First Steps to Solvency

getmore4less

NSD are easy with planning does no good if you just spend loads and stock up so you don't need to spend. 
No DD go out Sat/Sun so just buy everything you need for the weekend 2 NSD. 


Consumption is the real measure of being economical. 

RelievedSheff

getmore4less said:

NSD are easy with planning does no good if you just spend loads and stock up so you don't need to spend. 
No DD go out Sat/Sun so just buy everything you need for the weekend 2 NSD. 


Consumption is the real measure of being economical. 

I agree. We have spent a lot this month £240 stocking up our garage freezer but this will reduce our monthly grocery bill from £450 to around £300 a month for the next six months.

Its all a degree of economics. 

LizzieM16

OP - have you signed up for Quidco / Topcashback? You can get cash back on online purchases (not that I'm encouraging unnecessary purchases !). I've just got £35 for swapping my utility provider.

alt80

Day spent with the family today. Good times, good drives, no real money spent apart from filling those thirsty V8s lol. Big walk this morning with wife, son and dog around the forest about 20 miles from where we live. Spent some time taking lots of photos in the forest which son loved. I've promised we'll identify everything over this coming week - did this so I make sure I spend some time with him. Range Rover again proved itself as the best family car you can buy.

This afternoon took my son for a drive out in the F-type with one of my car mates in his old MGB bit of a gentle one really, those MGs don't move very quickly lol but only money spent being a tank in the F-type with plenty left over for until it goes and a stop for coffee and cake. Going to really miss the F-type and son wants to do this again so think I'm looking to get either an XJS or push the boat out and buy the AMV8 put my plate on it and no one will know its a 2005 lol. Point being I think I've decided the BMW is going and I'm going to get back into having just one car on finance at a time. Will need to finance the other car but it won't drop in price so no new debt and won't be doing it until the BMW has gone. Son got his first ever ride in a 1960s car, he loved it.

I think part of this journey is about finding what areas of my life I can cut from to start working out the financials. I've realised the cars can be cut significantly from what they are now to a level which is less stress on the finances and I can still enjoy them. Enjoyed today more than going out with the only purpose to spend money on more clothes / tech / stuff and quality time with son so feels a bit like a win all round for me. No work either and no guilt for having had a day off.

alt80

@Candy0107 DDs - I do have a DD account (its my current account), I make all my purchase spends on cards with the intention of paying the balance at the end of the month. If I can sort the spending I can go back to this. 

Outlet - yeah we've got one not too far away. It's ok for sports stuff / trainers etc but no real high end bag places for wife - not that she's getting any new ones anyway. 

Hair / beauty - couple of colleges and I'd image they have something like this persuading wife might be a different matter though.

@mamamu That's the way I'm going to try to budget, thanks. 

Car - I wouldn't be so sure, plenty of people I know don't want to move to electric tbf.

@enthusiasticsaver / @ryanm8655 Definitely going to try to aim for a bit of the lockdown life, think I need to check out of acquiring stuff = hobby. Hopefully going to get to the point of having worked that out have the money for the things I really do want, leaving the other 'stuff' out so I'm not overspending. As for wife she gets on with her dad well but apparently a nightmare as a teenager so rebelling I wouldn't be surprised lol.

School - there are some good primary schools and some not so good like any city area really. I would be happy for him to go to a state primary not me pushing this one, I see the coming year as a potential reset as he would ordinarily be moving from infant to junior school. Wife isn't so keen.

alt80

@ohdearhowdidthathappen I don't think any relationship is that simple tbf. Shall we just say I was in a very different relationship before and it was appealing at the time, never properly discussed but she drove the not working thing. She's fit and I was a bit stupid in some ways. Do love her though. Would I change the situation - probably, I do think it would be better both for her confidence and more things to talk about for her to have her own career. She sometimes does some typing etc for me but not often.

@annabanana82 iswym - my wife's family are very traditional so I could imagine fil having very different views on his 3 daughters than his 1 son.

@QueenJess Thank you for the holiday suggestion. Definitely want to get some of the debt cleared from the unwanted items. I've told wife she has spent this money too so what she raises needs to come off the cards. After going through the app I was quite shocked how much tbf.

Wife has told me so much twice now. Once an argument that got unfair on both sides once after. I don't think she considers I am under a lot of pressure to make things work. 

alt80

@getmore4less I'll be a gentleman and not comment on your first point lol.

That house is a project of a lifetime. Love it and the idea of returning it to its former glory, 100% know how ruinous it would be. I know I'm not in that league, certainly wish I was but not going to stop dreaming / working towards making a much better life a reality.

@RelievedSheff That's what I thought a no spend day was too.  

alt80

@LizzieM16 I signed up to those years ago when renewing an insurance I think I never quite understood it and it took about 6 months for the cash to come through - is this normally the case?

mark55man

@alt80 that's the spirit - you find something you enjoy 80% as much at 20% of the price, don't begrudge the 20% you're missing out on, rather celebrate the 80% you are saving

Remember as well, this isn't a detour until the debt is cleared so you can return to previous habits, its your new normal 

LizzieM16

alt80 said:

@LizzieM16 I signed up to those years ago when renewing an insurance I think I never quite understood it and it took about 6 months for the cash to come through - is this normally the case?

It can take a few weeks or sometimes months but it's worth doing. Just log on to the site and search for the company that you want to buy from. Access their site through Topcashback  or Quidco and you'll get cash back. I spend very little but I've still made over £300 just from buying in that way. 
Very best of luck on your journey.