Can you afford savings each week/month?

17-09-2012 05:53AM

after rent, food, drink and car costs i save about 2K a month pure profit for me to ****e about with.

trodsky · 17-09-2012 06:08AM

I save 600-800 a month. Missus pays Most of the bills though.

Galwayguy35 · 17-09-2012 06:11AM

I save about €40 a month by the time all the bills are paid.

I had to pay out a lot more than usual this year so I will try to start saving a bit more next year.

JustAThought · 17-09-2012 07:38AM

I had a large amount of savings which I put into a pension in 2006. Did the " right thing".
Now the fund has lost over 25% of it's capital value since then & hasn't earned a penny for me. 6 years on, I'm 25+% less well off.

Of course the government isn't bailing my losses or future out ; after all, I'm just a taxpayer trying to save for my future.

And with all the new taxes; increased rates due, tax on home, tax on water, increased tax on car etc. It's hard to see how I will ever be able to save for a pension/my oldage/a future.

But hey; 50% of what I earn and work for goes to prop up a medieval beuraceacy that delivers little & is responsible or accountable for nothing.

While I struggle to pay my debts, & " do the right thing".

Of course no-one "in" or "working " for govt will ever highlight this as a critical issue that needs to be supported or prioritised because they essentially don't put any bar a token contribution into their " for a lifetime, government guaranteed, index linked,pensions".- which I pay for through my taxes; while I cannot afford my own.

Fair eh?
Sickening.

up for anything · 17-09-2012 07:47AM

Saving is a thing of the past for me. I'm living off next week's money already. September is the worst month with the kids' school steadily sucking on my dry boobs - I used to think Santa was a gouger but this free education is a killer.

naughtysmurf · 17-09-2012 07:58AM

Only just recently started to save 200 a month, I recently finished paying back a loan so some cash freed up, for years though I couldn't even afford to pay attention

TPD · 17-09-2012 09:12AM

I'm putting €200 a month into savings, the same into pension. Have a few grand in the bank which is going on a car I think.

Vahevala · 17-09-2012 09:14AM

At the moment no, as my boyfriend is out of work so I barely have enough for us both

I can't afford a bloody pension, never mind actually save anything...

17-09-2012 09:21AM

Have savings and pension all right yeah

Heroditas · 17-09-2012 09:35AM

Firegaurd wrote: »

Myself and the girlfriend are saving for a wedding and have been for a while between the two of us we are managing to put away around 1200 per month, mind you I haven't seen the inside of a pub in a while, or the cinema or a restaraunt or anything else remotely fun

Good practice for when you're married!!

crusher000 · 17-09-2012 09:49AM

A lot of well to do posters here. I never have any savings and at the end of the month when all my bills go out will not have enough to get a weeks shopping. Thank God for Pasta or I'd starve.

tmc86 · 17-09-2012 09:58AM

Up until recently I was saving about €200-300 per month but moved apartment and the the rent is higher so can only manage about €150 now if I'm good.

Try to keep a minimum balance of €1000 for savings used for emergencies and holidays

seamus · 17-09-2012 10:13AM

Before I got married and bought a house, I was putting away €400 a month and I still had a stupid amount of money left over to play with.
Now I can manage to hold back €500 the odd month where I don't have any insurance, repairs or other **** to do, but it'll slowly get eaten away over the following months as big one-off costs come in.
The only reason I have a pension is because my work require all employees to have one at 30. It takes €90/month out of my salary and I begrudge every euro of it.

I kind of make a point of avoiding having big sums on my credit card, so when I see how little I have in my current account at times, I take solace in seeing a big fat zero beside my CC balance. I know people who have nothing in the current account and a massive number on the CC, and that would stress the crap out of me.

17-09-2012 10:58AM

Doing pretty good recently. I invested a lot of money in becoming somewhat self sufficient. Growing my own herbs and veg, keeping hens for eggs and the like. I have also learned to cook much better than I did 5 years ago and save a lot of money on that over prepared meals and processed foods and the like.

Low power versions of everything in my house coupled with some serious insulation has kept energy bills down. The girlfriends are bringing in a better income than they were when one was in college and the other on maternity. I was supporting them both for awhile there.

