Credit cards probably and lots of debt. My BIL is really good at blagging a lavish lifestyle and before covid him and my sister would go on multiple holidays a year, first class. I've found that a lot!
New to Tattle Life? Click "Order Thread by Most Liked Posts" button below to get an idea of what the site is about:
I don’t have any new advice on how to save more (the advice on here has been brilliant as usual anyway) but I do have a short story about someone who always paid in cash. Went on great luxury holidays, drove a nice car and was very generous with paying for drinks etc. He’s just a few years older then me, so I always felt a bit jealous and curious how he managed.
Well, turns out he had gotten himself a loan purely to have money to spend in his account and a few years later he’s in big trouble with the bank now as he spent it all but can’t even repay the interest as he switched jobs and now makes a lot less.
Well, turns out he had gotten himself a loan purely to have money to spend in his account and a few years later he’s in big trouble with the bank now as he spent it all but can’t even repay the interest as he switched jobs and now makes a lot less.
I like Monzo for discretionary spend. In the app you can click on any transaction and see how much you spend with that shop/cafe/business, over how many transactions and average spend per transaction. You can also add notes & tags to transactions and set up separate pots.
The mainstream banks are catching up to this level of functionality so it’s not groundbreaking now but I’ve been with Monzo since early days. My main reason for joining them was so that my main bank did not have access to every single transaction in the lead up to my mortgage application.
it doesn’t take the place of old fashioned budgeting and it’s not my main current account but it does help when you are slipping with your spending and could do with a “I’ve spent how much at Boots/H&M/Ubereats this month?!” reality check at the click of a button without having to sit down and go through statements.
The mainstream banks are catching up to this level of functionality so it’s not groundbreaking now but I’ve been with Monzo since early days. My main reason for joining them was so that my main bank did not have access to every single transaction in the lead up to my mortgage application.
it doesn’t take the place of old fashioned budgeting and it’s not my main current account but it does help when you are slipping with your spending and could do with a “I’ve spent how much at Boots/H&M/Ubereats this month?!” reality check at the click of a button without having to sit down and go through statements.
I shop at Waitrose and spend just over that a month, just me£35 a week on foodtell me your secret
We shop at Aldi mostly and spend between £70-£100 a week on food, that’s for 2 adults a 4 year old
Similar-ish story, a neighbour of mine bought brand new flash cars, took holidays to Las Vegas and the Maldives, he and his wife and kids always had the latest designer stuff. He had a simple tradesman job.
I was so envious and confused at how he could afford it all.
Turned out he was was supplying Class A drugs and had tens of thousands in cash stashed in the floorboards. Looking at a lengthy stay in jail now
I ask myself this all the time I’m on a good wage (1,900 per month average) but still can barely save for a deposit. Have an old car that’s fully paid, hardly go on holiday, only shop at lidl etc…
What I’ve found is small stuff does add up. An Amazon order here, a takeaway there, basic home maintenance… even if it’s just £20/30 a time over the course of several months this really makes a dent. Have you thought of using Monzo or another account that lets you keep better track of your outgoings? I was shocked one month I’d spent over £100 on food (not shopping but fast food or getting a deliveroo).
Also never underestimate the bank of mum and dad, that’s how a lot of people end up with wads of cash. You’re still young so I’d say it’s very unusual for someone to just have £10k sitting in a savings account that they have earned themselves. Also people do use loans/credit cards for larger purchases and pay off gradually.
Finally, you own a house which is more than me at 32 so you must be doing something right
I’m on a good wage (1,900 per month average) but still can barely save for a deposit. Have an old car that’s fully paid, hardly go on holiday, only shop at lidl etc…What I’ve found is small stuff does add up. An Amazon order here, a takeaway there, basic home maintenance… even if it’s just £20/30 a time over the course of several months this really makes a dent. Have you thought of using Monzo or another account that lets you keep better track of your outgoings? I was shocked one month I’d spent over £100 on food (not shopping but fast food or getting a deliveroo).
Also never underestimate the bank of mum and dad, that’s how a lot of people end up with wads of cash. You’re still young so I’d say it’s very unusual for someone to just have £10k sitting in a savings account that they have earned themselves. Also people do use loans/credit cards for larger purchases and pay off gradually.
Finally, you own a house which is more than me at 32 so you must be doing something right
Is £70 just on food, or is that made up of other things (cleaning products, fizzy drinks, clothes you are tempted by?)We meal plan our dinners but not breakfast or lunch, but it’s usually cereal / toast for breakfast and I for lunches baked potatoes/ sandwiches or omelette, I have no idea how to get our food shopping down any more than £70
Honestly so many people use credit cards, get help from mum and dad, take stuff out on finance etc. I’ve noticed lately aswell that a lot of smaller business owners have taken out the covid bounce back loans which are interest free for 2 years and can be up to £20k. I was wondering how they were all doing it after not working for so long, but that is apparently how
You're 26 and you own your own place, you're smashing it 
There’s only me and my son. Shop at Aldi. On the occasion I go over that food budget I take it out of miscellaneous fund£35 a week on food
I literally love budgeting too!I’m a self confessed budget queenI love a Budget budget budget!! I can’t stress enough how much a budget helps! When you do your budget make sure you count everything to the penny! Never round it up or do an estimate, everything needs to be exact. Have you tried opening a bank account like monzo? You can set yourself budgets for each different category and it notifies you how much you have left in each so you don’t over spend on it. It really helps to see what you’ve actually got left to spend. Make sure your partner does this also, it needs to come from both of you. Don’t compare yourself to anyone, I know it’s frustrating when you see others doing things that you can’t afford but try to focus on you, comparison is the thief of joy.
