First time post/long time lurker

mintymoneysaver

There are 4 of us and we spend £320 a month on food at most.And we shop at Tesco!

OberonSH

Hi, just a few comments of my own, I've just had a shock at my finances too, so hopefully we can all get sorted shortly.

1) Internet charge of £17, it's not much but I've just cut my bill to £13.99 with tesco by downgrading my package, as i'm not downloading large files so the cut in speed won't bother me. If I didn't run a business website I'd get rid of it altogether and just use the free half hour you get at the library. Maybe that's one for people who only check balances and emails?

2) I agree with the comments the others make about cutting the work food bill. I've totally stopped eating out, and take packups to work. I figure I'd rather not have a chinese every week and be debt free a few months earlier. Might sound tough, but it depends how quick you'd like to be out of debt. I manage on about £15 a week food for myself and my daughter, I shop at nettos and live out the freezer at the mo. It's quite satisfying to whip up a meal with practically nothing in the cupboards!

Just a few thoughts that might help!

Oberon

BobProperty

It the car part that sticks out to me.
"Car Insurance - £108.84 (2 cars)
Petrol - £216 (2 cars)
Tracker - £120 (annual)
CSMA Breakdown - £49.50 (annual)"
That's a lot of insurance, even for 2 cars. I think I'm paying in the region of £400 a year for comp insurance and breakdown cover for a Group 12 or 13 car. Are there other benefits for the CSMA as breakdown cover can be found for less? No car tax/MOT in there?

rogerwilko

Molanole, no worries
The advice on how to spend my bonus is good, definatly need to sit down and work out exactly how much I owe on all loans/cards, apr's and payment plan.
Ali-OK, yep, 2 kids makes some difference to the weekly bills.
Batch cooking is not something we'd be geared up for though, as I tend to cook one meal a day during the week for the family, then the wife cooks at weekends. I'm on lates today, and am surfing the net with the lovely smell of garlic chicken wafting in the background, with some pasta and sauce to go on in a while. I'll have mine now, they will have it when they get in from school/work
I'm sorry, but at this time, I'm not shopping at ALDI/LIDL/NETTO, there food is rubbish. We've tried before years ago, and unless there has been a revolution in those stores, I'll keep going to the big supermarket for now. The £400 we've put for the grocery is on the big side though, and with some careful planning, and better time spent in the store, we'll be able to get that down significantly.
Also, I don't get a lot of free time, and neither myself or the wife has any to spend wandering around markets and independant food stores for all the stuff we can get in a supermarket. Sorry, but I'm a modern shopper, not retired with all day on my hands
CLAPTON, your right, I've not included tax/mot/servicing is missing from that list, + all the school stuff, although the kids are quite cheap at the mo'. My car doesn't need an mot yet, but the wifes does, and servicing isn't due for a while on either. I've included those costs on the excel spreadsheet off this site though, I was getting depressed listing EVERYTHING on this thread, so subconsciously missed some things out.
No, we can't get rid of a car. We are a 2 car family for a reason. We both work shifts, and the only time we could do with one car is when I'm on nights, which we will do from now on, and leave mine in the garage.
Cant replace mobiles just yet either, contracts are not up yet, and we'll get stung for the handsets if we try.
We'll stop eating out, although I'm out on my own on Saturday evening. I've have the cheapest thing on the menu.
The tracker on my car is staying also. No way am I losing my car to some low life scum bag, for the sake of the price of a tracker. (a policeman friend of mine highly recommends them too)
Gas insurance is the next thing to ditch, consider it done
I'm taking all I can eat to work today, and not even going into the canteen.
Petrol is already on the way to a major reduction, walked the kids to school today for a change, I'll make that a regular.
Scope to increase income is thankfully there, and we have already made moves to do that.
It is depressing, but on the way to Debt Free Life now, so can only smile
Kar, thanks for the thoughts, hope I get £1900 though, as I'm sure the tax man will want his cut
Tine, none of our loans have protection. That saves us a fortune, as you rightly point out.
Will call up orange and see if I can change my tariff, and O2 for the wife, without a penalty, thanks.
OS? What's that?
Not so sure about making our own crisps, although kids are happy to eat fruit these days, don't really buy many crisps.
Slowcooker! as above, I think we do the best thing when it comes to cooking, 1 meal a day, 4 people eating it
I do love my dream car, and I know it is a major expense in our lives, but it really is our lives too. We rarely go out otherwise, and both gave up smoking to afford this car. Again, tracker has to stay, sorry.
Just bought some white flour for the breadmaker today, all done manually, didn't even know there was a premix pack to buy
Looking forward to some summer picnics as well,
Thanks for the welcome
BobProperty, the car is not going, just for the record it's a 53 plate subaru impreza sti. Group 20 insurance, which is £750 annual, fully comp.
Insurance is £70 month
petrol has been over £200 month for my car alone in the past, £450 when I went 2500 miles around europe last year (it was worth it, really!)
Tracker, nuff said
CSMA I need to cancel this, and will do.
Thanks once again for all your help people, things are looking up.
We had a clearout yesterday, and found £30 in foreign money we didn't know we had! Plus kids helped us count up all the loose change too. Every little helps
Chris.
still working to find out exactly where it all goes!

