Are you more well off than you say you are?

safestored4

Admirable comments throughout this thread, but I think that it indicative of the sort of society we have become that at this moment there are 282 people viewing the Debt Free Wannabee forum against the mere 5 viewing here.

Jay83

Happy New Years everyone!! Thanks for posting replies to my original question.

I can't believe how hard it is to say No to people nowadays. I know everyone wants to go out and have fun but people seem to think living on credit cards is the norm nowadays. I am glad ive stuck to my guns and said No that 1 out of 10 times. I know you cant always stay home but i honestly couldnt bare to spend my whole months wages. I like the security that savings feels.

tattycath

Jay83 wrote: »

Happy New Years everyone!! Thanks for posting replies to my original question.

I can't believe how hard it is to say No to people nowadays. I know everyone wants to go out and have fun but people seem to think living on credit cards is the norm nowadays. I am glad ive stuck to my guns and said No that 1 out of 10 times. I know you cant always stay home but i honestly couldnt bare to spend my whole months wages. I like the security that savings feels.

Happy New Year to you too.
I need to try and save more this year so I can have a decent buffer. I have to confess I haven't even got 3 month wage equivalent as yet-we probably have just about that as a couple but I would personally like to make sure we have that each really-because you never know what's around the corner.

GreenNinja

I tend to be quite vague with people, they might say not seen you out and about lately and I usually say I've been doing other things rather than say I've been staying in to not spend money.

I have 2 best friends where we are open with each other about what we have and what we save etc but I don't tell anybody else anything about my personal affairs. People do tend to get jealous, even to the point of me having to say to them well I live in a small one bedroom house, you live in a 3 bedroom house with a garden, obviously my outgoings are less accordingly.

renegade

pixtotts wrote: »

I definitely do the finances I go off, the one with constant money going and out is just 1 bank account... but I actually have 5 of several varieties with a couple of banks, 1 I use purely for birthday money, a savings account my Nanny started for me that I just havent decided what to spend the money on yet (my nan died a few months after giving it to me so I'm saving it for something special ).
I also never go below £100 in the most used account so I always have a nice margin to keep me afloat should I need it.
x

Very sensible pixtotts, never put all your eggs in one basket comes to mind.lol

Katem

I never let anyone know how well off (or not) we are, as I feel money issues are a private thing - but I have absolutely no problem in saying no to things if I would have to (and didn't want to) dip into savings for them.

If people think I'm skinted or minted then fair enough, I'm not too bothered about what people think anyway!

mitchie.h

Jay83 wrote: »

For the last few years ive always put some money aside from my wages which i then do not consider part of my spending budget. Ive continued to do this for every pay so once my spending budget is gone i wont go out with friends or go for meals (basically spend on treats) ive always said to friends i have no money to do this or that because i feel like they would say just spend some of your savings and make it up later. Anyway it got me thinking does anyone else do that? basically lie about your situation to help you stay on track? I feel abit bad about it because its making me look like i am so poor with handling my finances.

I do this and surprisingly, at the end of the day, I save more! Always better to save for emergencies, for your future and for more important things than spending what you've got right there and then for good times and when the time comes that you really need the money, you have none.

My friends know me as thrifty and when I say I have no money, they know that I don't really have no money but I would just like to save what I have for emergencies.

I can't say that I don't have a life. I drink occasionally, celebrate milestones but on a simpler way, I give gifts during birthdays and holidays but my spending is what I can say, moderate.

Zver

You could just say "I've got no spending money left this month". Then you're not lying. And if they're friends, they should understand. I would never try and convince any of mine to spend more than they were happy to.

sparrer

Katem wrote: »

I never let anyone know how well off (or not) we are, as I feel money issues are a private thing - but I have absolutely no problem in saying no to things if I would have to (and didn't want to) dip into savings for them.

If people think I'm skinted or minted then fair enough, I'm not too bothered about what people think anyway!

Absolutely agree, my finances are nobody's business but mine. I don't have to explain if I don't want to go somewhere or accept an invitation, I certainly don't tell them 'I can't because...' Why do people feel they have to explain themselves? A simple 'thanks for the invitation, maybe another time' will suffice.

Always_after_a_bargin

I have gone from one extreme to the other. It took hardship and being on my bottom to of learnt a valuable lesson. 6 years back I got into quite a bit of debt. Certain situations that i found myself in could not be helped but I also was a spender. Due to self esteem issues I thought my happiness laid in material possessions and having the better stuff etc. some people from my past would call it showing off but it was insecurity. Everyone thought we had more money than we had when in reality we were in debt. Anyway I had a lightbulb moment and now 6 years later. People now think we are skint and struggling except in reality we have a few thousand pounds in a savings account which grows every month.I make regular overpayments to our mortgage account and most importantly we are debt free apart from our mortgage. I only buy clothes in the sale & only when needed. If we can go without we will. We only book last minute deals on holidays ( not abroad.) we even go camping to keep cost down. I have strict grocery budget. We don't go out drinking and we don't smoke. Everything to do with our finances is organised with precision. Now I am happier, living the simple life with what's important the people in it and not what I have. The future feels secure now and to be able to put your head on the pillow every night feeling contented is priceless. Sorry I have babbled on but the point I am making is, once our entertainment fund is gone, it's gone we domt go or do anything as I treat my savings account like a bill that needs to be paid. We have a entertainment fund and when it's gone invites and days out etc stop till next payday. People now do automatically assume we are skint due to us living so simply but we really don't care x