Well, a good looking chap like you could easily get a job in marketing:

Ah I am sorry to hear that transition.

One way is to check out the Aktionen items in your local COOP and Migros - especially daily. This can be for pasta, meats etc. You will be able to shave off at least 20-30% on your food bills.

Less than 2 weeks to go before the end of the month. Hang in there.

Well, I'd hire you to walk up and down the Bahnofstrasse with minus all that ghastly tongue on tongue action talked about in another thread . There are quite a few who make a decent living out of looking like and doubling as someone famous. Perhaps not in der Schweiz, however . . .

Don'f worry be happy! Yesterday, I didn't even care and entertained myself paying CH34 for court hire. Today in shock, I realized that I have only CHF40 left on my spendings account and payday is only coming on the 24th.... But luckily, my resourceful wifey budgeted some cash till the end of the month. The fridge is full, the cantina badge charged with equivalent to six more meals by end of the month, still half tank of petrol to get here and there, railway cheques have been sent for and on their way to the letter box. No partying, extravagant lifestyle but patiently waiting and counting the days...

I always enjoy being broke provided that it is well calculated

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Uhm, change your store, asap. Aldi, Lidl. You can get bread for half the price. I just bought a kilo of ground pork for 9fr today in Coop, perfectly fine, put freezer to work (thanks, kodokan!). Landi if a fun place to shop, too. Don't eat out, no snacks, it is usually drinks that pile up. Get your own bottle of water, make your own home made food. A 2fr for twix bar is awfully expensive for skint times, since you don't get full on that. Maybe for an hour. Plus you have your family to feed. Now, don't your have your wife's family here, too? I don't mean to suggest to eat up their stocks, but it's time to mingle. Every single local family I know here, have help from their parents (child care, even cleaning, ugh, ironing, down payments, etc. It's only us, with no families, who gota pull it off on our own). Good luck, it's almost over. A few weeks ain't nutin' (and leave your kiddo's piggy bank alone). Although 300fr for a few year old? Jayzum. That much money can't be good for their characters!

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"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

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Thats quite funny. I was joking with her that she has more money than me but of course I wouldn't even borrow any. I have arranged an advance & was surprised it was agreed, if you don't ask...you don't get. And I got it.

It's quite liberating really though & as you say, there is always a way. Makes me more sympathetic to others who are worse off (in general) & appreciate the little things.
I am just getting tough with those I work for as they can hardly sack me & I may drop some work as soon as they have paid. Back to basics & get a normal job. I'd rather have 5,000.- every month than 8-9,000.- when I have to wait all the time or spend a day a week on book-keeping.

Like mud says, it comes in & goes straight out & that ain't no fun.

You're right, it is quite enjoyable strangely enough. When I was flush I bought a season ski-pass so this weekend, when the snow arrives, guess what I'll be doing

Only 30 ? You are lucky. When I moved here, I still needed a Bank Account with Royal Bank(dits) of Scotland, and it took me 3 months to get my IBAN number out of them so I could transfer money and pay my bills. During that time, they had charged me almost 1.000 Pounds, which I demanded back - and got back after sending a daily abusive complaint for an additional 3 months, and they even had the nerve to call their behaviour "fair".

If I could just change my Mortgage to a swiss bank, I could end my final business with them, but unfortunately, I am stuck with these vultures, until my house is sold.

Doc.

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Well, look at it from positive perspective you might not eat but at least you will enjoy your skiing. Chance of more snow is pretty good for this weekend...

I love to break down my earnings at the beginning of the month i.e. how much goes to savings, bills, food and entertainment. The name of the game is to survive on certain amount of money and trick is to end the month with record close to zero. I hate using overdraft facilities or credit card but also do not like to end up with too much money e.g. say extra few hundred chuffs. Then I have to deposit it again to savings account. It sucks

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I have an advance now which will just last to end of month, feel so lucky here when I can ski even if I can't afford to go out.

