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 MoneySavingExpert … 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
Yeah, I was guilty of that myself sometimes 🙁

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 **** 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 Spaced. 😀

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.