How to cope when you have had enough of money saving!

moneysavingkitten

I "pay myself" for bargain hunting. It takes up a ridiculous amount of my time, so I feel like I need to be paid for it, probably sounds a bit odd, but psychologically it works for me.

I set myself a budget for a week or two week period (depending on how I am feeling) and work out what I need to save and what I need to put aside for bills. I make a list of what I need to buy, then go buy it as cheaply as humanly possible. I check mysupermarket for everything I buy, then go check the shops that aren't on mysupermarket on foot, then do my shopping with as many vouchers as possible.

Then anything I have let over I have no guilt about spending, because I am fed, have saved money and got money for bills already. If I have any, I will add this money I have left over to any survey credit I have.

It gives motivation to really work to get everything I buy cheaper, because I don't get anything for myself at the end of two weeks if I don't.

Well, that's how it usually works out anyway, bit glum because I have spent a little too much over xmas, but should be caught up at some point during this month hopefully.

thriftwizard

OP, I so understand how you feel! Back in the 90s I was at home with 5 small kids and it seemed everyone else in the world had money to spend whilst I was struggling to pay the bills, feed & clothe the family & afford school trips; DH was working but the mortgage seemed to swallow everything up & look endless and I remember being in tears sometimes, having to say no to school trips (DH earned just too much for us ever to be eligible for anything free) not even able to afford decent moisturiser for myself, which I'd always been told was essential... and my kids started to refuse home-cooked food when little friends made thoughtful comments like "What's that muck? Where are the chicken nuggets?!", and everyone in the class had electronic games or Tracey Island whilst mine were still playing with footballs, cardboard boxes and dressing up clothes... Aaaargh!

BUT it's worth persevering. Oddly enough I don't look older than anyone else my age, we are now mortgage-free apart from a very tiny vestigial amount to keep a line of instant credit available, we don't owe anybody anything and I'm really proud of my kids, who have grown into thoughtful & well-motivated people, and who not only (mostly) eat a good & varied diet now but can source & cook it all too, as well as tell a real bargain when they see it. We've even been able to take a couple of lovely holidays lately, before they all stray too far from home but they're old enough to look after themselves so we can relax.

I'd second building a little bit into your budget for small treats, as well as finding out what free resources there are around you - wherever you are, there'll be something! And make sure you do get some "me" time, and when you see people splashing out, don't envy them - chances are, they're racking up more debt or trying to distract themselves from their worries or accumulating stuff they don't have room for.

And those who say that it becomes an interesting challenge and eventually a chosen way of life are absolutely right. There are things I'd change if I could go back, but mostly they'd be to be more frugal sooner...

charlies-aunt

Brilliant post Scrabbles!

The best things in life can't be bought!

I try and keep a positive mind set and make the money saving into a challenge - maximum amount for minimum spend.

We are very lucky to have an "Approved Foods"-type shop locally and regularly get some amazing bargains.

I do admit that my idea of living in luxury is shopping without checking the prices first!

ostaragirl

meritaten wrote: »

Poundshops! If you feel you need to go on a shopping spree........you can come out of poundshops with an amazing amount of stuff for a few quid! and some of it you may actually NEED!
but, the best stuff is the ones you dont need - but would cost four or five times the amount in the ordinary shops!
eg, Nails............my local chemist is very reasonable, but the false nails in there are £3.99 - last week in the poundshop they were two packs for a pound! I got some for DD.
They also had fancy wool at 3 for a pound - the local woolshop were charging £1.99 per BALL! not the same make, but otherwise no difference.

Oh how I wish I had a pound shop close by, nearest is 104 miles away and I'm lucky if I get there twice a year! but when I do, I go mad:eek: I live in a very samll town in the far north of Scotland and although I'm used to having hardly any shops, it still doesn't stop me overspending at times....:rotfl:

Sezzagirl

Good evening

I've really enjoyed reading this thread tonight

There are some fantastic ways here to treat ourselves without blowing the budget

To the poster saying they really fancied buying a magazine, I used to be a devil for buying glossy mags - 2 or 3 a month really used to add up!

Then someone left a copy of a much cheaper magazine - Woman (only 93p a fortnight) in work and i read it one day when I was bored. I was surprised to find it satisfied my craving for a magazine just as much as a one costing £3 or £4!

Ok so it might have 4 pages of fashion rather than 14 but the fashion is from places I can actually think of shopping rather than clothes costing hundreds of pounds!

