Where is my motivation?

Catcherupper14

Day 2 - I will continue to cook from scratch and will inventory my freezer and cupboards.


I did this when I was struggling for money and found that I could make the most interesting meals with what I had in.

LameWolf

An inventory of your supplies will be very useful; I keep one, on a spreadsheet on the computer, and add to it after I've shopped, and deduct what I've used when I make food for us to eat. It works well for me.:o

I also have all the household accounts on a spreadsheet, with a page for the grocery budget.;)

Sounds like you're off to a good start!:T

Catcherupper14

I have made an inventory of my freezer, and sorted out my cupboards so that I can see everything.


I am planning to live out of my freezer for the rest of the month (it's only a small compartment). However as I have frozen chips and wedges I will have to compromise on the "no convenience foods" plan. Next month I will prepare my own potato wedges.


Today I am going to "cook" a curry in the slow-cooker. It involves using a jar of curry sauce I found at the back of the cupboard, but I won't waste it. At least I will be cooking my own rice and making the salad


Lamewolf, you are right. I need a spending diary and a proper budget. I have just switched my gas and electric so what I do will be subject to change, but having a budget plan will be a start.


Day 3 - I will start (again!) a spending diary and keep it up this time. I will plan a budget which will record where I want to spend my money, then I will compare the two.
I will continue to cook from scratch (although I will use the convenience foods I have in stock) and will keep up my inventories. I will be eating out of the freezer for the rest of the month

Towser

Your motivation should come from ALL your life goals not just a few.

Then sort them into ones you would like to spend more money on and those you would like to reign in.

Some of mine are For example:

Spend More on Education, Pension, Car, Holidays and House and when I have saved up some money I usually do.

Spend Less on Groceries, Clothes and Bills by cutting down, not cutting out making the most of the money I do spend in these areas/ getting the best value ect.

The motivation is self perpetuating then between all the Goals. Making sure you apply all you Old Style Money Saving Values to all you Goals.

There are some really good articles on Goal Setting on the internet. That's where the motivation would come from.

What do you think? I would really like an answer as this is how I do it and have also suffered from depression especially procrastination.

pablakeman

I am in a similar position.

In January, I was £1200 into an overdraft and then got a job offer from a big-four accountancy firm in Edinburgh (I studied at Nottingham). I knew I would have to save to move up so in 5 months I had managed to go from -£1200 to £3300, so basically £4500 in less than half a year.

I am now up in Edinburgh, had a well-paid summer job (I earned £3000+ in 2 months) and started with the firm on September 1st. They have given me a tax-free, interest-free loan of £5,000.

So, I am nowhere near as bad as I used to be but I feel I am not as money-conscious as I could be. Some of what I spend money on I feel is a good way to spend more ie I have been buying more fish and also have invested in better-quality clothes/suits etc...

However, I buy a few coffees when I am out and about. I don't bother tracking my spending anymore. I 'waste' money on convenience foods. I am trying to lose weight at the moment and end up spending more on 'rubbish' food. I don't cook as much as I used to and I find myself not looking around for the best deal. I am still much better than I used to be but I want to be OS as I was.

I am trying to make the transition from student to professional (it is only a grad scheme, so I can hardly afford to flash the cash yet, but I am in a better position). However, I still want to be as moneysaving as possible. I really enjoyed being in control of my money rather than letting my money control me, so any tips/motivation would be great!

LameWolf

My motivation comes from a desire not to sponge off my husband. We both had spendthrift exes, and although he'd happily subsidise me if I wished, I don't want him to.

He has a reasonably well-paid job, but is now 64 and experiencing a few health issues; so though he has no wish to retire, we have to accept that fate may eventually decree otherwise.

I haven't worked since 1999, I was retired on the grounds of ill health; I get a small Civil Service pension plus disability money from the Gov't, which I am well aware could disappear in a puff of smoke at any time.

