How much do you live on per month?

OrkneyStar

lisani2003 wrote: »

Hi, Please can somebody rell me what the OS board is ? it looks interesting !

Many thanks

Old Style Money Saving board.
Here!
x

Lucy1010

OrkneyStar wrote: »

What is included in 'general spending' ?

Grocery & household shopping, entertainment out, clothes, birthday presents, meals out, drinks out.

(not including debt repayments/bills/rent/mortgage or fuel costs)

Lucy1010

OrkneyStar wrote: »

What is included in 'general spending' ?
Also I notice that you say 'not enough money to make you happy' with the lower £110 pcm.....perhaps if you take your focus off money making you happy (it doesn't) you will see how people with less survive!
I have had times of affluence, single, well paid etc, but now am a SAHM, have much less money, but boy do I get some much more out of every penny!
All the best!

Put it this way, I cannot join in the birthday lunches next week at work because my new self appointed budget won't let me. This is what I mean by having less money making unhappy I will have to up my budget otherwise I will get depressed, rubbish I know but to me it's serious.

What is a SAHM please?

OrkneyStar

Lucy1010 wrote: »

Put it this way, I cannot join in the birthday lunches next week at work because my new self appointed budget won't let me. This is what I mean by having less money making unhappy I will have to up my budget otherwise I will get depressed, rubbish I know but to me it's serious.

What is a SAHM please?

A 'stay at home mum'- hate the term tbh, but it is standard use nowadays. Basically my 'job', for now, is looking after my DS, so we only have one household income. Pre his birth I generally always worked, and hence had more pocket money!
As for not going out for lunch...well surely even half of the £100 would cover that (unless you have already spent it on something else!). Can I suggest that of the £110 you keep a little aside so that if things happen later in the month you can still take part ? Even when I had more money I still kept some aside so that I didn't have to 'miss out'. The bottom line is sometimes we cannot do everything we want to, although you can budget so that you are able to do some of the things. Not meaning to sound condescending but there will always come a point when you have to turn something down for lack of cash, unless you are very rich/marry a very rich partner!

ETA- can you afford to up the budget a little and still pay the debt off in a reasonable time ? If so then do that and stop feeling so depressed about it....as long as you are reduced your debt and still able to have some sort of life then you have the correct balance.

Lucy1010

OrkneyStar wrote: »

A 'stay at home mum'- hate the term tbh, but it is standard use nowadays. Basically my 'job', for now, is looking after my DS, so we only have one household income. Pre his birth I generally always worked, and hence had more pocket money!
As for not going out for lunch...well surely even half of the £100 would cover that (unless you have already spent it on something else!). Can I suggest that of the £110 you keep a little aside so that if things happen later in the month you can still take part ? [/I][/B]

Yes I understand what you are saying but that £110 is divided over the month which is a 5 week month in March. I have 2 birthday lunches next week but I only give myself just over £20 p/w to live on. If I attend these birthday lunches I won't have any money left for the week in fact I will be borrowing from next week's budget to afford both lunches.

This is why I started this topic in the first place... I don't mean to sound like a diva but how on earth are you all managing and smiling at the same time?

OrkneyStar

Lucy1010 wrote: »

Yes I understand what you are saying but that £110 is divided over the month which is a 5 week month in March. I have 2 birthday lunches next week but I only give myself just over £20 p/w to live on. If I attend these birthday lunches I won't have any money left for the week in fact I will be borrowing from next week's budget to afford both lunches.

This is why I started this topic in the first place... I don't mean to sound like a diva but how on earth are you all managing and smiling at the same time?

Well you have a choice:
1. go and starve for rest of month:
2. go to one and semi-starve: :cool:
3. don't go but be sad: back too:
4. see if you can give yourself a little more monthly spend, still paying debt back, albeit at a slightly lower rate and longer time-scale! This might be the favoured option, remember paying less but sticking to budget is better than trying to pay more but blowing it!
Of course this depends on:
Are you paying more than minimum required payment to debt ? If so then you do have lee-way to reduce (and live a little more), if not it might be beans on toast for a while until it is paid with the hope of it being paid soon to look forward to!
Hope this is not too confused!

PS Well done on being nicotine free

Lucy1010

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Well you have a choice:
1. go and starve for rest of month:
2. go to one and semi-starve: :cool:
3. don't go but be sad: back too:
4. see if you can give yourself a little more monthly spend, still paying debt back, albeit at a slightly lower rate and longer time-scale! This might be the favoured option, remember paying less but sticking to budget is better than trying to pay more but blowing it!
Of course this depends on:
Are you paying more than minimum required payment to debt ? If so then you do have lee-way to reduce (and live a little more), if not it might be beans on toast for a while until it is paid with the hope of it being paid soon to look forward to!
Hope this is not too confused!

PS Well done on being nicotine free

I think you've solved it for me Yes I am paying way over the minimum payments into debts, my goal is to have them paid off in 10 months (originally 17 months) but I will have to give myself longer time-scale to stay sane and happy I wish I was more like these other OPs though.

Thanks OrkneyS x

OrkneyStar

Lucy1010 wrote: »

I think you've solved it for me Yes I am paying way over the minimum payments into debts, my goal is to have them paid off in 10 months (originally 17 months) but I will have to give myself longer time-scale to stay sane and happy I wish I was more like these other OPs though.

Thanks OrkneyS x

We are all different in how we do things.
I was just saying to my DH last night, £10 saved and left there is better than £50 saved and £45 taken back out! Don't just take my advice lol, but if you give yourself a little more (not £100's lol) and you don't need it that month then you can put a little more to the debt than you first planned if you want to. Also your debt is not huge, whereas some people with large debts have to be very strict if they want to pay if off (and are perhaps choosing to pay it even if the numbers suggest that it is not possible!).
I still suggest the Old Style board too, budgeting, and sell anything you can on ebay in the meantime!

Anyway off to bake with DS.

Souk08

Lucy, such a great thread. i sense that you are quite like me in that you are used to enjoying a good social life and are finding it hard not being able to have one due to debt repayment. It is hard and I have lots I could say on this but need to go out so I'll be back later X

Lucy1010

Souk08 wrote: »

Lucy, such a great thread. i sense that you are quite like me in that you are used to enjoying a good social life and are finding it hard not being able to have one due to debt repayment. It is hard and I have lots I could say on this but need to go out so I'll be back later X

Absolutely Souk x