All the small things - tell me what you have done to be MF today

curlygirl1971

*Forgot to say that I'd started using Nectar search bar again now we are in a new month. 25p a month for searchin

rainbowcattail

Morning all

Yesterday I charged my ipod at work and appropriated £5 in change mr rct had left lying around the house

today i have bought in a packed lunch and taken soup out of the freezer for when I get in. Mr rct is having something from the freezer which saves us buying food for tonight, trying to use up everything we have before buying more food.

hope everyone has a good day
x

curlygirl1971

* Free Lunch at work & Charging mobile

* For tonights dinner I am defrosting a piece of meat with a whoopsie price sticker on it that has been in their several months and I've no idea was it might turn out to be

* Showered in the semi-dark this morning. I don't like myself naked, and without my glasses I can't see myself anyway so what's the point of having a light on?

katsu

I like the shower tip curlygirl, nice mix of practical and hardcore MSE

dipashah

not a bad wk this week!

£100 of neals yards products won in a comp so no toiletries for awhile i hope!

£120 of theatre tokens redeemed from survey company (will use to pay for OH bday pressie)

£25 Springboard redemption

£10 TNS Redemption

(Just 25p away from OP £40!!)

packed lunch yday and today

reduced heating timer times by hour on either end of the day

free shampoo and conditioner samples

few coupons printed to use with grocery shop this week

seem to be missing a trick with the halifax £5 a month everyone seems to be getting - anyone enlighten me?

my banking is one area i need to seriously assess and move around!

originalmiscellany

I was told by a wise person that the first week of a baby is a net profit then it's a net loss! so far, we've had loads of free samples with some nice things such as towels, hats and what not. So we've had and used loads of freebies, washing powder etc which means that we're not using our normal reserves up.

curlygirl1971

Hi dipashah

Nice list Neal's Yard - lovely

The Halifax £5 reward is something you get when you have one of their Current Accounts - a Reward Account. You use to be able to open multiple accounts but they stopped it some time ago - if you don't already have one then you may be able to apply. To get the reward you then have to put in £1k a month (that's a total of £1k during the calendar month and it doesn't have to stay in for any longer than a second! You can do 4 x £250 if you earn less).

The way I organise my finance merry-go-round at the moment is.........

My salary goes into my Santander Current Account and all my DD/bills go out of this one as well. I opened it as I got £150 switch and for the first 12 months it earns 5% gross on balances upto £2.5k. So I always make sure it's topped up with Savings. But first, when I get paid I send an amount £1k+ to my.....

Halifax Reward Account - I use this for general spending such as food, petrol etc., but when I put my monthly deposit in I first transfer an amount to my ....

Halifax Websaver the balance of which counts towards £5k Halifax Monthly Draw threshold (I also have a Halifax ISA). I use this account to save up for yearly expenses such as Insurances, Car Repairs, Xmas etc.

However I do try and put as much spending as possible on Credit Cards (providing there is no fee). I start on my Halifax Clarity Credit Card - I earn £5 a month on this if I spend over £300 in a calendar month (you also need the Halifax Reward account to qualify). Once I've spent £300 in a month I swap over to Tesco Clubcard Credit Card and earn Clubcard points. Both of these cards are paid off in full every month from my Halifax Reward Account & Savings if necessary.

At some point in the month when everything is calm, I transfer £1k from my savings into my Sisters Halifax Reward (she works part-time and its a faff for her to sort out the £1k otherwise). She immediately transfers it back to me, in my 2nd ....Halifax Reward Account - I don't use this for very much nowadays, it's just there earning £5 whilst it can. When the money from my sis goes in I send that straight back to my savings balance.

Thank-goodness for online banking & spreadsheets! (The key is to plan ahead and always make sure your DD's are covered)

Sounds a load of faff but it's not to me - perhaps I'm used to it. I also keep records of everything I spend and expect to spend which helps me keep track - but not everyone has the time or inclination to do that.

All this faff results in 3 x £5 rewards, £8 interest from Santander, Clubcard Points and also additional interest on my Halifax Websaver. Every month I earn myself £23 from 'being bothered'.

curlygirl1971

originalmiscellany wrote: »

I was told by a wise person that the first week of a baby is a net profit then it's a net loss! so far, we've had loads of free samples with some nice things such as towels, hats and what not. So we've had and used loads of freebies, washing powder etc which means that we're not using our normal reserves up.

