Every penny counts

Linda32

I am sure we can all offer something but as others have said we need to know where you think you can save money at the moment.

As an example what is your alternative to not taking in your own tea and coffee to work.

Pollycat

bouicca21 wrote: »

I no longer need to count absolutely every penny. But I well remember the days when i did. It can be miserable, so make sure you budget for an occasional treat.

Absolutely.
Here's a thread where the wheels appear to be coming off a relationship where a couple are paying every penny towards the mortgage - to the extent that the OP can't have her hair cut.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php

There's more important things in life than money.

VfM4meplse

bouicca21 wrote: »

I no longer need to count absolutely every penny. But I well remember the days when i did. It can be miserable, so make sure you budget for an occasional treat.

A bit of self-imposed austerity can also be quite liberating, I have found.

OP: this tough spell won't last forever. But hopefully your new MSE habits will take firm root. Enjoy your house and limit social occasions to entertaining chez-vous. Not only does it save on going out, but most guests will bring a little something with them.

monnagran

A lot of budgeting and making every penny do the work of a pound is down to mindset.
I am also going through a lean spell at the moment and I'm finding it such fun. Yes, really.

It's a sort of game where every shop is trying to get my money and I am determined to outwit them and hang on to every penny. I keep away from shops at all costs. If I run out of something I have to see if it is a necessity or a want and in any case even if it is a necessity it will have until Saturday when I make my weekly trip to our local shop for the one newspaper I allow myself, (free TV schedules). I pick up any fresh fruit and veg I need then and that's it.
Once every 5 or 6 weeks I do a supermarket swoop and re-stock the basics.

Christmas gifts are Cellophane bags of HM biscuits, brownies or choc truffles or large jars (£1.20 in T*sc*s) filled with cookies or cake tins with a fruit cake in. Last year I made Clementine marmalade. That went down very well. People were very appreciative.

It doesn't have to be too hair-shirtish.

I won't compromise on good butter or coffee but everything else is Basics range.

You are quite right happy bunny, pennies matter. When I was young, in the dark ages, and dared to say, "Oh, it doesn't matter, it's only a penny." My grandmother would retort, "That penny might stand between you and starvation one day, young lady." In those days it may well have.

As I said, it's all a matter of mindset and making sure that you get the better of all those agencies trying to extract your money from you.

Have fun.

bouicca21

It's definitely a mindset. And it will stand you in good stead when it all eases out.

WeegieWumman

bouicca21 wrote: »

I no longer need to count absolutely every penny. But I well remember the days when i did. It can be miserable, so make sure you budget for an occasional treat.

It's a true saying that "If you were poor once, then you're poor at heart for the rest of your life."
I never understand people who have experienced hard times and have have no pity for others who are currently short of cash and trying to be thrifty.

Timetopullmysocksup

Hi, I find using cash only a great way to reign it in as its harder to part with. Back a couple of years ago I even went to the extent of taking the money out of the bank in the exact denominations I needed for everything, this avoids having to go into a shop to buy something you don't need in order to get change, think bus fares.

Make your packed lunches at the same time as making dinner, that way you won't clear up and not want to do it. This helps so much, I used to sit down for the evening then think sod it. Costs money being lazy lol. I've never had any problems with it being made the day before.

Don't buy pre-packed or convenient stuff, put the work in yourself. I prep all my veg as soon as I get in from shopping, it keeps well in lidded containers. So typically carrots sliced, cabbage washed and chopped, broccoli and cauliflower broke into florets etc. Likewise with the packed lunches you'll be less likely to say sod it to making a dinner and have a take away. I even do a pan of porridge and pop it in to pots ready for a quick nuke in the morning.

Don't be scared to make your own concoctions from what you have, I remember once not having any gravy granules to thicken up a pork casserole I had on the go in the slow cooker and rather than go to the shops or order a takeaway I used half a box of stuffing mix. I'll tell you it looked like puke but tasted that nice I had the kids asking for that 'pork mistake' quite regularly.

If you've got close friends suggest a swapsie evening, all take everything you no longer wear/use and swap for something else.

