Just turned 30 and decided I need to sort my life out

Wannabehousebuyer

bellaboo86 said:

I would say on the cleaning products to not use branded products as they are more expensive. What do you use the flash wipes for? Could you not a spray cleaner and a cloth instead? Wipes are not environmentally friendly. Also, if you wash your bedding regularly, do you really need to use fabreez on it? Could you get a diffuser instead to make your room smell nice? Space might an issue here but I’m sure washing tabs are the most expensive product to use. I think wash powder works out the cheapest. 

flash wipes are for like cleaning by bed side tables and my window ledge, taking the foundation off my dressing table LOL. 
I just give my bedding a spray every morning when i get up and make it, just nice for it to smell nice when i get in it of a night time (Maybe I need to rethink this!!) I have tried diffusers but the ones i buy tend to work for a few days then the smell disappears, i need to find a nice one - I cannot afford Jo Malone ones anymore ! Whoooops!
I have tried powder however i felt it left marks on my clothes and the washing machine was forever clogged with it. the liquid i felt didn't clean properly so the tabs have always worked best. Maybe again i need to re evaluate?

Wannabehousebuyer

Applewood1 said:

Stopping following Mrs Hinch will save you a lot of money. I think people forget influencers GET paid to promote products - but we don't. We PAY for them! Which is a big difference. 

Yes, i think i may need to! I am very easily sold to!

Wannabehousebuyer

Naomim said:

Apart from Ubers/taxi's which I rarely got, lunches and cigarettes were me too.  I stopped smoking in Nov when I had my LBM and am still smoke free 6 months later    with lunches you probably need to at least budget a bit as it's bloody hard work having homemade lunch everyday and frankly, boring too!  I aim for at least four homemade lunches a week (when we're normally working in the office). 

I'm also going to recommend the Monzo pots. They revolutionised how I changed my budgeting.  I'm budgeting for a family of four so have more pots but the idea is you need to get yourself an emergency fund, essential for not using your credit card if your washing machine breaks etc. I also have a VET pot and plonk £25 in a month.  I can't believe I have managed to pay towards our debts - over the minimums and budget money for future purchases - ie Vet trips, Car insurance etc.

Edited to add:  Surveys, I use Prolific.co to do surveys.  When you start there's loads of questions about yourself, your political leanings, beliefs, education etc and you can feel quite violated but their surveys are pre-screened, usually from educational establishments and interesting.  I've had £80 since November as I tend to only do the short 5-10 minute ones. I'm currently doing a two week one about working from home and it will be £30. Every penny I make from surveys goes against my credit card debt as an overpayment.

Good luck with it all.

Naomim

YAY go you! I was a major smoker and never desired to give up, and i one day woke up and said i am going to give up for lent 2 months ago? bizzare isnt it!

yes, maybe i should give myself £20 a month to spend on work lunches etc, to allow myself 1 day a week?
Yes I love monzo- however i am still trying to work out how many pots i need a whether i need as many as i have etc LOL I keep adding more and more!
I have a couple of hen party and holiday refunds *hopefully* coming my way and i will split these between EF and debt. I think before i saw it slowed down the process for a house buying fund- but i'm realising i need one!
OOOOH i will check this out, £80 towards my debt sounds nice now - i found something called 20cogs, which the average pay out is £200 but you have to do a 99p trial here, sign up for bingo there and i dont like having to do that. 

zippygeorgeandben

Applewood1 said:

Stopping following Mrs Hinch will save you a lot of money. I think people forget influencers GET paid to promote products - but we don't. We PAY for them! Which is a big difference. 

I thought that Mrs Hinch was a significant other half!!!

monetxchange

You can definitely save on cleaning products. Switch to non branded - in pound shops you can buy a off brand bottle of freshener twice the size of Febreze for £1 versus £3+ for a tiny bottle of the branded stuff. Would last you several months.

Wipes - inefficient really, but understand they're convenient. Again, ditch the Flash - large pack of Lidl wipes for 70p. All low cost supermarkets also do their own versions of washing liquid and pods, try a few to see which work for you.

There's no magic in branded products working better. They just rely on people thinking that so they continue to pay over the odds. Look at it this way - what's more important to you, a hoard of cleaning products or your own home?!

