Time to get serious

wishingthemortgaheaway

I don't get it either. When an acquaintance went back to work following Mat leave, on part time hours, she rand another friend in tears because she didn't have enough in her wages to meet the bills & pay the childcare. She had just assumed it would be ok because 'everyone goes part time after mat leave'

smallholdingsister

I have no words for that!

shangaijimmy

You can underestimate the impact a good budget has on mental health, not to mention household atmosphere. Equally weekly food plan means we eat proper meals instead of making it up!

EatingTheElephant

wishingthemortgaheaway wrote: »

I don't get it either. When an acquaintance went back to work following Mat leave, on part time hours, she rand another friend in tears because she didn't have enough in her wages to meet the bills & pay the childcare. She had just assumed it would be ok because 'everyone goes part time after mat leave'

:eek: I’m amazed by this one!

I know I plan/organise more than most, but surely you have to know what money you have coming in or what you are eating for the next meal?

I now realise I’ve done a good job with my daughters, both have a budget to know they can afford the regular bills they have. Sticking to it is another matter, but at least they have the budget!

Another load of soup made for lunches yesterday, tomato and lentil, and a batch of pork and bean chilli made in the sc to give about 3/4 easy meals over the next few weeks. I’ve also found a recipe for sweet potato fritters I’d like to try. We will be travelling around quite a bit this year with pupster so easy cheap portable food is a must.

Apart from that yesterday was spent catching up, ironing, shuffling money to meet account requirements, filing and a couple hours up the stables, where there is mud everywhere!

hiddenshadow

:eek: Also appalled at the mat/part leave assumption.

I didn't embrace formal budgeting until a few years ago, but I've always at least followed rough guidelines (pay yourself first, try and keep needs/wants/savings to certain percentages, etc.).

Also only recently adopted meal planning, for that matter - definitely think we're eating more healthy things and more variety as a result.

Karmacat

Astonishing on other people's lack of budgets! I'm like hiddenshadow, never really budgetted formally, mostly because I was self employed for so long, but making sure I was putting aside a lot of savings was crucial. And now that's a lifesaver for me.

wishingthemortgaheaway

I know, unbelievable. But it seems us mses are the minority in real life.

Watty1

We must be!! I've always had a rough plan. I still do have a rough plan and yet when I mentioned to a friend recently that we have "bills account" and put money into it on the 1st of the month to cover all the bills and save a little for the yearly ones I was met with a look of pure astonishment. Almost as if I had lapsed into a foreign language .... which I suppose I must have

gallygirl

Watty1 wrote: »

We must be!! I've always had a rough plan. I still do have a rough plan and yet when I mentioned to a friend recently that we have "bills account" and put money into it on the 1st of the month to cover all the bills and save a little for the yearly ones I was met with a look of pure astonishment. Almost as if I had lapsed into a foreign language .... which I suppose I must have

Ah well, he who laughs last laughs longest .

hiddenshadow

Watty1 wrote: »

We must be!! I've always had a rough plan. I still do have a rough plan and yet when I mentioned to a friend recently that we have "bills account" and put money into it on the 1st of the month to cover all the bills and save a little for the yearly ones I was met with a look of pure astonishment. Almost as if I had lapsed into a foreign language .... which I suppose I must have

I think the concept of multiple accounts is foreign to a lot of people. I got some very strange looks when I'd count up my accounts and come up with a double-digit number...sadly, even more strange looks when I'd explain that it was to maximise interest earned on savings.

I mean...who doesn't want free money? If it were lying on the pavement you'd pick it up, right? This just saves handling cash/coins that have been rained/trodden on.