Same with the recipes. Features are just as interesting and as it so, ahem, cost effective, I have bought it whenever I fancy!

Cheers

prosaver

i got fed up with it all too
so i blew my savings on a massive new fridge a cooker hob and oven
how ever the fridge went up by 50 quid the next month after i bought it
and more its more efficient so save money on electric
the cooker is electric with fine elements and cooks things quicker and so does the oven,electric saved again... i spent all day on the internet doing research, though
so

Ilona

It would be nice not to have to think about the cost of everything, and go mad once in a while and buy something frivolous. I keep focussed on what matters to me. I can eat simply, do without heat, shop at charity shops and car boot sales, never go out for a meal or to the pub, but I can't do without my days out and holidays. I need my money for a reliable car, though I can scrimp on accommodation by using youth hostels and my entertainment is walking, which cost nothing apart from a decent pair of boots. I'm getting enjoyment now with planning my next trips.

Don't forget the very reason why you are scrimping, keep your eye on the rewards which you are saving for.
Ilona

prosaver

gas heating only cost 40p an hour
and a 400 watt fire cost 5p an hour

Zanandu

I have been reading the forums now for about 3 or so years or so and this thread has given me the courage to register and post! I have throughly enjoyed reading everyones ideas and wondered if you would mind me sharing my experience.

We made some stupid mistakes with money when we were younger and at one point had debt of £18,000. However when my mother died , she left me money not just to clear our debts, but change our lives basically. For four years we enjoyed a financial freedom that we had never known and we thought we appreciate things and we were determined never to go into debt again. Then May 2010 our whole world changed. My husband was diagnoised with having a malignant brain tumour. Without an operation and treatment he had a life expentancy of 6 weeks. With surgery, chemo and radiotheraphy he would be lucky if he was one of the 10 per cent that made it over five years. This particular tumour has a nasty habit of returning. He was clear but we were told two weeks ago that there was some regrowth and he has started chemo againt this week.

As a result of his tumour my husband was told he could not drive, hence he could not work and though he gets sick pay, intially he did get DLA but because he improved intially he handed it back! Its very hard to get it back with this return but we are trying. We lost £900 a month. However, this is the thing! We are NOT in debt and are still able to save all be it a small amount. We see money in a total different light. We do have two adult children that do work and contribute to the financial side of things, we are very lucky there. However what we have learned from this horrible situation is you can replace money and possessions eventually. You cannot replace time, health or loved ones.

Simple things like walking our dog through all winds and weathers mingling with other dog walkers that we have met since my husbands illness. As he said to me one day when we were walking through fields covered in snow...'If I was still working we wouldn't be sharing this walk'. We also make sure that we share family meals with our children when they or I am not working. We drink up every second of every day appreciating each special moment. My husbands future IS uncertain, however what we do have is NOW!

My ways of coping with our change of finances? Well I do the £1 a day in a bottle for christmas and it is very useful for christmas.

My neighbour buys a magazine each month and my daughter buys one too, when we have read the magazine in our house, we swap over. This is a real treat as we read both mags from cover to cover.

I am a fan of Freecycle and use it to get items as well as get rid of ours. I recycle everything.

If I am really happy with a product, I write a letter to the company saying why I like it, and a lot of the time I get a thank you letter back with vouchers from the company.

I only buy what I need. If I find a buy one get one free offer that I know I only need one of, I ask my neighbour if she wants to go 50/50 so we both gain.

Thats just a few of the things I do.

Thank you for starting such a lovely thread.

mandragora_2

The difference between rich people and poor people?

Rich people live as if they are poor; poor people live as if they are rich.

There's so many ways you could look at that one, and so may different things you could take from it, but it rings true to me because even though we are comfortably off now, it's because we've always had to be careful with money in the past. Even though I could buy without checking the prices of things nowadays, I still do check, live MSE and try to get the best deal that I can - and also not waste money. When the kids were little, we were so hard up that I really couldn't see how we would make ends meet from one month's end to the next. We got through though, and the habits I got into then have stood me in good stead all the years that have followed. As an earlier poster said, what that does is eventually release you so that you are free to have the things in life that you REALLY want - a once-in-a-lifetime holiday; an 'I want that car, and I can afford it, so I'll buy it' or 'I can drop back on work and spend more time on myself or my family and still be secure'. When money saved buys you things like that, then it's worth striving for, I promise you. Like anything in life, the trick lies in long-term maintenance more than touching a short term goal once in passing and then sliding back into old habits so you have it all to do again, but from further behind.