Life style shift - cutting costs / cheaper meals

GreenQueen

ska_lover wrote: »

...working in a job that was killing me / to buy stuff I didn't need.

I've been there, and it's like a weight falling off when you finally escape.

It's so easy to get into that situation. Are you familiar with the frog fable? Rather than think of my own words (Monday morning!), I've copied from Wikipedia:
The boiling frog is a fable describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.

GQ

ska_lover

JackieO wrote: »

Hi I have PM'd you if you want a copy of My Miser's Online Cookbook

Regards to you and yours

JackieO xx

Wow, yes please Jackie :T

That sounds fantastic

I have just responded to your PM

I am really computer illiterate sometimes, I didnt even realise I had PMs , and found several unread, some months old

really appreciated thank you

ska_lover

PipneyJane wrote: »

Hi

I’ve been thinking about this thread and your cut in income and I was wondering if you had worked out a detailed budget, based on your new income. It’ll make your life so much easier in the long run, if you have because you won’t get sideswiped by unexpected expenses. Our household income decreased by over £1,000 a month last year, so I really do appreciate what you are facing.

Here are some suggestions for items to cover, based on my own budget:-

Take home pay - use www.listentotaxman.com to calculate this. Include your pension deductions.

JOINT HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES - paid into joint account split proportional to income
Mortgage
Joint life insurance (to pay off mortgage)
Council tax
Gas
Electricity
Insurance
Telephone & Broadband
Water
Newspaper subscription
Parking permits
Buffer (start with £50)

JOINT SAVINGS - separate accounts for each paid as before
Holidays
Date night fund
Kids’ clothing & supplies
Medicines/Dentist
Christmas
Garden fund
RAC Membership
Bulk Fund (for when I go mad in Costco)

JOINT DRAWN AS CASH
Meat fund
Housekeeping/grocery challenge fund

PERSONAL SAVINGS FOR IRREGULAR EXPENSES - Each has its own savings account
Car - £200/month saved for insurance, repairs & replacement
Glasses fund
Emergency Fund Savings (I have a separate E-fund)
Clothing/Make-up Fund
Crafts/Hobbies Fund (I’m a knitter. Currently £10/month)
IT Replacement Fund
Football/Cricket Season Ticket Fund
Proms & Concerts Fund (also pays for Cricket/test match tickets)
Fun Fund - for nights out with my girlfriends
Investments
Presents Money - Christmas and Birthdays

PERSONAL EXPENSES
Mobile phone
Petrol
Hair cuts
Coffee club at work

With the exception of the cash items (meat fund and groceries), the Joint stuff is all funded proportional to our take home pay.

Yes, the above may seem like microbudgeting, but we still get to have holidays (New Zealand last year), evenings out and a really good quality of life. Everything gets moved from my personal bank account on payday, so that whatever is left there is my Money To Live Off for the month, so I know exactly what I have left to fritter away. And I always know exactly how much I have to spend per budget category. I have even managed to continue investing in my ISA.

HTH

- Pip

THIS is exactly what I need to do.

I have got to be very strict with myself

I am going to set up a spreadsheet tomorrow and get a grip of all this, PROPERLY like you have in your list

This is really great thank you

ska_lover

GreenQueen wrote: »

I've been there, and it's like a weight falling off when you finally escape.

It's so easy to get into that situation. Are you familiar with the frog fable? Rather than think of my own words (Monday morning!), I've copied from Wikipedia:
The boiling frog is a fable describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.

GQ

Thank you - I had never heard that

It really is food for thought

The bloody world of work really is a rat race.

My husband is yet to have the realisation. He works too hard, and wastes far too much money on carp that he doesn't have the time to enjoy

lessonlearned

Yes the boiling frog fable is great isn't it.

I think that's exactly what happens with so many of us. We get sucked up into a cycle of overworking and overspending. Some of us wake up in time and jump out of the pan, sadly some never do and waste their lives doing jobs they don't enjoy, and sometimes even making themselves ill in the process.

It's fantastic that you have been able to step back and re-evaluate your life. I doubt very much that you will regret stepping off the hamster wheel.

Perhaps your husband will take note of how much calmer and happier you are and it might help him to improve his work/life balance too. I bet some of it will at least rub off on him.

If I may give you a piece of advice.......treat it is a game and a fun challenge. I know living simply and being frugal is a serious business and some people really struggle with the idea. I think they equate living simply with austerity and "scrimping and saving" and going without.

I think if you treat it as bit of a lark rather than a dreaded chore then living frugally becomes more palatable.:rotfl:

As I said earlier we don't have to wear a hair shirt, we can still have some fun and enjoy life. Be sure to build treats into your budgets and always make time for having fun and a few laughs.

Always make time for Joire de Vie. :rotfl:

And whilst the best things in life are free, the best things very often aren't things at all.;).

I'm sure he will notice that you are no longer stressed out and miserable and if he can see how joyous life can be when you learn to let you go and live more simply he might well be intrigued enough to want to learn more.

Well on Monday I changed my energy supplier, saving just over £200 and because I went through compare the market I now have the 2 for 1 meerkat offer for the cinema and meals out. Feeling chuffed.

PipneyJane

ska_lover wrote: »

THIS is exactly what I need to do.

I have got to be very strict with myself

I am going to set up a spreadsheet tomorrow and get a grip of all this, PROPERLY like you have in your list

This is really great thank you

My pleasure. Really, it's about realising that you can only spend each pound once and figuring out where that spend is most important. Most of the items in my list involve recurring expenditure, that happens fairly regularly (e.g. Christmas comes every year, so why are so many people surprised by it? Ditto the cost of school uniforms and shoes).

