Please help me get BACK TO THE BASICS of os moneysaving

katkin

Hi westcoastscot,

I manged to post the pics but they're a bit big. Sorry.

The money wallet has 6 different zipped pouches, each with a label. I also posted my budget book and household notebook where I kept notes of recipes, special spends, menu plans, to dos etc.

The money wallet is home made. Run it up on my machine. It you'd like one and tbh I'm not a great sewer, but let me know.

Best of luck, you are doing a brilliant job. X


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katkin

I'm just looking over that budget book and thinking that wasn't much of a frugal month. Apart from £700 going into savings haha.

Frugal_life

Both my OH and I grew up in single parent households and learned the value of money and the need to appreciate what we have very early on.

We both have overdrafts on our accounts of £100 each but these serve as a "just in case" option to avoid any of those extortionate charges should an unavoidable spend arise.

Standing orders are in place to automatically transfer money across to the various accounts we have: "bills", "food & entertainment", and "savings" and then we can spend whatever's left in our current accounts on things we want (saving for birthdays, buying a chocolate bar when out, etc...). At the end of every month, anything left in the food and entertainment account is then moved into savings (assuming we're lucky to have anything left).

We have a number of friends who see the newest gadgets and fashion as something they are entitled to - they work full time, why not? Problem is, these things cost a lot more than they earn and credit card use has become "normalised" with no one thinking twice when they add to their ever-growing debt.

OH and I recently bought our first house and spent 4 years saving to be able to do so. Almost all furniture is second hand and goes back to when I was at University in 2009. We are slowly working towards updating what we have (it would be nice to have sofas that are the same colour) but, as far as sofas go, they serve their purpose and we are more than happy to wait until we have saved the money before we buy them.

We often wait until the sales to buy products, particularly expensive ones. As an example, we bought our very first BBQ this year but waited until the August Bank Holiday sales to do so: had people round for a Bank Holiday BBQ and used the money saved on the RRP of the BBQ itself to get the food! Win, win! :T

Christmas presents are bought throughout the year in sales and whenever we see something that any particular family member would like. Helps take the pressure off of our November/December paycheque.

Meal plans are pulled together every Saturday night, ahead of doing the food shop first thing on a Sunday morning.

Where possible, everything is always mended/ reused e.g. Old T-Shirts are made into cleaning cloths.

I think it's very easy to be persuaded into buying the latest thing, after all a number of people are paid A LOT of money to convince you to do so, but, as previously mentioned, the trick is to be happy with the life you have, not the life you see other people having.

westcoastscot

Katkin that wallet/purse is excellent - very inventive. I'm going to get my machine uncovered and have a go at making one :-) Thank you so much!! Your note-keeping is much more precise than mine - I'm going to start carrying a little pocket book around with me to catch all the wee spends.
Inspirational!!

mrsmortenharket

That's brilliant Katkin

My freezers (yes plural) are full as are my cupboards. So I need to eat from my own stocks now. I hate running ow as there was no food in my house as a child, but my food situation is out of hand.
And we have an extra 9 days this month as husbands company is changing pay day. :eek:

I'm going to do a menu plan to the end of September. Then go shopping only for what I need for the month. And then put money aside for the fresh stuff like fruit & veg.

katkin

Thank you.

The only cost was 6 zips but velcro or press studs would do, whatever's in your sewing box. Now I use my bank accounts the wee wallet is used for make-up, stationery etc in my work bag. When my boys were teens at home the wallet was really handy to keep them on top of household spend. When the money in each section was gone it was gone!

I still use a budget book and note all my spend in it. I find that helps me to keep control. This year's is a pound shop A6 size book that I've drawn my own lines in. I also keep a wee household note book in my bag too. It's handy for shopping lists, menu plans, household to dos etc

I carry a lot of books in my work bags (mostly a briefcase type size) between those, my diary then work / meeting / project notebook haha

I agree with Frugal_life, you don't need the latest "thing" really. I've found having less stuff a better quality of life. It's also easier to keep the house tidier and organised.

Thanks again for the compliments. Hopefully the "concept" is helpful.

atypicalblonde

This thread is wonderful.

I really need to cut back on our spending otherwise I'm going to have to go back to work which is logistically a nightmare for our family (DH away weeks at a time with work, 2 small children and no family to help with childcare).

Your tips are excellent and I have re-started my spending diary. I need to make one penny do the work of 3 at the moment, but you are making me realise I can xxx

[Deleted User]

Katkin that's a brilliant wallet, and I'm so impressed I can hand-sew but neither own a machine, or can use one I too have a small note book that goes everywhere with me, and I note down every tanner that gets spent.