Many congratulations OM - that's lovely news. Is it your first?

curlygirl1971

Agggggeees ago, a MFW called 'Welsh Lassie' started a thread called 'Regular Checks to maximise your Over-paying Potential'.

After about 18 months it kinda fell by the wayside. But I think it's got some useful stuff in it - here is a copy of the first post. All of this collated by Welsh Lassie and given the effort she went to it deserves a re-print.

"........things to check on a regular (monthly/quarterly/annually) basis to ensure we are getting the best deals for things, finding all opportunities for extra cash and any other regular things we could be doing to maximise our potential for finding and making Over Payments.

Some are obvious things we probably already do, some are quick wins, some require a bit more work, all should help use ensure we maximise our OP potential and we don't use money already earmarked for something else.


Monthly

• Check bank statements to ensure DD/SO have been collected
• Check offers on Quidco and other cashback sites
• Check current account at periodically throughout the month and transfer any "spare" money into mortgage
• Enusre all your Direct Debits are still current and needed
• Check fuel prices in local area to ensure filling up at cheapest place - Petrol Prices
• Check tyre pressures are correct and tyre wear is ok. - Keep an eye out for good deals on decent tyres when you know they're getting worn - saving 25% and getting them fitted a few weeks early will save you more on the life of your tyres. Consider energysaver tyres to save fuel long term.
• Check Fixture Ferret for non-perishable special offers
• Read gas and electric meters and submit to utility company - This will give you improved kWh consumption (for comparison purposes) and also mean your DD should be very close to your usage
• Update your finanial monitoring tools, (spreadhseets, MS Money etc)
• Review "alternative" shopping items for suitability
• Identify any large purchases and schedule the purchases of them to maximise interest-free period (on CC) and any off-set benefits
• Read a few of Martins articles - they are always there and periodically updated, we see them so often we forget they are there.
• Filling up the car - Every time we 'fill up' the car these days we only half fill it, from MArtin's article on cutting fuel bills, if 110lbs can add 2% to your fuel bill, then carrying an extra 25KGs (25 litres of petrol) will have about 1% effect, roughly speaking
• Do a monthly shop and stock up on cheap rice, pasta, bargain crisps etc,diluting juice etc. so they are always in the cupboard and you don't end up spending twice as much on them at the local shops when you run out.
• Birthdays - work out if you have any birthdays etc. coming up and find bargains online for them instead of going into town and paying full price at the last minute. (consider getting cheap gifts for a gift draw).
• Count up your mortgage pig and put it somewhere that they can earn interest instead of deflating in a piggy bank at home.
• Check down back of sofa etc for spare change that can be banked.

Quarterly

• Check current account/savings account rates to ensure best deals
• Check credit cards rates and cash back rates for best deals
• Check gas/electricity suppliers for best deals, use quidco if transferring
• Check Phone/Broadband/mobile suppliers for best deals
• Declutter house and garden and sell unwanted items on Ebay/Amazon/Car boot/Green Metropolis etc using profit for OP
• Dust the ligthbulbs - they give out a lot more light with no dirt on them
• Review any life/sickness etc cover linked to the mortgage to see if you can reduce your cover and save monthly premiums (especially if your are OP's significant sums)
  

Annually

• Check mortgage rate
• Check insurances are best deal, and if changing use cashback maximiser
• Car, Van, Motorbike
• House
• Travel
• Pet
• Life
• Health/Dental
• Breakdown cover

Update budget

• Check salary sacrific options at work (childcare voucher etc)
• Check P60 to ensure not overpaid tax in prior year This link will help
• Check new tax coding notice to prevent tax overpayment in following year

......"

dipashah

curlygirl1971 wrote: »

Every month I earn myself £23 from 'being bothered'.

Thanks Curlygirl for taking the time to explain all that! Will have to look into the Halifax account to see if I can still get one - I am very money savvy at everything other than my bank accounts! I used to be and need to get back on top of it all! Recently discovered I have got a fair few accounts now paying 0%!! One which even charges £5 a month if not enough goes in! so need to switch asap!!

Thanks again! I am inspired!