Introducing myself - Small changes, big effect!

*KT*

josephine82 wrote: »

Hi KT

I second the idea of making batches of food and freezing it for those times when you need instant food i.e after the gym or getting home late.

I.e I buy a big pack of mince and use half to make a few portions of spag bol and then a cottage pie or something. If you add cheap veg you can bulk things out to make the portions bigger. And its healthier too!

There is nothing wrong with couscous! I cook it sometimes with chicken and veg- its just different to rice but you get used to it- its really filling.

Tesco do big bags of value long grain rice which is fine and lasts for ever- with veg its a quick and easy healthy stir fry.

It takes a while, but you do just get into the habit of cooking with cheaper ingredients and things are still as yummy. Just takes a bit of effort I guess.

You could stock up with flour, butter and eggs and make your OH some cakes or cookies as a treat?

hope some of these ideas help.
xx

FREEZ wrote: »

No; they are pretty cheap to run and it means you will be more planned; you'll know exactly what you're having to eat (instead of thinking oh i don't know what to have; i'll just pick up a takeaway) and it will be cooked for when you get home x

I've tried the batch cooking thing, I'm not too bad at it. Big dishes of pasta bake, mac & cheese, spag bol etc but I'm not so good at doing it more than once or twice a month. I suppose it's as much habit as anything else. I managed to change my habits last year to involve gym visits, losing over 2 stone in the process. I can form this habit too. (Can't wait to get back to the gym after this bloomin knee injury... run run run and then slip getting out of the bath, go figure)

I'll have a look at slow cookers. I definitely can't afford to get one in the next couple of weeks but it might be an idea for February. I'll have a look at Asda and Tesco home sections, they often have cheaper deals there (Freecycle keep rejecting me or I'd have tried there)

This Christmas I made shortbread for my close friends to bulk up their £5 gifts. It was a big hit. I know I loved it but OH isn't so keen on that kind of thing. I was thinking about getting a recipe for sweet potato crisps or something like that for a cheaper nibble alternative for us as savoury freaks.

Any other ideas for cheap (healthier if possible) salty/savoury snacks?

*KT*

Thanks Sublime!

postie_bear

Hi KT,

I confess i am like your OH, I owe my own OH £30000, £10000 was from credit card debts that she paid for me, and £20000 was my share of the deposit for our mortgage that she paid for me. I finally came clean and life is still not perfect, I am still currently massivly overdrawn but we had a lot of unexpected bills just before xmas, our boiler blew up.

We did cut back on takeawys and going to the pub and it saved us a fortune, unfortuantly we blew that at xmas and overspent again.

We now have a balance book that has all the debt i owe her, every month we mark off what i have repaid and its good to see it come down, unfortuantly its crept up again but i am making a big effort this year.

I also have made a few bad decisions, I brought a brand new car in june as my old car died, i also took promotion which has not been so good, as it turned out to be £250 month pay cut, ( i lost my shift allowance eventho my basic went up, i was then told shift allownace doesn't go towards pay protection and my new boss does not want to put me on the top band of pay so have to wait 3 years) couple that with the £250 a month car repayments i am now £500 a month worse off.

at one point she thought i was having an affair as all my money was disappearing, I started to keep a cash diary and it was a big wake up to realise we were spending £40 a night in the pub every night £280 a week £1120 a month on just drink and that wasn't including £500 on takeaways, ( this was for both of us btw)

we started cooking our own curries and we buy bottles from supermarkets and only go out at weekends now.

I still buy the odd lunch at work and i know i can do more and this year i intend to do it.

Maybe you can get your oh to help cook the curries, we have great fun doing it, and by keeping a diary he will see just how much he is wasting, and be firm gpthrough his expenses and make him pay a set amount each month, it hurts to start with but after a while i look at ways where i can have extra money in my pocket.

I hope this helps but you really do need to be cruel to be kind, as he won't thankyou in the long run.

PB

*KT*

I talked to OH last night. I'm going to be short for a DD due out on 22nd. He is getting paid on 21st this month so is going to pay me back £60 (I asked for £30) hopefully straight into my bank account. I didn't actually know the exact figure of how much he owed me. I knew it was somewhere around the £300 mark. I asked him and he gave me a quick break down it's £280, so £220 by Friday. Compaired to some I know it's not a lot but money can be a touchy subject in any situation and even though we've been together over 5 and half years I don't want it to be some kind of balance tipper and neither does he I don't think.

