How to fall in love with saving money

cathybird

oh atush, that sounds wonderful Collared doves are such pretty birds too.

JoJoC, my friend is very penitent. I wouldn't have minded seeing the exhibition on my own, I was just rather worried about her. A little nest egg for Christmas sounds as though it will come in very handy. You have a lovely day too.

Lomcevak - I went with Charles Stanley, currently about the best for a portfolio of less than about £25,000. When it gets to above that I'll review and maybe change providers. They seem pretty good to me. Have a nice time reading in the garden Marathon next weekend, how exciting!!!

atush

Jojo, I have nearly 2 acres- i'd lend you some if I could lol. I will get a smaller garden in the next move as I wont have 3 young boys and a dog anymore

And saving for christmas is a much better idea than those Hamper companies. This way you get things on sale, and at the best prices if not. It is my Oh's bday, and the clothes and new duffle I bought him were picked up on sale earlier. and the PBs I bought him were 2 for 7 from tesco lol

cathybird

atush, I would absolutely love two acres. It would give a wonderful sense of freedom (I would think).

Lomcevak

Lomcevak - I went with Charles Stanley, currently about the best for a portfolio of less than about £25,000.

Thanks, guessing you're using funds? Happy with it so far? The other option i'm considering is just using something like the Vanguard life strategy 80 or 100, which would keep things simple, so CSD might be good for that.

Would probably set up a direct debit for £500 a month and let it run quietly in the background.

atush

cathybird wrote: »

atush, I would absolutely love two acres. It would give a wonderful sense of freedom (I would think).

A wonderful sense of freedom to mow all the time, not to mention muck out the septic tank lol. Cut up fallen trees/branches, weeds everywhere (you do one area move on to the next and the first area is full again- like painting the Forth bridge).

DireEmblem

Very good thread.

I've practically not saved properly in years - "living within my means" was always my motto - but when you look back and consider how much you earned to how much you have left now, it seems insane!

The way I see life is that its best surrounding yourself with peoples company whom you enjoy - friends/family etc. If that means meeting up with everyone on a friday night in the pub then so be it, unfortunately nights out almost always end up in one place - the casino. So slowly/surely I've not become a hermit, but I try to exercise more constraint. I have split bank accounts now, so when I go out I can only access a small % of my earnings.

I think saving should be a natural part of life that can add value which people do not realise. For example I could get myself a mortgage, and my outgoings would be less than my current rent - but I do not want to tie myself down yet. Unfortunately this is something that we tend to learn later on in life, when it could be taught.

On another part - when I started work, I put 10% aside into my pension, and my employer contributes more. The way I see this is - if you dont have it in the first place, how can you ever miss it?

I will continue to read through your thread, but finding the right balance I believe is key.

cathybird

Lomcevak, I'm only using funds so far. I'm in a share save scheme at work so I guess that means at some point I will end up with some actual shares, which I'd like to transfer into the Isa, or Nisa as it shortly will be. But not looking to do anything beyond save into funds at the moment. I went for a couple of Vanguard funds (developed world and UK) and have put a little into a Blackrock emerging markets tracker too.

atush, I feel your pain But while I'm sure you have to work hard with your two acres it would still confer such a sense of breathing space (I think) - something you don't really get at all in cramped old London. I was reading about Sara Maitland, a writer and teacher who lives in the middle of nowhere in Scotland by herself - I could do that (I reckon - no really).

cathybird

hi DireEmblem - glad you have enjoyed reading the thread Thanks for your thoughts. Balance is definitely important.

atush

I am looking forwards to living somewhere where I can walk out to a restaurant or pub lol.

Rural living suited me 20 years ago, but not so much now

cathybird

Yes, I understand, atush - though I love the idea of so much space, realistically speaking I do know on a small level from having had an allotment how much work is involved And it is nice to be close to restaurants. That I can not deny.

Well, we seem to have got to the end of March pretty quickly. Savings plan for the year is on track. What I don't want to do is get bored with it and let my attention wander. It's all too possible - I've done it before - started out with a bang, then run out of puff. Hoping my diary and my MSE friends can keep me focused.