From £6000 ----> £9000 in 2023.

NinjaSavingKat

Skint_yet_Again said:

You have been so busy I’m not surprised you are tired! Well done on the savings. We used to have a local coal man when I lived in Yorkshire but I don’t know anyone who has coal here in the south. Good old dad taking stuff to the tip 😊

Still tired.. .. I just think if I get it all done now there will be less to do when it's cold.

Less purchasing of coal/wood when everyone wants it and the prices go up.
Less worrying about storage in the winter months as it will have been done ready for the coal building up etc
Less worry about petrol as I will have saved enough from cycling in September / October and November to hopefully manage easily affording to drive in December/January with a few pennies already put aside

But I don't need to explain that to you - you know why I am doing all this. 

Yes good old Daddy and his huge van doing the tip run. Made a big difference. I just need to get the shovel in there to scrape away the debris and bribe him to fix the roof and we can start getting the wood in. That is going to be expensive but we will all share the cost.

NinjaSavingKat

Just thought I would brain dump 30 go-to money savings tips that I live by in case it helps someone.. most are jolly obvious to be fair.. I get paid weekly for those wondering.

1. Pay debt first before considering saving. 
2. Pay Bills by standing order every week with a set amount just above what is required. 
3. Pay Savings by standing order every week with a set amount.
4. Pay car and household bills in full for the year where possibly - tax / insurance etc - where possible - DEBT FIRST!
5. Only use the credit card if there is money to immediately cover the cost. No exceptions.
6. No ready meals, always cook from scratch.
7. No take-away food. 
8. No restaurants. 
9. No cafes (money for meetings friends needs to come out of food budget / eat before you go to reduce temptation / get vouchers for Christmas/Birthdays or buy one and pre-load)
10. Eat simple vegan food. Meat is expensive. 
11. Eat the same meal 2-3 days in a row. More if necessary.
12. Batch cook and freeze for days when you have no time and no energy.
13. Always always always bring food / packed lunch with you. Beach, work, town etc
14. Skip the food shop if you are starving - you will go over budget shopping while hungry. 
15. Make a list. Stick to it for anything you need to buy - DIY / Food / Pets etc
16. Make the pennies count - check the yellow sticker aisle. 
17. Drink tap water. 
18. Prioritise exercise - it helps mental strength develop. Walk, run, stretch - there is always a way.
19. Cycle where possible. 
20. Stop using car for short journeys or plan to do what needs done when on route to and from work - no unnecessary journeys
21. Stop buying expensive cosmetics - MUA and Collection are just as good. 
22. Stop buying expensive beauty products and use what you have available. 
23. Sell sample sizes of products you haven't and never will use on Vinted. (Don't use the term "sample") 
24. Sell clothes on Vinted and use £££ for basic staples - teabags / maple syrup  / porridge oats. 
25. Use Vinted - very simple / no cost / no postage cost.
26. Bulk buy beans where possible - I bought 30KG of soy beans and now make my own tofu / soy milk. So many uses for beans and nutritionally dense. 
27. Stop buying clothes. 
28. Stop buying shoes
29. Sell what you haven't worn in a year or more. Set a target. £3 per item x 100 items = £300 you would never have had if you hadn't have tried. Its slow but worth it. Shoes / clothes / bags / perfume / cosmetics / toiletries ..sell it all. I am up to £241.67.
30. Start making Christmas presents - knit / paint / create .. what's around the house that can be used. What's FREE.

I am sure there is more in my brain......but right now I am planning for the boring things that I would prefer not to have to spend money on but I know I have to - COAL...

Best be prepared for the worst and expect the best that the other way round. 

NSKx

duesouthtwin2

Very useful tips

MovingForwards

Squash a bit of fruit, fruit peel, herbs, a squirt of lemon or lime juice, they all perk up tap water. 

Adding borage flowers to water makes it look more inviting.

Round up the pennies and move them to savings.

Mix moisturiser and foundation to make the latter go further.

On a side note, the axe was a gift from my OH, make unknown but it's from the 70's 😊 

NinjaSavingKat

MovingForwards said:

Squash a bit of fruit, fruit peel, herbs, a squirt of lemon or lime juice, they all perk up tap water. 

Adding borage flowers to water makes it look more inviting.

Round up the pennies and move them to savings.

Mix moisturiser and foundation to make the latter go further.

On a side note, the axe was a gift from my OH, make unknown but it's from the 70's 😊 

YES!!!!! Brilliant! Thank you for this. I round up pennies too!!! 

You've made it.. a man that buys you an axe. I can only dream! 

NinjaSavingKat

Good Morning all...

