Why is there always "something else"

tibawo

I can really relate to this thread especially I was until recently only just able to balance the budget against the cash coming in and could not even put something on one side for the extra things life throws at you.

Mine was the bits for school where they would come home with a letter for money needed within a couple of days. Granted it may not seem like much but that £1 at the time was literally the milk for the week.

967stuart

I wish my 'something else' was a lettuce.... this month it was the car insurance (ouch!! lol)
Thankfully I have a rolling 'contingency' fund which covered it.

Really have no idea how I missed it!.... must have been half asleep when I did my budget spreadsheet.

Prothet_of_Doom

Years ago, I went on a cost estimating course with work.


The example they gave was when quoting a new ship, they would always estimate the cost of the ship including a state room, with solid gold fittings, but this was an addition to the contingency they had built in. So if there was any cost drift, they'd fit brass taps from homebase (using a nectar card).

Is your budget a budget or just an estimate? If it's a budget and you COULD live without it, then just don't buy it. For years I've not had marg or butter on my bread, or sugar or milk in my tea because as a student, I considered it be luxury I couldn't afford.

A while back I used to do the shopping, and if I went over £50, my wife would send me back with items she felt were not needed.

SpecialBrew_2

I can relate to the 'always something else' thing too. Last week it was my daughter's trackie bottoms, which she needs for school sports and practically lives in for the rest of the time anyway when she can get away with it. She came home and told me that they'd split up the back, which I wasn't that bothered about because I was a dressmaker for years and imagined I could just repair them. Until I looked and saw that the seam was still intact but the fabric had torn awkwardly. A couple of pairs of the cheapest trackie bottoms that Sports Direct has to offer are currently making their weary way here.

This morning I was told that one of her trainers have a hole in the bottom and is letting stones in. These are practically the only pair of shoes she's got - they're the sturdy black type which do double duty as her school shoes because she's still in Primary and we can get away with that kind of thing. She's going to have to have another pair, but Asda stopped doing the ones we usually buy a couple of weeks ago, and the ones they've replaced them with are two quid dearer. Of course.

Then there's the notification that came home in her bookback on Friday of an imminent school trip, complete with request for the £8.75 that will pay for it. I so agree with the poster who said that even the smallest of these financial demands from schools can quickly add up. There was one particular week last year where it got so daft that I wondered if it would have been cheaper to educate her privately. The £297 required for her four day school camp only just fell short of the £314 it's cost for the entire family to spend a week away on holiday this year. She starts secondary in September, and that's just come with the notification that the new pupils will get to know each other a bit more on a residential trip in October costing 'only' £125. Aaargghh!!

Also coming this month is the unknown quantity which is the MOT on the car. I think that's why I'm letting the rest of it bother me a bit more than usual, because there is always something else, and I ought to be used to it by now!

Bread and milk pretty much never run out here though. I always keep bread in the freezer and told the family years ago that it was going to be long-life milk or nothing in future. There were a few complaints for the first two or three days (strangely only from those who knew I'd made the switch!), but everyone got used to the taste within a week and I can't imagine buying anything else now. Even visitors always say 'Yes please, I'd love one' when offered another cup of tea, so it can't be that grim.

sourcrates

My daughter has a mobile phone on my account, I make sure she has plenty of mins, texts, data, etc, or so I thought, last month she has apparently raked up a bill of £340.00, when its usually £60.00 between us, AAARRGGGHHH !!!!!!!!! something I was not expecting, my fault I suppose, I should keep better track of her spend, just lapsed this one time, am trying to dispute the amount with orange as its way more that normal, you would think they would text you a warning when you go over your normal spend, but no, more profit for them I suppose, oh well !!!!

Kate_fixing_it

good_advice wrote: »

Making the most of what we have the good fortune to have.

I love this! We've had some very odd combinations for dinners since I became a DFW simply because I refuse to go to the shops if there's food in the house. I will happily go without now based on wanting to avoid spending and as long as the children have want they need (as opposed to what they want) I'm a happy bunny.

Nobody goes hungry in this house, there's always a meal on the table but it's their choice as to whether they eat it because it's not what they wanted.

However, these "voluntary contributions" for school trip letters that include the phrase "if we don't get enough payments we will be forced to cancel" are a damn cheek and beginning to get on my nerves.

Kate x

hohum

I've just started using YNAB budgeting and while I kind of agree that it's about whether you 'choose' to buy something, I'm not into the idea that I must SUFFER those choices. If I make a choice, I make it willingly. There may be some ah.. adjustment or compromises made. But is it suffering to go without when we're talking about small things?

However, I am certainly learning where the gaps are in our budgeting. I actually make project budgets in my job and always start with the gold standard and work down from there. With our household budget I have already discovered...

- didn't allow for occasional parking charges when boyfriend uses car, £4.50 so far and we're 7 days in
- didn't allow for boyfriend's smoking (£5 a week)
- I apparently can't accurately multiply two times twenty, times four
- I had allowed for additional grocery spends at the local market but haven't got there yet so it's being spent at top up shops at supermarket
- boyfriend dramatically underestimates how much his overdraft costs

And discovering we needed to purchase accommodation for work (usually is arranged by employer) added another £110 of expenses.

I await the new developments in our budget with interest. It's only been blummin 7 days and I've rewritten it 3 times.

lazer

I had budgeted £20 for household (groceries, cleaning stuff etc) but went to Tesco yesterday and spent £81 as my in laws are coming to stay tonight, so bought a a good selection of food, wines and a bunch of flowers to make the house look cheery - so I either forgo my spending money over the easter holidays or tuck into savings. Will try and do the month within budget and still enjoy my easter holidays - have a week off, first week off that I have actually been able to enjoy since last easter so not going to not have fun, just going to try and do it on the cheap!

getmore4less

lazer wrote: »

I had budgeted £20 for household (groceries, cleaning stuff etc) but went to Tesco yesterday and spent £81 as my in laws are coming to stay tonight, so bought a a good selection of food, wines and a bunch of flowers to make the house look cheery - so I either forgo my spending money over the easter holidays or tuck into savings. Will try and do the month within budget and still enjoy my easter holidays - have a week off, first week off that I have actually been able to enjoy since last easter so not going to not have fun, just going to try and do it on the cheap!

you need a seperate catagory for the off "normal" weeks.

Xmas/NY usualy involves a few extras like a going out or people round and an more expensive meal or two at home create the festive item as an extra on top of the normal weeks spend.

Family/friends visits will incur extras so have a seperate pot for the "entertaining people at home" and plan how many you can do a year.

Those with kids need to have kids at school weeks and kids at home weeks the mix of spends will change.

lazer

getmore4less wrote: »

you need a seperate catagory for the off "normal" weeks.

Xmas/NY usualy involves a few extras like a going out or people round and an more expensive meal or two at home create the festive item as an extra on top of the normal weeks spend.

Family/friends visits will incur extras so have a seperate pot for the "entertaining people at home" and plan how many you can do a year.

Those with kids need to have kids at school weeks and kids at home weeks the mix of spends will change.

Thanks - I have an "extra entertainment" fund but would rather not use it ever and have potentially earmearked it for a holiday, I have enough spare capacity in my normal budget, that I don't like going over budget, I like have money left at the end of the month to go into the savings!