, bread the odd takeaway too. i try my best to make the most of the petrol i use for instance i work near where my mum lives so when i finish on a tuesday night i call in i have to pick my wages up on a friday so instead of goin to my mums on wednsday or thursday i go to work on friday and call to my mums at the same time.

 

have you looked at things you buy when shopping to see if you can change any of the brands?

 

maybe you could look at your current morgage and then see if you can get a better deal by going with a differant company? we were paying £400+ a month then switched and are now paying £300. the same goes for your utilitys and any insurances you have?

 

i save money on clothes by not buying things that will date quickly i buy simple items that are neutral and customize them by using cheaper accessorises like scarves, clips, belts, cardigans etc etc. and also buying summer stuff in the winter sale helps i buy stuff and put it in the cupboard till next summer, then in summer i buy the winter sale stuff.

 

i save money on meals by bulking them out with things like stew with dumplings and change it the next time do it so its with pancakes. i put beans in the sausage casserole. i like to add yorkshire puddings to meals when i can as this also fills them up but doesnt cost the earth.

also freeze whats left!

 

i hope the above helps and keep your chin up luv

[Boblet 10]

Maybe I will next year but I think this year's award is based on last year's earnings??? Last year I earned a bit more due to overtime!

 

That's the thing I've never understood about WTC - what relevance has last year's earnings on your current income? Surely it's what you are currently earning that should determine what you receive.

 

My sister lived with a partner last year, as a consequence of which their joint earnings were above the threshold to receive WTC - now that the partner has left, her household income has dropped to about £10,000, but she has been advised that she is only entitled to a minimal amount due to her partners contribution to the household income last year - doesn't make much sense to me