Good Housekeeping

Imagine you are manager of your household's finances. Your spouse tells you that you will receive £xoo each month to keep you both in food, bog rolls, cleaning stuff as well as pay the gas and electricity bills and all the other domestic minutiae. The amount on offer is barely sufficient but, with careful management and a keen eye on the money-off bargains and the dented tins shelf at your local supermarket, you reckon you'll get through the month.

With me so far? Now imagine it's the twentieth of the month.

Your spouse tells you that it isn't £x00 pounds after all. It's £x00 less £250. Oh and by the way, that applies to last month as well so you owe £250 in arrears and the housekeeping fund is empty.

How do would you feel?

Welcome to the wacky world of NHS financial planning.