Help a Single Saver

The BEST thing about being a single is ....its just you. You decide what you want to spend. No others to answer to or buy for etc etc.

The first thng is to list your finances..what comes in and out. Everything ...down to pennies. I dont buy papers/ mags/ talewaye etc etc etc.

look for areas for saving. Utilities/phone/mobile every penny is worth saving as its yours!!!

Look at your weekly shop. Live out of cupboards a week every now and again.
lots of ideas here about cooking lots and freezing porttions.

Cook your own food from scratch- take your own sandwiches and hot drink in a flask.

No takeaways - make your own - books or mags from library - hire dvds from library- challenge of using what is in fridge,freezer and cupboards rather than going shopping.

Write letters rather than phone.

Make your own gifts and bath products and washing gloop. etc.

Sorry if you are already doing all this - just a few ideas off the top of my head.

Bear in mind that you can now do what you want and do not have to humour anyone else or justify yourself - and that is priceless:j

Hi Luis,

When you create you budget look at each item in your budget. And ask yourself the folling questions... Can I get it cheaper with someone else? Can I do with out it all together? Do this with EVERYTHING... uswithch.com can help you find where to get cheaper gas and electricity. See if you can get your mortgage cheaper with someone else. YOur current mortgage provider may be able to match the better deal that you can get with someone else.

AS with what Elona says go to your local library and get books, DVDs and CDs. If they don't have the book, DVD or CD you want, go to the librarian and ask them to order it for you. Your buying of these item show then be almost zero as you will be getting them from your library.

Speak to your friends and family about when you are looking to buy.. they might already have the item in their cupboard gathering dust that they can give you for free.

When buying clothes see what is available in the sale. If you have your own style and is not much of a slave to fashion then you can shop confidently in the sale looking for the items that go with your waredrobe and style at a fraction of the price.


If you are an even more confident shopper then you can shop for your clothes in second hand/charities shops. If you live in the city you can travel to expensive parts of the city and get more designer clothes in their charity shops. I have found a few great second hand shops near Portabella Road in Notting Hill.

When you go to the cinema bring your own pop corn and drink.. this will save you about £10 each time!!!

CAn't think of anything extra except look at the threads in this OLd Style section and it will have infinate amount of advice on how to save your money so that you can get more from it.

((((Hugs Luis)))) Sorry to hear that (Hope it wasn't a curse from the pyramids :eek: )

In addition to the above suggestions ...

Have you been through all your cupboards/fridge/freezer to see what you already have in there? Make a list of everything! Then, see how many days you can eat from that stock and with minimal spending.

Have you looked through your address book and given thought to how many family and friends you can "drop by" either at mealtime/stop with for an overnighter/couple of days (Hey! I know that's radical, but we're talking practicalities in dire straits here! )

Obviously, cleaning products are over priced and under functional .. so, back to basics and use the welcome sticky to relocate the cleaning alternatives.

Cook once, eat twice ...eat one half and freeze the other then bulk out any meat by doubling up on potatoes/rice/pasta and veggies!! (Get your veggies from the market near to the end of the day if possible, they sell them cheaper sometimes)

Use your library and think of it as a 2nd home! (Use their heating/air conditioning/lighting) Read as many books/newspapers/mags as they provide, then, at closing time, take home any cookery books geared towards "students" as they are a goldmine of information on how to eat well for less.

Look into bus passes/train passes for your travel needs.

Good luck, Luis! It's hard enough dealing with being single again, let alone the burden of having to rejuggle finance ((hugs))

Mado wrote:

At the price of stamps... I think not!!!
Although it is nie towrite/receive letters, phone with cheap operators or emails are the thrift options...

Possibly. Except ... in a telephone conversation, the nature is such that it can evolve and progress and rack up the pennies. Plus, getting into a writing habit as opposed to phoning *could* eradicate the need for rental charges/additional charges/top up fee's/monthly contractual fee's!

With a letter, it has a beginning, a middle and cleary defined end!

Writing takes time, thought and application. A good letter (proof reading, editing, additions) could take as long as an hour to formulate! If that means one hour less of something more expensive in the long run (say a trip out/ TV time/boredom enduced activities etc.) then that is 30p well spent Not to mention the pleasure it could equally deliver and the priceless investment of friendship/familiarity!

Now, even on a business letter footing .. how often do we get passed from Option 1 to Option 3 to Option ? ... kept holding and yet *still* not getting our query resolved? Yet, the written word can be provocative and powerful and evidential in the long run; phone calls are transient by comparison