[Closed] Anybody here skint too?

It could be worse - you could have the tories in power and then you would have even less.

oh wait!.....

Anybody suffering similar? Cheer me up somehow, please!

No I'm fine.

Hope that cheered you up.

Not quite, but if the shortlisted interview doesn't get me the job, not only will I be skint but I'll also be without a home and everything that used to be in it... 😐

My mrs took my 2 year old son and ran off with my boss. I lost her, my kid, my job and my home. Feeling better yet? 🙂

dont buy a lottery ticket skoolshoes.

Hehe. Maybe I should? Luck's got to change sometime!

maybe you're right. What's the worst that could happen...?

oh, right, already did! 😳

Chin up, take control, win from now on!

Currently v.peed off because a client owes me a few grand for work that I've done for them. There's no problem with the quality of the work or anything, but I've recently found out they're pi$$ing other sub-contractors about (using 'the recession' as a lame excuse to delay paying everyone) 😈

...the main downside of self-employment

Apologies for rant - you'd never guess I was peed!

p.s. hope yer luck changes!

Yep, haemorrhaging money just getting TO work with the fuel prices. Sold a load of stuff at a car boot sale just to sort myself out 'til the end of the month. Sod's sake....

Yup. In a very insecure job so not spending anything just in case. Earning £16k more than I was two years ago but can't seem to hold on to any of it!

Wedding in 4 months. No rich relatives. Nuff said

Years of being (heavily) overdrawn every month - £40k+ salary and all the perks, but lazy budgeting and overspending points the blame squarely at us for that one.

Redundancy happened and now I'm mad busy working for myself and the finances are sorting themselves out with a healthy increase in income.

Co-incidentally the wife also has her own business which is starting to do really niceley too.

I found twenty quid today! 😀

Well, I'm probably going bankrupt shortly... I'm dead broke...

I was when I went Bankrupt 14 months ago! (When we had to close our company) - now in a much better place, new job and the first time in years I have a bit of disposable income. I've just bought my first new bike (only a cheapy mind!) in over 2 1/2 years.

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Cleaned the pump on the waching machine yesterday but only found 21p and a paperclip 😥 Never had any real expendable income and i'm 39 it's just a way of life get used to it and enjoy.

yep, everything is getting more expensive and I have this strange feeling that I'm going to get less money this month due to the NI rise.
It's all a bit shit really.
It's going to get to the point in the near-to-mid future where our (me and mrslister) conscious decision to have 'fun' badly paid jobs and a good lifestyle may have to be reconsidered. Might have to look for better paid jobs that don't involve so much beach time...

Skoolshoes - Member
My mrs took my 2 year old son and ran off with my boss. I lost her, my kid, my job and my home. Feeling better yet?

!!! Mutherfukker!!! 😯

everything is getting more expensive

Was there ever a time when things weren't getting more expensive ?

In the last year inflation has been at it's lowest since 1960. So everything is getting more expensive at the slowest rate for 50 years then.

Sadly fuel bears no relation to inflation. I've put two grands worth of fuel in my pick-up in just over 3 months.

I can't believe this

In the last year inflation has been at it's lowest since 1960. So everything is getting more expensive at the slowest rate for 50 years then.

It probably is right but things seem to be going through the roof to me.

Fuels the main factor as it is for a lot of people and the cost of that has been going through the roof.

The average inflation rate maybe very low but that's very different to individual item and personal inflation rates. Essentials in life such as fuel, food and services and taxes are increasing more than luxury item or non essential consumer goods so it has more of an effect on your disposable income.

If it helps, I was feeling pretty skint before I read this thread. I realise I'm fairly lucky now. 😉

Essentials in life such as fuel, food and services and taxes are increasing more than luxury item or non essential consumer goods

[url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7562224/UK-food-inflation-falls-to-three-year-low-says-BRC.html ]UK food inflation falls to three-year low[/url]

No as bad as others on here but I seem to be spending an unending amount on the house. Every time I think I've come to the end there's another problem that needs fixing and I am running out of money. Job is dire and doesn't pay well, but at least I have one; although depending on who gets in it's either no pay rise for years or possibly no job!! Joy!!

