Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

PipneyJane

Brie said:

Meanwhile I've realised that I'm officially old as most of the youngsters at work seem to thing that every meal comes in a packet and it either has to all be eaten or thrown away!   But they always ask me what I'm having for lunch as my leftovers always smell so tasty! 

Welcome to my world.  

We’ve recently moved into a new office, in the middle of of a field.  While most of us are working from home several days a week, when I am in the office, it seems as if I am the only person who brings in a homemade lunch to microwave.

- Pip

Primrose

Few young people seem to know how to cook these days, especially tasty economic meals.  I guess being "old" often means you have lived part of your life in times of austerity or shortages when really one had no other option to make do with whatever was available. 

Gem-gem

PipneyJane said:

Brie said:

Meanwhile I've realised that I'm officially old as most of the youngsters at work seem to thing that every meal comes in a packet and it either has to all be eaten or thrown away!   But they always ask me what I'm having for lunch as my leftovers always smell so tasty! 

Welcome to my world.  

We’ve recently moved into a new office, in the middle of of a field.  While most of us are working from home several days a week, when I am in the office, it seems as if I am the only person who brings in a homemade lunch to microwave.

- Pip

When I worked for my last employer, there was two of us in the team who would bring our own lunches in. The rest use to go and buy it from the cafe on the site. I always worked on the basis that I go to work to earn money, not to spend it at work. 

Also, when I am travelling for work, I will always pack what I need for the journey and not buy food items from the stalls/kiosks in the stations. 

Primrose

"Also, when I am travelling for work, I will always pack what I need for the journey and not buy food items from the stalls/kiosks in the stations."

I suspect that if everybody who did this or who bought their lunches at cafes were to tot up how much this cost them over a year they would be shocked if they realised how much this could contribute to paying off their mortgage, saving for a house deposit or some other goal.  Just opening up a separate savings account and paying these savings into itmight be an eye opener.  

tboo

Primrose said:

"Also, when I am travelling for work, I will always pack what I need for the journey and not buy food items from the stalls/kiosks in the stations."

I suspect that if everybody who did this or who bought their lunches at cafes were to tot up how much this cost them over a year they would be shocked if they realised how much this could contribute to paying off their mortgage, saving for a house deposit or some other goal.  Just opening up a separate savings account and paying these savings into itmight be an eye opener.  

Years ago me and the hubby worked at the same place but in different depts. We used to meet up for lunch every day, either in the on-site cafe or walk to the one in town.

The lightbulb moment came and we stopped all this and paid off the mortgage 9 years early.

eta

Just looked for the date, blimey it was July 2018 we paid it off

Lightbulb
May 2016.
Mortgage-Free Date
02/07/2018.

Primrose

Tboo. And what a lovely moment I bet that was!   Our mortgage free moment occurred around the time redundancy struck our  househhold for a second time.  I can't say what a relief it was to know that no bank or building society had the power to remove the roof from over our head.  Definitely worth every financial sacrifice we'd made along the way to reach that point.  

Uniscots97

I'm now mortgage free too, had moved from a much larger more modern home (which was a nightmare to heat) to a smaller 1930's house which decor wise needs a lot done to it (avocado bathroom suite and a 1960's hand built kitchen) but it was either pay off mortgage and do things little by little (although it's been much slower than expected due to redundancy and OH thinking money grows on trees and a hole in the roof) or move the mortgage and still have that for 10 years!! 

Primrose

I'm not sure why people so hate avocado bathrooms! .  We,ve had one for 45 years and as long as it's still functional I'm happy to keep it.  White will surely go out of fashion again when bathroom manufacturers see their profits start lagging and want to encourage those people with more money than sense to start refitting their bathrooms with a new range of fashionable colours, although I'm sure chocolate brown will never tick too many boxes ! 

I think that saving the planet's resources is now more important than worrying what our friends or neighbours think about our bathroom colour.  I guess this is one of the uncomfortable new realities that we all need to start confronting about the way in which we spend our money.  

Maybe "mix and match" bathrooms will gradually become fashionable as people just decide to replace only those items which actually become unfunctionable rather than replacing everything although I suspect it will be hard to change the habits of a generally economically affluent nation.

KxMx

I wouldn't buy lunch everyday either, but once or a twice a week helps break the monotony when one does all one's own meals day in and day out 🙂

Also helps support town centre businesses independent and chain, who are still feeling the reduction in office worker custom.

Locally evening and weekend footfall is back to prepandemic levels, daytime still down, attributed to lack of workers.

I can afford it, I live modestly on a low income and have always saved, I now have enough saved to fund the next stage in my life.
The goal after that is more a pipe dream so I'm set really. 

tboo

Like last year I have been saving the brown paper that comes in the larger delivery boxes to use as Christmas wrapping paper.

To get it out of the way I am now in the process of wrapping the prezzies acquired during the last few months.

Not bought many as the family want money mainly. (which is why I have been saving in the jar)