Starting to Save! - Newbie.

Cinny91

Hey everyone! Hope you had a nice christmas

I got a copy of the living on a £1 a day book and the thrift book from my parents which should help with money saving, although the woman in the £1 a day book is getting on my nerves abit!

Went sale shopping today with my sister, spent £110 and that included dinner for us both as well as a DVD for my mum, who's caught that awful sickness bug going around. Bought a lovely dress from topshop, my first ever laura ashley top. Marked down christmas cards for next year (Check me out!) yet more soap and glory stuff.. so on and so forth.

My new years resolution is a funny one, to treat myself more often. I was looking at my wardrobe the other day and it looks so drab, clothes i've bought on a budget or ones I've had for years. Not very MSE but hey, you can't take it with you!

Cinny91

Got about £40 left in my purse after today, about £20 in my pot incase I need it and almost £400 in the bank. Feeling quite pleased with myself, even treated me and Frank to a meal out. Thinking of going on their website and complaining though. Even though the place was almost empty (2 other groups in) it took them 10 minutes to sit us. Pretty quick to take our order but we were sat waiting for over 30 minutes after we finished too. They were turning people away at the door too. The waitress was complaining because they were understaffed but she only had 5 tables to wait on and if she spent less time calling up people and complaining surely it wouldn't of been to hard? Anyways, rant over! Took back some things I bought on impulse aswell today.

tinkerbel

hey well done. moved any of the £400 into savings yet though missy? I've just got the balance of cash out to pay for the boys birthday/christmas.. its such a killer!! I also didnt quite have enough so he paid some of it (but i want to get the extra money and secretly pay it into his bank oneday!) so that is my next challenge!!

Cinny91

I haven't yet, still haven't opened one! It's all confusing when it's layed out infront of me. Still got leaflets from the bank so I'll look at them later. Can't get to sleep tonight, although the glow of the computer screen and dull hum of the fan sure are helping.

Well done on the present for your OH! What is it you got him, the motorbike lessons?

I think I might be getting Frank a laptop for his birthday because the one he has is busted. Will be going to buy it in store with my dad, the haggler king, nearer the time (*ahem* march) will try and get the limit for it out in cash so I can try and get some money off with that. I need to hold my horses though as it's months away.

JordanShannon

Hi everyone,
I read the first post, and thought this was such a good idea.
I'm 17 in january and right now i have no debt, i have a job that i am currently looking to change, as the wage is VERY unfair and probably illegal(£3.53 ph, but hey ho:o ) I will probably become in debt next year as i am learning to drive and want a car, and i've only really just started saving for it... Well TBH i've only just started thinking about it as my life is moving at 90mph ATM!!
So far i have:

£300 in a premium bond(need to sort that out and change to something diff as have never 'won' lol:rotfl: )

Approximately £100 to put in bank account

I earn approx. £180 a month

And i also whatever i have in my sig(don't remember)
I've joined Dooyou, Quidco and ipoints and they are a working progress.. Erm the only thing i have going out of my account is £29(approx) for phone bill.

I already know what my new years resolution is and its; to earn £1000 EXTRA in a year and to save it!!(or put it towards car) so i'll keep everyone posted on that, only if you don't mind me boring you with my troubles and woes :rotfl: .

I am now going to leave my card at home so i don't impulse spend.

I was wondering whether anyone has any other tips for me as they would be much appreciated!!!
Thanks.
Jordan
..xx

Cinny91

Hi! I was on £3.33 p/h after I turned 16, not sure what the minimum is though.

Seems like you're on the right tracks, have you joined Slice the pie? I made £15 on there in a couple days, but it's such hard work for what you get unless you're on a really high rating. Good luck with saving your £1000, i guess you're already doing the whole cutting out extra spending bit? I find the worst thing to do is to 'treat' yourself when you're doing that. With me one treat leads to another and another. Saying that I've just bought myself some DVDs off of amazon and classed it as a treat and I don't know about Nicki or Tinkerbel but I'm still having a whole bunch of troubles with MS and getting myself into gear so don't worry about putting your problems in too.

