Making savings before it's too late

blackcatsx2

I’ve had a very productive day of stocktaking. I can confirm I have enough candles, toiletries, socks, wine and fancy tea to last me a good while. What more could a woman need?
I treat myself to an Audible subscription and I have 2 credits. I have nearly finished a Penny Vincenzi epic which has meant that credits have accrued so I’m looking forward to choosing my next listen from my wish list. Kitties I think you mentioned you were listening to Penny Vincenzi too?
I’ve enjoyed the first day of 2018 and would like to wish us all a very happy new year.

trailingspouse

Welcome Treacle Toes. This thread is for people who have realised their outgoings have been greater than their incomings - we're not in the red, but out savings are down on last year and we need to do something about it before it's too late.

Treacle_Toes

trailingspouse wrote: »

Welcome Treacle Toes. This thread is for people who have realised their outgoings have been greater than their incomings - we're not in the red, but out savings are down on last year and we need to do something about it before it's too late.

That's me too, it's just this month's pinch point may need me to dip into my savings more than I'd like, and I'm trying to reduce my immediate outgoings to minimise this.

forever59

Can I join please, have gone through my accounts and was frightened by how much I have spent on clothes this past year. I am going to try and get through this year without buying any new clothes.

mardatha

Council tax is going to go up yearly from now on - ours was frozen for about 7 years or something but now councils are allowed to increase it and they will! My CT + rent weekly is £100 and we don't get any rebates.
I'm finding phone + broadband quite expensive too so I need to look on the other forums here to check that out. With Plusnet just now and it comes to £40-ish per month, used to be nearer £30 when I joined up.

pipkin71

mardatha wrote: »

I'm finding phone + broadband quite expensive too so I need to look on the other forums here to check that out. With Plusnet just now and it comes to £40-ish per month, used to be nearer £30 when I joined up.

I need to look at our broadband. Currently with Virgin media, who are forever putting prices up. I have looked at others but it requires a BT phone line, which is more expense.

Another cost I need to research, is pet insurance. At the minute, we're with Tesco but their prices rise significantly, each year so need to change this before renewal in May.

[Deleted User]

I think I wll spend a little time today just adding up the `must spends` council tax, energy, water, car tax, car insurance, tv licence, house insurance etc The money that has to go out to pay important bills, no matter what. Then I will divide by 12 and set up a halifax `feeder` savings account and send that amount into halifax savings, so I always have the cash for those bills. I am not counting presents, food, petrol etc. I am sure that will be another shocking moment, when I see it on paper as a list with a total but the feeder account in halifax will smooth the bumps and stop pinch points

My single occupier council tax is £169 per month, will be increased by 6%. It is an expensive bin emptying service, that is all I see personally, no street lights, nothing else. There are working families of 4-5 adults in my village, in very large old `posh` houses with acres of garden, who pay far less than me because the values for ct were done many years ago

mardatha

I'm the same here, £100 a month for the bin men although we have 3 street lights dotted around the village. That covers water and sewage too though.
I think things have got in a pattern of increasing yearly - or more often- and we can get so used to it that we don't notice and should!

[Deleted User]

I have opened the everyday saver with halifax, transferred £3 to test it and I have been through 4 months online statements, trying not to miss anything. So now I have a list and approximate payments. I need to factor plusnet in and yes mar, awful blooming expensive. I am managing to get it for about £35 a month but am scrimping on who I call. I am going to factor presents in, they are noticeable when going through statements

Its nice to think I now have that smoothing savings account, there should no longer be pinch points after this month. I won`t put anything else into my smoothing account yet, not until I am past the pinch point in two weeks

Katieowl

mardatha wrote: »

Council tax is going to go up yearly from now on - ours was frozen for about 7 years or something but now councils are allowed to increase it and they will! My CT + rent weekly is £100 and we don't get any rebates.

Council tax is terrifiying mine is currently £172 a month, making it one of my biggest bills :sad:
No way of wedging it down either, while there are three of us in the house. I'm so glad we are mortgage free now, or we'd be in deep do-do