beverleyhills

[QUOTE=rogerwilko]Molanole, no worries
I'm sorry, but at this time, I'm not shopping at ALDI/LIDL/NETTO, there food is rubbish. We've tried before years ago, and unless there has been a revolution in those stores,

There is a thread on this site on 'what and what not to buy at Aldi/Lidl'.

I do love my dream car, and I know it is a major expense in our lives, but it really is our lives too. We rarely go out otherwise, and both gave up smoking to afford this car.

Your car is a dream which you couldn't afford.

Sea78

rogerwilko wrote:

[Ali-OK, yep, 2 kids makes some difference to the weekly bills.

Batch cooking is not something we'd be geared up for though, as I tend to cook one meal a day during the week for the family, Could you not just cook double and then freeze a load? this would help cut costs, as you find things can be stretched just that little bit further by doing extra pasta etc.

Also, I don't get a lot of free time, and neither myself or the wife has any to spend wandering around markets and independant food stores for all the stuff we can get in a supermarket. Sorry, but I'm a modern shopper, not retired with all day on my hands I work full time, do work at home and housework(yawn) with two small children and a husband who works away a lot and doesn't do much anyway. If you want to you will find the time. I manage to cook and get all I need from Tesco (only spend 40 mins in there, do a list and have think before (20 mins) - and yet have half your budget (I intend to lower it much more as husband isn't always eating with us. This effort now will mean a nearer debt free date and means that I can cover my outgoings. It is worth the effort (that gets much easier once you get into it) and doesn't take that much tbh.
QUOTE]

Also don't use the tesco vouchers for food...you could use them for breakdown cover on the cars, so that would be one less thing to have to budget in for? I'm saving for RAC cover next year..

It's hard getting in the frame of mind to do all this - some things I know I'll have to give up but am still being stubborn :rolleyes: about it. Once you get into the swing of paying things off, however, it is quite addictive! :rotfl:

Have you got anything to sell? Books cds etc could go on Amazon, other things on ebay.Yes its time consuming, but it's almost 'free' money and is much needed at the mo.

The old-style money saving board (OS) is wonderful and helps slash that grocery bill...also things like expensive cleaners etc. Microfibre cloths and a bottle of stardrops is all you need (also husband LOVES the cloths for the car..:D ).

Anyway, hope that helps a little. I'm sure you'll be overwhelmed with ideas!

Sea xx

rogerwilko

Once again thanks for the replies.
Work lunches are going well. Not spent a penny there all week now. Taken my sandwhiches in, and jar of coffee for when I need a fix I'm nearly in the red on my petrol light though, and need to do some running around over the next few days, although I've already re-scheduled an appointment to cut my travel distance.
Sold my sons old bike to sister-in-law yesterday, £40 in our pocket
Need to sit down this weekend and work out our DFD. Think thats going to be the scariest bit

lynzpower

Great start!!

I always think that whatever you like to eat ( box of cereal bars, some biscuits multibag of crisps) are quite good in the desk drawer, saves gonig to the vending machines or canteens

I bet with a nipper you'll have enough stuff to do a car boot sale will you? the weathers perking up now, and I cant wait to do ours this weekend.

rogerwilko

We did a car boot last year, and it is time to do another one now I also need to sell one of my bikes, but that is a wrench, as I used to use them a lot. Might start riding to work again, but as a manager, and with rubbish facilities at our place, that's a problem

beverleyhills

Well done for your great start.

It's very difficult disposing of possessions that hold a lot of memories. If you are not using the bike, clean it up and give someone else the pleasure of using it. You have more!

Don't make false economies. Don't let the fuel guage get too low, you could get 'grot' going around where ever fuel goes in a car. Also you might have to make an urgent journey at short notice.

Good luck. It does take time to get sorted and life does make a habit of throwing a spanner in the works.