I'm sorry, I'm rambling! Still can't sleep. Don't know if I should go to bed and sleep till noon and have the same problems tomorrow or just get a couple hours kip and get by on coffee for a day?

tinkerbel

hey jordan! welcome!!
and Cinny - get to bed!!
Yeah I got him the lessons, he's out off on it today so i can get lots of revision done but hey bless him! he had to hand over all that cash but im seriously hoping he negotiated at least £5er off the price and comes home with it... if he does ill be mighty impressed and happy!
I earnt £10 and so did he from bingopo rt over the last week - it pays in amazon vouchers and is quite boring but jordan you might be able to do that...? its better than nothing and if your into games/cds/books/dvds etc you can get some treats that way!! I just sold mine to my bro at a discount but hey! because i needed the cash for today lol.
Also I dont know but if you earn such a low wage can you get any benefits or something (you might have to be over 18 i have no idea sorry!) are you still at school/college btw?
Also with regards to driving, can you get insured on your parents car and would they take you out for lessons at all because I found this really helped me cut costs down (they paid the insurance extra for my birthday) and i only spend about £300 on officail lessons. Also learn how to drive efficiency so you don't waste petrol! (going at 65 is sooo much better in my car than 70 but you do have to try and not keep up with the crowds on the motorways and not get intimidated etc) aside from this if no one can help you and you want to buy a car I think you'll need way more than a grand. if you're young = expensive, male = expensive female = only a little bit cheaper, small car = good and cheaper though but on the tinyest car possible that I used to have - my insurance was still £900!! and you should try and get a decent car which wont let you down and so that can be a bit spend!
If I were you (but I know nothing about it really) I would cash in the preminum bonds and put it in an isa which is where you don't pay tax on the interest.
Also - register for online banking - it makes things so much easier!!

With regards to making extra, I try to do: Valued opinons, pigsback, globaltestmarket, bingo port, p1nec0ne, lightspeed, quidco (but only really whn im buying something), slice the pie (but i hate it now ive been downgraded), toluna (but once i get up to the points threshold im quitting!), onepoll, my homepages friends.... its never going to make you rich but every little helps and it gives me something to do online that i dont feel that guilty for!! :beer:
[cheeky but if you want a refferal to any of these sites let me know by pm!]
I think I'm going to start dooyoo soon but i don't know - i never seem too good with words

i dont know if any of this helps but hey! I tried!!
Hope everyone is cool and has less revision to do than me!

Cinny91

tinkerbel wrote: »

and Cinny - get to bed!!

I got to sleep at 6 in the end, up again at 9! I've been reading the thrift book (another christmas present) and trying to find free events around my town since.

Hope your OH has fun at his lesson! My uncle does motorbike lessons and knocks some money off if people pay fully in cash, but I think he charges per lesson rather than in one go?

Spent £14 on amazon at about 4:30 this morning, bought The Edukators after watching it on C4 and Sophie Scholl. I guess I could do without them but it was a really good film that I'll no doubt watch over and over.

Got some sewing to do today, bought a skirt in the sales that's a tiny bit too big so I'm going to take it in and make another tote.

Cinny91

I used my £100 i put aside for my mixer to buy GHDs *slaps wrist* managed to get them pretty cheaply and went through Franks ladbrokes cashback site so I got £8 back from it too.

And that, is my excuse for that purchase.

JordanShannon

tinkerbel- Can you explain to me in very very basic(dumb) language what exactly a Cash ISA is and what it does, lol :rotfl: I've been trying to get my head round it, but my brain has gone to mush and wont function properly so i am very confused :rotfl:

Thanks everyone for the tips and ideas, i now have a list of targets for 2009 and ways to make extra cash, lol.
..xx