Shall try not to bore you all this time with an essay. = FAIL

So the annual leave days are over. Family hung around in the house longer than intended and knocked my plans out a little. I generally need them out of the way so I can get on with things - don't like pushing them out of their own house but it always seems that when I have time off someone is about to get in the way. I get up at 5am and clean / cook / do the garden until later evening and its best done without interruptions once in a while. My brother is particularly difficult. 

In saying that, the fuel/coal shed is clean and ready to be stocked high. Another 16 bags of gross-ness to be transported to the tip when father returns with his massive van. Feels very satisfactory to get it done, and I feel a little more prepared for the winter months. 

The parents were so impressed they handed over an unexpected £50. Unnecessary and unexpected.. but paid for a £24 on much needed work shoes, £15 in an emergency hidey hole in the car and the rest on food - all yellow sticker items. Very please. Will be skipping a food shop this week.

Back to work on Sunday just gone - cycled. Got home at 3pm, straight back out to the gym. Up at 5am / home home by 6pm. Might have to rethink cycling on Sundays as the gym closes early and the energy expenditure might not be worth it - but my goodness its fun flying down the hill. 

POSITIVES

1. Half a tank of petrol left. 
2. O2 offered Disney+ for free for 6 months so I cancelled Netflix (£6.99) saved. Will continue to add it to the Bill account though.
3. £6.43 refunded from the bike light people who didn't have an item I needed. Went towards a £19 birthday present for my brother. 
4. ISA savings up to £3200 and on track for £6k by the end of the year. 
5. Garden producing vegetables everyday. Toms, cucumbers, sweetcorn, etc and the rest coming along nicely. 
6. Built a trellis for my Japanese Kabocha Squash. Very excited. 
7. £30 item sold on Vinted.


NEGATIVES

1. MOT booked for end of January. Leaves it almost 2 months out of date. Need to keep checking website for cancellations. 
2. No more overtime at work available. 
3. Full budget breakdown created including everything I have been trying to ignore - Christmas, basic health and beauty items, emergency fund etc - leaves me with an £18.25 deficit each week. 
4. Dentist bill approaching in November - £450 - have £130 and putting away £20 each week will still leave me with a £200 deficit.
5. Would like to buy my brother another small gift - I have 2 weeks until his birthday. The £19 gift is technically from the cat..;-)
6. Might not have petrol money to go to see brother and the parents on his birthday - as much as he is a difficult person I feel if he doesn't receive love and attention on his birthday from his family what hope would anyone else have. 

So the aim is to find another source of income. Surveys are an option - but they are slow. This might be the focus for Christmas 2024 vouchers. This is all something I have yet to sit down and look at. Hopefully something I will do properly this week. 

I will also be doing a FOOD CHALLENGE in October - to only spend £50 total. Thats £12.50 a week. I have been preparing myself and making all my soya milk (made some this morning), made muffins for the next 2 weeks (frozen), a few meals prepped and frozen (our freezer is tiny), and did a FULL stocktake of all my food and sent my friend a 12 minute video to bore her.. all about vegan ingredients....lol!

Thats it... excuse me, I need to figure out how to dehydrate 30kg of apples...;-)

MovingForwards

You'll do the £12.50 challenge, especially with homegrown veg to supplement it.

Another good clear out, keep doing as it's all beneficial, creates space and provides useful things. 

Lovely bonus from your parents 😊

NinjaSavingKat

Evening all... just a quick update!

2 more items sold on Vinted to the tune of £24.98.

Miscalculated wages - £17.50 more than expected. Reduced food spends this week to £5.98 and put £30 into the account for the dentist.

Still have just under a half tank of petrol. Astounded. 

Dentist savings total now at £175 and awaiting that £24.98 to be paid in to total = 200. By the time I have to to see the devil himself I should have £425.

Fingers crossed for more Vinted sales. 

1 more overtime shift this month will give me an extra £50. So I should scrape in with what I need with a little £25 leeway......but a few Vinted sales would be good as it means I could accrue £500 to be safe....ugh!

Used my craft box to make a FOOD envelope look all pretty - so I will just tell people a 5 year old child made it for me. I don't have a child. ..;-).. I will load it with £50 for the month when I get to a cash machine. I only shop once a week so this shouldn't be TOO hard... no touchy touchy debit card!

Made a full spreadsheet which I have been updating for a month and adding more to. I am going to create sink funds. I need another £332 a month to continue as I am AND fill these sink funds in 2023. 

Plans are afoot. 

NinjaSavingKat

Have asked for a pay rise at work. I currently earn less than those that work under me. Even the trainees. I believe my email request has been taken seriously and is being reviewed. Also after 4 years at this organisation I have no contract. SO. I await patiently. 

MovingForwards

You're doing well with the savings.
Fingers crossed for the payrise.