I didn't jump. I took a tiny step and there conclusions were

[purplerabbits]

*opens purse, moth flies out*

I am rather sick and tired of having no money, even though I know that a) this is mostly All My Own Fault and b)I am not actually hard up compared to many people I know. I am, however you look at it, not quite living within my income, so I should like to throw the question as wide as I can and ask - what should I or anyone do to live within my income. Obvious ideas are welcome: even though I am usually the one giving this advice to other people, I seem not to be very good at it myself...

Comments

[thekumquat.livejournal.com]

Difficult to suggest without knowing much about where your money is going, but it depends where your main money drains are that are amenable to being reduced.
Eg do you have a mortgage? If it's not competitive you could be wasting £200 a month, which could be saved by one evening's chat with a free financial adviser. Making your own lunch diligently to save £30 a month or so isn't in the same league.
Interest on credit cards etc - costs a fortune for nothing. Look into transferring to a lower rate or paying off
Mobile phone - are you paying for minutes you don't use?
Broadband - now available for £15/month compared to £30 a year ago - can you prod your company into reducing your rate?
Car - do you have one, do you need it? Shop around for insurance if you possibly can. Compare cost of cabs to cost of running car.
Possessions - do you buy DVDs/CDs/games/hardback books the minute they come out and watch them once? Could be much cheaper to rent and then buy when they've been out a while and you decide you really want them.
Getting wasted and buying the whole pub a round/going to posh bar/giving £100 to a beggar - only solution is not to get wasted!

Look at your last few bank/credit card statements, put your spending into categories, and see where it's going. If that all seems respectable, then it must be your cash that's vanishing and you'll have to write down where you spend it.

I've found the only way to save is to automatically transfer money after pay day into a savings account, and then allocate the rest of my current account to all the various categories of life, including "new books/games/toys/clothes" and "having fun/restaurant meals/theatre". I need those categories as otherwise I get too uptight about saving money for a rainy day, and I really don't want to end up dying with lots of cash but not having had a life.

[purplerabbits.livejournal.com]

The mortgage is new so I'm locked in for a while and I'm not paying interest on credit cards at the moment, also no car - this is partly why I can't understand where the money goes!

I do probably spend too much on DVDs etc, though.