Great '2011 MoneySaving resolutions' Hunt

chinagirl

Well, I have just red the whole thread, and must say.... food for thought! Some really good ideas. In particular, i think I shall try :

1. Save £1 a day for Christmas. :money:
2. Ebay at least 1 thing a week.:T
3. Try to use up leftovers more (not that we have many).:cool:

GreyQueen

Caterina wrote: »

I shall stop buying magazines, they all say the same thing, each of the articles is the same with minute variations to disguise it! Boring waste of money (except if there is a very good offer/gift then it is worth buying it just for the offer of course).

Joined the no-supermarket shopping challenge so I shall do my best to keep shopping locally in independent small stores.

Back in the day, I used to have a serious magazine habit and shudder to think how much money I wasted. And you're so right, Caterina, the articles are the same-old same-old and the magazines just designed to make a person feel inadequate in her figure, her wardrobe, her home and her relationships. I'll still read them in a waiting room at the doc or the dentist but the habit is broken and I'm sooooo glad.

kitschy

Think mine are probably similar to everyone else's, but here we go:

• Starting a price book to ensure I am getting the cheapest possible items
• Working out my list and cost before walking to Mr S and taking only enough cash to cover it, apart from.....
• Rounding up to the next pound and putting the difference on my Sainsbury's Savings/Gift card to pay for Christmas. I know I would earn interest, albeit a little bit if I banked this, but I won't be good enough to do it and getting the little balance slip each time and seeing it add up has been really good so far. (Little things, little minds )
• Stop before buying unnecessary clothes and accessories and think of 3 things I have that go with them.
• Take books back to charity shop and get new ones from there.
• Learn to bake and cook more, and make some of the things in my copious cookery books that I just look at, think "that looks lush" and then put back on the shelf and having the same old dinner :rotfl:

Good luck everyone! Perhaps we should come back once a month to see how we're all getting on!

pollys

I do write a shopping list and meal plan - but this is not set in stone for eg we were going to have pizza on Tuesday but M&S had a pasta dish in for half price (£2.49) DS really wanted to try it (though doubt I would buy it at £5 I would make my own version) but at half price and for a quick tea, we will have pizza another day.

Pollys

catlovin_gal11

As we are on a water meter, I have been amazed how much the bills have increased so-
1. We are going to flush every third go (Unless you have to flush-you know what I mean!)
2. Use bath water up to flush the toilet. Friday nights bathwater lasted till Sunday evening-think how much money we must be flushing away!
3. Use table lamps instead of the main room light.
4. Make sure if you go upstairs to turn lights off behind you or downstairs if no-one is there.
5. Think before I use the cooker, can I microwave it.
These might be more like green ideas so don't know if I should post this elsewhere.

debbym

1. Menu plan
2. Once back in the UK (Easter) continue to use cash instead of cc's
3. Save money each week towards birthdays and christmas
4. Get youngest into a nursery
5. Get more organised with housework
6. Blog more
7. Make inroads into business plan for becoming a landlord so I can actually get a "proper" income
8. Finish as many UFO's as I can
9. Spend more time with the kids doing stuff
10. Ditch Santander as my UK bank (seems to be on other lists too:))
11.Stop eating biscuits and cakes because I am bored/upset/unhappy; it just makes me more unhappy in the long run

madras79

no party bags for kids birthdays(biggest load of rubbish )
plan planting of veg better

turn a 50 wash of soap powder into a hundred wash box
weigh out rice pasta potatoes

continue walking everywear
continue no takeaways

ask my self when tempted to spend is it a need or a want
cont to check all bills to see if charged corectly

no heating on untill november
teach my kids the vaue of money and the dangers of debt

learn new recepies
make do and mend

buy every thing with cash no direct debits havn,t had a bank charge in years
look out for usefull ideas from all the lovely people on this forum

juliebunny

This thread seems to have gone quiet - how are peeps getting on with their resolutions?

My pound a day (thanks can't remember who suggested that) is going okish except I keep forgetting to do it. However, have realised that it will have a second benefit - I love our summer car boot sale but always struggle with having change to buy small items - so I'll change up my pound pot with notes and have plenty of change! :j

prettypaula

great thread!

1) become debt free almost (goal is 2012!)
2) grocery budget
3) meal plan, cook from scratch
4) declutter and either sell or recycle
5) continue to be more MS
6) grow our own veg and fruit this year
7) finish all the annoying little DIY bits in the house

zarazara

I intend to make several changes this year. Basically we just cannot go on as before. We were not in debt, still arnt,but the monthly pay just doesnt go as far as it used to. I thought we were doing ok by not having debt,now I realise we wernt. We need to acrue some savings in case anything breakes or needs re-newing as one day it surely will.
so for this year I have already implemented
1. walking more
2. trying to do more than 1 thing when taking the car
3. menus have radically changed ,am using more lentils and mince and doing more home made bread soups and stews
4. am making laundry gloop
5. cant afford new cloths,even in the sales
6. not going out
7. not buying newspapers,magazines or flowers or plants
8. no chocolate or other unnecessary stuff like crisps etc
9. watching all dvd's twice before ordering anything new
10. already have no TV and will not be getting one anytime soon
11. not using the central heating unless absolutely desparate,its oil and is too expensive.:eek:
12 unfortunately coal and wood is also expensive so am wearing a hat and fingerless mittens indoors with a blanket on the sofa to wrap around me. trying to use as little heating fuel as possible.
13 aiming to grow more fruit and veg, sadly the price of tree saplings eg apple is vry expensive and is getting me down.
14 putting a hot water bottle into bed.

I am trying to save up for a few more items for next winter , another hot water bottle,a couple of rugs [ we have wooden and tiled floors], more fleece blankets to keep out draughts. money is very tight and we need to be really careful.


any other ideas? what are you changing for this year?

unfortunately I have begun to feel a little down and fed up. its going to be a long hall.