How much do you live on per month?

taj

Hi everyone, brill thread this one ive picked up so many idea's that i can follow, i'm on a small budget being single now and just retired. A few years ago i was given this tip but never followed it but now i'm going to try...each week go shopping a day later than last week..so if you shopped on Friday last week ..make it Saturday this week and Sunday next week and so on. Eventually, you should end up at the end of the month a few extra £££ in pocket. Do you think it could work?
Cheers Jackie x

Lucy1010

7roland8 wrote: »

Actually if they are friends would they wnat you to be agonising over this?

Danni-R wrote: »

I echo what 7roland8 says.

If they were friends then it wouldnt be an issue. I know that there are a group of very close friends that things like this arent important. we all earn roughly the same (or at least have the same disposables).

Aesop wrote: »

I was just thinking that. Real friends understand. My friend had her 30th birthday and Dinner was £25 per head, plus getting there and back and drinks. I just told her I couldn't afford it, and bought her a nice card and "glitch" pressie. She didn't need to know the glitch bit. But she understood. At the time she was working and earning money.

You know what? You are all right! Why should I suffer for the rest of the month just because I feel too embarrassed?! I will speak up and I will let them know BEFORE we go out for the lunch... I will say "oh just so you know I am broke at the moment so I can't spend much" at least then I won't be dreading bill time. Thank you all xxx

7roland8

Well done Lucy - let us know how it goes.

Really we have a lot more control over things if we don't hand our power over to other people (wish I'd known that yrs ago!).

One of my friends had a saying 'never apologise and never explain' - and she didn't! She did what she wanted - would say 'no' to things with no explanation -- but no-one htought any the les f her - more admired if anything.

And remembr - what little money you have is yours - don't go wasting it just to conform or to please others - they won't be helping out when you're penniless before the end of the month!

If you are seeing them today then tell them now - then its out in the open and off your mind!

juliebunny

Hello,

I'm really lucky with my 2 best friends. Whenever the bill arrives one of them whips out her phone calculator and works out the bill - and we are all happy with this.

Someone on here earlier posted that they eat for £2 a day - I wondered if they have any meal ideas....other than the noodles and beans on toast! I am a veggie so my meals can be quite cheap anyway and I take tescos vitamins which are cheap when on 3 for 2.

I made pancakes for the first time ever this week - was amazed at how cheap and easy they were (even with free range eggs).

[Deleted User]

ani_26 wrote: »

One of the reasons i don't socialise anymore. I intensely dislike going out for meals that have been organised by other people, and being told what i have to spend or eat, ( set menu ). As i don't have any spare cash for socialising anyway, it does'nt make much difference now.But the last meal i went to, i chose my own food, and used a 50% off voucher. I think it created some bad feeling, as everyone clearly wished they were having my meal, ( which was gorgeous ). Suffice it to say, i was told i would'nt be invited out socially, again, and i believe there were nasty things said about me, after i'd left.

But not everyone has up to £50 to spend on a night out. My meal cost less than £10 including my drink, and it really irratates me , because i know there are some people who will drink one or two bottles of wine, quite easily, on their own.


I'm never going to be able to rejoin this planet

We all could meet up for a MSE meal out one day! We'd all get on well and lots of vouchers to go round ;-)

mineallmine

mineallmine wrote: »

Heard about this thread on the weekly email.

Feel very humbled by the responses (and a bit of a wake up call). We cleared a mammoth of debt a few years ago using MSE tips and I think I have taken my eyes of the steering wheel as it were.

I really fancied a takeaway or eat out tonight but I'm logging off and searching through the deep freezer! Keep the responses coming. All non judgemental stuff of course - everyones situation is different :A

And it was shamefully easy. Home made garlic bread (purists look away now) - ordinary bread, sprinkled with olive oil (Lidl!) and sprinkled with garlic flakes - and balsamic vinegar/syrup stuff drizzled over (all stuff sitting in the cupboard). Then Jacket potatoes, loads of butter, coleslaw for me (Asda 26p smart price one), cheese for OH. As Gordon would say, Done!
The urge for a takeaway is strong for tonight so will go for a cheaper one than usual. Then meal plan for the rest of the week.

Keep up with the inspiring posts and well done OP on making into Martin's email - no pressure but you're infamous!:rotfl:

Infamy, Infamy, everybody's got it Infamy.......

backinbusiness

Lucy

Great and very thought provoking thread.

After dds have been paid I allow myself £150p/w cash to include groceries, school dinner, sundry expenses, etc for myself and 2 stroppy teenagers!

I am able also to pay into an ISA and fund a surplus a/c on a monthly basis for car repairs etc.

Life hasn't always been this way tho - seen really hard times too.

In the past once bills, etc were paid we could literally have £4 to last the rest of the month - hence a horrible debt spiral.

Once you properly have your light bulb moment, I think you look back over how you've managed your money and think - well, what the heck was I thinking!

I fully understand the value of money now - and even if I could afford to spend £800 per month on groceries (per another thread) - I just would not contemplate it. Why would you?

Wish you the best of luck in your debt-busting - and welcome to the world of MSE. Go you getting onto the weekly email already!!

bib x

kerri_gt

joolzred wrote: »

We all could meet up for a MSE meal out one day! We'd all get on well and lots of vouchers to go round ;-)

That sounds like a fab idea - though it would prob take us forever to decide where to go, working out the best deal at least no one would feel pressure to pay for anything they didn't have.

Lucy - this thread is great. Well done on the no smoking, and keep up with the NSD (yep, seen you over there too :T_

kerri_gt

ps we've just had fish and chips for Friday dinner...not from the chippy though...

home made oven chips (batch 3 made out of a 2.5kg bag of JS Basic spuds - bought for 99p, still some left)
haddock in breadcrumbs from the freezer (£2 for 4 fillets at Mr A)
beans (£1.25 for 4 cans, approx 1/2 can used)

cost for 2 people approx £1.40 (70p each)..... cost for fish n chips for 2 last time we went £18 :eek:

backinbusiness

kerri_gt wrote: »

ps we've just had fish and chips for Friday dinner...not from the chippy though...

home made oven chips (batch 3 made out of a 2.5kg bag of JS Basic spuds - bought for 99p, still some left)
haddock in breadcrumbs from the freezer (£2 for 4 fillets at Mr A)
beans (£1.25 for 4 cans, approx 1/2 can used)

cost for 2 people approx £1.40 (70p each)..... cost for fish n chips for 2 last time we went £18 :eek:

Love, love, love this. Pre MSE - £18? who cares?
but Post MSE - £1.40 That'll do nicely.

It's all about attitude, value for money and appreciating the value of money. And I bet your fish and chips tasted a whole lot better!

bib