I totally admire your way of living, I also hate overdrafts & credit cards, the latter is useful for travel but its so easy to dig a hole you struggle forever to get out of & pay for the privilege.

The thing is try to stay afloat always keeping positive balance on your account. Only use overdraft when difficult times call for desparate measures and I would assume it's seldom in the country like CH.

Sure, I use the CC and live like there is no tomorrow everytime on holidays. But come the month end, I would always make sure to pay back to my CC so that they do not charge me extra. It takes some discipline but in the long run you will get used to self-discipline to judge your financial capability better and minimize the risk of any kind of debt. It took me a while to embrace such mindset. It's so much easier here than back in SA where the lifestyle dictates to live on the CC's.

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So no savings at all? How will you pay the rent?

Actually you have my admiration, for being normal. Firstly being skint is not something that people usually admit to in Switzerland and secondly you didn't mention any massive CC debt so I am assuming that you don't have any.

I'm usually a financial anorexic, I get a kick out of restricting the amount I can live on, but It's only enjoyable when you you are financially OK.


One month ago I found my dream house,negotiated a record low price, was going to go for it. I repainted the present house inside and out myself, ripped up carpets had a new roof, windows changed etc to get the house ready to sell, but then decided I couldn't justify paying the real estate agent's fee.

So, I decided to become a paralegal to do the work in future myself, got on a course after refusing to pay to have all my certificates translated, got to the bursar, then backed off unable to sign, I had to phone 3 people and wait 10 minutes. I am fine signing big checks or giving money to others, but this, being for me, was so stressful. Then I wouldn't spend the money on the course books, eventually found them cheaper on line, and forced myself to get them, but have to wait for arrival. so now I am waiting with no books in class.

I look at the others on Financial Aid, not moaning, buying stuff for themselves seemingly unperturbed and I feel such anguish. I can't part with money unless I know that I'm getting an incredible bargain and I do find incredible bargains. I get very agitated by waste. I can't accept gifts. I'd see a therapist if I could get one for free!

Yep...sometimes it's down to:" Robbing Peter To Pay Paul"...Good you found a solution.

I have virtually no debt, but also little savings & some assets which I can't instantly turn into cash.

The fact that in Switzerland people don't talk about money (or having none) is partly why I started this thread, because I can.

Same boat, different paddle. Wasn't too social, but I did manage to lose a couple of kilos, so it's all good.

Been there too, hang in there - you'll survive it mister.
Seams to depend on the banks then. I asked for it once at Credit Suisse but was told that since I have only B permit it was not possible. They only allow it when you have C permit. But since I had such a poor and starving face they let me have couple of hundreds with the note "Only this time".
It's a little surprise how long you can make 200 franks last though, when you know it's your last option to get food. While as when you are not worrying about money, you easily spent 200 in one night.
Isn't next Monday?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_%28date%29

Do you know how we manage to pay for our travel?

Every month we have a certain amount that is divided in four for our grocery shopping. Everything we buy that is grocery related is coming from that amount. Every week, we take what was left over and put it in a different place. One week, we can spend the whole amount on the grocery and the week after almost nothing. At the end of the month, it can be pretty impressive what is left as savings! Month after month, it goes fast and here is money for vacation!

I used to do that when I had something to buy that I couldn't afford, I am not a credit card person. I have 3-4 but I am not using them. I can't put my head around using money that I don't own, and paying extra fees to do so... Sometimes it can be necessary but it should be an exceptional situation (for me).

But . . . but . . . there's vitamin C in potatoes!

It all seems fine. I never planned to go overdrawn, but occasionally did sometimes . . . particularly near pay day where the money looked like it was in my account, but hadn't cleared yet. Looking back over my last years accounts I dipped into the red four times last year and didn't receive any penalty. I do pay a monthly salary into the account and typically the amount I went into the red was only a couple of hundred francs. I was just very pleasantly surprised not to get charged.