Living below your means

jazzyjustlaw

I was married when I was 17 and had a baby and 18. My husband had countless affairs but I had to keep having back as I could not manage financially on my own. He ran up debts and when Jessica - my daughter was 3 he left. He left me with bills and I had no decent clothes because he was a gambler and his mother still bought his. I remember really trying to budget but I never really managed it because you didnt have BOGOFS and tesco value. You didnt have tax credits etc until my daughter was abouyt 10. I could not even pay my rent and then I got thrown out of our house and another flat. I took up with a wrongin who would not work although when my daughter was 5 I went to uni and worked in the evenings cleaning, shop work and have worked up from there got rid of Mr Wrong and am with Mr right - I think lol.

The reason why I perhaps did not manage was when I was a child our house was cold there was hardly and heat and before you think I am 90 I am 33 lol. Anyway, my mother was so tight she made my sister pay 50P for an egg when she left school and got a job. She did feed us but not enough. We were cold there was no proper heating. My mum used teabags quite a few times and that sort of thing. I did go without food when I was with my daughter in that house but I could not go without heat. I feel there is a big difference between being frugal and mean. My mum is still like it.

I want to be careful but I dont want to be mean.

Miroslav

jazzyjustlaw wrote:

I was married when I was 17 and had a baby and 18. My husband had countless affairs but I had to keep having back as I could not manage financially on my own. He ran up debts and when Jessica - my daughter was 3 he left. He left me with bills and I had no decent clothes because he was a gambler and his mother still bought his. I remember really trying to budget but I never really managed it because you didnt have BOGOFS and tesco value. You didnt have tax credits etc until my daughter was abouyt 10. I could not even pay my rent and then I got thrown out of our house and another flat. I took up with a wrongin who would not work although when my daughter was 5 I went to uni and worked in the evenings cleaning, shop work and have worked up from there got rid of Mr Wrong and am with Mr right - I think lol.

The reason why I perhaps did not manage was when I was a child our house was cold there was hardly and heat and before you think I am 90 I am 33 lol. Anyway, my mother was so tight she made my sister pay 50P for an egg when she left school and got a job. She did feed us but not enough. We were cold there was no proper heating. My mum used teabags quite a few times and that sort of thing. I did go without food when I was with my daughter in that house but I could not go without heat. I feel there is a big difference between being frugal and mean. My mum is still like it.

I want to be careful but I dont want to be mean.

Glad you have got someone who deserves you now

tootles_2

We live on a very restrictive income, as pensioners who were brought up to believe that we were to be cared for from the cradle to the grave, it was too late when we found out that was not to be the case, to do much about it.

We pay all our bills by direct debit through the year, so the fuel allowance we get in November goes towards Christmas, anything left goes into a savings account which pays 5% interest. As does the council tax payment we got last year and will get again this year. I also have a seperate account in which I save a regular sum each month to pay for car Tax, breakdown cover, and servicing.

Shopping is done at Tesco, it is just up the road from us and we can walk, I find that shopping for staples once a month saves me money, I allow £25.00 per week for food which includes fruit and vegetables from the market. I cook all our meals from scratch, very rarely do we eat out, I can provide just as good at home for a heck of a lot less.
We had a water meter installed last year which has cut our bills down by half. I sell stuff on ebay and have raised enough this year for us to go to France for 7 weeks with our caravan. Tesco vouchers are saved up so we have a 'free' months shopping at Christmas and can buy some luxuries...... I buy meat etc which is going to be date out and freeze it. Always check what I call the cheepie shelf in the supermarket to see whats on offer that I can buy.

I empty my purse each time I go out and put 1's and 5p's into a oney box which I empty and pay into our savings account.

We have a small garden at the back of our house in which we grow fruit and vegetables, salads etc, things that can be expensive in the shops, we have raspberry canes, strawberries, rhubarb, black and red currrants and gooseberries. Grow tomato's beans, french beans,garlic, lettuce, beetroot and onions and also have a small herb garden.

We have not bought many clothes since I retired two years ago, we had plenty in the wardrobe and are gradually wearing them out, I spend most of the time in trousers and sweaters, have a few posh clothes for when we do go out, but prefer to be a bit more casual. Track suits are the norm in the house, keep you nice and cosy.

apprentice_tycoon

tootles wrote:

Tesco vouchers are saved up so we have a 'free' months shopping at Christmas and can buy some luxuries......

Up until this minute I have spent the vouchers as soon as they come in - thanks Tootles, I'll have at least one free weeks shopping at Christmas too

nicki_2

I encourage OH to buy his petrol from Tesco's whenever he can so I can get the points on my card then the resulting vouchers I use to pay for (if not all then part of) my nannas Christmas gift which is now a box of groceries (usually heavy stuff like soap powder, cordial, tins etc) and a packet of Mr Kipling Mince Pies. I never overspend as I have a strict limit of £10 per person for EVERYONE except OH and daughter. I try and save a little each week onto my Asda Christmas Club card. Last year I had over £50 after starting to save in July.

calleyw

Miroslav wrote:

Well if you're sad, so am I Cos it seems to ber mine too

If worse came to the worse I would loose my internet connection to save money.

But then I went to OZ for three weeks last year and did not touch a computer. And this is going to sound strange but it was very liberating and really did not miss it.

Just now need to work on other ways to save money now

Yours

Calley

needmoney

My connection just renewed is very fast. I too was off for about two weeks and yes found it liberating too but now I'm back on find myself just unable to leave especially this site, it's too addictive.

I am trying to force myself to go and do the things that are really imprtant to get done today, I will get them done but without the internet they would be done much sooner.

I also berate myself for not being so active as I was before the net, sitting around like this is not good for me.

Eliza252

I havent got a TV and find that very liberating too! I dont have to watch any silly ads, I find I get loads more done in the evenings, read loads of interesting books, go out more etc. i admit that I sometimes hijack my flatmates tv so I can watch news 24 with my morning coffee - but thats it!

calleyw

Eliza252 wrote:

I havent got a TV and find that very liberating too! I dont have to watch any silly ads, I find I get loads more done in the evenings, read loads of interesting books, go out more etc. i admit that I sometimes hijack my flatmates tv so I can watch news 24 with my morning coffee - but thats it!

I don't have a telly either. Gave it up about 5/6 years ago when I caught myself watching eastenders and thought to myself. "What am I doing, I don't even like eastenders" (Sorry to anyone who is a soap fan. I am not)

So we got rid of it. Got a DVD drive in the pc so we are ok.

Yours

Calley

squeaky

Living below or within my means doesn't mean, to me, giving up things necessarily. My internet, once a large part of my social life due to mobility limitations, has now become a major source of MoneySaving information.

As such, it has more than paid for itself - I'm easily a year's worth of internet charges ahead of the game by reading here.