What permanent changes have you made on your journey?

Chrysanthemum5

Thanks for all your input it's so nice to feel we are all in on this together x

Hell1

Hi there,


For me its the little things that add up, walking to work instead of taking public transport, not buying coffee on the way, and taking a packed lunch. All these things are now second nature, reckon I save myself £8:00 a day just on this!


Now to tackle the smoking......


Good luck to everyone.


Hell

cadasaj

I use vouchers or discount codes for almost everything and have saved a small fortune.

We still eat out sometimes but I always have a discount offer of some description or do a dining mystery shop.

I always write a shopping list and stick to it.

uncreative

kirstle99 wrote: »

I have a few things which I do that have helped me, here they are;

1) I check my online banking every day. I have an excel spreadsheet to match everything going in and out, what I am saving and when. Every time something goes out I mark it off so I know where i'm up to. This helps me stay disciplined.

2) Regular savings. I put away a bit each month for clothes, xmas, car MOT, £20 monthly spends for me, birthdays. This helps me buy things when they are on offer and saves me loads in the long run.

3) Present box. This comes in useful for those last-minute parties and things I have just forgotten about and saves a last-minute dash to the shops where I might have spent 3 times what I should have on something.

4) Shop in the sales. I have 2 boys so I can pass things down, but I usually try to buy good quality clothes for the older one so they will last through for the younger one. Before boxing day comes I will make a thorough list of what I will need and just get what is on that list, crossing it off as I go. It saves me an absolute fortune. I buy clothes up to 2 years ahead in case of growth spurts. Then all I need to pay for out of the clothing budget is shoes and school uniform.

5) Meal planning. This really does save you a fortune! Of course, I always have a few extra bits in the freezer, but we generally eat fresh food now and have a better diet as a result!

6) Use credit but not an enormous amount. I am currently using my 0% card for regular things I budget for, such as petrol and groceries, then clearing off in full each month. It's good to know I have the money to do this straight away, and it means I can build up my credit rating without getting into debt!


Hope this helps, wow it's actually quite amazing how organised I am when I write it all down, haha! :rotfl:

Pretty much all there is to know right there.

Use YNAB to budget to save and keep the discipline. Can truly say that I now know the value of a £1. Dont be afraid to haggle for things. As long as you are not taking the absolute P you should always haggle.

:T

Sharon87

I'm still making some of these changes and sometimes I do slip up, but this is what I'm at least trying to do with some varying degrees of success!

Get the bus home instead of the tube - involves a bit more walking, but it saves me £1.30 per journey. I would do it the other way, but I can't get up that early and the traffic is unpredictable! This may be permanent, but I work contracts, so may differ on another job!

Buying less crap. I accumulated a lot of junk, so now I tend not to buy anything unnecessary and now I'm trying to sell/give away/chuck some of the stuff I really don't need/want as it's cluttering up my room.

Check my bank account every day/every other day - to avoid any unexpected charges if I accidentally go into an overdraft.

Think through my purchases more. For example I love going to gigs. I think what bands might tour in the next couple of years and decide which ones I wouldn't/want to go to and also set a price limit, so if a ticket is above a certain amount for a band that I would like to see, but won't be the end of the world if I don't see, then I won't buy the ticket.

Planning - I plan my spending/saving, so if I know I will need something - like this winter I will need new boots/warm shoes, I will plan to buy them with a budget in mind and not just go random shopping which will end me buying more than just boots!

Chrysanthemum5

That's like us Sharon gigs always went on a credit card!

Damn bands!

mangle101

Back in 2006 when overwhelmed by crippling debts my OH planned our finances & allowed me £10.00 'pocket money' each week, even to this day after being clear of debt since 2009 I still receive the same amount of 'pocket money' each week.

Nimmi

I have done the following to help change me from being a frivolous spender to being super disciplined with my finances. Personally I needed a cold turkey disciplined approach to sort myself out but it really changed my life:

1. Keep a spreadsheet for finances/expenses- this allowed me to strike off debts one by one to nil.
2. Putting away money into savings account on pay-day and leaving enough for expenses only plus an extra £50- this stops me from spending because excess money is not left in my current account
3.Working weekends to top up monthly income - this keeps me busy and prevents spending
4.No shopping unless I really need something- reduced clothes shopping from every couple of weeks to a few times a year, and I cut and dye my own hair (its pretty easy to trim half an inch off every couple of months!)
5.Meal planning
6. Cut out drinking/clubbing/bars- thankfully cups of tea in front of the sofa are more appealing now my partying days are over!
7. Drive less so petrol is minimal, ensure I pay car insurance annually so its cheaper and I have £10 mobile phone contract (I don't care how old my handset it, I hardly pick up anyone's calls anyway and I hate being on my mobile like a zombie!)
8. Socialising with friends doing things that are free- theres lots to do! Also using voucher codes/tastecard/offers etc always helps

tealady

Hi Hell, packing up the ciggys was my permanent change, however I now drink more so thats the next thing to tackle!
Oh and taking a packed lunch, I rarely (less than once a month) buy lunch whilst I am out. That saved me a fortune. That and freezing stuff I can eat at lunchtime

YORKSHIRELASS

I could write an essay I think. Understanding that just because something is only a few quid it still counts as spending! Knowing how much I actually have available to spend every month, keeping proper financial records, not being afraid to face my debts, learning to love the possessions I already have instead of constantly craving new things, not being afraid to say to other people "sorry I cant afford that", planning ahead and saving for things like holidays and christmas and being realistic about the budget.

And I suppose knowing that I have a roof over my head, I have food, clothes and heating and a car to get about in. Everything else is just extras.