Living within my means?

cuttingbackisitfun?

Thanks Dr Squeeze much appreciated I was quite chuffed myself x

sevenpounds03

cuttingbackisitfun? wrote: »

Thanks guys much appreciated, lodger is a no go as I have a 1 bed flat.

Friends are aware of the issue but not family and I do not want them to know about it.

Saying no that is the hardest word in the world for such a short one, part of me needing to knuckle down is due to a holiday I have agreed to go on that I really, really want to go on so i want to live within my means pay off debt and have a few quid for the holiday which will be nice.

Just done a weekly shop £20.00 was my budget and I came in at £20.10 thats breakfast, lunch and dinner in for the next week, plus some dinners to go beyond that along with what was in the freezer so I feel quite pleased with myself.

I am due to drive to a friends on Sunday £35.00 fuel I have been offered a lift but turned this down me thinks I might have to re-consider the offer as my car wouldn't start today and whilst ok now not sure I want to drive too far in it at the mo tbh.

I am getting there but very slowly guys, your advise and encouragement is invaluable. K x

hiya following you with interest as im also a single girl, (with a child) but mostly food shop for me. Wondered if you can gve me an idea as to what you bought for your weekly shop?
Im always way over budget for this

cuttingbackisitfun?

Hey sevenpounds,

I got bread, marg, ham, 2 types cheese, take away bag thingy, a pizza, jacket pots, coleslaw, rice, pasta, 4 * salmon pastry lattices, peas, 1 pack of hot & spicy chicken portions, 6 pack of Mr M diet coke little bottles, garlic bread.

To be fair I have quite a lot in the house already but a lot of the above will be filtered into that so next week will probably only need milk and lunches, and poss a few fresht things x

What do you normally buy then?

sevenpounds03

i usually spend 30 to 40 quid i think, im trying to cut it down to max £30 a week. my son eats breakfast and dinner at my parents, i make his packed lunch and supper and take breakfast and lunch to work.

i am on weightwatchers, so have been trying to watch it,
i buy stuff for lasagne which ive been making a big one and freezing, so lasts for 6 portions.
bread, milk, 2 types of cheese, marg, coleslaw, tuna, (a few tins) salad, juice, biscuits and crisps for packed lunch and spend quite a bit on fruit and veg. Im trying to cut this down, (maybe looking at going to Lidl or aldi's for this?)

maybe make chicken curry one week, or chilli or chicken kiev x

marmiterulesok

cuttingbackisitfun? wrote: »

I have like most of you said this so many times but I have to learn to live within my means I consolidated my debt into a loan and low and behold 7 months later and yet again £800.00 overdraft and £540.00 on CC plus holiday to pay for end of Sept.

I find it so hard though being a 31 year old single girl who lives alone as going out socialising costs money but I would like loads of suggestions if possible of things to keep me occupied to stop me spending money!!! If I am bored i pop to the supermarket £40.00 later i am home with a few bags of food that were not necessary.

How have others managed to train themselves to live within their means? I am lucky in that I can afford all payments easily but want to stop the spending but don't know how.

Sorry I have no idea if any of you can help but I do hope so I have lurked on here for years now and its about time I joined in to see if that will help me.

Thanks for your support and advise in advance.

K x

I hope that some of what I have to say might help.I'm also a single female.

Initially,when I got into debt,I had no choice but to get by on next to nothing for about six months.No extras,no going out,no holidays.

It was a real eye-opener to see that I could in fact survive on so little.I didn't have an overdraft and always paid off any credit card payments in full monthly.I'd managed to get way behind on lots of bills (and was also basically a shameless spendaholic),but fortuananately sorted out a repayment system.
Once I was back to square one (all debts paid),I decided to live on a weekly budget.After all my bills are paid,plus monthly savings for a wide range of things (basic savings,once-a-year holiday,Christmas money,yearly bus pass etc.)I then have my weekly budget,and live on this for that week.For me,this has actually given me a great sense of freedom.I still am able sometimes to 'splurge' a bit,but nowhere near the scale it was before.

I usually have some money left at the end of the month.Often it goes on unexpected bills etc.

It really has been a case of changing my attitude to money.So I would say,have a think about why you are spending like this.Unless you does this,you'll probably carry on making the same mistake...I remember going into town on numerous occasions with the express intention of spending money...I think that I was trying to fill an emptiness within myself.