So all in all investments have paid off and expenses much lower for us now than they were so savings are doing well. That coupled with the fact I have no vices except for throwing a once monthly extreme house party bash means I do not spend much on beer and the like - and we do not own a tele or DVD player etc - means most of my money is my own to keep.

holystungun9 · 17-09-2012 12:24PM

Reading some of these posts is telling me to restructure (i.e. start) my savings plan.

Max Power1 · 17-09-2012 12:30PM

Deleted User wrote: »

The girlfriends are bringing in a better income than they were when one was in college and the other on maternity. .

Woah rewind there, say what?

speedboatchase · 17-09-2012 12:35PM

Right now my goal is to save at least €1600 per month. In my old job I was lucky to save €400-500. I am very frugal though.

TeletextPear · 17-09-2012 12:38PM

I generally try to save around 25% of my wages but it depends on how much work I've had that month.

Quorum · 17-09-2012 12:40PM

up for anything wrote: »

Saving is a thing of the past for me. I'm living off next week's money already. September is the worst month with the kids' school steadily sucking on my dry boobs - I used to think Santa was a gouger but this free education is a killer.

Sorry, don't mean to sound flippant about your situation, but this made me laugh out loud.

Just the turn of phrase.

enricoh · 17-09-2012 12:44PM

doh! i knew i was forgetting something - a pension! fat chance.
was watching a program recently where they track down long lost relatives in wills n give em a hape of cash so maybe that'll come off!

17-09-2012 12:46PM

Max Power1 wrote: »

Woah rewind there, say what?

I was covering their expenses for awhile while they were at college and maternity. The former is a law student and has just this year started into a thesis and all that. Thankfully now that includes also lecturing which pays some so she is finally making some decent dosh. Better than working behind the counter at Esso anyway.

The latter is freelance but worked died off when we started to work on being parents and had our daughter. Now that she is old enough to be minded by grand parents and creches and the like mommy has been doing more and more projects and taking in the money.

Three incomes are better than one and I certainly have felt a bit of pressure lift now they are earning their own again.

Lollipops23 · 17-09-2012 12:48PM

At the moment I'm trying to live as frugally as possible and will save what I can at the end of the month.

Quorum · 17-09-2012 12:51PM

crusher000 wrote: »

A lot of well to do posters here. I never have any savings and at the end of the month when all my bills go out will not have enough to get a weeks shopping. Thank God for Pasta or I'd starve.

Yeah, I mean, I earn pittance. The only way I can afford to put by E200 a month is because I don't drive, don't smoke,don't drink much, have no dependents, and have low rent. If I had any of these, I'd be screwed. Some of the savings on this thread have me doing this

> :eek:

rgmmg · 17-09-2012 12:58PM

Will need to have a look at how much I'm saving but not much - maybe €150ish. Congrats to those on here who can do, especially those who make the required sacrifices which most of us aren't prepared to forsake.

Quorum · 17-09-2012 12:58PM

Max Power1 wrote: »

Woah rewind there, say what?

Oh yes, this poster brings up his two girlfriends A LOT.

LoonyLovegood · 17-09-2012 01:05PM

Afford savings? I'm eating into them now. Stupid food costs.

desertcircus · 17-09-2012 01:05PM

Save about 400 a month, plus another 200 goes into a holiday fund which covers, well, holidays. Spent most of my twenties spending everything I got, but decided a couple of years ago to change habits and clear my debts.

Novella · 17-09-2012 01:05PM

I save every week. The amount varies from week to week because as a full-time student, I often have an expense one week that I won't the next, for example needing to buy a book or two or whatever.

I always have a few hundred for emergencies though.

nozzferrahhtoo · 17-09-2012 01:07PM

Quorum wrote: »

Oh yes, this poster brings up his two girlfriends A LOT.

Well you would wouldn't you? I know I would anyway

But actually doing a quick look over his post history it is not AS often as you might think. And even then it is often just a side mention in an other wise good point or good post.

Maybe you just notice it a lot :P

Back on topic however I was saving quite well until recently. Now I am noticing that despite having a good saving built up... for the last 8 months I have ended each month with exactly the same amount as the month before. So for whatever reason I am now not saving at all in other words. I have not yet worked out why this might be.

starbelgrade · 17-09-2012 01:08PM

I'm fucking minted.

Can you afford savings each week/month?

Comments