I have literally no money!

PARIS_5000

brokeinwales wrote: »

Hi all,
I need to read through all the things that have been posted in my absence and also get some thank you's to a few especially lovely people.

As you may recall, last time I posted I mentioned a cough. Said cough turned out to be the first sign of a chest infection that kept me house-bound for the best part of two weeks - which is why I haven't posted.

I was, at least, not spending a lot. (Pay day came at last!). And it gave me a chance to think about a lot of the things I'm not happy with in my life - of which my money problems are one, but also things like not having much of a career, or a social life, and generally feeling pretty c**ppy about myself a lot of the time. Mostly that just made me depressed - but part of me is thinking maybe it is possible to sort it all out.
I started by making myself a monthly budget - I'll probably have to revise it a bit, becaus, if I'm honest, I'm not organised and I'm dreadful at planning and working out what I should be doing with my money for the best - but at least I have some sort of guideline to start with.
I've got these ideas in my head that one day I'd like to have savings, and own my own house (or even a flat), my own car, and have a job I really like, and get a cat or two maybe (!) Just have all those normal things that normal people enjoy, instead of just coasting around from crisis to crisis. Maybe sorting my finances out is the start of that. Maybe it's not (little voice in head telling me that it's a losing battle and just to give up...).

But thank you so much to everyone here for all the support and concern and advice. It really has helped - you are all such lovely, caring and positive people that it can't help but make anyone reading feel better.

Good to hear that you are okay now and have been paid.

Primula

I picked up late on in your thread, but was really touched by it, so I am glad to see you are ok and back in the virtual world again!

Since you are wanting to sort out your life/finances, perhaps it might be an idea to start up a new thread with your SoA etc and we can all subscribe to that and encourage you along your way.

P
x

brokeinwales

I've just read the last few pages of thread, and wanted to say thanks for some of the great advice and links - really useful stuff. I think something good that has come of this crisis is that, mostly due to following tips on here, I've learned a lot about more effective grocery shopping. At the weekend I did my first proper grocery shop and managed to cut my usual spend by around a third (I'm not an extravagant person, but I think sometimes I tend to grab the first thing off the shelf without thinking about what I'm going to do with it, or whether it's good value). I'm also experimenting with Lidl's own brand leg razors (fine so far)! By finding out that I can stay alive on very little money, I've learned a bit about how to be more careful when I do have slightly more at my disposal.

I'm very impressed about the "thread of the week" thing!

Nessa56

brokeinwales wrote: »

Hi all,
Just have all those normal things that normal people enjoy, instead of just coasting around from crisis to crisis. Maybe sorting my finances out is the start of that. Maybe it's not (little voice in head telling me that it's a losing battle and just to give up...).

.

Don't give up YOU CAN DO IT

It is just a matter of changing habits and these can be done luvvie

v
x

Annie021063

So glad to see you back BIW
Hope you are feeling better

IHateDida

Hey - excellent - nice to see you back - I've been popping back to see how you are getting on. Pleased to see a more positive outlook for you - hope things continue to go well :-)

macgirl

Hi BiW :hello:
Just checked in again to see how you're doing. It's great that you've changed your habits so much in such a short space of time.
Please don't give up = it IS worth it, you can achieve all the things you want. Look at how many thousands have read this thread!!! We're all willing you on hun! x

brokeinwales

Well I am a greedy pig who just ate two packets of Lidl noodles for lunch (despite what it says on the packet, you can do them in the microwave) - it still cost less than the jacket potato I would normally get when I forget to bring lunch with me (I now have a "noodle and beans" drawer in my desk).

Following an inspiring PM from someone who's been reading the thread, that basically re-inforced some things I've been thinking, I've also been starting to formulate the seed of some kind of plan for finding myself something more fulfilling and higher earning to do. More of this to come over the next few weeks/ months/ years (eek) I hope, alongside my DFW mission.

I've paid the first £160 off my electricity debt now, and I gave my Dad £50 at the weekend to start paying him back. Also hope to pay off some overdraft debt if I can. Now I know I can live very cheaply, I've realised that my debts aren't impossible, and with a bit of organisation. Looking at my spending diary so far I've realised that many of the things I spend on, such as newspapers, or soft drinks, or work lunches,or bus fares I actually won't really miss, I just do them out of habit. There's also things like having to buy lunches at work, because I've forgotten to bring food with me, are more a matter of planning than anything else. And then there's looking for cheaper alternatives to things I do buy - which MSE is helping with a lot. As I said, I've never been a spendthrift, but I have often been an "unthinking" spender - spending more than I have to out of a mixture of laziness and scattiness. I guess you can get away with that kind of thing when you're on a good wage - but on a lower-than-average income, especially after some of the bits of bad luck I've had recently, it's a recipe for disaster.
It's easy to think "but I'm really careful with my money" and "but I never treat myself as it is, how can I possibly cut back?" - not all of us got into debt through the designer shoes and sports cars route - sometimes it's just living your life in a bit of an unthinking (and perhaps a bit immature) way. I need to grow up and take a bit more responsibility for my financial well-being I think. I need to know what's going on.

And then there's getting over my morbid fear of the "check balance" button on cash points....

joolsybools

Yay, glad you're ok and back in the fold!

fruityslh

Nice to see you are back, your thread has been a very interesting read, I hope you manage to achieve all the things that you wish to. The support from people on these forums is immense and when I joined some years ago, they were a godsend. I'm by no way debtfree but I am now comfortable with the debts I have and know that they are under control, which eases the conscience (Sp).

I hope you embark on this journey learn some lessons and come out of it a much wealthier and perhaps more importantly wiser (moneywise) person.

Best of luck

PS How did you get on with the landlady and your deposit?