Advice and support please

kazl_2

CLAPTON wrote:

well done for starting so well..using botrht he budget and the snowball calculator...

start a spending diary to see exactly where the money goes...it may show up things you haven't realised like you seem to have no work related expense (lunches, whip rounds, etc) or socialising or school related costs )how many children do you have ).
do you never spend anything on the house / car (you need an emergency fund ...things happen appliance break, tiles fall off roofs, boilers go wrong)

as far as saving for yearly/oneoff/irregulars etc versa debt repayments its a personal thing....if you are well disciplined and can keep detailed records then repaying debts is best because you pay less interest overall...but then you have to use the credit cards again, but only for the planned item....its what works for you really.

I've started a spending diary. Scary how much money we spend even when we're trying to be careful.

SunderlandBlackCat

Hi & welcome to the board.

For food shopping try taking a look at the money saving old style board. loads of great stuff on there about eating well on a budget.

The cash vs cards thing depends on your personality - I'm rubbish with cash & fare much better with cards but theres plenty of people who are the exact opposite.

kazl_2

SunderlandBlackCat wrote:

Hi & welcome to the board.

For food shopping try taking a look at the money saving old style board. loads of great stuff on there about eating well on a budget.

The cash vs cards thing depends on your personality - I'm rubbish with cash & fare much better with cards but theres plenty of people who are the exact opposite.

please could you tell me where i find it - i've had a look but cant find it

SunderlandBlackCat

kazl wrote:

please could you tell me where i find it - i've had a look but cant find it

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=33

Some other things worth looking at are http://www.quidco.com & http://www.pigsback.com

I have to agree with Evie451 on the consolidation - I did it twice & it actually made things worse. Tackling your current debts head on will more often get you debt free much quicker & cheaper.