My attempt-at-being-honest-about-how-much-I-spend-in-the-hope-to-reduce-it diary

shopaholictiedtheknot

notenoughcash wrote: »

Wow scrooge, I'll have to give that a try. My favourite designer is generally primarni as my designer-clad friend likes to call it!

I've had a bit of a blip today, spent money I didn't really have to. Been to cemetary and spent £3 on flowers and I also bought myself a drink which was £1.10. Although if I hadn't have walked I wouldn't have needed the drink but would have spent £2.60 on bus fare's so almost evens itself out really.

I'm making shepherd's pie for tea tonight using half a pack of reduced minced beef (50p) and all veg from the garden so a good, healthy, hearty, very low cost meal.

A visit to the cemetary is not an unneccessary spend so don't worry! plus you are having cheap tea so that makes up for it :T

notenoughcash

Unfortunately no pics of the fire men shopaholic. Did get a rather blurred one of the fire engine but I was so excited I couldn't stay still enough. Small things eh??!!

And scrooge I think you should definately go harvest. It's such a great feeling to see a result such as cooking and eating food that you have grown and harvested yourself. Always makes me really motivated to go and grow more! I like to invite friends round for home-grown dinner parties. They bring the wine and I cook what I've grown so get an incredibly cheap dinner party, great company, and free wine!! All the dirt and worms become worthwhile!

dfw844

scrooge2008 wrote: »

You'll be a trend setter notenoughcash.

I have been buying all my clothes and my son's on ebay (a challenge!). We have never looked better.

We are now both dressed head to toe in designer clothes, most bought for under a fiver, including postage!!

Hi everyone!

That's so true Scrooge, since becoming obsessed with MSE I put so much time and effort into only spending money I either truly have to, or on things I really love love love (but at the cheapest price and cashback on top), that I keep getting loads of compliments! When I was spending hundreds a month on clothes and handbags no-one seemed to notice, but the effort I put in when I plan an outfit of jeans (which someone gave to me when they moved abroad = free), and vest top from Peacocks (£4 but I paid with survey vouchers = free) and funky jewellery from the Dorothy P sale (reduced already and paid for with Pigsback vouchers = free), and a jacket given to me by my mum which was so old it had come back into fashion (free) everyone can't stop saying how good I look!

So it's got nothing to do with money, it's about style, and I think (at long long last), I might be getting some? Please....?

jenjade

the things that work for me are having NSD no spend days and if i can get a few in a row i get excited but when i have a day when i apend money i go overboard because i have spent and spend loads!!

i also look in all the cupboards freezer and fridge before shopping so i know i have loads of food. twice i have done this then decided i don;t actually need to do shopping as i have loads of food.
i water down the milk sometimes to put off going to the shops! i also try and buy enough milk for the week and freeze bread so i don;lt have to go to often.
maybe putting the money you saved by not shopping etc in a pot may motervate you

toothfairybuttkicker

jenjade wrote: »

i also look in all the cupboards freezer and fridge before shopping so i know i have loads of food. twice i have done this then decided i don;t actually need to do shopping as i have loads of food.
i water down the milk sometimes to put off going to the shops! i also try and buy enough milk for the week and freeze bread so i don;lt have to go to often.
maybe putting the money you saved by not shopping etc in a pot may motervate you

What a MEGA good idea.... I've gone through the frezer and cupboards and managed to plan all my meals until i go away at the end of the month... i didn't realise i had so much squirreled away... with the grocery pennies i save i may just have a little more spending money..CHEERs for the heads up :beer:

notenoughcash

Since I've been noting down everything I spend it feels like I'm seriously overspending because I've never thought about the fiver here and three quid there I've been spending previously, if I've had the money I've just spent it. However, it has really worked. All my direct debits went out this week and usually I'm raiding my copper jar by now but I've still got £70 left!

So today I have been and had my hair trimmed, £8, but not had it done since september so I'm allowing myself that, and I've also got a few treats in for me and the kids to have a home cinema tonight which cost less than £10 altogether so much much cheaper than us going out.

