So fed up of having no money

Sugarplum634

asaajj - that posts means. Why can't you spin a yarn colleagues and friends. Why is it any of their business as long as you don't smell.

In terms of a combined salary of £30k+ I wish I had that. I have less than half that. I know living in an isolated area means things are more expensive but there ARE ways of cutting back. Saving x per month for an annual payment for insurance, moving credit cards to 0% finance etc. Do you need Sky? Could you look at using iplayer/net only services for a while. See if you can get your broadband, phone, utilities, mobiles cheaper.
Guve yourself a monthly cash budget for incidentals (coffee on the go, your magazine, that chocolate bar) once it's gone it's gone.

Wizzbang

Everyone has already said all the obvious things- you don't NEED Sky, you don't NEED new cars that you are making payments on, you don't NEED the latest phones on expensive contracts. As Dave Ramsay (US money guru) says- "Live like no-one else now, so that you can live like no-one else later". For one, I'd stop caring what anyone else thinks about your lifestyle, least of all work colleagues! If you can't handle it now, wait til you start living frugally- you're going to need a tough skin.

I'd start mystery shopping to pay for meals out and more. Although, I don't understand why everyone thinks it such a normal thing to eat out regularly- a generation or two ago this was a once a year kind of luxury and something else that no-one NEEDS to do. Sign up to ShowFilmFirst for free cinema tickets and never pay to see a new film again.

Change over to GiffGaff- happy to send you SIMs if you PM me. I've gone from paying £15 on a SIM only contract with Orange to half that, with more data from them. You don't need Sky, get Freesat as has already been said. If you're serious about saving money, then have a serious think about whether you need TV at all- so long as you're not watching it on the internet live, then you don't need a TV licence. We just switched to Plusnet (part of BT) and have slashed our phone and broadband costs MASSIVELY. BB internet was £14.99 a month, now £2.50!!! Calls package was £7 a month, now £5 a month and line rental similarly cheap.

Although property may be cheaper in more rural areas, it rarely makes financial sense once you consider the extra commute, the extra car, not being able to buy things as cheaply/ in bulk.

The best advice is never to pay for anything on credit, that includes car insurance, cars etc. Say no to monthly payments and start paying them annually. Better to stick it on a credit card at 0% and pay it off over the year, then give all your cash to the companies!

Go veggie to save money on food and buy in bulk. Use the my supermarket website to find the best prices on everything. Buy DVDs in CEX or charity shops and then trade them in for cash, rather than paying to stream online i.e.netflix etc where you can't recoup any of the cost. Buy what you do need through cash back websites like Quidco and Topcashback. Start earning money online in your spare time- i.e. swag bucks etc.

Sell everything you have that you don't need and aren't regularly using. Basically, you need to read this website, in detail and you will find all the advice already here!

Flyonthewall

Wizzbang wrote: »

Use the my supermarket website to find the best prices on everything. Buy DVDs in CEX or charity shops and then trade them in for cash, rather than paying to stream online i.e.netflix etc where you can't recoup any of the cost.

My Supermarket doesn't always give the lowest prices or have all products. Plus going to various shops can end up costing more in petrol than you'd save on items. I agree with shopping around and checking for deals though.

Cex and charity shops aren't always the cheapest for DVDs and you'll be lucky to get 50p trade in for most DVDs. Lucky if you get 10p for many. So if you buy many and/or want to watch new releases online streaming may work out cheaper per film overall.

asajj

Sugarplum634 wrote: »

asaajj - that posts means. Why can't you spin a yarn colleagues and friends. Why is it any of their business as long as you don't smell.

Oh ok, one learns something new everyday :o

jewelleryangel

I've just started looking at how I can start saving some money, as my salary just seems to go out of my bank account as fast as it comes in.

It's the first month I've actually tracked what I've spent in a spreadsheet, and I am quite shocked by what I've been spending my money on. I would definitely suggest tracking it all and seeing where you can cut it down, it's been a serious eye opener for me.

I am not married, maybe one day, but you could save some money by making some of things yourself when you get around to planning it, people make bouquets out of dried flowers and buttons, make their own wedding favours, place settings, wedding invitations. Gives you something and do and you can get creative.

miss_sammy

I have only just seen all your replies. Il reply to them all in the morning

ms_night_ryder

Am I missing something here? Everybody is saying that 33k combined is great, I think that it's low, now I'm not sure if my perception is warped because I'm born and raised in London, but is there a like national average or something?

Before anybody starts jumping out their pram, no I'm not criticising I'm genuinely curious about this.

chazsucks

ms_night_ryder wrote: »

Am I missing something here? Everybody is saying that 33k combined is great, I think that it's low, now I'm not sure if my perception is warped because I'm born and raised in London, but is there a like national average or something?

Before anybody starts jumping out their pram, no I'm not criticising I'm genuinely curious about this.

I think it's hard to without knowing their jobs? 15k is average for some jobs, whereas 50k might be average for others.

Also I guess it's subjective - 33k could seem low to you compared to people you know, whereas others may not know any couple with a combined income of that amount so it would seem high

For a lot of us on here that income is more than we could imagine. For example before I decided to go back to university me and my partners combined income was around £25k, we also had two children, pets, lived in London and managed to pay off our debts.

Oddjob

Gosh, I wish there was £33k coming into my house. I have nowhere near that.

Catwoman1975

ms_night_ryder wrote: »

Am I missing something here? Everybody is saying that 33k combined is great, I think that it's low, now I'm not sure if my perception is warped because I'm born and raised in London, but is there a like national average or something?

Before anybody starts jumping out their pram, no I'm not criticising I'm genuinely curious about this.

I think its low too. You would still need to watch the pennies closely. No eating out every week or chucking whatever you like in the shopping trolley and I doubt many people would be able to afford to buy a house on that combined salary.