to save as much money and keep my life as organized as possible

savingwannabe

Hi need help saving. Today has been a bit manic. My nieces have come to stay and i love it as i have such fun. They are 9 and 11 but i have spent lots of money spoiling them. But i think that is what being an aunty is about and i had lots of fun too.

Tommorrow will be a NSD i hope!!!!

For the rest of the hols i will only travel with cash and leave cards at home too! This saving malarky is hard work.

:j

savingwannabe

Bless them my nieces taught me how to sell on ebay. I have made 11 pounds. Am over the moon!!!!

It is so satisfying but i cannot believe how much i paid for the stuff in the first place. Still i am decluttering and that is what counts. Beautiful weather today. I have had to buy a few emergency things but am sticking to budget. I hope i am able to save this month.

:j

Optimisticpair

It is hard work to change spending habits to begin with but being organised and forming better habits become second nature after a while. I've found it useful to use a spreadsheet and enter everything I spend. I now know exactly where the money goes and where I can't reduce spending or where I can.

We look at being MSE as a game with rewards. The first reward is the good feeling in knowing that you have done something that is saving you money. The second reward is having savings there to be able to decide to keep or spend or just being able to live on less.

My hubby always bought "quality" name brands and didn't think he would like any of the cheap ones but he discovered there are lots of cheap brands he prefers! I wish we had an Ald! near us. My local supermarket is around twice as expensive on some essentials.

savingwannabe

Hello Optimisticpair,

Nice to meet you! You are right it is like a game. I really loved brands too and i cannot believe that normal brands are ok! I dont have an Aldi here either but i am saving as i shop at A****. The spending diary is great i have learnt where i have been frittering away my money.

Now when i buy something i think and i have something tangible to show for it unlike an expensive magazine which used to make me feel good but did not actually ever get read!

I hope i am able to save extra this month too.

Have a great day. I really admire your frugal challenge. Flippin heck!

:j

EC12345

Hello. Haven't updated for a while as had a few computer problems but they are all sorted now so thought I would update.

Hi Karrie - great to hear from you. Not sure if you are back from holiday yet so make sure you post. I am over the £2,000 mark now - I know - it's great isn't it. I was budgeting for a massive save next month but just realised I have quite a few expenses next month so won't be able to save as much. I was hoping to hit the £2,500 at the end of the month but won't be able to do it now but never mind. How was your holiday. Sri Lanka is meant to be fab - did you get to see loads of elephants? Have been really motivated this month and have hardly spent anything this month - have even done quite a bit of overtime at work (time and a half :T) so should get this now at the end of May - hoping to save as much as I can of it. I've said to myself that if I have a frugal time of it until the end of the month, I can book a lovely massage at the end of the month so that is keeping me motivated. I cannot believe you had over £100 in a sealed tin - that's excellent, well done. I also have a sealed pot but I think there is only about £20 - but it's better than nothing. My toiletry box is also going down - which is good. Probably though in the next couple of weeks will need some more shampoo and conditioner but the toiletry challenge really helped me use up all my stuff.

Becky - how are you and how is your saving getting on?

Lots of new people posting on here as well - hello Laura - great to read your posts - we all try and motivate each other on here so it's been great to read your posts. Hello as well to Kit - well done on your saving - it's great when you start to save money - even the small things, i.e. walking to work etc can make all the difference. I take a lunch to work with me everyday and probably only buy lunch about one every month as a treat. I try and take different things, i.e. noodles or soup, rolls etc so I don't get fed up. I set myself an aim this year of a savings target and I am determined to get to it - it is to save £3,500 by the end of the year - Karrie also has a set figure to try and save and it's good to hear about how everyone is getting on.

Anyway am rambling on a bit so hopefully the next time I log in, there will be some updates. Good luck to everyone.
Emma x

Becky_2

Hi all!

A big welcome to all newbies. Great to have you on board so that we can all support eachother to save more and spend less money.

I haven't posted for a while. About a month ago I started to work full-time again (but it's only a temporary position for 3-6 months and hopefully longer). Earning around £9 per hour which is a smaller fortune for me, but I shall be using these salaries to save as much as possible. I am determined to continue to live on the same amount of money per month as I did when I was earning a part-time salary. My holiday in Barcelona was great. If you like architecture as I do, then you have come to the right place. I learnt to things about saving money on this holiday. It's much cheaper to eat and drink in your local area then eating in the touristy places. The 2nd one is to always do the around the city sightseeing buses, it gives you a great overview of the place and in Barcelona you also get a pack of discount vouchers valid for a year to use on the trip. Somehow we managed to get 4 of these packs so I have now passed these on to friends who are visiting the city later this year.

Karrie - great to hear from you again. Sri Lanka sounds lovely, hope you have a great holiday and please let us know what you thought of the place.

Emma - well done for passing the £2000 mark, what a great feeling. When are you off to Venice?

Savingwannabee, well done on the changes you have made so far in order to save a bit more. Keep going! The only thing I can add, it really helped me to keep a spending log for 2 months, where I wrote down every single item I bought during that time and it helped me to see where I wasted my money. I kept the log in my handbag and I realised I spent at least £10 a week on cappucinos. I now bring in my own flask with coffee to work, to avoid buying any. I like my coffee strong and have found the Lavazza coffee the best value for money, it's expensive but you only need half the amount of coffee when making it.

In mid January I joined no buying cosmetics challenge and have now got £25 in my pot, (£1 for every item I have used up and thrown away). I have found 2 bargains during this challenge. After having had allergic reactions to mascaras in the past, I have always bought really expensive ones, i.e £20+. One day in Boots I looked at their Natural Collection mascaras for £1.99 and decided to give them a go and what a brilliant mascara. Non clogging, lengthening and separates the lashes superbly. One of the best mascaras I have bought. Also,
recently bought Lacura conditioning hand cream in Aldi for 75 p, brilliant bargain too. I have really dry hands but this really moisturises my hands.

I have now also started my own challenge and added not buying anymore tea and smelly candles to my pot.

Well, my post has become quite long so over to you now. Good luck to everyone and let us know how you get on.

Becky
x

savingwannabe

Oh my gosh. I have earned almost £30 from ebay in the last two weeks. This is going straight into my savings. One day i may be able to afford a new kitchen.

Becky thanks for the Aldi tips, i will find one soon i hope.

It is so good Karrie and Emma are going on holidays. It is nice when people get their rewards.

My holiday (at home) is nearly over but i have rested and done some tidying so i am happy and i have tried not to waste too much money.

Have a good day everyone,

:j

angon23annie

Yeah, I just found this thread so interesting... I haven't read the whole posts here, I'll just leave a comment to track back this thread. Please keep posting. Thanks

savingwannabe

Angon23annie,

Hi if you go to thread tools at the top of the page you can subscribe if you like?

Needhelpsaving

Morning all,

Hope everyone is ok.

I have started to walk more to get shopping etc, to save petrol. I have even dug out my bike from the shed!!! Getting fit and saving money - yipee!

I admit that I have taken £30.00 out of my savings, but I used it to get some electric fittings done in the house - they had only been there about 6 months! lol.

I am following in the footsteps of Becky and Emma by using up toilettries too.

Hope everyone enjoys their holidays and time off x