does anyone feel they struggle to get by?

[shazney22]

I am trying to pay a credit card debt off, not a lot but its take ages. Then food shop always seems expensive. I am now onto my xmas shopping as if I don't start now santa won't be giving anything. I am also trying to save for our wedding. I feel overwhelmed by it all. It is money all the time. does anyone feel like this?

 

[Boomerslady]

Every single day!!! I live in my overdraft and I'm always hitting the limit, what with uniforms to buy now and starting to prepare for Xmas and Bens birthday it's going to be tight for next 6 months. I check my balance at least 3 times a day!! I do admit though I waste money with spontaneous shopping and I'm a bad food shopper, I might start keeping a spending list showing where every penny is going and where I'm wasting it.

 

[hayz_baby]

Yes defo, I always feel like there is something to buy.. the boysroom needs decent toy storage and a new wardrobe as this one has lost a door!
The living room needs new furniture the TVs unit is bowing and the back of the shelving unit is held together with glue!
My oh needs money for his driving lessons and test, if he passes the car needs insuring and taxing.
Me and oh need new jeans.
Oh and the credit card needs paying off and wedding needs savings and Xmas too

 

[catty]

We took out a £7500 loan to pay off our credit card and overdrafts and some other small bills. It actually works out cheaper to pay the loan than it does to pay all the overdraft fees etc.

Anyway in answer to the question yes!
We got by and can afford things but every month there is something else. July iv 2 weddings so that's presents and to pay for the day out. Then there's always a birthday, xmas, car service I don't actually think we have one month that we don't have things like this to pay.
It can be frustrating as basically all our spare income goes on presents or one off charges.
Last month we had to pay £200 to set up a new mortgage just seems like such a crap way to spent 200!
Anyway I could moan all day haha

 

[missk1989]

Oh yes!!! After money for bills I sometimes look and think i have plenty to last the month. But my laptop is dying and i NEED it for work so have to save to buy a new one. Isaac needs a new carseat and i have a party to go to 3 hours away which means petrol and a hotel before we even spend at the party itself. I wanted to start xmas shopping too but it may have to wait until next month.

 

[dgirllamius]

Before OH got a job we were struggling. We'd only have like 20 euros left after everything (including food) to do anything with. I'd budget 50 euros a week for food and would rarely go over as I made a list and stuck to it. I wrote down all my outgoings and checked my bank daily for what was left to go and I'd know exactly how much was left for "luxeries". Since OH got a job we are now 400 euros better off so now we've increased what we owe on bills to get them paid off quicker. While we were living like we did it was horrible - our flat looked like a blank canvas because we couldn't afford to decorate. I had to buy cheap food because it's all we could afford and the only way I could get through was to budget, keep a daily check on my bank and write down incomings and outgoings to make sure I never went into the red. We also don't have things like sky and have netflix instead. Even now we have more money we still don't have sky but tbh I don't want it. We have cheap mobile contracts and we finance our phones through an electronics shop rather than a mobile network (works out cheaper). We have Internet and phone combined and we don't pay much for it. Perhaps write down all your outgoings and see if there is anything you can cut back on - sometimes if you call places they can offer cheaper deals.

 

[charlotte8]

I hear you!!

I'm on maternity with my 7 week old, my husbands doing a massive ext on our house so hardly any thing coming in just crappy statutory mat pay!
I'm dreading going back to work already!
I've just started some work from home and waiting to get paid now so well see if that pays off or if I'm gonna have to go back before I wanted too

 

[mummylove]

We find it hard to. By time bills etc are paid there is not much left. We have credit cards to pay off need to save up for our wedding. We was meant to get married this year but that aint happening now, but hopefully next year.

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

We are actually currently living so we have more going out than in we are managing to pay our bill though.... it's depressing and of course it means its never ending because we get charged for being minus every month or we get charged for missing a payment etc. We pay our bills and our debt and break even. I need my car service and a bearing sorted next month so I will be 200 down before anything. Its sad but I know its our own fault live and learn... also their is nothing anyone can do to help apparently because our debts are "non priority" I.e not tax and we earn an okayish wage so tough titties lol. Need a lottery win or a miracle it's so depressing

 

[sequeena]

Yes, though thankfully we won't pay rent this month as our rent day fell the day before pay day and the next one isn't due until after next pay day. That's £550 I intend to save (or use to really stock up on things). OH may be facing redundancy so I am panicking a little

 

[Mrs Doddy]

yes, theres always something to cover the cost of and we are up to our eyes by the day after payday, it seems to be getting harder. We both get paid on Friday and we need to do a food shop but cant, so we are literally buying things as we are desperate. We used to go out every week as a family and do something, now its once a month - luckily dd's fav thing to do is the park which is free !

 

[MommyFirefly]

You aren't alone! Once bills are paid, there is virtually no money left. We have a credit card bill that hasn't been paid since March because the money just isn't there. I have debt from school, my husband has debt from school. He's the only one working. When I lay out all of my problems like that, I get kinda down. But I know that things will be better or unchanged in a year or so. I have to stay positive!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Always something that needs paying

 

[Bex84]

We used to be like this.what I found which helped was online shopping as I could keep strict reign on how much pay out for stuff, buying second hand- go into charity furniture shop or Facebook selling sites, second hand baby and toddler shop and car boots and me and lo do lots of free stuff. We took out loan to pay off credit card as was cheaper and now my accounts are out of overdraft, it works well to write down a budget every month and we keep an emergency fund in isa. Its hard but is possible to get out of