I had this chat with work when they didn't give us a rise last year, they said, because the RPI had fallen. I checked what the RPI was made up of and found that the things in the "shopping basket" that had fallen in price and contributed to the drop in RPI were (inter alia): hotel accommodation, flights or sailings to holidays, house prices - ie, luxury goods.

Politicans can dress it up any way they like, but the cold hard fact is that I am now working more hours than I ever have yet have less money to spend. As for narrowing the gap between rich and poor, dream on!

money appears to simply be channeled though me directly to all and sundry!

i dont like questions about money.
if you say you are loaded people call you nasty names and stuff.

rich bastard

i forgot to add, i too am skint.
paying for a freeloading son, his baby and the babies mother to live with me. and just paid their bond for a flat.

I have no problem talking about money - and that doesn't extend to bragging about what I've got, I find it fine discussing how unbelieveably broke I may be too.

I don't know quite why talking about money [i]has[/i] to be vulgar, although it quite easily can be - that's got more to do with the person than the subject though. Salaries and the like for some reason seem to be a taboo subject.

Mind you, I don't have a problem talking about many subjects and find people far too uptight about things sometimes. I even know couples who don't discuss sex - and I mean between themselves, behind closed doors.

http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/resources/slides

check these out on the consequences of increasing inequality

I've had to take two days off work this week, because I can't afford the petrol to drive to work and back.

Saying that, I might not have money, but I'm still pretty happy. At least I'm healthy and I've got a roof over my head!

Everything is going great, but money is tight, we got a great house, plenty of toys, and I am actually enjoying doing stuff to a budget and getting the right result for not a lot... (my wife isnt quite as keen though) 🙂

Found some absolutely stonking French wines in Aldi at the weekend.

Spend a little live a lot, could be my motto let alone theirs!!!

My business went under at the back end of last year, due to a few clients going bump (but not really) owing me tens of thousands. Now I'm effectively saddled with their debts. Cheers for that. Personal bankruptcy is a question of when not if.

So...I'm now unemployed. Picking up the odd days freelance. As I'm still officially listed as a company director (despite having no income) I'm not entitled to a penny in benefits. Hurrah for the welfare state!

My marriage ended last year and I've signed everything (house and car etc) over to her so that the kids are ok when I go bump. So I now own absolutely nothing. Except.... EXCEPT.... my lovely intense 5.5. Which is getting loads of hammer at the moment, now that I've got a lot of time on my hands 🙂

Could be worse....

[i]Personal bankruptcy is a question of when not if.[/i]

If this is looking certain and you want any advice on bankruptcy then ask here...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=136

...there are loads of really knowledgeable people on there. It helped me no-end.

I had to search under my car seat to find enough change for the lottery. I did find a mint ball though.

Cheers MM. I'll have a look on that

I had to let one of my butlers go last week and cut two of my gardeners to part time hours.

Times are tough.

Rich in life my friend, rich in life. *walks away nodding to self* 😀

I have little disposable income but I have a very nice life so can't complain. Watch the latest episode of Tropic of Cancer for a reality check!

currently properly skint but its self inflicted as I am using every spare penny I have to pay off credit card debt, Aiming to be debt free by the end of the year

I review our monthly budget every quarter or so and technically we should be saving a good wad each month. But somehow it's just not translating into real life, (or rather, bank balance) because somewhere we're spending invisible money on invisible things that seem to prevent us saving. Haven't figured it out yet.

Still, we're grateful for what we have (and that goes beyond just the materialistic) and we're happy.

Oh yeah, like Muffin Man says, +1 [url= http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ ]MoneySavingExpert[/url] ... loads of helpful people and ideas on there.

