Aiming to be debt free... but bored!

EZTutty

I'm fairly new here, and have been reading and getting some good advice from these forums recently.

I'm trying to get my debts down as much as possible and i'd ideally like to be 'debt free' (other than my mortgage) by the end of 2010, however i have a few 'expensive' months coming up (House Insurance, Car Tax, Car Insurance which in total equates to about £1100)

So over the next few months i'm trying to spend as little as possible on unnecessary stuff, i'm also trying to cut down the amount of petrol i use (on average £40 a week), however i can see my self getting rather bored.

I just wondered, what do people do to fight the bordem without spending loads of cash (or any cash lol)?

Deep_In_Debt

You could find yourself some cheap or better still, free hobbies. I enjoy walking (free and healthy) and now that the weather is better tend to walk where I can rather than taking the car. I also take neighbours dogs for walks and often they will give me something for doing it so I'm getting healthy and being rewarded at the same time and meeting people.

Try your local library - there are often notices for groups and activities in local areas.

charlie2517

I come on here! ;-) lol! But as DID says I do free things too, I sign up for free trials on DVD's etc and do things for free or cheap with friends rather than spending on going out for dinner etc. Could you de-clutter your home and make money from it too perhaps? x

Cashwitch

Hi
Some free/cheap things we've been doing/other ideas... we live in the country so feel free to add to these city-dwellers!

* Walking the dog - amazing how many new places we've been to and it's good for the soul!As Deep In Debt says, walking someone elses dog is a great idea too.
* Visiting people we haven't seen in ages/people visiting us (just for evening or a night or so); most of the time, this only costs the travel there + a bottle of wine, and everyone feels great about catching up!
* Visiting nice places - beach, nature reserve, places of interest (many cathedrals etc don't charge/charge virtually nothing)
* With visitors, have a BBQ or buffet instead of takeaway/cooking a huge meal - ask guests to bring their own (1) offering - people are happy to do this; even in less lean times we were in the habit of offering to bring pudding/starters/dips + nachos/something for the BBQ anyway....the habit grew and our friends did the same...
* Out and about for lunch - have soup or jacket potatoes...usually low cost; also, asking for (tap) water instead of paying for drinks cuts costs hugely in restaurants.Most will be happy to do this.We recently paid under £20 for 4 lunches for us and family on this basis.
* Totally agree with Charlie 2517 - de-cluttering is the way to go.With your new-found free time you can do things you've been meaning to do for ages.Our house is looking much better in recent months + taking stuff to the tip/car boot sale is really motivating in terms of feeling satisfaction.We once made over £100 in a boot sale!
* Volunteering is a great, free activity, and there are so many thousands of things to choose from!Some organisations may pay your travel expenses to get there too.You can give something really positive to your community for the simple 'cost' of your own time + feel great.Some examples: dogs homes are often desperate for volunteer dog-walkers (I know our shelter is); meals on wheels; Help The Aged (befriending schemes); youth organisations (teaching, activities); National Trust (conservation work)...look at the Do It site to search for for volunteering opportunities throughout the UK:
http://www.do-it.org.uk/
* Taking up a new hobby - running is the obvious one, but walking and cycling (if you already have a bike or can borrow one) are others...Many hobbies can be learnt about from the internet/books you can pick up for next-to-nothing in charity shops/E-bay, or try FreeCycle for amazing free giveaways in your area!I've been gardening more in the last year or so and seeds cost hardly anything (perhaps £2 or £3 or less for a packet).We aim to grow most of our own veg by next year!We have a compost bin free from the council which means we don't have to pay anything for that.If you haven't got a garden, if you have a small back yard or balcony you can do container gardening, I know people growing potatoes and all sorts in this way...Google it so you can learn more.

Fire_Fox

EZTutty wrote: »

I'm fairly new here, and have been reading and getting some good advice from these forums recently.

I'm trying to get my debts down as much as possible and i'd ideally like to be 'debt free' (other than my mortgage) by the end of 2010, however i have a few 'expensive' months coming up (House Insurance, Car Tax, Car Insurance which in total equates to about £1100)

Have you checked the best deal on a price comparison site for your insurances? Clear cookies and switch via a cashback site, then you have a little spare money in a couple of months to amuse yourself!

fatbelly

EZTutty wrote: »

I just wondered, what do people do to fight the bordem without spending loads of cash (or any cash lol)?

Spend hours on this website!

Odette

um...I spend alot of time 'in the bedroom'.

Free and good excersise;)

EZTutty

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Have you checked the best deal on a price comparison site for your insurances? Clear cookies and switch via a cashback site, then you have a little spare money in a couple of months to amuse yourself!

Unfortunately Comparison sites for car insurance are a no go for me, being fairly young (22), and having a group 15 car thats has substancially more power than standard kinda rules out alot of the big named insurance companies, not the kind of car for the perfect money saver, but it's my hobby :cool:

The best quote i've found for my car on all the comparison sites is £1600 :eek:, adrian flux can insure me on a specialist policy for about £600 lol

I will hunt the comparison sites when it comes to home insurance though ... and i'm just getting into the world of quidco as we speak.



@Odette.. i like your style lol

Jenna

Hey - just to add to the posts above, you could start getting prepared for next year's bills now. Just get the total of whatever you pay this year (say £1200 for ease of maths) and then save £100 a month for the next 12 months. I do this with my car tax, MOT etc and it saves having a mad panic - the money is just there when the time comes to pay for the bill. HTH!

Baileys_Babe

Join a library and borrow books for free.

Daily clicks to generate cash for future treats.

Orange wednesday, cheap cinema trip, take your own snacks.

Dinner parties with friends, each person brings a bottle and a course of food.

Visit a museum, national musems are free so are many local ones (or they often only charge a small fee)