My Thrifty Ways to Save Money

Ilona

That sounds like a good idea then, Jackie. I am so sceptical about anything that appears to be free, then when you look into it there is a catch. I now wish we had a Dobbies here.
Ilona

lessonlearned

I am for going to join in if I may. I am pretty savvy..... But I am sure I can learn something new From you lovely lot.

I do the small change jar......amazing how quickly it mounts up. It usually goes towards Cnristmas or holiday spends.

The other evening my youngest son aged 30 suddenly piped up, "mum, I have been thinking, shall we stop buying Christmas presents, there's nothing I really want or need"

I burst out laughing and said "you are not going to believe this but I have been thinking the same but didn't want to disappoint you"

I need to speak to my other son but I think he'll be quite happy too.

I think we will go with the £10 limit, just keep it simple but have a little something. I think for us it's about getting together and just spending time as a family.

I already have a no present agreement with my sister and her family, but we do give just a "little something" - usually something home made or a nice food treat.

So in future looks like the small change jar will just be holiday spends....:D

Mohawk_3

Ilona wrote: »

That sounds like a good idea then, Jackie. I am so sceptical about anything that appears to be free, then when you look into it there is a catch. I now wish we had a Dobbies here.
Ilona

I know what you mean.

I'm guessing with some, they know that most people with the cards will end up spending more in cakes or from the main store than they would otherwise, and so it works for them overall. Human nature means we want to reciprocate a gift - even if it's in the form of a marketing scheme! :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Mohawk the canny ladies I know keep their purses firmly shut on the way out I sometimes will buy some cheese if its got a special reduction though

savingpennies

Apart from the card, one of the things I like about Dobbies is that they usually have a plants for sale stall. These are plants that are past their best but they are often perennials which will recover and flower year after year. You can often pick them up quite cheaply. I filled my hanging baskets for £2 this year doing this. They looked at bit scrappy at first but with a bit of TLC they now look gorgeous. It's the first place I go to when I'm there.

Living_proof

Ilona wrote: »

That sounds like a good idea then, Jackie. I am so sceptical about anything that appears to be free, then when you look into it there is a catch. I now wish we had a Dobbies here.
Ilona

Me too! They are lovely places to wander through if you have some good self-discipline. More gifts than plants these days though.

Living_proof

lessonlearned wrote: »

The other evening my youngest son aged 30 suddenly piped up, "mum, I have been thinking, shall we stop buying Christmas presents, there's nothing I really want or need"

I burst out laughing and said "you are not going to believe this but I have been thinking the same but didn't want to disappoint you"

Well done, and I have done the same and just buy Premium Bonds for the grandchildren once a year which is quite generous and covers birthdays and Christmas. My partner and I quite like going abroad anyway at Christmas to avoid the commercialisation here, the build up from before Halloween, etc. I really look forward to it! We self-cater and both enjoy cooking so it needn't cost a bomb although the Euro will be a bit pricier this year....

Florence_J

I use spreadsheets to keep track of everything. Each month I have a core group of spreadsheets that I create for each new month. They are

X Month Accounts (keeping general track of money that comes in versus money that goes out, so i can keep track of if i'm in profit or debt).

X Month Finances (all my bills versus my income and what remains as disposable income)

X Month Food Budget (keeping track of what I buy, how much it cost, when I bought it, where from, all against the total budget amount for that month)

X Month Expenses (everything non food budget stuff that I buy)

I am a little obsessed with spreadsheets so can understand many would find this either a lot of hard work or just plain dull.

I have also this month added a kitchen food inventory spreadsheet which I will now update every month (all the food stuff in everywhere apart from the fridge, and the dates things go off)

All this helps me keep track of what I'm spending my money on and how much remains.

donnajt

Florence_J wrote: »

I use spreadsheets to keep track of everything. Each month I have a core group of spreadsheets that I create for each new month. They are

X Month Accounts (keeping general track of money that comes in versus money that goes out, so i can keep track of if i'm in profit or debt).

X Month Finances (all my bills versus my income and what remains as disposable income)

X Month Food Budget (keeping track of what I buy, how much it cost, when I bought it, where from, all against the total budget amount for that month)

X Month Expenses (everything non food budget stuff that I buy)

I am a little obsessed with spreadsheets so can understand many would find this either a lot of hard work or just plain dull.

I have also this month added a kitchen food inventory spreadsheet which I will now update every month (all the food stuff in everywhere apart from the fridge, and the dates things go off)

All this helps me keep track of what I'm spending my money on and how much remains.

WOW! I love a list but my spreadsheet skills are not good, well done you are so organised x

I_Love_comps

Welcome to all the newcomers who have posted. I did not manage to post anything yesterday as I went back to work yesterday after the 6 weeks hols.

I visited T's yesterday and bought a few reduced items. I always love getting reduced food-it means I am saving money.

I have started saving 5ps too now - I have 50p saved now.

I shall also money save today by putting out the washing which did not see the line yesterday due to rain.

Have a good day everyone.

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£2 savers Club No 96 Total £4
5p savers Club No 1 Total 50p
50p savers Club No 13 Total £2.50

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