He also said that my picking him up from work so often to save him money has to stop because it's costing me too much on petrol and he doesn't feel good about mooching off me. Said he didn't think it was fair. We talked about how our diet has to change because we're both feeling the effects of the junk food. He said he knew he wouldn't like changing to healthier food but also knew he'd feel better. It was a good easy chit chat. I'm not sure how long his resolve will last beyond payday but it's a start.

For a while at least I think I can relax when it comes to him, money and me and just focus on what I need to do for me. He can and hopefully is sorting himself out (his redundancy payment is going to be much better than mine so that should help - he works somewhere else btw)

I went back to the gym last night! I'm a bit sore today and walking like a little old lady but it was so good to be back!

Dinner was 1-day-past-it's-best-before-bread toasted with peanut butter.

I found a tub of peanut butter (not the one I used) in the back of my cupboards that was best before Sep2010. I binned it. I didn't think I'd have anything that far beyond it's best before/use by in my cupboards, there's not even that much in there!

postie_bear

KT

if its a best before then chances are its ok. If it was still sealed then it def would be ok. I watch a program last year where they went through all the stuff chucked away because the BB date had passed and they cooked a banquet for the homeless, a use by date is another matter as you could get food poisoning.

We only buy what we need, We may buy extra if on special offer but we always go therough the cupboards before shopping to ensure we only buy what we need.

Regards

PB

kaz0705

Hi KT,

Thought I'd say hi! First things first: get a SOA up and we'll see if we can help at all! And it should help clear things up too (I'm usually the naughtiest with my spending when I'm guessing; a confused mind creates confused actions!)

When I first moved to London and got with my boyfriend, he was totally broke and I certainly increased my debt by insisting we went out/ got take aways etc. However, money has never been an issue between us- I genuinely think it only is if you make it emotional. It's not; it's like a business transaction. "I lent you this", "ok, here's X that I owe you, i'll pay X next month"... in fact, I think a repayment idea is best- get him to set up a DD for £30 a month. You know you'll always get it and he'll be paid off before he knows it- and before he wastes that £30 a month on whatever.

Also, know it's hard to forgo the luxuries like take aways and cinemas but that's basically a lifestyle choice: live frugally for a time and sort out your finances or don't and take much longer/never sort out your finances. Either choice is fine- it's your life but your comment about audible ("would really miss it if it wasn't there") made me think the LBM hasn't really happened *or* that things aren't desperate enough.

However, if you're being faced with redundancy maybe you could replace audible with 'food in the cupboards', 'roof over our heads', 'petrol in the car'... Basically the things you would *really* miss if they weren't there! I don't mean to sound harsh- if you can afford the treats and pay bills then do it. If you can't then, yes, life gets hard.

I really miss going out with my friends all the time and buying meat every week etc. But I'm much happier knowing that this is my last year in debt!

As for food, there are ways of making good 'dinner' (!) food. Tesco do 950g mince, 2 for £6. This is a MASSIVE amount for 2 adults. I can use half a pack for a a chilli (bulk up with veg). That'll give at least 4 adult servings- more if you don't eat like a pig (GUILTY!). So you can freeze the remaining or have it the next night or take it to work... or whatever! Then the other half can be spag bol, cottage pie etc etc. So, at a guess a £6 spend would get you 4 different meals x 4 adults portions- so 16 worth of meals. Not a bad show.

And, ultimately, veggie is the way forward. We get the smartprice/value noodles, veg, some coconut milk (sharwoods, i think, do creamed coconut packets- about 70p for 4) and some thai paste and viola! Dead cheap!

I suppose my bottom line is: it's hard, it's depressing and we'd all like to be out spending money on fun stuff. But you make a choice to sort your finances out and that means sacrifices.... And, once all the hard stuff's stopped hanging over you, then life is bright and lighter for it!

Good luck- hope i didn't seem to mean!

Kaz
x

*KT*

kaz0705 wrote: »

Hi KT,

Thought I'd say hi! First things first: get a SOA up and we'll see if we can help at all! And it should help clear things up too (I'm usually the naughtiest with my spending when I'm guessing; a confused mind creates confused actions!)