As for socialising,why not have friends round for a meal and do this in turns.You could rent a dvd for the night and share the cost.Socialising doesn't mean going out all the time.You could meet in the park one day for a picnic for example.Go for a nice walk.Any free museum/art gallery exhibitions in your area?How do you actually like to spend your free time,any hobbies?

Go shopping with a shopping list and stick to it.

Do a storecuboard inventary,to see what meals you can make with what you've got.

Have a look at all your possessions.Do you actually need anything else for the time being (clothes,books,toiletries,furniture etc)?

Charity shops,freecycle,selling stuff on ebay etc.Loads of possibilities to buy or acquire cheaply or sell stuff for that matter.

Look at the 'Demotivator' -ie how much you spend a year if you buy a coffee and a sandwich every day for work.It'll be a shock to see how much it is!I'm a packed lunch convert.....If I do go into town,I take a drink and often a snack.

Little tweaks can make such a difference.

I've also managed to get a food processor and a soda stream through loyalty points alone.It was really worth saving them up.

Maybe you should explain to your friends that you're trying to spend less etc.If they're true friends,they'll understand.

What plans do you have for the future?Are you hoping to buy a property?If you have a specific goal,that is a great help.Mind you,not being in debt is a pretty great goal to start with.

For me,the biggest reward is peace of mind and the wonderful feeling of being in control.

HTH.

Lovelyjoolz

Create a spreadsheet of all your essential outgoings so that you can see exactly what you have left to spend. Put about a third of this towards paying off your debts and the remaining is to do what you like with. Having it black and white can really focus your attention on your spending and help you control it better. You might also become quite obsessive about how much of your free income you manage to still have by next pay-day. Its that obsessiveness that will clear your debt.

Figure out exactly how much you are safe to spend, use some of the excellent tips in other posts and challenge yourself to see just how frugally you can live. If you make that your focus, rather than how to entertain yourself, you could clear your debts much quicker.

Good luck!

cuttingbackisitfun?

Thanks again guys, getting addicted to this site is going to help me - knowing that I have to admit to you guys what I have been up to.

Today I can't believe what I have done, cut a £1.50 mr m pizza and had this with chips normally would cook it all and leave some but not any more!!!!!

Breakfast and snacks from stores and pub lunch which was just under £4.00 so was very pleased with that x

ixia

Cant really add much more to what has alreay been said loads of good advice just wanted to wish you good luck.

have a quick look round your house ane e-bay anything you don't use/take old clothes to recycling plant for cash something like 50p a kilo in my area. Put it towards your holiday fund

Sell any old cds on - i think music magpie do it.
Recycle any old mobile phones

I like to have girls nights in doesn't cost much and we take turns. A dvd and some crisps and dips. just a chat with a bottle of wine. Dance game on the Wii it's a good laugh and good exercise. Go out for a walk with your mates take a packed lunch and make a day of it.

well done on your shopping keep it up.

jellybean39

Hey cuttingabck look at my debts!!!! this is from me spending like crazy thinking i earnt a fortune and could buy what i wanted. have u thought about doing a car boot sale with all the clothes etc that u have prob bought (like i did) and only wore once. i took all my bags shoes and clothes that i didnt wear to sale on sunday and made 150 quid was well impressed!!! the rest i put on ebay and with not spending extra money like my tips i have managed 700 extra off my debts this month so hopefully will be able to keep going! u have prob though of this but someone on here pushed me to so shoveeeeeeeeeeeeee lol good luck hun x

ms_london

Hello.

You are certainly in the right place! I am another 30 (nearly 31) year old single female, I was in debt and owed £19,000 at the highest, but cleared it back in 2005, sounds like a million years ago now! Then I saved to go travelling, stayed away for 2 years, and come back and couldn't get a job because of the recession so ended up getting into another £6,000 debt! I have literally only started to save for a deposit on a house, but I feel as though I am in a better position now knowing what I know financially than if I had rushed in 10 years ago.

Don't give up hope, it takes a lot to go from spending whatever you like to living within your means, let alone learning how to start saving! I remember how chuffed I was when I had £20 left over from my previous months pay, that was unheard of!

This is a great site and the support is amazing, I wouldn't have got debt free without it, and eventually saving and being frugal becomes fun, I HATE spending full price on anything if I can help it, and my next challenge is furnishing my new house (ok, ok, so this is a distant dream!) on a budget.

I think others have suggested great ways of socialising on a budget, keep up the good work xx