Upstair in my small study (aka as tiny back bedroom ) I have my desktop computer and all my financial bits and pieces a tall skinny filing cabinet that a friend was going to take to the tip, and I use it for all bills receipts etc guarantees and things like bank statements etc that have to be filed away.

It has 15 slim drawers, and each drawer is labeled with different things for different organisations,Bank,electric,House insurance ,car insurance,gas,water company etc So I can lay my hands on things in seconds .Its one of the best things I have ever had, and brilliant for keeping things where I can find them.

I also have a A4 book for monthly outgoings, and on one side I list all of the things to be paid and on the opposite page I list my income less out goings and the amount left over gets put into various accounts

Draw out £60.00 in cash every 1st of the month and that goes into a seperate food purse.This is used only to buy food etc during the month. In my day to day purse I have around £ 20 for my Happy Cash Stash this is used for treats during the month for my DGC or myself iI see something I may like

Often I have quite a bit left at the end of the month so that gets put away into my holiday fund savings for treats when we are on holiday.At the beginning of the month I replace it with £20.00.

In my kitchen cupboard I have several jars with screw topped lids In each one there are seperate amounts for my 'entertainment or cash bills.
One for the History club £20.00, One for Pub Quiz £8.00, and One for my Gardener who comes twice a month £24.00.

So I know to virtually the last penny where the cash is and how its working for me Any left over money after everything is paid is swept into a high interest account ( not very high at the moment though ) and saved

In my food purse at the moment is £47.89 as I have been carefully using up some of my stuff indoors rather than going out food shopping I have enough for the next week in my cupboards and more than enough in my freezer.So probably my next food shop will be perhaps after next weekend as I am away for a few days from next Friday. Quite pleased with the food budget this week as I am hoping to get my freezer eaten down a bit so I can defrost it before Christmas.

I like to think to try and run my household as a business with profit and loss, but with the emphasis on no losses if possible :):)


Using what you have already in stock is eminently sensible as it was bought to be eaten.Often its combining things together that perhaps you wouldn't have though of to extend or streeetch a meal a bit. This is where a cheap tin of baked beans or chickpeas come in handy I will thicken up a casserole that's light on meat with a few dumplings and some chick peas or beans. I know I have a good bit of beef and lamb casserole meat in my freezer which when the weather turns with be used to make some filling meals in the autumn.A tiny tin of pilchards whizzed up in the blender with a dash of passata makes a great spread to go on crackers for lunch as I did the other day this was topped with a sliced tomato and a few slices of cucumber Tasty,filling and as it had been in my cupboard for about 9 months 'free'' I had forgotten about this as it was such a tiny tin :):):) I think it was on special offer just after Christmas and was about 24p.I have a good search around my 'tin' cupboard and love to find forgotten goodies :):)
Every little helps :)

westcoastscot

Hi Jackie, sounds like a few of us live the same way - I shop once a week - I don't strictly menu plan but shop from my stores, making sure I have at least 7 days of meals, which I note down (save thinking about it on the way home from work). My shopping list is any fresh produce I need, milk and anything that is on sale that I need to top up my stores. I have a fair idea when things come on sale in the co-op - for instance this week I purchased 3 packs of co-op wheatbix as I have these for breakfast and had run out. Every 4th week I travel the 70 mile round trip to our local tesco and do a bigger shop to top up my freezer and store cupboards. Works well for me and makes every penny squeak!!

pollyanna_26

Hello everyone .
I would like to thank PM£s for her original post . For a long time things have been difficult due to a very ill family member and I've cut so many corners to concentrate on the medical side and frequent appointments plus how low she is feeling that my normal routine in a lot of ways is a distant memory . I was raised OS and eventually raised my 4 children the same way . I need to get a grip again as it is making me feel unlike my normal self .
I was a regular poster on os having lurked for many years first . I am at the moment tucked in a couple of tiny threads which do not move too fast for my tired head to follow . My intention is to get back to order again and rejoin the threads I miss so much .
So this has made me focus . I will need to read from the start as I have come on here to see if WCS is ok . I always enjoyed her posts
but she seemed to disappear for a while .
Well I've read last page and thank you to Katkin for the purse - I have made many organisers for over chair arms , hanging sewing organisers and similar - why have I never thought of that ? I have all the fabric , bindings , and zips needed ( don't ask about the fabric stash , button box or 10:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: )
The budget book is one I have looked at online a number of times but wondered if it would work for me so have opted for other solutions . I have the diary in the same range which spans this time of year to next summer and that works well to record everything medical particuarly appointments given fir the next year . So I will go for that because the good thing about the diary is it is so easy to spot in my bag and the pockets are so useful .
Sorry for wittering on . If you don't all talk too fast I will catch up and join you when possible . Will subscribe .
polly