Cleaning / household too, I also buy formula milk for my newborn which over £8 a box, I don’t know if I could bring mine down, my husband eats a lot because he does weights at the gym, he can go through a loaf of bread in a day and he’s always buying steaks
Mabye if he moved out I could bring my weekly shop down to £30 a week I definitely agree with others saying please don’t compare yourself to others, however them probably being in debt / using finance etc is not always the case.
I’m in a similar situation as you, similar salaries with little left after bills are paid.
My best friend is on the same salary as me (we work together) and her and her husband in the last year have had a brand new kitchen, downstairs loo and both gardens have just had new fences, none of this was done on finance or with gifted money. All of it was paid for with savings and they still have a chunk! They save about £400 a month between them and have saved since they first got together about 13 years ago.
She is very frugal with spending money and they rarely have take aways or eat out. She shops mainly at Iceland and her husband works night shift at another supermarket so makes use of his staff discount.
She is definitely helping me be better with money!
I’m in a similar situation as you, similar salaries with little left after bills are paid.
My best friend is on the same salary as me (we work together) and her and her husband in the last year have had a brand new kitchen, downstairs loo and both gardens have just had new fences, none of this was done on finance or with gifted money. All of it was paid for with savings and they still have a chunk! They save about £400 a month between them and have saved since they first got together about 13 years ago.
She is very frugal with spending money and they rarely have take aways or eat out. She shops mainly at Iceland and her husband works night shift at another supermarket so makes use of his staff discount.
She is definitely helping me be better with money!
I saw something like this on one of those channel 4 police programmes! This guy made out he had this campervan business, his wife and kids lived in this nice house and they had luxury holidays several times a year, they had it all! Turns out he was a drug dealer and a major one at that, he went to prison for a long time!Similar-ish story, a neighbour of mine bought brand new flash cars, took holidays to Las Vegas and the Maldives, he and his wife and kids always had the latest designer stuff. He had a simple tradesman job.
I was so envious and confused at how he could afford it all.
Turned out he was was supplying Class A drugs and had tens of thousands in cash stashed in the floorboards. Looking at a lengthy stay in jail now
I get roughly 637 a month
- 380 for rent (normally 352 but paying off some arrears
- 37 gas and electric
- 46 phone bill
- 60 food
- 20 bus fare for the month for scouts
- 20 savings account
What ever is left goes in to a emergency fund in case I need anything
I buy own brand products things most of the time and I sometimes stock up on cleaning products or sanitary items when low I shop at aldi and iceland I fill my freezer for roughly 30 then use the other 30 to get bits to go with it plus a treat or too
I don't work currently looking tho alot
so all I can really afford is the bare minimum
- 380 for rent (normally 352 but paying off some arrears
- 37 gas and electric
- 46 phone bill
- 60 food
- 20 bus fare for the month for scouts
- 20 savings account
What ever is left goes in to a emergency fund in case I need anything
I buy own brand products things most of the time and I sometimes stock up on cleaning products or sanitary items when low I shop at aldi and iceland I fill my freezer for roughly 30 then use the other 30 to get bits to go with it plus a treat or too
I don't work currently looking tho alot
so all I can really afford is the bare minimumI don't have a child but am always astonished at the costs of formula! It baffles me that its not heavily subsidised by the government. Congrats on your little one!Cleaning / household too, I also buy formula milk for my newborn which over £8 a box, I don’t know if I could bring mine down, my husband eats a lot because he does weights at the gym, he can go through a loaf of bread in a day and he’s always buying steaks
Why is you phone so high?I get roughly 637 a month
- 380 for rent (normally 352 but paying off some arrears
- 37 gas and electric
- 46 phone bill
- 60 food
- 20 bus fare for the month for scouts
- 20 savings account
What ever is left goes in to a emergency fund in case I need anything
I buy own brand products things most of the time and I sometimes stock up on cleaning products or sanitary items when low I shop at aldi and iceland I fill my freezer for roughly 30 then use the other 30 to get bits to go with it plus a treat or too
I don't work currently looking tho alot
Most likely a contract, mine is the sameWhy is you phone so high?
I pay 57 but that includes the contract as well as the phoneWhy is you phone so high?
I agree with this. While it is important not to compare yourself to others it’s also important not to feel like the only way to have a “nice” lifestyle is to be a drug dealer or be in loads of debt.
I know there are a lot of people out there like that but there are also plenty of people who do just budget their money well, live frugally in certain aspects to allow them to have more indulgences in the things that are important to them.
if there is something you really want it’s a matter of prioritising it within your budget And that may mean forgoing other things Or having to find another income source. For me travel is super important so I am happy to not spend a lot on going out for fancy meals in order to go on more holidays (pre pandemic). My husband and I do all our spending using a BA Amex card to get air miles (only spend within our budget allowances and pay off in full every month) and the air miles get us free companion tickets and upgrades to business class flights.
we had a very expensive honeymoon (approx £17k) but we had multiple side hustles outside of our day job for 2 years to save for it and worked 7 days a week. It was difficult and tiring at times but having a goal was so motivating and the trip was worth every penny and every late night and lost weekend!
I hope this doesn’t sound like a brag as we don’t have high incomes by any means but I just don’t want people to read this thread and think there’s no hope unless you have rich parents or are prepared to do something illegal. Your friends who just spent £10k to get their garden done may have made that their priority and cut back on other things to afford that and same for your friend that had the cosmetic surgery.
I just assume everyone earns way more than me and has no debt.