Is It Always One Step Forward & Two Back?

LookingAhead · 2 March 2006 at 4:06PM

Did (or does) anyone else feel like no matter how hard you try, someone "up there" is conspiring against you and you'll always get poor luck (financially)??

I try & count my blessings I really do and I know I got myself into most of this mess but sometimes I just want to scream!! :wall:

Examples:

Last Autumn when things were starting to feel a bit better but I still was not in a position to save any money, I had to have the front part of my exhaust replaced = £50
Then two tyres needed replacing = £70
Then between Xmas & New Year the back box of exhaust blew a hole - £30 (luckily I found somewhere doing a deal - it was worth ringing around!)
Then at the beginning of February after OH birthday (which wasn't 'free'!) the drive shaft, ball joint on car needed replacing = £168
The very next week the car fan decides to pack up = £30
I've just got home and (as I put in today's spend thread) got Barclaycard statement and realised I didn't factor in BT fees = £65 to add on to what I thought was a <£2000 balance which was a bit of a mental barrier in my mind...less than £2k just sounded better than over £2k y'know?

Of course I have no money saved so it all has to go on a credit card.

Sometimes I just get so down cos no matter how hard I try - scrimping the pennies together to get a few more veggies for dinner or selling my worldly possessions on EBAY to pay for the monthly bus ticket - something always seems to come along and kick you back down the ladder.

I'm trying to save but it's virtually impossible as it just means paying less off overdraft or credit cards if I put money into ISA so what's the point?

OH & I are not doing a lot together by way of going out & being a couple.
He helps by paying his fair share of the way and contributes towards the car costs (he uses it during day=why I get the bus, it's easier this way, long story) so it now means he is getting less & less from his pay packet and the end of each month and it is getting him down.

Last night I was in tears cos it felt like he was starting to get resentful and I thought "I'm going to lose him - he's going to think I am some sort of financial Jonah and he'll never have any money whilst he is around me". Watch this space on that one...but I hope we'll work through it.

OK, I guess I am just letting off steam but if anyone else gets days like this or has a story like this - please share so I don't feel so pathetically paranoid!

Thanks.....

robnye · 2 March 2006 at 4:46PM

step back and look at what you have paid off............ then smile..........

woohoo_postingid · 2 March 2006 at 5:27PM

I think at times we all feel like that. Car ownership is the worst offender as it cannot be predicted (although it can be planned for)

Sometimes it's one step forward and two steps back
Other times it's two steps forward and one step back
However, when you are on the right track, you will get to the end of it one day.

LookingAhead · 2 March 2006 at 5:36PM

woohoo_postingid wrote:

I think at times we all feel like that. Car ownership is the worst offender as it cannot be predicted (although it can be planned for)

Sometimes it's one step forward and two steps back
Other times it's two steps forward and one step back
However, when you are on the right track, you will get to the end of it one day.

Car ownership is indeed a big pain in the butt!

We can't afford a new (more reliable) car, can't really afford the repairs on the old car, can't afford to save & worst of all we can't not have the darn thing as it's essential for OH to get to his job.

Sigh.

Just some breathing space would be nice...!

I look forward to getting to the end of it...and perhaps even a short way down the track seems wonderful at the moment. But, I'll battle on = like we all are.

LookingAhead · 3 March 2006 at 10:03PM

I don't believe this. Today I raise just a small private cheer to myself for managing to knock £50 off one of my overdrafts. I don't go out tonight and the money I may have spent, I put towards groceries.

OH just comes back and tells me the car fan has stopped working again and also when he pulled the key out of the lock, the lock came away with the key!

:wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall:

Well screw it. They'll just have to stay broken. I refuse to throw any more money at it.

But I still want to scream the house down!!!!!!

scottishspendaholic · 3 March 2006 at 10:30PM

Hey LookingAhead

I'm sorry you're having a bit of a rough time just now. I am really hoping everything goes well with you and your OH - and don't worry too much about the car stuff. I know its easy for me to say but it will all work itself out. I drive an old banger too which has had £500 spent on it since we bought it in September (only six months ago) and its £500 I just haven't had.

Anyway - just to say I'm thinking of you - keep posting and keep coming back to MSE

Lots of love

scottishspendaholic x

LookingAhead · 3 March 2006 at 10:32PM

Thank you SS xxx

Lydia.42 · 3 March 2006 at 10:32PM

Hi Looking Ahead
I know exactly how you feel.
Since our light bulb moment in Dec 05, we have had so many bills.....4 new tyres for car, headlight bulbs, repairs to roof £300ish, vet bills - 160ish and still rising, my car tax this month, OH's car tax next month, OH has just reaslised MOT due next week on his car - old, so will cost, and when i got in mine to go to work this morning my service light flashed to let me know it was over due.......losing track of it all...... :mad:
BUT......just this week alone 2 people i work with have lost loved ones.
I count myself lucky that my worries are purely financial. Not that i am in any way putting down the worries money can cause. Far from it.......i have been there in the dark at 2am when the demons whisper, and i try to work out whether Peter has enough money left to pay Paul this month!!!!!!
Just want to say chin up, at least you have found this site, and are aware of you money and are facing the right direction.......not head buried.....butt in the wind!!!!! :rotfl:
Big Hugs to you, and i hope things get better.
L

cats505cats · 3 March 2006 at 10:49PM

Lydia's right!Puts it all into perspective when people loose loved ones or friends.A close friend of mine got made redundant yesterday from her nursing job which she'd done for 15 yrs! No time to say goodbye to any of her work colleagues,just clear your locker and escorted off the premises!! So much for the caring profession!!! Now I'm worried for my job too...

cats505cats · 3 March 2006 at 10:52PM

Yes the demons got me at 4am this morning!!!!

THE_LONE_RANGER_4 · 3 March 2006 at 11:37PM

put it all in perspective pay your debts slowly but regular eventually some debts will offer discounts to get you off there books all you have done is get in to debt it will come to an end eventually so chin up keep smileing reguards andrew

Is It Always One Step Forward & Two Back?

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