How you spend money before payday vs how you spend it afterwards

Brought to you by KBC. 

We all know the payday swing.

Time starts to slow down the closer you get to payday. Hours feel like days and it's almost impossible to imagine what it's like to have disposable income. Once you get paid, you're full of the joys of Spring. Life is wonderful and the world is your oyster. Things just couldn't be better. At least for another fortnight! So how does your spending before payday compare to your spending after payday?

Going out

After you get paid, you order rounds like they’re going out of fashion and experiment with top-shelf treats like that 25-year-old whiskey that costs €25. Well, you owe it to yourself to broaden your horizons. In the days before payday, every penny is sacred and the first thing you ask the barman is “Which pint is cheapest?” You suddenly become a maths genius. You can look at a handful of change and instantly calculate how many pints it can get you.

Food

Once payday comes, you have your local takeaway on speed dial. Lunchtimes are spent checking out every new eatery you can find, regardless of price. With payday still on the horizon, you end up trawling the discount shelf in Tesco and inventing new and innovative recipes based on whatever you can find in the cupboard. Hmmm. Canned tuna and chickpea surprise. Lunchtimes now involve sad, shrivelled sambos wrapped in tinfoil.

Shopping

Payday means wahey! You’ve spend so much time on Amazon that your Facebook ads now look like a digital post mortem of your weekend shopping binge. You’ll be getting packages at work for the next three weeks. As you get into that fourth week of payday, all you can see is things that you can’t afford to buy. The world is a cruel place full of temptation that’s just there to mock your pennilessness.

Going on a date

Just been paid? Wine and dine, baby! You’re ordering from the expensive part of the wine list and insisting that your date doesn’t stick a hand in their purse. This is pure schmoozing with a chunky bank account to back you up. Waiting for payday? You start ducking dates to avoid spending. If you can’t avoid a date, you’re suddenly a convert to the concept of going Dutch. Although you’d like the other person to be a bit more Dutch if possible.

On Google

When that paycheck lands, you’re Googling holidays, gigs and the weekend’s events. Anything is possible. With funds running out and payday far away, your search history is full of things like “Ways to make extra money” and “Money making ideas.” There’s a direct correlation between poverty and how entrepreneurial you feel.

Checking your bank account

You always check your bank balance on payday to bask in the glory of how much disposable income you have. Then you don’t bother checking it for the next two weeks. In the days before payday, you check it 20 times a day. It’s like you think it will magically go from €7.26 to €726 if you keep looking. No elderly relative is going to die and transfer money into your account. The bank isn’t going to accidentally drop fifty quid in there. Just accept that you’re broke. Need something to help you when your funds are low or you've had a busy month? The KBC credit card offers you more convenience and flexibility, whether you've just been paid or you're waiting for payday. You'll get 0% interest on your balance for six months when you transfer your credit card balance to KBC. Offer available when you close your existing credit card and provide closure letter within 90 days. After six months, the interest rate will revert to the standard interest rate at that time. Transferred balance should not exceed 80% of approved credit limit. Lending criteria, underwriting, and terms & conditions apply. KBC Bank Ireland plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. For more information, check out the website.  Brought to you by KBC.