E bay hairychested, people will buy anything 😀

It's strange.
I've never earnt a great deal of money - to most on here i would be considered a low earner. Made redundant last July, recently found agency work at approx £30 a week less.
Thing is, i got a good redundancy package, spent some on the house (new doors/windows/boiler etc) and hoarded the rest. Learnt how to budget on the dole money and now, even though i'm earning less than before i can afford all my bills and eat nicely.
I'm not in debt, have a few K in the bank and the sun is shining... 8)

OK, i live alone with no kids etc & the GF has her own place so i'm not in the position of paying for a family but still, learning to REALLY budget has stood me in good stead!

DarrenH - Member

E bay hairychested, people will buy anything

Skint too: http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/right-royally-shafted?replies=17#post-1340218

Coming up for 5 years with no pay rise. Fuel, utilities, car, child, all go up regularly but the income remains the same. I get very pissed off with it.

OTOH, I have good health, the man I love, a lovely daughter and 2 bikes (wot only 2??). So could be worse.

There's never enough cash is there? Speshly the last week before payday. ho hum. It's a relative/comparative thing though isn't it? It's far more important to be happy and healthy. Which I hope I can be with or without much cash (a bit more would b good though eh?!)

I've got 3 bikes and I don't mind smart price beans.

Similar here HairyC. Seem to be frequently spending more than I earn. Constantly looking for a way out, but there are so many dead ends. Still, I'm suprisingly upbeat and something keeps telling me there are better things to come.

Went for a ride tonite. Saw 9 badgers, 6 deer and not a soul for 25 miles. I thought lots of calm thoughts during the endorfin rush through my brain. It was grand and it made me think how material things like cash and that don't really matter. Easy that though when you've got no mortgage to pay and a few new bike tokens hidden under the mattress!

Finished Uni in October and had a grand total of 4 days employment in my chosen profession since, am currently as a part time planner (who hasn't done any planning for 4 weeks) a part time bar man (getting hours cut because of dropping business in the pub through ****y new owners business model) and a part time Enviromental scientist's gopher. couple that with 2 kids under 2 and a half and a $300K mortgage. Thank god Mrstubing is still working in a safe job she loves.
Still its been a lovely long hot summer and Papatubing is (hopefully) flying over here in 36 hours for my grad ceremony.

penniless and in masses of debt. I have a bike shop though, the best wife ever, and we have our health, so far... It's sunny and I'm out on my bike on our day off AGAIN! Pretty happy actually.

I'm working like mad, not buying anything, not upgrading/changing bike bits despite staff discounts, nowt. It gets me down big time. Anybody suffering similar? Cheer me up somehow, please!

Anything I buy bikewise now is secondhand (I've always bought bike stuff on sale as a rule), I dont buy fancy Mavic bike clothing, my car is a reliable snotter, I dont have any credit cards and do not owe any money.

The idiot would think 'hey I deserve something so I will spank £x on a credit card'. Rather than living carefully is very unwise. I still remember the 1k+ in interest I paid on my bank overdraft from Uni (shudders)

You are being careful IMO.

I was really skint until I got some VERY good news yesterday. Still, I'd rather have my health...

Big pay cut at Christmas has snookered me. We have approx nothing left at the end of the month. But as others have said, got a roof over our head, 2 great kids and food on the table so have no grounds to complain.

Dread anything going wrong on the bike though.

After uni, I moved to Bristol for six years or so and worked as an auxiliary nurse in an emergency admissions unit. I earned ****-all, lived in a pit of a house (rent £150 a month!) with a good bunch of mates, and rode my bike in the woods pretty much every day. It was like one long episode of [i]Spaced[/i]. 😀

Essentially, I spent my twenties being broke and pretty much carefree.

We had a baby last year, GF was a temp and maternity has now run out and she is still not back working, we have a wedding to pay for in just over 4 months on my single income and surprisingly things seem to be going well. We have even managed to fit in a holiday for the 2 of us and the littleun in 2 June.

I think the key factors have been...

Giving up smoking - this saves me taking a tenner out everyday to buy smokes and then spending it all

Planning meals - so we buy one lot of ingredients, make one meal, make too much so I can have leeftovers for lunch the next day, then use the remainder of the unused ingredients making something else for the next day's meal.

