Fuck (with apologies to Dr D)

[babysimon]

Well, you may have noticed that I haven't posted for a while. This is partly due to me being stressed, and partly due to there being very little happening at work which in a curious kind of way makes it harder for me to do time-wasting things while there. Anyway, I went to the supermarket after work tonight and Something Bad happened.


I went round, picking up much-needed food, and even-more-needed toilet paper and toothpaste and perhaps-most-important-of-all, hair gel, and when I got to the till I found out the hard way that I really should have waited before buying that digital camera. Yes, my card was declined. The arrival about 30 seconds later of a large gentleman in a bomber jacket suggests that this is not unheard of at the Stratford Safeway. I had £1.90 in my pocket. I say had, because even in such dire financial straits I needed the toilet paper, and I thought I might as well blow the rest on very cheap white bread and very cheap baked beans.

Obviously in my local corner shop - I can't imagine going back to Safeway in the forseeable future.

It's not too bad - I get paid in a couple of days - but I'm quite pissed off with myself for letting this happen. It now occurs to me that (for instance), I don't know what my overdraft limit is, and had no idea what my bank balance was anyway.

It doesn't really help that we want to book some caterers for the commitment ceremony, and I could ideally do with paying for train tickets to Manchester and BiCon and so on.

Waaa! I thought being grown-up meant things like this didn't happen. I suddenly feel like a student.

Comments

[ergotia.livejournal.com]

I would'nt feel too embarassed, honey - when this happens in my Safeways the staff cheerfully suggest you swipe your card again, cos apparently "it quite often goes through the second time, especially without the cashback" (!)They have seen it all many many times and then some!

Need a loan? Cant bear the thought of you in hair gel withdrawal.

xxxxxxxxxx

[djm4]

Happens to me quite a lot - usually if I'm trying to get cashback which the bank is always a lot unhappier about letting you have than actual groceries.

It's happened less since I got a program for my Psion that keeps day-to-day track of my bank balance. I recommend it. It's amazing how just a bit of budgeting and awareness of how much money I've actually got (or not got) makes a huge difference to how much I spend. It may be astonisingly stupid to budget by saying 'well, I feel as though I should be able to afford X meals out, and I'm probably earning enough to be able to buy that new toy', but that is actually how I did it. No wonder I ended up overdrawn by four-figure amounts.

cards

[countess-sophia.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about it or be embarassed: this kind of thing happens all the time. Personally, after a year of freelance, I'm always surprised when my card _isn't_ declined, but then it's almost impossible to manage money when trying to extract invoices from the likes of IPC Media (now part of the the AOL empire of evil).
David's point about the cash-back is very true in my experience.

Re: cards

[babysimon]

Only slight problem was that I wasn't trying to get cashback. Ah well. I think I may have to start budgeting somehow.

[dr-d.livejournal.com]

Oi! Nicking my favourite subject line, without even so much as a "by your leave". The sheer effrontery.

If you need any help, say a nice memory-rinsing pint of summat, I'm always ready to help. May have to hang on to a bit of cash, of course, given that K and I are moving just a tad sooner than planned, but any remainder could be tapped into if you need a loan. Must have you at BiCon, and with hairgel, or all is lost.

[potatoprint.livejournal.com]

Better to find out now than when you've run up a big nasty overdraft.

[babysimon]

Ummm...

[ajva.livejournal.com]

Och, okay - so you've got a big nasty overdraft, and despite the fact you earn a fair whack, the bank still declined your card when you were trying to use it to make a purchase of about Och, okay - so you've got a big nasty overdraft, and despite the fact you earn a fair whack, the bank still declined your card when you were trying to use it to make a purchase of about £3.64. It's all a fucked-up heap of shite situation.

But don't worry, young Simon. Never fear. The collective drunkbis will never let you go without hairgel for long. We don't make a drama out of a crisis etc. etc. blah blah.

I will give you no money advice at all, because I'm not qualified, but I'll buy you some hairgel. Your birthday's coming up soon.

[adjectivemarcus.livejournal.com]

Here here - I have hair gel I'm not using. ;o)

Hrrrm - second hand toiletries. It just says "shoot me now" doesn't it.

I'll buy you beer instead. Beer will get you through times of no hairgel better than hairgel will get you through times of no beer, to misquote the Brothers.

[babysimon]

I just spent my last 49p on a Snickers bar for lunch so am now officially penniless. I really hope I get paid soon.