Soa posted - Is this healthy or am I in trouble?

enthusiasticsaver

lemonmoney wrote: »

Thanks guys all that really helps.

Started today making own lunches and planned meals for the week so will shop today for those bits.

One thing that shocked me was that other half buys a chocolate bar a day (no big deal I thought) but one Mars at 0.85 a day at work is £11 a month!

the big barclaycard can go onto a 0 interest but not the others as I won't get accepted to do that but it would be one start

Yes, amazing isn't it. I have a sweet tooth but to watch my waistline and pocket I used to buy the large bag of mini choc varieties from Lidl. I think they cost around £1 and I would only buy one a month so that is a tenner saved already and much better for his health than one big mars bar a day.

Putting the Barclaycard on 0% will really help. If you clear one of the smaller debts as a priority they may offer you a 0% deal in a few months time.

[Deleted User]

Get rid of the satellite tv for 70 per month. Huge waste of money.
Suki1964, what A 'jewish Jehova'?

consultant31

Deleted User wrote: »

Get rid of the satellite tv for 70 per month. Huge waste of money.
Suki1964, what A 'jewish Jehova'?

I think she meant that Jewish people and Jehova's Witnesses don't 'do' Christmas or Easter and the OP hasn't set money aside for big events like that

Sharon87

I would definitely say reduce the satellite bill if you don't want to cancel completely. If you threaten to cancel they may give you a discount of up to 50% (if you haggle and area lucky, but could get any discount). If you do cancel on the phone and hand in your 30 days notice they may call you up in that time to offer a discount too!

Also are your phones in contract? If they're coming to an end get a sim only contract, do you really need a new phone every 2 years? I have a sim only plan on 3 for £20/month that is 600 minutes, 3000 texts, unlimited data. It is an old plan but a similar plan is about £22/month last time i looked. I also replaced my phone battery for about £60 (iphone 5) so it saved me £600+ as I didn't need a new phone then.

I would definitely say keep a spending diary, keep all your receipts. I find that if I pay by card I can then look back over my account online and see where exactly I've spent money.

You also have nothing budgeted for entertainment, and I'm sure there is something you spend on entertainment, whether it's a drink down the pub or something for your kid.

Good luck in working out where the money is going and sticking to a budget. I'm also trying to pay off debts and trying to stick to a budget (I use YNAB, but there's an initial cost and a learning curve!).