Cut your cleaning products down to stardrops and bleach, buy a spray bottle and dilute yourself, roughly £2.50 and it'll last ages and be cheaper next time as you already have the spray bottle.

And while we're talking penny pinching when you put your purse in your bag/wallet make sure you have a carrier bag too, all those 5/10ps add up.

Good luck.

bouicca21

Don't be afraid to invest but think through what you will actually use. A slow cooker for example will pay soon pay for itself, but only if you keep up the determination to use it regularly.

I've never been quite sure about whether to buy a multi cooker, but I'm sure others on here will explain why i should ( or maybe shouldn't) buy one. A mini thermos type flask is perfect for either a hot drink or soup for lunch.

And of course you are going to need furniture and all the rest of what goes towards making a comfortable home. British Heart Foundation stores stock second hand furniture, you can get some really good stuff cheaply on eBay, gumtree and totally free stuff on Freecycle.

krlyr

Pollycat wrote: »

Absolutely.
Here's a thread where the wheels appear to be coming off a relationship where a couple are paying every penny towards the mortgage - to the extent that the OP can't have her hair cut.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php

There's more important things in life than money.

I think there's a time for scrimping and saving, but you do need the odd blow-out or to relax the rules.

I've posted on the thread you linked because my relationship went a bit sour over money too. It wasn't the cause of the break up (him going on dates with other women did the most damage, funnily enough...) but looking back, I think we would have been in a completely different position in our relationship had we (he had anxiety over money) not obsessed so much with overpayments on the mortgage.

But, overpaying for years a £160k mortgage vs. avoiding putting a £5k(ish? Just a guess) stamp duty payment on credit card are two different things. I spent the last 6 months being pretty cautious with money because I was buying a place on my own and wanted to come out of the purchase with nothing but the mortgage owed..and I achieved it. I've learned my lesson on the importance of not getting too obsessed though, and given myself a bit of time off - but come next year I will work on finding a good balance between saving and letting my hair down financially.


OP, as others have said, it depends on what you're doing now as to whether we're teaching you to suck eggs. A brief overview of how thrifty you are now may help stop people repeating things you already do. And there are lots of threads on the OS board already on a similar vein.

Have you written down all your outgoings to give you somewhere to start? I did this once I was in the new house, it gave me a good starting point. E.g. I downgraded my Netflix subscription - I never watch anything in HD and being just the one of me now I didn't need the multi-device option, so that saved me a couple of pounds a month. And since I have Netflix, I don't ever watch live TV, except on a Wednesday at my mum's house when I visit - so cancelled my TV license rather than transferred it. A saving of £12 a month...but it all adds up. A new house meant a new phone & broadband package, I looked on the MSE guides and found a good deal on that, and I get some extra data on my mobile plan which is another saving (I've started exceeding my 1GB lately and was debating if I'd have to spend more on a higher plan - with 6GB going forward that's not needed!)

Once you've looked at the fixed amounts going out, you can work on reducing the variable ones. Find ways to cut petrol costs, for example - could you car pool with someone local to cut your fuel costs to work? Are there times you can walk or cycle instead of drive? Are there trips you could combine - e.g. pop to the shops on the way home from work instead of heading out later? Can you reduce your food shop by trading down to cheaper brands, by making your own spice mixes and sauces (own brand pasatta & some Italian mixed herbs make a lovely bolognese sauce at a fraction of the cost of Dolmio - add a little sugar to get some sweetness though as Dolmio is pumped full of the stuff and your tastebuds will miss it!).

Some savings may require a little more upfront to save in the long run so you need to decide if you'd rather save now or later. For example, my broadband deal was an upfront payment to secure the price for 18 months. Meant I needed to pay it all now, but on the plus side I don't have that as a monthly outgoing for the next 18 months. And I buy quite a few thing in bulk to make savings, e.g. I have a relative who can get 5kg bags of chicken breasts for around £3/kg (legitimately, they're not down-the-trouser packs!) so I buy these and often batch-cook meals for the month.

So, potentially lots of places to save, but does depend on what you're doing already.

[Deleted User]

monnagran wrote: »

A lot of budgeting and making every penny do the work of a pound is down to mindset.
I am also going through a lean spell at the moment and I'm finding it such fun. Yes, really.