When I first moved to London and got with my boyfriend, he was totally broke and I certainly increased my debt by insisting we went out/ got take aways etc. However, money has never been an issue between us- I genuinely think it only is if you make it emotional. It's not; it's like a business transaction. "I lent you this", "ok, here's X that I owe you, i'll pay X next month"... in fact, I think a repayment idea is best- get him to set up a DD for £30 a month. You know you'll always get it and he'll be paid off before he knows it- and before he wastes that £30 a month on whatever.

Also, know it's hard to forgo the luxuries like take aways and cinemas but that's basically a lifestyle choice: live frugally for a time and sort out your finances or don't and take much longer/never sort out your finances. Either choice is fine- it's your life but your comment about audible ("would really miss it if it wasn't there") made me think the LBM hasn't really happened *or* that things aren't desperate enough.

However, if you're being faced with redundancy maybe you could replace audible with 'food in the cupboards', 'roof over our heads', 'petrol in the car'... Basically the things you would *really* miss if they weren't there! I don't mean to sound harsh- if you can afford the treats and pay bills then do it. If you can't then, yes, life gets hard.

I really miss going out with my friends all the time and buying meat every week etc. But I'm much happier knowing that this is my last year in debt!

I suppose my bottom line is: it's hard, it's depressing and we'd all like to be out spending money on fun stuff. But you make a choice to sort your finances out and that means sacrifices.... And, once all the hard stuff's stopped hanging over you, then life is bright and lighter for it!

Good luck- hope i didn't seem to mean!

Kaz
x

Hi Kaz,
You don't sound mean at all. You sound realistic and like someone who's been there. I know that February and March are going to be MUCH easier months for me. I know that many of my costs last year were artificially high. But I also know that after March I might not have regular income and I'm scared.

in response to some of the points you made

I’ve been a bit scared to do an SOA, partly because so many of my costs are variable I’m not sure where to start. I am going to make an attempt at one this weekend though. I’ll probably not post it here (I couldn’t face the harsh comments, I know the “right way” to do it, I can see it for other people, but that doesn’t mean I am ready to cut everything out already). It will show me where my problem areas are though.

Thankfully when it comes to OH and I, money isn’t a big deal for us most of the time. Is has been like you described above until he got stuck a few months ago and couldn’t afford to pay me, and as of today we're back in business so to speak. The payment he promised me a couple of days ago is in my account this morning meaning my DD won't be missed.

Things for me are not at the desperate stage yet. I can still pay all my bills, put a bit towards my debts and still have a little bit of fun stuff too. Things have the potential to get desperate when I am made redundant though, I know that, that’s why I am trying to tighten up and figure out where my money goes now - before the desperate stage. Call it a pre-emptive-LBM perhaps?!

As for Audible, £7.99 per month for a book (around 12-24 hours of entertainment - I almost always pick the long ones). I know it is a luxury but as I am also travelling at least 3 hours per day it is a luxury I’d still like to include in the budget. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I buy maybe one magazine a month if that and I don’t have many friends that I ever go out with… I sound super defensive don’t I? Oh dear, sorry folks. You're all only trying to help with the information I've given you.

Verbatim

You're doing the sensible thing! You're looking ahead to what might be a very difficult time financially and taking stock. If you carry on planning for the worst you'll feel better knowing you'll be able to cope come what may. And if the worst doesn't happen you'll still be in a good position as you'll know what you need to do to sort out your finances and get the set up in a positive way to plan for your future.

I do think it's the planning that's important and that allows you to succeed. Meal planning and shopping lists based on them are a good way to keep your financial resolutions.

*KT*

Thanks Verbatim,

I've never beet very successful with meal plans. I'm going to need to find some kind of system that works for me.

kaz0705

I echo verbatim- you're doing exactly what you should do- taking stock and recognising where you might need to make cut backs...

You don't sound super defensive and I totally get why you don't want to post it on here. When I first start (and, to a lesser extent, now), I wasn't entirely honest because I knew all my spare care that showed on my SOA was simply spent on going out and drinking! I *knew* if I cut out, I'd be laughing. But I didn't want to!

But do it for yourself and, if nothing else, at least you'll know that if you get really skint, where cut backs can immediately be made!

However, I would definitely address the food/takeaway thing. I spend about £100 a month on food (not inc. any alcohol that might be bought). I spend about £60 (inc.delivery) on a home delivery shop for all the cupboard/heavy stuff and then £10 a week on fresh veg etc. It's totally doable- I find risottos, currys and chillis are my staples. Filling, delicious and always stretched out for a few days (or frozen!).

Good luck!

xx