‘Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves’

Flobberchops

The annoying Libra that I am, I see both sides of the argument.

On the one hand, don't underestimate the power of making changes on the order of "pennies" if over a long enough timespan they'll become appreciable. Regular saving or investing, for example. Paying that little bit more each month into a pension. Taking a few hours to find the best value energy supplier or insurance provider. And so on.

On the other hand, life is for living, not for fretting over minutia. There comes a point where micromanaging your household income and expenses really does come with decreasing or even negative gains. One I'm guilty of is spending hours doing internet survey sites, scraping together a few extra quid at what must overall be an insulting fraction of minimum hourly wage. I also find myself prickling when I hear that bloody proverbial cup of coffee invoked - not because it isn't true, but because in many ways it approaches things from the wrong direction. The goal is to get to a point where you can enjoy a daily coffee (weekly movie or restaurant, pub or bar a couple of times a week, the occasional item of clothing or multimedia, choose your poison) without guilt. Conversely, giving up a daily coffee (or some other small sacrifice) isn't going to transform your finances. Big, bold, big-picture changes will do that, and they generally involve earning more rather than spending less.

They say a trickle of water will eventually reduce the mightiest mountain to nothing. That's not a technique used by many profitable mining companies though.

[Deleted User]

My all time favourite savings manta is


Every pound you spend is a pound you no longer have.


This has helped me many a time think about what I am purchasing. I don't know who said it but whoever you are thankyou.

atush

If some of your pennywise (some might say penny pinching lol) ways become second nature, they take no time at all out of your life.

Just let them become habit.

dividendhero

atush wrote: »

But why UK althletes despite the numerous testing they have to do?

If you're declared asthmatic, you can then take a number of banned substances under what's called a Therapeutic Use Exemption, nearly half the UK cycling team are allegedly asthmatic

There's also been several cases of medical records mysterously going missing and medics forgetting what treatment cyclists have been given

Zero_Sum

Flobberchops wrote: »

The annoying Libra that I am, I see both sides of the argument.

On the one hand, don't underestimate the power of making changes on the order of "pennies" if over a long enough timespan they'll become appreciable. Regular saving or investing, for example. Paying that little bit more each month into a pension. Taking a few hours to find the best value energy supplier or insurance provider. And so on.

On the other hand, life is for living, not for fretting over minutia. There comes a point where micromanaging your household income and expenses really does come with decreasing or even negative gains. One I'm guilty of is spending hours doing internet survey sites, scraping together a few extra quid at what must overall be an insulting fraction of minimum hourly wage. I also find myself prickling when I hear that bloody proverbial cup of coffee invoked - not because it isn't true, but because in many ways it approaches things from the wrong direction. The goal is to get to a point where you can enjoy a daily coffee (weekly movie or restaurant, pub or bar a couple of times a week, the occasional item of clothing or multimedia, choose your poison) without guilt. Conversely, giving up a daily coffee (or some other small sacrifice) isn't going to transform your finances. Big, bold, big-picture changes will do that, and they generally involve earning more rather than spending less.

They say a trickle of water will eventually reduce the mightiest mountain to nothing. That's not a technique used by many profitable mining companies though.

I usually find that the ones who follow the 2nd path & say that they couldnt be bothered to do x, y & z to save a few quid here & ther are the ones who are moaning like anything 2 or 3 days before pay day that they flat broke.

Think it rather spend a bit of time paying notice to detail which ensures im in a financially sound footing.