It's a sort of game where every shop is trying to get my money and I am determined to outwit them and hang on to every penny. I keep away from shops at all costs. If I run out of something I have to see if it is a necessity or a want and in any case even if it is a necessity it will have until Saturday when I make my weekly trip to our local shop for the one newspaper I allow myself, (free TV schedules). I pick up any fresh fruit and veg I need then and that's it.
Once every 5 or 6 weeks I do a supermarket swoop and re-stock the basics

It doesn't have to be too hair-shirtish.

I won't compromise on good butter or coffee but everything else is Basics range.

You are quite right happy bunny, pennies matter. When I was young, in the dark ages, and dared to say, "Oh, it doesn't matter, it's only a penny." My grandmother would retort, "That penny might stand between you and starvation one day, young lady." In those days it may well have.

As I said, it's all a matter of mindset and making sure that you get the better of all those agencies trying to extract your money from you.

Have fun.

Monnagran we are sisters under the skin,I too enjoy the game of outwitting the shops that are after my cash ,and cash is what I use all the time ,apart from filling my car with petrol once a month and for that I use my c/card as a debit card as I get loyalty points with vouchers. But I pay it by transferring the cash from my bank account immediately.

I was lucky enough to be at Morrisons yesterday getting my petrol and went into scour the Y/s bargains and got a good haul for a fraction of what it should cost and came home and divided it all up and froze it :)

But I too also have a 'Happy Cash Stash which is a small amount of cash apart from my food budget purse which I use to have a small treat of something,might only be a cream doughnut now and again or a book I spotted in a CS but its a treat to myself or my DGS with cash that is intended to make you happy

My Late Mum always said sort your money into sections.

First and foremost is the bills that are paid no matter what, then an amount set aside for food.

Then an amount set aside to save (doesn't matter if its only a pound or so) put it away where its awkward to get hold of.(years ago I had a small account that was at the other end of our town when my children were small, and it was a nuisance to get to with two small children and a pushchair ) But I managed to save odd amounts in there over a period of time and it paid for a new headboard for our bed

Then the last amount is Happy Cash which as I said it 'treat' money

I run my accounts like I used to run my business, and although there have been times when the wolf has knocked at the door I have never had to let him in .

Using every penny as though it was gold and precious is not a bad idea .
I have a tin money box and it gets odd coppers that I have spotted on my travels and all of my DGS keep a keen eye out for ones dropped on the pavement

This is our road kill cash and its saved every year to pay for our ice creams on holiday in August
One year we had almost £80 in change, and it also covered a day out as well

I too like decent coffee and butter and won't compromise on that but anything else I am game for You soon find out what you like and dislike.A tray of chicken thighs will make several meals and cost a darn sight less than a whole chicken. I have never bought a chicken breast in my life ,far too expensive and my slow cooker has saved me pounds over the years .plus learn to make soup its an excellent lunch or dinner filler up and costs pennies to make ,especially with y/s veg.

Don't fall for the adverts and when it comes to gifts its often good to have a shufti in CS for books often around spring those presents that were bought are donated and I have bought lots of books in pristine condition for a pound or two.

Making stuff is a good plan as well, I make up baskets of small food/toiletry items for some of my friends at christmas with treats in that I know they wouldn't treat themselves to . Shampoos and shower gels and soaps are always acceptable.

I found a gorgeous candle the other day in a CS and its a Yankee one and brand new would cost around £12.00, it had never been opened and I got it for £1.50,with some HM biscuits tied up in cellophane its my sis-in-laws Christmas present which I know she will appreciate as she loves candles and biscuits .

You really don't have to spend a fortune ,just a little bit of time and effort.Hyacinth bulbs in a pot can be done at home as a present buy some from a nursery and some bulb fibre and do your own for a present,often pots can be found for very little outlay with a bag of fibre, some pots and some bulbs I made around 8 presents one year for family and friends.These cost over a fiver a piece in the shops and you can do them for far less yourself

Just a few ideas to get you going but once you get in the mindset its great fun

Good luck

JackieO xxx