How much can you save?

jamtart6

I think if anyone wants to post their SAVINGS SOA then go for it!

Here I go then:

• Mobile Phone - £10 per month (£20 maximum very rarely)
• Petrol £40-50 per month depending where I travel to
• Hairdressers £30 every 4 or 5 months
• Meal in a restaurant - once per month £30
• Cups of Tea in the canteen £2 per week
• Drinks in the Pub £15 per month max (this is with work)
• Clothes Shopping £40 per month average (its a bad habit)
• Internet costs £27 per month (I only pay £15 towards them)
• Bootsing via the Boots thread for Toiletries - £0 as usually have PB vouchers
• null

• A key problem area is generosity for the family. I'm good at buying friends and outside family gifts in sales when on offer etc, but mothers day, fathers day, boyfriends bday, mum n dads bday I will literally spend hundreds, usually because they have never been mean with me and i can often afford it im good at thoughtgful presents too, but love to give lavish things to spoil my beloveds!

Ok have I missed anything vital there? (live at home rent free btw!) On the birthday front, I am helping OH pay for Oz for his "birthday present" but I am asking everyone else for money/ ozzie dollars to help with the spends for my bday IF THEY ASK of course!!

hit me ladies and gents!

gelato_cat

Man, that's bad! I bet you're wishing you'd never switched! Are you going to switch again or is everyone else charging the same?

I realised the other day that it's been such a mild winter that I haven't had the heating on at all in the mornings! can't say as I've noticed my gas bill has been much lower though!

Suze

moneysavingwannabe wrote: »

Hi,

We were with Powergen dual bill paying £59 a month combined.

We started paying npower £19 electricity and £38 gas per month. They now want £27 and £69 but we seem to owe them a couple of hundred after only 2 bills! Not impressed.

We do have a back boiler which is old and I know not very efficient but we have a new condensing combi ready to go in when we have the building work done which should help. But still in shock!!

We don't have the heating on too much as the timer is knackered and we put it on and off manually. So we shiver in the mornings.;)

moneysavingwannabe

Hi Suze,

Think I am going to stick with them for a few months to get the outstanding amount down and then switch again.

Jamtart6 your outgoings don't seem too bad.
Do you save the remaining money?

Can you cut down the clothes spending to every other month?
Maybe have meals at people's houses every so often?

I'm sure lots of people will have more helpful advice!!

moneysavingwannabe

Ooh,

what about car insurance and road tax, I think I need to look at switching insurance but bit concerned after my gas and electricity switching experience :rotfl:

gelato_cat

OK, let's see...

jamtart6 wrote:

- Mobile Phone - £10 per month (£20 maximum very rarely)

Is this pay as you go?

jamtart6 wrote:

- Hairdressers £30 every 4 or 5 months

Go to the local college and have it cut for free by the hairdressing students. They usually do colouring as well for a fraction of the price of a salon and everything is done under the close supervision of a teacher - so you usually have to be prepared to sit there for a couple of hours.

jamtart6 wrote:

- Meal in a restaurant - once per month £30

I don't like to suggest you give this up as everyone deserves a treat but you could cook a special meal at home once a month. Otherwise, carry on with that one i reckon.

jamtart6 wrote:

- Cups of Tea in the canteen £2 per week

Have you got kitchen facilities at work? If so, bring milk, tea bags, sugar and a mug and make your own. Cup of tea is 40p at our place - 80p gets you a pack of tea bags!

jamtart6 wrote:

- Drinks in the Pub £15 per month max (this is with work)

Difficult one because some people feel obliged to go, or there are people who insist on a kitty and you end up out of pocket.

jamtart6 wrote:

- Clothes Shopping £40 per month average (its a bad habit)

Cut down to £40 every two months or £20 a month? or sell some old clothes on eBay to fund it and clear space in your wardrobe for the new?

jamtart6 wrote:

- Internet costs £27 per month (I only pay £15 towards them)

Sounds fair as this seems to be the only household bill you need to account for.

jamtart6 wrote:

- A key problem area is generosity for the family. I'm good at buying friends and outside family gifts in sales when on offer etc, but mothers day, fathers day, boyfriends bday, mum n dads bday I will literally spend hundreds, usually because they have never been mean with me and i can often afford it im good at thoughtgful presents too, but love to give lavish things to spoil my beloveds!

Blimey can I be your sister? :P I know it's a cliche but it's the thought that counts, eg for my boyfriend's mother at Christmas 2005 I bought a cheap (but nice) photo frame and put in pics of my bf as she is always complaining she doesn't have any nice pics of him. Cost was £5 and she loved it. I couldn't have bought something like that for hundreds (unless I'd taken him to one of those makeover studios, hehe)...

jamtart6 wrote:

On the birthday front, I am helping OH pay for Oz for his "birthday present"

Blimey, you are generous! Can I ask what proportion you will be contributing?

Suze

jamtart6

Im not very extravagant really, but I do see a few areas to cut down on! I like the idea of a specialmeal at home! seeing as i never cook will be a novelty!!

well i did say id pay his whole flight, but hes insisting on paying all of it back (so if he does i wont complain, and put it into our joint house fund on the sly - if he has excess money he spends it, but hes really very good when he owes people money back, he pays it - but this will benefit us both, he'd only spend the £1000 otherwise!!)

jamtart6

oh of course you can be my sister!!

i know its the thought that counts, my thoughftul presents are the cheapest, i have virtually ran out of thoughtful ones though! i just love spoiling the loved ones!

jamtart6

aha!!! road tax and insurance, knew there was something else. well in the cheapest road tax band, and i can have a look for cheaper insurance, and get some quidco cashback too!

save-a-lot

jamtart6 wrote: »

aha!!! road tax and insurance, knew there was something else. well in the cheapest road tax band, and i can have a look for cheaper insurance, and get some quidco cashback too!

What you driving?

You are not another Smart car owner like me are you?

moneysavingwannabe

Hi,

Ok here is my SOA

Wages 1675.00

Outgoings
Household ( I pay half)

• Council tax £132
• Life insurance £29.38
• Mortgage £411.04
• Buildings & contents insurance £36.67
• Water £30 ish
• Gas £69
• Electricity £27
• Food £200

Car

• Tax £125 a year
• Car insurance £321.30 a year with 7 yrs no claims
• Petrol £30-40 a month

Personal

• Union £11.33
  • Gym £50 (I know!!! But helps me de-stress after work)
• Contact lenses £12.50
• NTL (Virgin) - £40-50 (BB, phone, basic tv)
  • Virgin mobile pay as u go £20ish evry 3 mths

I tend to leave about £200 to spend on other things for the month and put the rest in savings.
Normally save £700-£800 at the moment
I think thats it!!!:D