Hi I'm new! (Please help!)

southernscouser

the_beast wrote:

I'm not sure we could survive on £100 though - we spend £28 a month on cat food!!

I can't stand the stuff myself but whatever floats your boat!

csarina

I'm new at this too, but I think you need to do a menu plan for a month and a shopping list for everything but fresh fruit and veg, you need to look at the OS board for hints and tips about cooking etc.... it looks quite good. I am sure you can cut your food bill massively.

Be very wary of going down the consolidation route by adding to your mortgage. I think unless you are very strict with yourselevs you will find it very easy to end up back in the same situation a couple of years down the line.

Kevicho

Hi there, have you looked at other ways of earning money?

Such as selling unwanted items on ebay?
2nd job
mystery shopping

The list is endless, and im sure someone will post them all

Alas it is after 12 and i should be asleep!

Good luck

CFC

Hi Beast.

I don't like planning ahead and can be a bit extravagant at times (because of years of living cheaply, now I want to push the boat out sometimes), but your food bill has me beat into a cocked hat. I found that when I went shopping with my OH, neither of us really took responsibility for making sure that we shopped to a budget. It wasn't until we had a meaningful conversation about it (along the lines of, hey, we're wasting a load of money here) that we decided that we would stick to a budget. Our top line, including magazines, treats and lunches for work for me, is £60 per week. That's what we decided was feasible and reasonable for us. Why not try setting a budget with your OH and then make sure that your shopping comes within it?

I think you and your OH might need a chat about how you see money and how you feel about your debts. Relationships and money are inextricably entwined - and I don't just mean that we're unhappy when we have no money. I mean that our common goals in a relationship are linked to finances, and how we view money is often what puts strain on a relationship rather than the lack of actual money itself.