Please help me get BACK TO THE BASICS of os moneysaving

cbsexec

I think a key thing is to be "happy" with what you have. if you are continually wanting things or feel that you are hard done by or that everyone has a better life than you you will never be happy with what you have. A lot of people feel that if they only had a new car, house, clothes etc etc life would be perfect. But it doesnt work like that. Contentment - thats a good life.

beakysian

A meal menu is a must - I'm pathetically proud of myself if I manage to eat the fridge/cupboards perfectly empty without wasting anything. Check the quantities of ingredients you'll need for recipes and buy loose fruit/veg rather than in bags - if you're going to cook 2 carrots, you don't need 1kg. Bulk out meals with cheap grains/pulses (they make good salads too); plan to slightly over-cater and have leftovers for lunch (eliminates the morning panic of what to take for packed lunch). And try Aldi - I find their stock levels hit and miss but if you catch them on a good day, they really are so much cheaper.

Keep it simple - beans on toast; jacket potato; omelette are filling, healthy and cheap.

Only boil the water you need - don't needlessly fill the kettle.

Cut back on expensive cleaning products.Do you need kitchen cleaner/shower cleaner/window cleaner/surface cleaner/bathroom cleaner/floor cleaner.....good old Stardrops is 99p/litre from most places and will clean anything from dishes to cars. Better than Flash IMO. Also, fancy toilet blocks and sanitisers. If I plan to lick my toilet I might consider them, otherwise 29p bleach will do!

Not sure if this is genuinely money saving but having never owned a tumble dryer but living in old damp houses, I can't live without my heated airer. It reckons it costs about 5p/hour and a load of washing will dry in approx. 8 hours. If you have a warm airy house then no need, but if you resort to the tumbler on rainy days because your washing hangs damp and smelly indoors like mine, it might be worth the pricey outlay initially.

Learn to mend or recycle clothing. Sew holes and put buttons back on, repair hems (with thread or tape), turn old trousers into shorts or stuff them with other worn out clothes to make a draught excluder to cut the heating bill. You could even do what my partner did and took himself to a darning workshop to learn how to repair his favourite jumpers.

As we come into autumn, resist the urge to put the heating on for as long as possible. I hate the cold but often find if I put a jumper on and start cooking I warm up. Then it's onto the sofa with a blanket and a good excuse to cuddle up.

As you start saving money, put it away somewhere safe at the start of each month (or when your income comes in) so that it's out of reach of temptation. When I stopped promising myself to save what money I had left at the end of the month and started saving before I spent anything, I did much better.

And definitely celebrate the little wins. Whatever you manage to put back into your emergency funds is an achievement. Good luck!

lessonlearned

Yes definitely put your savings away at the beginning of your pay cycle. Even if you have to withdraw some because you've ran out then at least you will earn a little bit of interest.

Never have large amounts sat in a current account doing nothing.

I also recommend checking all balances regularly to keep an eye on things. The last thing you want is to waste money on late payment fees or penalties.

This is where Internet banking really helps. You can Move money easily to take maximum advantage of interest, even a weeks interest is better than none.

I also do regular "sweeps". Say for exampLe I have £31.26 in the account then I sweep the odd £1.26 into a savings account. £1.26 by itself is nothing but if you do that a couple of times a week then you can easily add £10 a month to your savings and not even miss it.

Same with the small change jar. I sweep my purse every night and just transfer the shrapnel to a jar. I let it gather dust until christmas - it pays for the Turkey and trimmings.

Speaking of Christmas, you can buy Christmas puds, jars of mincemeat in the January sales as well as cards and wrapping paper. They have a long shelf, often at least 18 months so will still be in date come Christmas.

I used to work in a building society - before the days of easy internet accounts, we still had the old fashioned passbooks. We had a very frugal lady who would come in at least three times a week. She would deposit dribs and drabs a couple of pounds each time. She told us it was the only way she could save, if it was in her purse she spent it.

As soon as she had enough in her easy access account she would transfer some Into a better account. She would regularly ask us about any new deals or accounts. During the time I worked there quietly squirrelled away quite a signuficant sum of money. Always small amounts but it soon added up.

Nick2402

I have a really simple approach: I don't know whether you are in employment, paid weekly or monthly, but I just try to make sure that every day I've got more money in my bank account than I had on same date in previous month. It only needs to be a few pennies but it soon mounts up. And it's really easy to do, no complex record keeping or anything. If you do have a sudden expense then you just start again.

Linda32

I do the same as Nick with the money I've not spent. Just £x 30/07/2016. Then just look at the figure in a weeks time or whatever.

mel48rose

I do the same too :T

milasavesmoney

Me too. I'm trying to build an end of month buffer of $1000. I was up to $645 this month but then the vet bill, I had so carefully saved for, was 3x higher than expected. What can I say...he's an old dog. So I have to almost start over. At least I didn't have to go into savings. It had taken me 7 months to get to the point I was at too. Lots of not getting take aways or eating out. I'll take a little cheese with this whine.

Tabithabooboo

I am loving this thread!! Living in Scotland & it is week 5 of the summer holidays, 3 more to go & really struggling financially to keep the kids amused. This thread
has inspired me to look at out spending & habits generally. I really want to go back to basics & install these values in my children. Are there any threads you would recommend for recipes/food planning, I love to cook but have got out the habit.

bjcuomo

I'm terrible with food but read this with interest. There is a show on as I write (Sunday afternoon) called Eat Well for Less which promotes all the ideas mentioned about budgeting and planning meals.
Another easy tip is to leave your cards at home and only take out the amount of cash that you want to spend that week or month. Having to hand over the physical money makes you think a lot more about what you're spending. Having a Limited amount means you stick to a budget a lot better and don't make unnecessary purchases.

Honeylife

If you are on Facebook there are several Groups that really are full of ideas and suggestions and incredibly supportive for people who want to stop spending, wasting money and start saving.

Feed yourself for a £1 a day
Frugal Homemaking and Living
Home Cooking from Scratch UK

If you walk instead of taking the bus, put the fare saved in a Jar don't spend it.
The trick is if you save £5 on one thing not to think O I can spend an extra £5 now. Its to save it. I save a coin. I save £2 coins and 0.50p coins when i get them as change. When they reach £50. I put them in a savings account. It adds up pretty fast.

Also my tip is learn to cook - go back to basics. cook and freeze left overs. Make soup and bread. You will save loads. We have become shocking in food waste. You can have treats but make them treats not everyday norms! So on Sundays have ice cream. Eat out on special occasions not several times a week.

When going out take one card that you know hasnt got much money one it and it has no overdraft facility.

If you see a dress for £50 in the shop, look on Ebay and see if its cheaper...happens all the time someone else bought it and is desperate to sell it and get some money back. Buy it, wear it and then re-sell it.

The manta remains "I want it but I don't need it"

Go back to the old fashion Laundry Day. Dont half fill machines and don't wash every day. Dry outside in the summer and by the open windows when its cooler. Tumble driers are expensive I have never had one and raised four kids. One of the reasons washing has become costly is we each have way too many clothes that we wear for a couple of hours and then put in the wash. Sort out your clothes, sell them or give them to charity.