How much can you save?

Lokolo

urrrrrgh. work is really p***ing me off at the moment. and to top it off I feel like crap with a massive banged up nose.

However. I am on holiday next week for 2 weeks, so I can totally relax. Although sadly enough I suspect I will be working in some of this! Nevermind eh.

I have £150 to last me until Easter. Hmmm. Going to be tough but as long as I don't go out toooo much it should be ok.

tara747

Spam reported.

tara747

Just having a browse back through the thread for inspiration (and to stop me buying a new dress from Topshop lol!).

And it made me wonder - how are all the original posters on this thread doing now? Especially Wanno?

zag2me

tara747 wrote: »

Just having a browse back through the thread for inspiration (and to stop me buying a new dress from Topshop lol!).

And it made me wonder - how are all the original posters on this thread doing now? Especially Wanno?

I have a post on the first page of this thread back in 2006 and I think I had around 12k when I posted first. I have more than double that now and I bought a house since then as well

Regarding socialising, considering I'm a borderline alcoholic I feel I have something to offer when it comes to money saving drinking.

- Don't buy rounds, ever. Only pay for your own drinks. People soon get used to it.
- Always have a drink at home if your going out and drinking a bit, its far cheaper than starting "dry"
- Drink in cheaper places, it doesn't have to be a wetherspoons!!
- Get all the discount cards. Most places on the high street do massive discounts for regular customers.
- Don't drink premium beers or spirits, always go with the cheaper options
- Don't use taxis, always arrange public transport
- Pay for tickets to events in advance, always get people to pay
- Don't take out your debit card, set a budget in cash and stick to it
- Don't buy a kebab on the way home, eat before you go out

Lokolo

zag2me wrote: »

i have a post on the first page of this thread back in 2006 and i think i had around 12k when i posted first. I have more than double that now and i bought a house since then as well

regarding socialising, considering i'm a borderline alcoholic i feel i have something to offer when it comes to money saving drinking.

- don't buy rounds, ever. Only pay for your own drinks. People soon get used to it.
- always have a drink at home if your going out and drinking a bit, its far cheaper than starting "dry"
- drink in cheaper places, it doesn't have to be a wetherspoons!!
- get all the discount cards. Most places on the high street do massive discounts for regular customers.
- don't drink premium beers or spirits, always go with the cheaper options
- don't use taxis, always arrange public transport
- pay for tickets to events in advance, always get people to pay
- don't take out your debit card, set a budget in cash and stick to it
- don't buy a kebab on the way home, eat before you go out

blasphemy!

LucyTheDwarf

emilyka wrote: »

I have cut out going out on a weekday but it's still all too easy to spend £70 on a weekend night even without going to London :mad:

I could happily go out to the pub only once a month but I wouldnt get to see most of my friends- as a few of them have children the one night out for them a week is down at the pub (seemably we are a bunch of alchys!!)

Also, I love cooking and love dinner parties but I know I'd end up pushing out all the stops and spending even more!

How on earth do you spend £70 on a night out? I can't get my head around that much money and having nothing to show for it. I only ever take out £30 ish for a night pubbing & clubbing, which includes £10 towards a shared taxi if no-one fancies driving, and a couple of quid for the obligatory kebab and chips. I'm honestly flabbergasted at that amount! I guess I must be a real lightweight...

Have friends over - everyone brings a bottle of something and a suitable snack and everyone is happy for around £15 each depending on what they drink!

Castleman

emilyka wrote: »

I have cut out going out on a weekday but it's still all too easy to spend £70 on a weekend night even without going to London :mad:
...
Also, I love cooking and love dinner parties but I know I'd end up pushing out all the stops and spending even more!

Nah - I regularly do 3course dinner parties for 6-8 people of pretty special food and decent wine and it normally works out at about £50ish. Even doing 5courses for 6 of us and lots of wine and cocktails is about £80ish max.
On the other end of the scale, you can do a dinner party for 12 for <£25+wine if you plan it right.

minidannii

just a update pay day today so have

£2,203.48

some from last month

and got £1269 this month

I think i should start putting some in a savings account:)

and no matter if my parents get me down, i won't be putting my bank details online !

I plan to go and see the guy i like on my week of next month, even if my parents don't approve, my dad said i can go see him now, but you know when you have been told you cant do this or that for so long, you fear they will start again

Masomnia

minidannii wrote: »

just a update pay day today so have

£2,203.48

some from last month

and got £1269 this month

I think i should start putting some in a savings account:)

and no matter if my parents get me down, i won't be putting my bank details online !

I plan to go and see the guy i like on my week of next month, even if my parents don't approve, my dad said i can go see him now, but you know when you have been told you cant do this or that for so long, you fear they will start again

You're saving really hard and that's great. But your posts about your parents especially got me thinking, maybe it's time for you to 'invest in yourself' and use the money to move out and build an independent life of your own.

If you're happy at home, then that's fine, do whatever makes you happy. But if you're not, and I get the feeling you feel fenced in, maybe you should branch out. There's no point saving if you're not getting anything out of it.

Don't save just for the sake of it, use your money to make your life better, whatever that means.

Just a suggestion, so please take it in the spirit that it's meant.

tinkerbel

MiniDanni what happened to the money with the bank and police and whatnot? Hope you're ok. You seem to be saving well and if I recall you are saving to move out?
Like I said before, I'm struggling with my savings right now, only actually really saved £100 since 01/01/10 but hey, every little helps! ooh and just to check, everyone has used their ISA for 2009/2010 yeah? Because you have a few weeks to get one now if you haven't! (Dont know when people tend to get them really but I have always seemed to leave it till about now (ie last minute) but this year I got one in January so yey!

A quick ISA question from me though please.. I opened one last year (for 2008/2009) with Natwest and that was because I didn't really have time to look for a better one. I don't know what to do with it now though!?! Do I leave it there and the rate will be horrible? Sorry!

my 2 others that I have (2009/2010 and 2007/2008 are both "fixed rate accounts" and are both set to 'mature' in 2012 (fixed one at 6% and one at 4% I think)