Finding the 'living with it' difficult...

MissMuppet

I went BR in September and the first couple of months have been fine, I've had quite a healthy bank balance... but after some careful investigation this was mainly because the council had messed up my council tax direct debit, I had some money back (only £60) from my pet insurance and I wasn't paying for travel for a month (as this comes out of my salary).

So now... Christmas is on it's way, my boyfriends birthday is tomorrow and I find myself struggling to make ends meet. I also received an email today from Scottish Power saying they were increasing my direct debit by £9.50 even though currently I have a £15 credit with them.

All in all I feel as though I will be eating bread and dripping for the foreseeable future. I get paid on the 21st Dec (instead of the 28th) and then after that my next pay is 31st Jan!

Just wondered how everyone else is coping at this time of year when you have no access to credit cards and overdrafts... I have been budgeting each month but after rent and bills have been paid I have hardly any excess, it's so difficult.

On the plus side I have saved £38 in £2 coins and my Christmas present from my Dad is £70 but I really don't want to have to spend that on food, although I might have to.

betti911

I have completly overspent at the moment too! There seems to be loads of b/days and nights out in my callender. My sister was up at the weekend plus present buying has made me totally scuppered this month. The annoying thing is I thought I had it organised and under control

backontheup

I was there last Xmas Muppet, the only thing that I could afford to get my partner for Xmas was a box of ferrero rocher :-( I went BR a couple of weeks before Xmas and everything was frozen.

It will pass, I promise you.

ClaireLR

Im struggling too.

I think it's the time of year really, I've tried to budget hard for xmas and started buying pressies after my BR in August to try and spread the cost. Last month I used up all the food in my cupboards in order to have a little extra to finish present buying, then this month obviously the cupboards are empty and I've had to restock leaving me down on cash this month.

I too get paid early, on the 24th dec but that money has to last me 6 weeks and Im worried that with it being Xmas Ill blow the lot and have to live on bread and jam in Jan (although I am determined to have a good xmas and if that's how Ive got to do it then so be it).

All in all I think that this is how it's going to be from now on since I don't have an IPA and so there will never be any extra (unless I change my job of course). I try and look on the bright side and think that at least after Xmas I wont spend the next 12 months paying off the bill!!

MissMuppet

Yes I guess it's going to be like this.

I have managed to cut a few things out already today in my worry... have called Scottish Power and told them I can't afford an increase in my monthly payment, especially as I'm in credit at the moment. I've also cancelled my hair appointment from a colour to just a cut and also plan on taking my cat to my brothers at Christmas instead of putting him in a cattery!!

Hopefully I'll get through ok but I think I'll also be living on bread and jam, or maybe pasta as I have a huge bag at home!

Broken_hearted

Finances are all over the place but only have a few thing left to buy. It's funny christmas comes around every year yet it still catches me off guard.

NekoZombie

I'm finiding it hard too. The season of going out with all and sundry has started, I have 4 christmas parties to go to. One I have been asked to pay for on my credit card - I was too embarrassed to say I didn't have one, so it'll have to come out of my electron. I will get the money back eventually once it goes through Finance, but being £150 quid down over Christmas is not my idea of fun. To make things worse my IPA starts this month and I need to move house. Arggggh!

Ok winge over

maxmycardagain

bread and dripping with salt/pepper, havent had that for years, i bet the government has declared it a killer by now, sod em, im gonna get some

maxmycardagain

MissMuppet wrote: »

Yes I guess it's going to be like this.

Hopefully I'll get through ok but I think I'll also be living on bread and jam, or maybe pasta as I have a huge bag at home!

so have i

but she aint cooking me pasta.............lol

wherediditallgo

I think this is the worst time of year for BRs, because everyone is spending around you & it's hard to do anything celebratory without spending money. For a start, there's no other time of year when you're expected to buy loads of things in one go (gifts, wrapping paper, cards), & the costs plus postage can really add up. My money-saving tips so far are:

• Design your own wrapping paper, cards & gift tags - I printed off some designs onto A4 & A3 paper at work (the place has got to be good for something ).

• I'll be sending e-cards this Christmas except where it's not practical.

• Anyone getting a gift from me will find it accompanied by an IOU for at least three things, & they'll relate to qualities I admire in the person. It's more personal than spending £50 on something they may not like that I can barely afford, & stretches the gift over several months rather than just Christmas Day.

• Most people I know prefer chicken to turkey, so if you're having people round for dinner over Christmas, buy chicken pieces now while they're cheap & freeze them.

There's a chance some people will focus on the negative this year, especially those newly BR & still coming to terms with the new financial constraints of no credit card, cheque book or overdraft. However, there are some positives too.

• If you are newly BR, this will probably be the first time in many years that you won't be dreading the credit cards statements coming in the new year.

• Even if you have an IPA, you have total control over whatever money is left once that's paid. That's got to be better than dealing with unexpected charges for returned direct debits, going over your overdraft limit etc.

• You can actually do a meaningful budget now. My pre-BR budget didn't really mean a lot, because I could still go out & buy things even if I didn't have the physical cash. Now my budget is less varied but it means a lot more, because it's based on what I've actually got. I can't afford to waste money any more on food I won't eat, clothes I won't wear & gadgets I'll hardly use.

• I've had to be more self-reliant & creative, not just because it's Christmas. I've started knitting again (two jumpers done so far :j), & I've bought cheap clothes but have put fancy buttons or trims on them to make them look a bit different from everyone else's. I've also made myself improve my computing knowledge the hard way because I can't afford to keep ringing helplines or buying computer mags. Before, I wouldn't have been so bothered.

• Not having debts on your mind frees up energy for other things. I'm actually planning to go back to my Open University degree in March, as the two biggest things that got in the way before were my health & the cost of materials. Now I can plan for my courses properly, because my health is much better & I won't have Mr & Mrs "I want your money - NOW" on my back. :T

• I don't go out any less than I did before, but I'm far more aware of what's going on locally that's free.

• I've rediscovered my love of cooking. I've had to - batch cooking works out a lot cheaper, & also saves time in the long run.

There are loads of negatives that come with being BR, but there are also many positives to look forward to once you've done it. The first Christmas is probably the hardest one, but it can be the nicest one too.

Homework

There is going to be many better Christmas holidays but it will still be hard for this one.

I hope everything goes well and Santa is extra good to you.