The 'Save 12k in 2013' Thread!

geoffers4

Hi all, and congrats Amy!

Very busy month - started with holiday abroad but not too bad on the finances as we'd pre-booked most bits and found some Euros in a drawer which paid for half the meals out. Also had the car MOT and service, but the garage haven't sent the bill through yet..so that'll come out of May's money. Declaring £1774.29 for April then.

Keep saving everyone - I always get great motivation from how well you're doing. And thanks SF for updating our figures.

Matt2389

Hi everyone, I don't get paid until 14th May, so my savings haven't changed since I created my sig! But I will be back on the 14th to let you know how much I transferred to the savings account! Well done everyone so far!

snowgo

I've been really busy this month, so just now catching up on reading posts.

Lippy, Amy - congrats to you both on your news. Wonderful!

Nikki - hope the sickness gets better soon. I can appreciate what you're going through as I felt absolutely awful thoughout both of my pregnancies - but the consolation was that the babies were really healthy when they arrived.

All these mentions of babies set me recollecting my own baby budgeting experiences. After the birth of my first I was desperate to get out of maternity wear and into something that looked nice. But pre-pregnancy things didn't fit, and I couldn't afford new clothes as I'd no wages coming in. I'd allocated all of my savings to things for the baby, and in my financial planning I hadn't thought about myself at all! My mum came to the rescue and bought me a couple of lovely new outfits. Looking back, those new clothes made an enormous difference to how I was feeling at the time. So my two-pennyworth advice to any first-time mum would be to think about setting aside in advance a little pot of money for you, rather than the baby, that will give you (and/or your partner) a boost in how you're feeling after the pregnancy. It may not be needed - in which case it could supplement usual budget or savings - but it may help fund some new clothes or other things that will give you a helping hand in what can be a time of some adjustment after the birth.

Matttye - well done on the pay rise. You must be working hard and keeping the boss happy. :T

cydney - what a wonderful story. You certainly learned from your mistakes - and that is the best that we can all do in this life. What comes through is how much you love your girls - to the point of sacrificing your own needs at times. Your girls certainly have a wonderful mum. But I hope you will pardon me sticking my neck out to caution against too much self-sacrifice. I've learned that happy mum means happy kids, and that means from time to time mum gets treats too.

Moneyhungry - Well done in stopping gambling. That sounds a major achievement. :T

1stTimer Well done with your debts :T and welcome to (IMO) the best savings thread!

Masomia - LOL. Keep posting here & you might get the savings bug too

Canucksfan - Sorry to hear about the leak & sounds like you have a lot on your plate at the moment. I always take the view that it is ok for a friend to ask for a favour, but it is also ok for me to say 'no' if its not right for me. A true friend will understand a 'no' and not let it get in the way of your friendship. With regard to your investing question, I think there is a steep learning curve in moving from savings accounts to investing in stocks, shares, etf's etc. I'd do lots of reading first - monevator.com is a great site with some good advice.

Nicedream - I think you're doing really well. The savings path is not smooth - it's usually bumps & dips along the way. But sounds like you're on top of what's going on for you & keeping your spreadsheet updated. I'm not sure you need the 'luck' you're asking for, but I wish you it anyway

Anagran

Hi everyone,

I have been reading this and am inspired! My partner and I are trying to save up for the future and also I am hoping to save up to repay my student loan and I was looking for some advice from you savers. I am in the situation where I have a large student loan from years ago, which I have only repaid a very small amount of through my wages.

I am currently under the threshold to repay and probably will be for the next few years anyway. There is a good chance my loan will be written off eventually. BUT I want to pay it back. I have started a savings account for this as I know it is better to put the money in here rather than make voluntary repayments as it will earn more interest.

Anyway, really was wondering if anyone in a similarish situation could tell me - what is a fair amount for me to put away to repay the loan in comparison to how much I contribute towards joint savings with my partner? We don't really have my/Your money, everything is joint, but I feel this is my debt only that I should repay, but don't think it is fair that all money I can save goes to this as then only my partner is saving for 'us'. Any ideas?

Thanks A

alja

Congratulations Nikki & Amy!

I've managed to save £1000 this month, very pleased! Well done everyone!

Masomnia

Anagran wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I have been reading this and am inspired! My partner and I are trying to save up for the future and also I am hoping to save up to repay my student loan and I was looking for some advice from you savers. I am in the situation where I have a large student loan from years ago, which I have only repaid a very small amount of through my wages.

I am currently under the threshold to repay and probably will be for the next few years anyway. There is a good chance my loan will be written off eventually. BUT I want to pay it back. I have started a savings account for this as I know it is better to put the money in here rather than make voluntary repayments as it will earn more interest.

Anyway, really was wondering if anyone in a similarish situation could tell me - what is a fair amount for me to put away to repay the loan in comparison to how much I contribute towards joint savings with my partner? We don't really have my/Your money, everything is joint, but I feel this is my debt only that I should repay, but don't think it is fair that all money I can save goes to this as then only my partner is saving for 'us'. Any ideas?

Thanks A

I've got £20k's worth of student loans, and can't see me paying anything towards it for the foreseeable as I don't earn enough and I'm doing a masters in September.

They're not getting a penny out of me more than I have to give.

nicedream_2

snowgo wrote: »

Nicedream - I think you're doing really well. The savings path is not smooth - it's usually bumps & dips along the way. But sounds like you're on top of what's going on for you & keeping your spreadsheet updated. I'm not sure you need the 'luck' you're asking for, but I wish you it anyway

Thanks snowgo! It seems so daunting at the start of the month to save such a large amount by the end. That said I usually reach half way through the month and it's never as 'hard' as it seems. How are you doing? We have fairly similar targets. I'm sure we'll both get there

SusanneCape

Congrats, Amy. WOW, how exciting for you.

I managed to put away £1,121.09 this month. Update sent to our lovely mistress.

Very happy :T with that as DD ran out of student loan very early on (so had to prop her up) and also bought a holiday to Kefalonia in September for DH and I as well as airfares to Germany. 4 months in and I'm over 60% there ....

You are all doing so incredibly well. I am really happy to be part of such an inspiring forum.

All the best and keep saving,

Tantalus86

Time for me to declare for April. Total saved = £1873.28 :j

Gotta love bonus month , well on course for my target and I'm expecting a large number next month from mileage returns.

Well done everyone else, keep up the good work!

Billie-jo

A quick update here and will catch up with posts and send Aprils details in later on today. £100 Not as much this month but been an expensive month for us, hope May is better.

Savings to date £1864.85/£3000 - 62%