What do you spend the money on?

freda

We are OS so that we can secure our future, and that of our children. We want to pay down the mortgage so we can afford a bigger house with 3 bedrooms when we need it. We want to be able to pay for things like a new car with cash, not debt (much to the horror of our friends) and we want to make sure that we can afford to take time off work to find a good job (not just a panic job choice) if one of us is made redundant/leaves their job etc. We very much do OS for the future, which DH does find hard now and then (he wants to go on nice holidays while we can, get a sport car etc) but we do compromise on that now and then.

We keep reminding ourselves that in 10 or 20 years time, we'll have paid off the mortgage while our friends will be only just starting to do that - most have or are in the process of consolidating/securing debt against their homes to the full value of their houses. We're aiming to retire early and live in relative comfort, send the kids to uni (if they want to) etc etc.

All big things, not 'live for the here and now' stuff. I sometimes wonder if we should be striking more of a balance and doing more stuff now, but we are happy, we are healthy and don't feel we are missing out at all.

black-saturn

Well today I did a monthly shop for £42 and then went to the furniture shop and spent £50 on a dining table which is being delivered on wednesday. So now we won't have to eat from a tray on our laps anymore :j

MATH

We spend the money on holiday home which we use every other weekend and all out of term time (averages about 1-4 of the year) - worth every penny scrimped and scraped!

FZwanab

I started off being os to help us live on one income, I was forever complaining about the amount of income coming into the house so now instead of complaining I am doing something about it. It has been wonderful for our relationship, our health & our kids as they are not going to be spoilt and appreciate every little thing they get. It is good not to bow to the global empires of food products too and to make my own. Everyone is happier as a result. There have also been other financial positive side effects as well, we are overpaying our mortgage now and also have saved an emergency fund as a result.:j

redballoon_2

I "use" the money to clear our overdraft/debts/mortgage.

We have been through a really rough patch recently with husband being out of work and only having to rely on my wage.

Thanks to this site we have managed it well (using my overdraft) but now hubby is working again we will soon have money left over each month which will go towards paying the credit cards. (hopefully cleared in a year or so)

I will still be OS i really enjoy the challenge of it all, for the enviroment, i hate seeing waste, and love growing veggies, making, sewing , knitting etc... makes life more colourful.

Once the debts are cleared we will put the money in savings towards our future/ children / holidays abroad.

Peem

We're using the money to get the house sorted (at last) and then to sort ourselves financially.

Also kids are getting older so they're going to cost more (school trips, specific clothes toys etc within reason).

So we really have to do this.

I'd rather spend money on things I appreciate (not that I ever don't appreciate good food - it's my best thing :rotfl: ) We were always pretty OS in the house, it was the going out that killed us. TBH I'm not really that sure where all the money went . (Maybe my £20 trips to Asda every day on top of weekly shop, and buying clothes, and buying makeup and moisturiser and not using them up.....hmm maybe I do know where it went):rolleyes:

sophiesmum_2

I love it when friends wonder how we can have foreign holidays etc without getting into debt and despite having quite a low income.
They just don't seem to get the concept of frugal living, and getting the best value for the money that you do spend.I have a friend who works just to pay the childminder and buy take aways ands ready meals to enable her to work. I have tried explaining to her that if she cut out the takeaways etc and cooked from scratch,reduced her shopping bill etc she would be able to stay at home and be with her child but she thinks this will just be too difficult
I love being OS,batch cooking ,home baking, preserving, and making the most out of everything.I find it really challenging,creative, and rewarding and think of it as a stand against the consumerist society.It is also more environmentally friendly-reusing and recycling, composting,buying less packaging etc.The money saved is just another benefit of this way of living, and enables us to be able to do a lot with a little income, whilst at the same time living healthier lives.:T :T
sophiesmum:D

taplady

mirakl wrote:

To be honest we just couldn't make ends meet if it wasn't for being OS.

This is true of us too while we are paying off our debts(debt free in 2010:j ) but we will continue with it as its a way of life now that we find very satisfying plus as PenelopePenguin said it all helps to save our planet too!;)

It always amazes me to look in people's trolleys at the supermarket and see how much junk they are buying and how much money they're wasting:rolleyes: and I feel rather smug looking at my little trolley and knowing we'll be eating a whole lot better and cheaply than them!:p

hornetgirl

Currently we use the money we save to overpay our mortgage, so that we can be rid of it by September 2008. As we plan to semi retire at that point, living Old Style is also good "training", as our income will be much smaller. I can't wait!

piglet6

We use the money to have a better quality of life. We used to earn 2 good salaries and still be pushed for cash at the end of the month. Then I was made redundant and OH was signed off long-term sick. Even though I now have another job, our monthly income is about a third of what it used to be (when we struggled at the end of each month, and just made minimum payments to credit cards).

Since then, we have moved to a more MSE/OS style of life, we are living better than ever before (we go out more, thanks to free cinema tickets, cheap theatre tickets, and restaurant deals found on here), have paid off 80% of our debt (and switched the rest to 0%!) and are generally much happier.:D We even have savings in a savings account...which we hadn't had for years!:p

Piglet