Any hints and tips??

yellow218

Hi all
Been advised that my post is best placed in this forum instead.....

I'm not in debt, but i thought it would be good to share ideas/hints and tips/ good habits as to how people can save money.

I'd like to think i'm fairly clued up on how to save not spend unnecessarily. I compare costs on things such as insurance/ gas and electricity and not afraid to switch etc. I'm even having a go at this stoozing lark now.

I make a budget and monitor monthly. That being said, my budget is usually based on actual or average spend of the previous year, unless i know actual figures (ie mortgage/council tax bill etc) And although its affordable, I would like to save more money and potentially be less penny-pinching in the future (but why break a habit of a lifetime hey).

I do allow some treats etc, so if times were tough I know i could make some changes to balance things if needed. But what i'd like to do is being able to save/make money, with very little impact on day-to-day life (wouldnt we all!).

Has anyone got any hints and tips/good habits to cut costs?

My most recent 'good habit' is being aware to not waste water (esp since having a meter installed). When waiting for the water to get up to temp (ie washing up the dishes) rather than let the water run down the drain, i've taken to keeping a watering can outside the kitchen door so i can 'capture' the water. Once cooled i can use it to water the plants, which I would have had to do anyway. Not yet seen the bill but i hope its having an impact, even if its small.

I would also be really interested to know what the average (if there is such as thing) household spends on groceries. Hubby and I spend about £480 a month. Is this high?

MrsTinks

There is already a thread on the groceries to be honest, but the £480 pm for two people even I would say is high... and I'm considered frivolous

It also depends on what you include - some people here can get by on around £160 for groceries for two people including cleaning and toiletries... I'm probably twice that if I include out daughter but not the mad felines...

Have you tried doing a spending diary for your groceries? Are there dietary needs that has to be accounted for? ie I cannot use certain products without looking like I rolled in a bed full of fleas and then danced with a hoard of mutant mosquitoes... So I have a higher than usual spend on toiletries and cleaning products if you see what I mean? Likewise if there are food allergies that can cause price increases so it's all relative...

enthusiasticsaver

I would say £480 per month is very high for 2 adults. OH and I spend £175-£200 per month and that is not being over frugal. However we don't drink a lot so that is usually for just one bottle of wine a fortnight and probably 4 beers, no cigarettes or pets and we shop mostly at Lidl with the odd trip to waitrose.

Waste is minimised, I cook mostly from scratch so little convenience foods and don't use branded products. I also meal plan and usually cook for 2 days on the trot so a casserole will do 2 evening meals as will cottage pie. A roast will usually do three meals - 1 roast, I risotto or curry and 1 cold meat and chips.

I also don't go overboard on toiletries and household goods. I use one type of cleaner rather than getting lots of different ones and don't buy toiletries until all the old stuff is used up virtually.

MrsTinks

Think about it... £480 a month is £5760 a year...

National_Debtline

MrsTinks wrote: »

Think about it... £480 a month is £5760 a year...

Or to put it another way, £16/day in a 30-day month.


What you include in your groceries figure may differ somewhat from other households. It might incorporate not just food but also toiletries, cleaning products, cigarettes/alcohol, pet food and so on.


If you pack lunches for work, that is almost always going to work out cheaper overall (unless your workplace offers heavily subsidised meals) but it just means factoring in that little bit extra in your shop for sandwich fillings etc.


I see an awful lot of household budgets, as you might imagine, and anecdotally speaking yes, I would suggest that £480 for two adults is at the higher end. There is, however, no "one size fits all" figure.


Dennis
@natdebtline