I have everything allocated to numerous savings accounts because that keeps the balances quarantined and stops me robbing Peter to pay Paul (and then forgetting about it and wondering why Peter doesn't have any money when needed). Each account is named for its specific purpose.

Another tip/trick I learned, which also applies the quarantine mindset: if you do any business mileage and claim mileage allowance back from your employer, don't think of that money as yours; think of it as belonging to the car. Last winter, I was doing 360-odd business miles a week (£162 at the Inland Revenue mileage rate of 45p/mile). When it was paid, I'd put £50 into my Petrol account and the rest was transferred to the Car Fund. It means that, when the inevitable happens and I have to replace my car, I'll have a sizeable deposit and/or will be able to pay cash for the replacement.

HTH. Good luck with your new job - please do let us know how it goes.

-Pip

[Deleted User]

ska_lover wrote: »

Wow, yes please Jackie :T

That sounds fantastic

I have just responded to your PM

I am really computer illiterate sometimes, I didnt even realise I had PMs , and found several unread, some months old

really appreciated thank you

Hi there just spotted it on my laptop,let me know if you receive it Ok
I too am a bit hit and miss when it comes to computers but I usually get there in the end

regards JackieO xx

ska_lover

lessonlearned wrote: »

Yes the boiling frog fable is great isn't it.

I think that's exactly what happens with so many of us. We get sucked up into a cycle of overworking and overspending. Some of us wake up in time and jump out of the pan, sadly some never do and waste their lives doing jobs they don't enjoy, and sometimes even making themselves ill in the process.

It's fantastic that you have been able to step back and re-evaluate your life. I doubt very much that you will regret stepping off the hamster wheel.

Perhaps your husband will take note of how much calmer and happier you are and it might help him to improve his work/life balance too. I bet some of it will at least rub off on him.

If I may give you a piece of advice.......treat it is a game and a fun challenge. I know living simply and being frugal is a serious business and some people really struggle with the idea. I think they equate living simply with austerity and "scrimping and saving" and going without.

I think if you treat it as bit of a lark rather than a dreaded chore then living frugally becomes more palatable.:rotfl:

As I said earlier we don't have to wear a hair shirt, we can still have some fun and enjoy life. Be sure to build treats into your budgets and always make time for having fun and a few laughs.

Always make time for Joire de Vie. :rotfl:

And whilst the best things in life are free, the best things very often aren't things at all.;).

I'm sure he will notice that you are no longer stressed out and miserable and if he can see how joyous life can be when you learn to let you go and live more simply he might well be intrigued enough to want to learn more.

Well on Monday I changed my energy supplier, saving just over £200 and because I went through compare the market I now have the 2 for 1 meerkat offer for the cinema and meals out. Feeling chuffed.

I really love your attitude to life.

I know what you mean about living frugally can seem a drudge.

Before I met my husband, I had been a single parent for 14 years and that really did seem a drudge sometimes - Especially the early days when I was trying to build a career and the £7 a week food budget sometimes haunts my dreams these days. By the time I had met my husband I was a bit more financially secure and had retrained at college, but the early days of being a single parent were tough. Usual routine was put the kids to bed and then cry.

But having said all that - in reality, what me and my young un were doing then, was living in poverty. And what I am doing now - it isn't poverty - it is living frugally - and it is a choice

I think my husband will notice a difference, I do suffer with anxiety anyway and all this overworking was just making me into something I didn't want to be. I really had lost my Joire de Vie - I had stopped meeting friends etc.

At the minute I do feel a lot more relaxed and happy, but I start my new job on Monday coming - so fingers crossed, this continues

The new job though, it seems so relaxed that I feel confident I will be OK.

First day nerves kicking in already now

That Meercat movies and meals thing looks fab. When our home insurance was due last week I went through them and got that deal. Pretty chuffed to get something extra thrown in

ska_lover

JackieO wrote: »

Hi there just spotted it on my laptop,let me know if you receive it Ok
I too am a bit hit and miss when it comes to computers but I usually get there in the end

regards JackieO xx

Got it :T:T:T

THIS LOOKS FANTASTIC

I really appreciate it!

I am just rummaging through the cupboards, I think I will try lentil soup today

ska_lover

PipneyJane wrote: »

My pleasure. Really, it's about realising that you can only spend each pound once and figuring out where that spend is most important. Most of the items in my list involve recurring expenditure, that happens fairly regularly (e.g. Christmas comes every year, so why are so many people surprised by it? Ditto the cost of school uniforms and shoes).

I have everything allocated to numerous savings accounts because that keeps the balances quarantined and stops me robbing Peter to pay Paul (and then forgetting about it and wondering why Peter doesn't have any money when needed). Each account is named for its specific purpose.

Another tip/trick I learned, which also applies the quarantine mindset: if you do any business mileage and claim mileage allowance back from your employer, don't think of that money as yours; think of it as belonging to the car. Last winter, I was doing 360-odd business miles a week (£162 at the Inland Revenue mileage rate of 45p/mile). When it was paid, I'd put £50 into my Petrol account and the rest was transferred to the Car Fund. It means that, when the inevitable happens and I have to replace my car, I'll have a sizeable deposit and/or will be able to pay cash for the replacement.

HTH. Good luck with your new job - please do let us know how it goes.

-Pip

I like the quarantining money idea

I do online banking so am going to have a juggle in there - and for simplicity, rename every account 'Car funds' or whatever. It makes it simple - I like simple.

This idea is great for me - I am sitting working on this right now