Two and a bit years on!

I have been incurring some debts over the last four years studying for a very expensive MBA (under-grad then post-grad study). I have continued to work during this time, but the price has increased at a crippling rate and my salary hasn't gone up by anything like as much, so after two years of credit cards going up as well as the bills, I knew I had to do something about the situation and joined MSE two years ago:

During this time, I have Saved:

£130 per year - switched from AA cover - (my old Dad was on my policy but decided he didn't do the mileage to renew, I switched to Auto-Aid - hope I won't ever need it!)
£23 per month - switched mobile phone
£30 per month - Switched Power supplier & went internet based (My house is huge - 7 bedrooms!)
£25 per month - Water meter installed - (paying through the nose because only three live in the big house)
£60 per month - Making meal plans so grocery bill plus:-
£20 per month approx - Growing veg, strawberries and salads during summer (and garden looks tidier too!)
£15 per month - Sweet-talked my darling b/f and he is cleaning my car
£10 per month - Renegotiated home and contents insurance
£4 per month -
Went to switch Broadband supplier but they reduced contract for more Mb!
£35 per month - Cancelled Sky and went freeview (£29 for freeview box)
£78 per month - big shock! Making my sandwiches and taking coffee into work (I was horrified to discover I was spending £4.50 a day in the cafe four days a week!!!)

That's a total of over £310 per month which I can now use to pay off my MBA credit card debt!

And it doesn't end there....

More Temporary savings (less than two months so far):

Have Bike but still need to pass test, so put bike in garden and:
£12 per month - Declared Motorbike SORN
£15 per month - bike insurance not renewed (until back on road)

The plan is to do the test and use the bike for commuting to save petrol money, but my studies eat up my spare time!

Plus, One-off savings

£40 - I used online shopping comparison site to buy b/f's IPOD birthday present
£100 off retail cost - I bought my own IPOD on eBay
£350 per month reduction - I switched my mortgage to a fixed rate using existing provider and extended the payment period - this means I am able to budget better and also pay off more off my more expensive higher interest debts. I will then remortgage at the end of the three year term in November 2007, reducing the payment period if my debts allow. Not really savings as I will clearly pay more, but the interest rate has since gone up and it has provided me with a few more pounds to lower the credit card totals.
£200 Local Authority grant - insulated loft to lower bills in mid-long term although it cost me £130 on top

Opened Alliance & Leicester account - giving me 0% overdraft for 6 months, paid off my smaller credit card debt with this!
£78 back from forgotten old Bradford and Bingley account

Tarted my CCs to interest free from 14.3 & 15.9% - not sure what total this has saved but it has helped me slow down the growth of my MBA debt and enabled me to pay more off faster!

Have replaced 90% of lightbulbs to low energy (local shop was selling them for £1 each!) Not sure yet what saving is going to be, but something is sure to be saved!

Switching off all electrical items on standby for last two months.

£300 back from Powergen! Yes, as a result of checking gas & electric meters (I never did this really before). I discovered that gas meter had a leak coming out of the meter - transco fixed it free, I gave weekly readings to company and as a result got this off my bill due to their calculations of overcharges for the previous two years (then I switched!)!

I looked into getting my very high maintenance garden landscaped. The quotes I got varied from £18 - 25K! I have been working on the garden since April 2005, have spent nearly every weekend in the sun (took a break from Nov - Feb), called in favours from a couple of friends, learned some new skills and whilst it looked like a warzone for a while, by end August it will be finished and the projected cost will be less than £5k!

Money I have Made:

Am now using quidco for all my online purchases where possible (have made £58 since July! shame I didn't discover them before doing some of the above!)

Sold £440 worth of stuff on eBay (unwanted presents, etc). Am hoping to get at least one bootsale before winter so more to come!

Deposited £10 on Bingo site through quidco one day, got intro cash from quidco plus I won £30! Immediately cancelled membership and withdrew the cash.

Use Tesco, M&S (I am shareholder) and Boots vouchers in my possession whenever I can. (always carry them in case!)

It doesn't stop there, in addition, I have reviewed my b/fs outgoings:

- Am just about to recommend b/f to A&L account so will hopefully get £50! Searching for other friends to introduce!
- Bought his bargain washing machine using my quidco account so a few £ to come there!
- Installed his washing machine (plumber - for what ?! saving him £50)
- switched his energy supplier (hopefully saving him £200 per year)

Planned savings:

My mum is paying for me to have my eyes lasered for my birthday/Christmas present. This will save me £100 per annum on optician costs (for two contact lens checkups and one eye test), the occasional pair of glasses (last pair cost £495) and also, £18 per month online contact lens cost.

I am also looking to pay my grocery funds into another bank account every month and use a cashback card to pay my grocery bills so I can then pay the balance off monthly using the grocery bank account and hopefully making some money too. I have applied for a cashback card and am waiting for it to arrive. It won't be huge amounts, but once I have paid off my credit cards, I intend to continue working like this and retain the Egg card which has a really high credit limit to ensure I have my anniversary 0% loan for larger purchases.

I am now actively searching for a new job as my useless employer has been promising me a regrade for 2 and a half years and I'm sick of the excuses, now I have almost completed my MBA I hope to get a substantial payrise!

Initially when I set out, I didn't think I would be able to save much - about £50 per month! How wrong I was!!! I have got braver about trying out things since I started, haggle over everything and research whenever I plan to purchase anything! I try to aim not to spend a penny in cash from Monday to Friday other than my unavoidable parking costs of £1 per day and petrol (have looked into car sharing but so far been unlucky).

My long suffering b/f thought I was barmy with my money saving schemes - until I went through my savings with him and switched his energy provider! Plus I showed him CD-wow (he was buying DVDs in WH Smiths and paying fortunes!) so he loves me forever now!

Although I still have another £2700 left to pay to complete my studies and the existing debts, I at least know I am not paying through the nose for a loan and have the ability to pay it off a lot faster than I could have hoped before joining MSE!!!

In addition, its great to tune in and offer advice or ask my MSE mates for their opinions and advice! Who could ask for more?!