What did you learn in 2011?

XSpender

That it is important to have savings for emergencies behind us and we need to stop spending everything we earn:o

That I miss cooking from scratch and baking which I have done less this year due to ft job, pt college and full on toddler.:(

How to make a decent yorkshire pudding :j

Aarons_mummy

I learnt that I can make a variety of various meals that are different from what I would normally stick to and it generally tends to be pretty cheap to do so.

That the reduced section is most definately your friend.

That home deliveries although cost for the delivery can save you money in the long run.

That having a stockpile most definately saves money in huge quantities (and it also means you can have branded toiletries for not much more than smartprice).

That takeaways are rubbish and cost waaaaaaay too much money and I would much rather have some home made cheesy pasta.

That I can make laundry cleaning stretch so much further using half of what you would normally.

That this board is definately the best place to learn tips on saving money. There are plenty more I have learned but I'd be here all day

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

Usual lurking and Hi to all at OS.

russetred

I have learnt to use coupons effectively to radically reduce my grocery spending, thank you to the voucher thread crowd. I use ALL my leftovers and most times can get another entirely different meal out of them. I have bought my telly pages over 2 years and saved a fortune. I have remembered to use TCB and quidco for all online purchases. I have haggled with my MS companies and discovered I am worth more! I discovered survey sites and do several every day netting me a few extra hundreds. Most important to our family is all this means we can go on abroad on holiday more than once a year. All this came about from reading on these forums. Hard to imagine before joining MSE I was always broke and hadnt had a holiday for years.

cheeswright

i've learned to say to myself, " how did I manage without that before, oh yes because I dont need it ! " - saved me a lot this year

and that being a worry wart is a waste of energy - hence the signature

YORKSHIRELASS

I have learnt that:

Its OK to be poor/skint/in debt. There are lots of other people out there in the same boat. Some wont admit it of course but there are many lovely people on here who arent afraid to be honest.

That trying to keep up with the Joneses is a recipe for disaster. Who really cares if your house is a mess, your car is ancient and you havent had a new winter coat for 3 years?

That buying value products is clever and buying branded/expensive stuff is just putting money in someone else's pocket.

That having "things" doesnt make you a better person and it certainly doesnt make you happy.

I couldnt begin to list the smaller things I have learned on this forum but I think 2011 was the year I really got my head around the bigger stuff. Its not always easy of course but I know my life is better for it. Heres to another year of moneysaving!!!

jpscloud

I learned to compare supermarket prices and pick up my usual stuff on offer instead of just buying everything in one place.

I also learned to batch cook (on a modest scale... I have a very small freezer) and:

I can live without takeaways! Takeaway free since June 2011.

The cheapest stuff is often every bit as good as the expensive stuff (I would never buy basics or value, believing it was all nasty - was I wrong or was I wrong!)

Rainy-Days

1. Learning to knit and finally did three wonderful scaves which I adore more than the shop bought ones!

2. That all winter planning and preparation has paid off

3. That Karma and a good deed does pay dividends if not always at once.

4. Meal planning and thinking ahead has saved us allot in not throwing good food out.

5. To savour the treats when they come along

6. Abandoning Tesco's finally, doing my main first shop at either Lidl/Aldi and where poss the market then top up at another supermarket.

7. That good friends are my sanity when the world is going mad.

8. That MSE Old Stylers has been such a boon and wealth of advice these ast few months when things have been tough! Thanks to all who contribute to this vast encyclopedia of knowledge to use. :T

Fruball

I also learned that...

"New and Improved" is a cunning way to fool us into believing that the product is new and improved for US....



You would be wrong.

"New and Improved" means it is improved for THEM....

ie They have sourced inferior, cheaper, more processed ingredients in order to make larger profits.... And they think that by the "New and Improved" label, we will fall for it. :mad:

lilac_lady

What did I learn in 2011? I learned that life is precious.