Are you more well off than you say you are?

A question about : Are you more well off than you say you are?

For the last few years ive always put some money aside from my wages which i then do not consider part of my spending budget. Ive continued to do this for every pay so once my spending budget is gone i wont go out with friends or go for meals (basically spend on treats) ive always said to friends i have no money to do this or that because i feel like they would say just spend some of your savings and make it up later. Anyway it got me thinking does anyone else do that? basically lie about your situation to help you stay on track? I feel abit bad about it because its making me look like i am so poor with handling my finances.

Best answers:

• I dont say I have no money, with most my friends they'd offer to pay if I said it and I certainly wouldnt want to freeload knowing I've got money in the bank!
  I do however have budgets and once its gone its gone so will decline to do things because I've overspent on other things rather than dipping into other fund buckets.
• You could just say "I've got no spending money left this month". Then you're not lying. And if they're friends, they should understand. I would never try and convince any of mine to spend more than they were happy to.
• i dont lie, but i have a very small circle of friends and we all usually make plans weeks or even months in advance.
• I certainly am!
  We live on about Ј25,000 a year between us, with two children, (we take home about Ј140k/year between us) and when the money's gone, it's gone.
  We've spent the money in the past on the big house etc etc etc, and now we've got everything paid for, it's nice to be able to save!
  CK
• Probably, everyone plays the woe is me ticket though and wishes for more...seems like human nature.
• Yes, I do lie about my money. It's just not worth saying the truth because someone will be either jealous or push me to spend it or try borrowing from me... Always showing a little bit less than I have.
• I like to talk about money, and would tell the truth if asked. I'm a bit evangelical about living below your means though, and enjoy a good chat about investing
  Now try and define "well off" ......
  Most people try and measure that by looking at what you spend. If people had looked at my clothes and my car a few years ago, they would have said I was better off than I am now. Of course they would be wrong. I am wealthier now that I am NOT spending as much on those things.
• I don't talk about money much but if someone needed it I would lend. I am currently paying all the bills as OH is unemployed so budget is a little restricted right now.
• Good question.
  I sometimes would describe myself as "broke this month" when ive little money in my disposable income budget. I would say that lightheartedly though; not to make people think I'm on the breadline as that's clearly a lie and to be honest, is there anything worse than the person who is always crying poverty?
  I try not to live like a stooge though. It's a difficult balance but life is for living and you have to allow yourself a comfortable standard of living.
  For example this year i probably spent Ј500-600 on golf equipment. I also like to treat myself to clothes. Nothing extreme, I just think it's daft to not have a decent pair of jeans or decent golf clubs because you are saving. I appreciate not everyone is lucky enough to have the choice but i think most people are able to allow themselves "treats" whilst still saving in a productive manner.
  As a compromise, for example, i sourced my golf stuff online and for very good prices. My stuff could have easily cost well over 1k. All about spending wisely when you do and saving wisely when you do.
• I've noticed that I am more liked by my so called friends when they think I'm in a debt... So I got into habit of moaning how I've spent my last bit of cash and now relying on credit cards, and how expensive it is to use them as I only have the ones with high apr, and how nasty vanquis is for increasing my credit limit because they see I can't repay it.......and they do believe it. Well, I'll better lie than see their jealous faces.
• Ah but Jay83 - do your friends save? I'm guessing not.
  Yes I do tend to say i'm broke/skint/brassic. Yes I have put money aside but that is exactly what its for. When the 'fun' money has gone thats it.
  I get a buzz out of the things I can do for free.
  You have a good attitude towards money. Not easily learnt.
  Would your friends be up for a rota of cooked meals with each person taking a turn rather than going out or is that not practical?
• My close friends have an idea of my earnings, but they don't know what my savings are. That is my business. I've been in the position before where a request for a loan from someone followed their discovery of my savings within a week. I felt awkward refusing, but it was taking the mickey on their part. Now, I keep that private!
• For me, my saved money doesn't exist - it goes into my savings account and ceases to be and it will stay that way until I've bought my house!
  So I do say I'm broke, but until the money becomes real again I sort of feel like it's the truth... If that makes sense!
• Am I more well off than I say I am?
  As others here have said, in a way yes - I don't live beyond my means and save a lot of my money. Once it goes into my savings account that's it, gone.
  So I go by whatever amount of disposable I have left and I usually will end up joining in if a friend starts complaining about how broke they are, even though technically I have money there in savings.
  Two of my very close friends are the same as me and we all understand that when we say "I'm broke" we're referring to disposable income and not whatever's left in savings.
  I don't actually find myself talking that much about money (with close friends or otherwise), but when it does come up I always refer to my remaining money (after savings and bills).
• If I spend more than my income in a month, even though I have a buffer, I will say and act as though I have no money. This month was especially pricey because we went on holiday, and I freaked out I'd gone into my buffer (even though it was by a fraction of our total holiday budget). That's what it's there for I guess, but June will be tight (choice, not necessity, I want my buffer back!).
  Like others, I have a regular savings plan which I'm committed to, I can't access it so I don't count it.
• Of course. Disposable income is just that, disposable.
  It was payday for me today. Yay, money transferred to the mortgage account, overpayment on the mortgage transferred out, money for bills transferred to the bill account, visa bill paid off (in full) and money transferred to my regular saver.
  I have under Ј272 left as disposable income, it's only to feed 3, and I have a tank full of diesel. But once that's gone. It's gone, there is no dipping into savings or emergency funds.
  A friend said today, my budget is totally unrealistic. We were in tesco this afternoon, she did a top up shop and spent Ј100. Still a family of 3. I spent Ј22 and apart from milk and bread, on Tuesday to top up, that will be it for the week!