Doing a monthly big shop with a list rather than going to the shop on the way home everyday

Fixing things rather than replacing them

Walking in the countryside for free as a hobby - rather than walking round the high street spending money

Buying my beers for 25p a pint from the supermarket instead of £4 a pint from bars.

I have to admit much of my skintness is self inflicted. I'm desperate to change career but have too many financial commitments to just walk out of my job. I'm trying to get these cleared asap.

When I was younger I used to eat boiled pasta and salt.

Or dolly noodles from the Chinese supermarket 7 days a week..

I know your plight Hairychested....its a juggling act to be a skint MTB'er, on the one hand you have the family responsiblity (maybe) and on the other there is the never ending money pit that is your passion for biking.

on the one hand you have the family responsiblity (maybe) and on the other there is the never ending money pit that is your passion for biking

The most true-est thing I have ever heard on this forum.

Why didn't I get a sensible idiot prrof hardtail with fit and forget Marzochis instead of a fox equiped bearing filled FS that constantly needs attention.

Have just maxed out my credit card to the tune of £1500 at B&Q so I can fix all the things that need doing on my house and cut out the labour costs. House looks like a builders yard and no time to ride due to jobs that need doing and neigbours putting 'polite' notes through my door about getting a new fence as mine looks like a string vest.

No idea how I'll manage if I get any other big expenses on the horizon. I haven't had any dispoasble income since I got married. Have kind of got used to it, found a quid in the street the other day and actually felt like dancing as I bought myself a mars bar.

I did something about 6mths ago which has saved me loads of money.

I GAVE UP BIKING 🙁

Seriously not only has my monthly spending habits gone down, i spend more time with the kids, i see more of my wife and my bike looks better than it has done for years (Parked up in the garage). I now go to the gym 2x per week and play/coach football 2x per week. They only take up a couple of hours at a time and the family come to watch/join in so its time with the family again.

You wouldnt believe how much money biking costs untill you give it up

surely once you have the bike, it costs way less than they gym?

My bike spending is on hold as I try to clear some debts, I've had a very enjoyable last few years but time to calm down a little and pay for it 🙁

I spend £6 per week at the gym. I used to spend that on food after 1 bike ride. The gym is straight after work whereas biking always involves a journey in the car somewhere.

Honestly add up all the money you spend on biking and its shocking. Obviously there are people who live straight onto natural trails but even they have bikes that wear out/depreciate

fair enough, I don't think i've bought anything for my bike in about six months and that was a set of brake pads but i've always had trails on my doorstep pretty much.

Don't spend any money on your bike then. Some things are are unavoidable - you'll always break stuff, but if you pick the stuff that doesn't break much, you're much better off.

If you're really broke, sell up, get a hardtail with some open bath Marzocchis or rigid forks, deore kit, and ride less daft stuff. You enjoy riding just as much, and there's a hell of a lot less to go wrong.

Basic Steel Hardtail - Check

Innertubes, tyres, brake pads, broken wheels, grips, bearings, bb - All need regular(ish) attention if you enjoy riding.

Not saying it isnt worth it. But it is a fact that regardless of how basic you make biking, it is a high cost activity unless you live on the trailhead.

I don't get through that kit at a great rate. I do run an old fashioned internal BB and brakes with pads that last ages though.

One of the things that pushes me towards road cycling is the fact that your ride starts at the front door.

Kevevs - Member

It's a relative/comparative thing though isn't it? It's far more important to be happy and healthy. Which I hope I can be with or without much cash

Absolutely spot on there Kevevs. i read that just after i put a post up about dealing with stress. Echoes my thoughts at this moment exactly.

Right now my job has completely taken over my life and i now realise i was sooo much happier in my old job. Poorer but happier.

Up to my arse in debt, but I was up to my neck last year and just got a £7k payrise. I've got a funny feeling I won't notice it though somehow.