The odd spray of the bed won't break the bank, but not everything is supposed to smell artificially scented anyway. Mrs Hinch made her brand from being frankly very obsessed with everything spotless and fake smelling - remember her spraying her curtains with Zoflora and that discreetly being stopped when it was pointed out it was highly flammable and a dangerous thing to do!

Wannabehousebuyer

monetxchange said:

You can definitely save on cleaning products. Switch to non branded - in pound shops you can buy a off brand bottle of freshener twice the size of Febreze for £1 versus £3+ for a tiny bottle of the branded stuff. Would last you several months.

Wipes - inefficient really, but understand they're convenient. Again, ditch the Flash - large pack of Lidl wipes for 70p. All low cost supermarkets also do their own versions of washing liquid and pods, try a few to see which work for you.

There's no magic in branded products working better. They just rely on people thinking that so they continue to pay over the odds. Look at it this way - what's more important to you, a hoard of cleaning products or your own home?!

The odd spray of the bed won't break the bank, but not everything is supposed to smell artificially scented anyway. Mrs Hinch made her brand from being frankly very obsessed with everything spotless and fake smelling - remember her spraying her curtains with Zoflora and that discreetly being stopped when it was pointed out it was highly flammable and a dangerous thing to do!

maybe i will give those ideas a go - and the washing tabs, i never have used as i always thought that my clothes wouldnt smell as fresh, but again, i was a heavy smoker so i needed all the help i could get!!
yes i do and the diluted fabric conditioner- and to think i did that too!
I had a major breakthrough today- i bought tesco's own baked beans. I haven't tried them yet however i am a dedicated heinz consumer- but they didn't have any- so had to go for own brand - i will report back!

monetxchange

Some of the laundry liquids (2 in 1) I've found pretty good. Test a few to see how they suit you.

Same with beans. Some cheap ones aren't great, but many are! I have s friend that swears by the Branston ones. Though Heinz ketchup is the one thing I do buy branded, it's my one no compromise! 

StartingAgainAt29

Just commenting to say I'm following your diary, I'm a similar age to you (turn 30 in August, eek!), and it's interesting to see someone at a similar stage to me. Regarding beans, I actually prefer other varieties to Heinz now - my fave is Asda's own, the ratio of beans to sauce is brilliant and the sauce is lovely and thick. As I only really shop in Aldi now I get the Branston ones which are nice. I have also had Tesco's own and they are nice! I think you will be surprised if you downgrade a few products, at how just as good they are, or even better than the branded stuff.
I agree re: Hinch and the cleaning products - I watched her for a while when I first moved into my place and got sucked into her lifestyle, but the amount of chemicals she uses scared me, especially the combination of them. I have two cats and the thought of them ingesting something by accident was too much for me. I use white vinegar to clean a lot of different areas of my flat, and only use zoflora (or pound world's version!) for the cats' litter tray. I stopped using wipes as they are bad for the environment, I invested in some microfibre clothes and just wash them when needed. 

katsu

My clothes small clean because they are clean. They don't need to smell of fake scent. Hang your washing outside and unless your neighbour has a bonfire or BBQ they'll be lovely and fresh. 

You really don't need to spray your bedding. If it makes you happy I guess it's fine but I would rather avoid all the extra chemicals,  less recycling/waste so saving money and the environment,  win win 😊

I don't want you to feel "got at".  It's a personal decision what works for you. Just worth thinking about if you are trying to save money. I promise being clean is enough. 

I also use a cloth and cleaning products instead of wipes. A damp cloth will clean many surfaces and just a little washing up liquid is often enough to shift things like make up. I do swear by bathroom spray though for soap and lime scale/ water marks. 

You want your house so you've got a goal to aim for. Good luck! 

Wannabehousebuyer

monetxchange said:

Some of the laundry liquids (2 in 1) I've found pretty good. Test a few to see how they suit you.

Same with beans. Some cheap ones aren't great, but many are! I have s friend that swears by the Branston ones. Though Heinz ketchup is the one thing I do buy branded, it's my one no compromise! 

its certainly something to look into- if i could get it down to 5 for the house and 5 for me that would be an extra 5 to chuck at debt a month- or even towards EF?
Ohh see i have had branston before and wasn't a fan, they were very .... tangy!