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Need some help to get my OS ways back

Hi


Its been a while since I have been on here - today I was looking at some documents and came across a have completed spread sheet of my spends. Well I has just took me about 4 hours to complete it.... omg what a shock...... just an insight.....


£4909.28 on Food, and I still have Dec to go
£492.00 on Clothes
Nearly 400.00 on Entertainment


The list goes on, in fact the full total on my spends for the last 11months mount up to £24,998.93


So has you see I need help to get back into the OS way of things.....


I used to thrive on the drive I used to have, trying to have NSDs and saving pennies and pounds a like...


So any idea on how to get back on track.... please share....


Thanks


Smokies

Sell £750.00
Jan-feb-march - 150.00


Comments

  • joedenise
    joedenise Posts: 17,351 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Have a look through the threads on Old Style - there have been a couple of threads started recently about getting back to OS, including one started by Caterina called "I have lost my OS ways, help".

    There is also another which started a few days ago called "NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday".

    There are probably others which will be worth looking at which will have ideas on cutting back.

    It may be worth having a look at some of the diaries on the Debt Free board as people on there often have no option but to cut back and save money.

    Denise
  • Caterina
    Caterina Posts: 5,919 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    Smokies, I did not want to appear self promoting so did not point you to my thread, but now that Joedenise kindly mentioned it, I just wanted to say that I recently found myself in a similar position.

    I realised that I had become rather complacent about my spending and felt the need to rein it in a bit. As I am a long term frequenter of this excellent forum, it seemed the obvious thing to me to come here and ask for support, which is exactly what I have done and it has helped enormously. I am now back on track, participating in the Grocery Challenge, counting No Spend Days, feeling much more in control of my spending. And, in the bargain, aptly, getting to know a lot of lovely people.

    I use my thread a bit as a diary, just to keep myself focused, as well as a means to exchange ideas and information with others in my position or with similar interests. I am not always able to respond to everybody individually but the conversation flows.

    I am subscribing to your thread and look forward to reading about your return to the OS fold with pleasure and anticipation.
    Finally I'm an OAP and can travel free (in London at least!).
  • Thank you both Caterina and Joedenise I will have a look at the boards and Caterina what a great idea to use it as a diary to keep focused.


    I was in total shock when I sat down and completed my spreadsheet, I had been very laxed in finishing it off monthly...


    Off to read the treads...


    Good luck with your journey Caterina, I wish you all the best...


    Smokies
    Sell £750.00
    Jan-feb-march - 150.00


  • I've just rough-guesstimated your figures as weekly being:

    £103 - food
    £10 - clothes
    £8 - entertainment

    Clothes and entertainment expenditure equate to one person's worth at very frugal level. Food equates to 3-4 people worth.

    How many people does this expenditure cover?
  • smokies
    smokies Posts: 138 Forumite
    Hi moneyistooshorttomention we are a family of 3 adults DH, DS and Me and 3 cats


    I have an app on my phone and I note everything down when what I spend. I never thought of breaking it down into weeks was just concentrating on the monthly figure..


    This got me thinking about the entertainment I have only calculated it for me spending, ie going out with the girls - or if I pay for the entrance fee to a local gig..... hubby normally pays for the "actual night out" - which are now very few and far between..


    Thanks for the insight.... its got me thinking...


    Smokies
    Sell £750.00
    Jan-feb-march - 150.00


  • Caterina
    Caterina Posts: 5,919 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    .......

    Clothes and entertainment expenditure equate to one person's worth at very frugal level. Food equates to 3-4 people worth.

    .......

    This is a very interesting point, which I have used at times to persuade DH not to get a takeaway, or go out for dinner, or buy a few beers (within measure of course, as he works very hard and I don't intend to impose my ways on him all the time!).

    For example I have told him about the challenge on this forum for 4 people to live on £20 per week, or how the Girl Called Jack lived on the poverty line for a time etc...

    Not to make him feel guilty or anything, but it really helps to put things in perspective and make us think twice before going out willy nilly and spend £30 on a dinner out (someone's monthly food shopping, according to some of the blogs I read!).

    Thank you for your observation.
    Finally I'm an OAP and can travel free (in London at least!).
  • moneyistooshorttomention
    moneyistooshorttomention Posts: 17,940 Forumite
    edited 5 December 2014 am31 5:56AM
    My own personal view is that £20 equates to cheapest possible eating for one person for a week. If asked what the very very cheapest was that I felt I could literally eat for for a week (and that's by the standards of having my garden fully up-and-running producing as much food as possible) then I would hazard a guess at £15 per week myself (that's for one female-size appetite).

    With that, I'd have to give up coffee totally (about £2.50 for a packet simply wouldn't be possible)/give up buying anything organic at all/buy the white versions of flour, pasta, rice, etc/am not even sure whether I could stick to my eggs being free-range. So, longer-term budget eating figure would have to be £20 per week realistically for one person (with that fully-producing garden).

    I have both cookbooks done by Jack and often use them as the basis for a recipe and, in fact, did her Cauliflower Pasanda recipe yesterday for dinner (and it was nice), but there was the usual mental addition to "if I try this recipe again" of "will have to have more than one course at that meal, because her recipes are rarely big enough portions". Hence her recipes aren't as cheap as they seem on the face of it, because it is usually necessary to have something else with or after them in order not to feel hungry still.

    So, I do bear in mind having both adequate quality and quantity of food to work out how much I think its possible to spend on food. I couldn't manage on just cereals for breakfast for instance (even if its porridge), but factor in a couple of slices of toast too. Personally, I couldn't manage on just an omelette for lunch, but would have to have some "filler" food with it (eg a couple of slices of bread or a baked potato) and would add some salad (hopefully from the garden) and then have some fruit after it (ditto - hopefully from the garden).
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