So all this gives me a great head start for next week and it being a bill free week I should be in an even better position by next weekend. I think I'm getting the hang of MSEing!

jak

This is a great thread. I think I know what you mean about the frittering money away. It;s the small amounts that add up. I'm the same, I spend virtually nothing in ASDA and usually get loads (I call food shopping my specialist subject now!) but then i'll fritter away money on stuff I don't really need. Even tho we now allow ourselves spending money per month I get cross when it goes on rubbish (usually ice lollys!) because I think about what else I could've got for it!

I will be watching this thead with interest! Good Luck!
J
X

notenoughcash

you should invite them more often in that case scrooge!!

We've been invited by my parents to coast for weekend. Had already said we were having a low cost weekend at home so assume that means their invite includes costs otherwise will be a very boring and hungry weekend in the rain looking at weather forecast!!

MYLITTLESISTERLOLA

Since getting married in March this year I have decided to become scrooge, I'm saving a fortune.
As a recovering bootsaholic ( & previous newlookaddict) I had decided to stay away from boots (& new look) totally because every time I went in a tube of toothpaste cost me £40 in unneeded toiletries, I have a bathroom cupboard a salon would be proud of :mad: .

So my road to recovery has been slow but I've learned alot and feel impowered.
NSD are now a regular feature aim for 3 + a week, I am now a bootsaleaholic :rotfl: going to as many as 3 a week, buying up bits and bobs and selling them on Ebay, quite often I spend £20 at a bootsale buying maybe 20 items and sell 3/4 at a massive profit ( 50p item regularily sell for £7 if you know what your buying) and it covers my spend. I list blank listings on 5p listing days ( next one is next tuesday ) then when I get time I fill in information using the revise function;) .
I've started using quidco and pigsback for cashback.
I avail of all the cheap mag offers on this board and sell the free gifts that come with them, so my mag subs and paid for from this.
I have been through my household bills with a fine toothcomb and am confident I can't save anywhere else.
I also do a stall at the bootsale every couple of weeks to clear out, and sell in the local free to advertise paper.
I am throwing extra money off my debts to reduce them asap and obviously pay less out in interest this way.
I do a meal planner evey week ( write up meals on the fridge in white board marker ) and only by essential food shopping spending approx £10 per week ( 2 adults, 1 child) at the minute as I'm using up all the cans etc that lurk in the cupboards and buying value stuff, mostly can't tell the difference.
I have bought enough presents at local bootsales & shop sales so birthdays & xmas are bought & wrapped ( how sad !!)
Also used tesco clubcard vouchers for the double up wine offer to buy 18 bottles of wolfblass for presents I only had to pay £18 extra
I have started a tin for spare change ( needs opened with a tin opener ) because I'm not spending so much I have been able to save approx £100 in this which will cover Xmas entertaining
I've went back to dying my own hair instead of expensive salon dyes and I try to wait an extra few weeks between hair cuts
I actually enjoying the challenge of this whole Credit Crunch I've manage to more than half my spending and feel nothing is impossible. I use to spend £100 in the blink of an eye but now I have to seriously consider if I want to liberate a £1 coin from my purse, I quite often consider a purchase for example if I feel like chocolate at lunch I'll go in a check out prices, if theres no offers I'll have a walk round other shops to window show, I quite often forget all about the chocolate.
I have also recently went to my local Clarins counter and pretended to be interested in buying some products, she gave me loads of free samples to try.
I have also recently complained a few times about poor service or products and had a few nice freebies out of this (£30 from car ins company for poor service, £10 vouchers for Cosmetics as an item that I bought from boots was damaged I had bought it at the 75% off sale cost £2.50)
Also I now think before turning the oil heating on as I often used to flick it on out of habit instead of need reduced my useage by 40%

Next step giving up smoking & aiming to be debt free by June 09 :beer:

This is a few of my penny pinching ideas, Hope it helps someone, sorry for the waffle

warwickroadroad23

What excellent ideas, I will certainly be adopting some of them for myself. Thank you!