Are you financially better or worse off since the pandemic kicked in?

[Poot]

Bit better off. Not buying as much petrol and not going anywhere. Too tight to pay for a UK holiday and abroad not available.

I have a new job title but no payrise. So the same income but with added stress. Yay.

 

[thismoment]

Initially I was better off because I was on a higher salary and had reduced costs such as travel and going out. Then I was made redundant and have a significantly lower salary and back to travel costs. Also, my groceries cost has gone up

 

[Puddy_Tat]

better off -

not really done a lot / travelled anywhere (don't really go in for big holidays, but usually go away in UK a few times a year and to mum-tat's in london fairly often) and do a few voluntary things including putting events on - i claim some but probably not all expenses for these - and these were all cancelled.

did a lot of overtime when the shit was hitting the fan (original plan was i'd take the time off when it went quiet but it never did so got paid out for it)

wfh-ing over winter meant i wasn't buying lunch at or near work

worse off -

got in to the habit of driving to work rather than using employer-provided bus season ticket when lockdown was highest so bus service was severely reduced (although if i'd hardly been running the car at all, it may have developed problems)

got put on wfh during the winter so the gas / electric bill was higher than usual

possibly bought more books online than usual with libraries being closed


probably in profit overall...

 

[scifisam]

Slightly better off, but only because I started a new job, and that's unconnected to the pandemic.

The one thing that's increased a lot is that I'm taking a lot of taxis. But again that's not really connected to the pandemic.

My outgoings have stayed pretty much the same; we were always at home full time so our bills were always higher than average, I have a freedom pass so commuting would be free if I were able to do it, and I'm fairly frugal when it comes to daily necessities.

I might have gone on a big, expensive holiday last year or this year, but I would rather have been able to do that than have the money for it in my bank account, really.

 

[Sasaferrato]

better off -

not really done a lot / travelled anywhere (don't really go in for big holidays, but usually go away in UK a few times a year and to mum-tat's in london fairly often) and do a few voluntary things including putting events on - i claim some but probably not all expenses for these - and these were all cancelled.

did a lot of overtime when the shit was hitting the fan (original plan was i'd take the time off when it went quiet but it never did so got paid out for it)

wfh-ing over winter meant i wasn't buying lunch at or near work

worse off -

got in to the habit of driving to work rather than using employer-provided bus season ticket when lockdown was highest so bus service was severely reduced (although if i'd hardly been running the car at all, it may have developed problems)

got put on wfh during the winter so the gas / electric bill was higher than usual

possibly bought more books online than usual with libraries being closed


probably in profit overall...

Yes, I needed new front pads and disks because of corrosion due to lack of use.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

In theory, better off.

In reality?

looks at new bike, shoes, suit, books, amplifier, Alexa, LED smart lighting…

 

[stavros]

In theory, better off.

In reality?

looks at new bike, shoes, suit, books, amplifier, Alexa, LED smart lighting…

If the LEDs replaced incandescents they'll surely save you money over their lifetimes?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

If the LEDs replaced incandescents they'll surely save you money over their lifetimes?

No, they replaced non-smart LED’s