How Crunchy Is Your Credit?

[Fraz]

My small change collection is almost spilling over the top of the huge Quality Street jar it's in.

[directhex]

bought our house at the height of the price roller coaster, but we're actually fine - fixed rate mortgage, fixed rate utilities, fairly fuel-efficient car. this time next year the car finance will be paid off in full, so really, no worries

[monkeychops28]

No credit crunch for me. I have about 50k in 0% credit cards so am feeling very smug.

[Gerrard]

I'm pretty much unaffected by the rise in energy and food bills at the moment ( that may change a bit next April though), and my dispossable income only has to cover about £50/month in phone/Internet/mobile bills. I don't have to drive to work and only travel home (200 miles or so) every couple of months. I have been saving regularly for the last 2 years and will continue to do so, especially with a pay rise at the end of the year. As my rent is less than £50/month, I can afford to wait until I have a decent deposit and the house prices are more agreeable.

[Mblaster]

Only debt I have is my student loan, and that's no big deal really, since it'll get paid off when I start earning a decent wage, no fear of the debt collectors!

Also, checked my bank balence today, and it the highest it's ever been, yay for me

[Vimeous]

Tighter than a gnats posterior.
We're talking life-preserver intact but could really do with a dingy

Some would point to my recent PC update (all £650 of it) as a self-inflicted wound but of that only £100 was money I needed to scrounge (rest was saved over the last year) for and it means my dearest will soon be able to rely on her PC for work again - something she's not been happy to do for over a year!

At present all wages go to the bills and food despite the fact we moved house 5 miles closer to my work which saved us £6-700 per year.
We've put-off a car service (£500) to get the house windows painted and the bamboo barrier we need (we back onto a business park) to keep our privacy has to wait until the boiler's been serviced.


My life-preserver would deflate if I had my overtime capped however. It's the only thing keeping us sane

[Gunbuster]

Ok, it's never easy being single and running a home on your own. I manage keep my card paid off each month, my student debt is gone and I save a bit each month case of a rainy day. My car is a rather scrappy 1st edition P reg Ford Ka, I'd like something fancy with power steering, but it works and doesn't drink too much. Crunchy no, do I feel the pinch yes.

[teachmech]

Well myself, wife and 11 year old have just sold our house and moved in with my parents till their bungalow sells then we are moving to the countryside together (granny flat) so I ahve no bills at all other than car and broadband plus a five figure profit in the bank. (Smug prat)

But once the bungalow sells new mortgage and bills will leave us very tight.

[Barrichello]

Voted for smug prat as well here damn
No debts apart from mortgage which we are overpaying each month. Jobs fairly recession proof.

Living within your means always helps. Think allot of the people crying no fair in the media are those who binged on cheap credit over the last couple of years. Trying to borrow and spend like they are movie stars while earning supermarket wages. New latest phones/flatscreens/clothes/motors every other week/month. Now its dried up they crying most. No sympathy for them. What ever happened to saving for the hard times?

But feel for the elderly that will struggle with domestic fuel prices this winter - its going to be harsh

[bigblue]

Fairly crunchy. Cinder toffee kinda crunchy, but that wasn't an option in the poll

Firstly, I haven't been able to work for a couple of years, due to illness. Nowt too serious, but a big financial drain. Also, we're trying to sell our house. A house on one of those estates where people camped out for a week just to be able to buy, where we had several offers to buy our place before we even moved in, where there's now four 'for sale' boards in our street!

Whether it sells or not we're moving in four weeks, non-negotiable. And as it likely won't sell anytime soon we'll have to keep paying the mortgage as well as the rent on our new place. We're renting the new place because we'll likely be buying a new flat in a development that will be completed in 2010. Property prices in the new place (Jersey) are still rising as they don't have a 'crunch'... yet.

Jersey has a higher cost of living than here. There are very few job opportunities in my trade, which in conjunction with the fact that I've been off work ill for a couple of years, means I'll probably be taking a fair drop in wages when I do eventually find a job.

The missus is doing rather well though, she's getting a fairly whopping raise. I'll probably end up with fairly whopping credit card bills, but it's only fair I try to do something that makes her happy as she supported me while I was poorly. I'm thrilled about the move too, but at the time it was planned, I'd have been able to clear my feet with the equity in the house, which I won't be able to do now. Still looking forward to it though.

But even after all that, I'm still a happy bunny. A happy bunny that won't be spending a lot on toys for the next few months, but I don't mind one bit I'm still far from poverty stricken, and I have all the toys I need really. I'll just need to try and do more of that thing people call 'going out', as seemingly there's a life beyond PC and AV upgrades

[schmunk]

Only debt is a £3,000 interest-free loan (plus student loan, but that doesn't count) and I have £XX,000 in savings and a car owned outright.

I've also just changed my 'savings' standing order from £100 to £1,600 per month. Ah, the joys of temporarily moving in with the in-laws...

Smug, moi?