I try to only use my pension for day-to-day living, keeping the DLA for things like replacing my hearing aid, and mobility scooter, and bath lift and so forth when I need to, and purchasing new gadgetry to enable me to manage while DH is at work; we are thankfully mortgage-free, and try our best to split household expenses equitably, but buy our own "personal" items. We long ago ditched the idea of buying each other birthday and Yule gifts through necessity when DH was out of work and only getting JSA, and we simply never restarted it. I haven't bought myself any clothes or shoes in ages - I have plenty of clothes and let's face it, I can only wear one set at a time!:D I don't need "presentable" clothes for work, as I'm not well enough to go to work.:( And being a wheelchair user, I don't wear out shoes. I don't visit hairdressers or anything like that; I have a total horror of strangers touching me.

I cook from scratch - we meal-plan, and DH prepares things I can't manage to do the night before - such as cutting vegetables ready for me to cook them. I actually detest cooking, but he loves the meals I make, so I don't mind it so much.:o I make bread, cakes and biscuits for his lunch box, too, so he doesn't need to buy food out for lunch.

Catcherupper14

Day 4 - I will drink more water and less tea and coffee.
This is for my health rather than for financial reasons but will save on teabags, milk and electricity so a win all round.


I completed a "sort-of" budget yesterday which is really a list of my financial commitments.


I have also started a spending diary which I will keep up for at least two months. Then I will review my budget.


I have a check-up with my GP next week and will be asking about what exercise I can safely do. For a long time I was swimming, then found out it was doing more harm than good to my hip joints.

Catcherupper14

Day 5 - I will complete one of my unfinished craft projects.
At one time I was doing a lot of textile-related crafts including making my own clothes and soft furnishings. I have many unfinished projects, so I have chosen one which will only take an hour or so to finish and will get it done today.
I am still cooking from scratch and eating more veggies. Today I am going to prepare some little fish pies for my freezer.
Spent £2 yesterday - I went out with friends for a meal which we had paid for in advance and that was my share of the drinks. One of the benefits of driving!


Towser - Have you tried the Khan Academy or Coursera? Both do free short courses online.


Lamewolf - I also have a small Civil Service ill-health pension. When I was made redundant I was able to draw another pension early at a reduced rate. At the time I wasn't sure I would be able to work again or find a job and my state pension won't be payable for another 10 years (if it hasn't been abolished by then). As it happens I retrained in something more suited to my health issues. I was very lucky to be able to do this - many people can't.
I understand your concerns about the disability benefits - all the changes to the benefits system must be worrying.

LameWolf

Well done on selecting a project top finish, Catcherupper. I really need to finish a knitted waistcoat I started a couple of years ago. I actually bought the wool in 2007 but we won't go into that.....:whistle: - in mitigation, the extreme pain in my hands and wrists means I can only do about 20 stitches at a sitting.

I was lucky enough to be accepted as a host for a dog-sitting service; it's sporadic, and pays only a very tiny amount of money, but I get to have some lovely dogs staying with me, which gives me a reason to get up and dressed in the mornings. If I'm having a rough day, my lovely DH helps out; he also deals with "walkies" if there's a lot of snow on the ground which means I can't use the mobility scooter.:A Currently I have a 14-year-old Parsons Russell named Jack here for just over a fortnight - snoring his little head off as I type!:D

Catcherupper14

Lamewolf, I go to a craft group and people regularly turn up with projects they started decades ago. I don't have any health issues that stop me finishing what I've started, I just flit from one project to another. As for your waistcoat, doing a few stitches every now and again is still progress.


The dog-sitting sounds great and you have worked out ways to accommodate your limited mobility - but what is a Parsons Russell? We had Jack Russell's years ago, are they similar?


On the spending front -I have spent £4.97 net today. It should have been more as I bought milk, cheese, bread, laundry liquid and some fleecy pyjama bottoms, and donated £1 to charity.


(I'd bought a top a few weeks ago which didn't fit so took that back for a refund. The pyjama bottoms will be good for warmth in the house in the evening so I felt that was a good buy).