Where to go from here? - Frugality and Budgeting Diary

bit_by_bit

CJRyder said:

bit_by_bit said:

A few thoughts not food related.

Unplug devices and anything that has a light as the amount of electricity you use is increased by items on standby.

I can tell all that booze is bothering you. Is it possible to use nice unopened bottles for gifts at birthdays and Cristmas, putting the savings in the bank for winter?

Meal planning and a shopping list is a massive save although looking at your food bill its not bad for the number of people in the house.

Insead of putting savings from your fun fund into the main account have a separate account for this and tidy ups, excess money coming in e.g. if you sell something or you make a saving as above or tidy up your accounts.This can be for yourself for clothes or for family treats.

Get your DW and DD on board. Getting DD into doing the shopping has been a great thing to do for us. DD is as frugal as we are but eats differntly. She has introduced us to lots of flavours  due o her interest in Korean and Japanese cultures. I have no worries about her budgeting and coping with life when she leaves home permanenetly next month.

With regards to regifting we already do that where possible. Unfortunately my mother is the only drinker (FIL doesn't drink, MIL only drinks socially and father doesn't drink a lot) so it's not really going to deplete quickly on that front. However I have been polishing off things at a respectable pace.

DD is only three so is being raised with frugality in mind. Unfortunately DW is going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming...

DH used to be a bit of a spender, not the worst. I just kept going on about the savings I was making and the morney earnt from opening bank accounts and selling stuff. He is fully on board now. Good luck.

CJRyder

bit_by_bit said:

CJRyder said:

bit_by_bit said:

A few thoughts not food related.

Unplug devices and anything that has a light as the amount of electricity you use is increased by items on standby.

I can tell all that booze is bothering you. Is it possible to use nice unopened bottles for gifts at birthdays and Cristmas, putting the savings in the bank for winter?

Meal planning and a shopping list is a massive save although looking at your food bill its not bad for the number of people in the house.

Insead of putting savings from your fun fund into the main account have a separate account for this and tidy ups, excess money coming in e.g. if you sell something or you make a saving as above or tidy up your accounts.This can be for yourself for clothes or for family treats.

Get your DW and DD on board. Getting DD into doing the shopping has been a great thing to do for us. DD is as frugal as we are but eats differntly. She has introduced us to lots of flavours  due o her interest in Korean and Japanese cultures. I have no worries about her budgeting and coping with life when she leaves home permanenetly next month.

With regards to regifting we already do that where possible. Unfortunately my mother is the only drinker (FIL doesn't drink, MIL only drinks socially and father doesn't drink a lot) so it's not really going to deplete quickly on that front. However I have been polishing off things at a respectable pace.

DD is only three so is being raised with frugality in mind. Unfortunately DW is going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming...

DH used to be a bit of a spender, not the worst. I just kept going on about the savings I was making and the morney earnt from opening bank accounts and selling stuff. He is fully on board now. Good luck.

Here's hoping that will be the case! Unfortunately FIL is ultra-cheap so I believe that part of DW's need to spend is essentially rebellion from that. For some reason, for someone so financially correct both of his kids are absolutely terrible with money. There was definitely a lack of teaching...

goldfinches

CJRyder said:

bit_by_bit said:

CJRyder said:

bit_by_bit said:

A few thoughts not food related.

Unplug devices and anything that has a light as the amount of electricity you use is increased by items on standby.

I can tell all that booze is bothering you. Is it possible to use nice unopened bottles for gifts at birthdays and Cristmas, putting the savings in the bank for winter?

Meal planning and a shopping list is a massive save although looking at your food bill its not bad for the number of people in the house.

Insead of putting savings from your fun fund into the main account have a separate account for this and tidy ups, excess money coming in e.g. if you sell something or you make a saving as above or tidy up your accounts.This can be for yourself for clothes or for family treats.

Get your DW and DD on board. Getting DD into doing the shopping has been a great thing to do for us. DD is as frugal as we are but eats differntly. She has introduced us to lots of flavours  due o her interest in Korean and Japanese cultures. I have no worries about her budgeting and coping with life when she leaves home permanenetly next month.

With regards to regifting we already do that where possible. Unfortunately my mother is the only drinker (FIL doesn't drink, MIL only drinks socially and father doesn't drink a lot) so it's not really going to deplete quickly on that front. However I have been polishing off things at a respectable pace.

DD is only three so is being raised with frugality in mind. Unfortunately DW is going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming...

DH used to be a bit of a spender, not the worst. I just kept going on about the savings I was making and the morney earnt from opening bank accounts and selling stuff. He is fully on board now. Good luck.

Here's hoping that will be the case! Unfortunately FIL is ultra-cheap so I believe that part of DW's need to spend is essentially rebellion from that. For some reason, for someone so financially correct both of his kids are absolutely terrible with money. There was definitely a lack of teaching...

Have a look at this thread The Debt Free Roll of Honour for the tips that people have included as their one pearl of wisdom, I notice quite a lot of those comments are about how they got their OH on board which might help you with your DW.

CJRyder

goldfinches said:

CJRyder said:

bit_by_bit said:

CJRyder said:

bit_by_bit said:

A few thoughts not food related.

Unplug devices and anything that has a light as the amount of electricity you use is increased by items on standby.

I can tell all that booze is bothering you. Is it possible to use nice unopened bottles for gifts at birthdays and Cristmas, putting the savings in the bank for winter?

Meal planning and a shopping list is a massive save although looking at your food bill its not bad for the number of people in the house.

Insead of putting savings from your fun fund into the main account have a separate account for this and tidy ups, excess money coming in e.g. if you sell something or you make a saving as above or tidy up your accounts.This can be for yourself for clothes or for family treats.

Get your DW and DD on board. Getting DD into doing the shopping has been a great thing to do for us. DD is as frugal as we are but eats differntly. She has introduced us to lots of flavours  due o her interest in Korean and Japanese cultures. I have no worries about her budgeting and coping with life when she leaves home permanenetly next month.

With regards to regifting we already do that where possible. Unfortunately my mother is the only drinker (FIL doesn't drink, MIL only drinks socially and father doesn't drink a lot) so it's not really going to deplete quickly on that front. However I have been polishing off things at a respectable pace.

DD is only three so is being raised with frugality in mind. Unfortunately DW is going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming...

DH used to be a bit of a spender, not the worst. I just kept going on about the savings I was making and the morney earnt from opening bank accounts and selling stuff. He is fully on board now. Good luck.

Here's hoping that will be the case! Unfortunately FIL is ultra-cheap so I believe that part of DW's need to spend is essentially rebellion from that. For some reason, for someone so financially correct both of his kids are absolutely terrible with money. There was definitely a lack of teaching...

Have a look at this thread The Debt Free Roll of Honour for the tips that people have included as their one pearl of wisdom, I notice quite a lot of those comments are about how they got their OH on board which might help you with your DW.

Thanks for that. I will go take a look. I have also just made the final payment for the mortgage so hopefully she will start to feel better once the financial burden lessens. Essentially she's on minimum wage retail at the moment with a very cheap boss so there have been months where she's been off sick or had to leave because of a DD related emergency resulting in her wage barely or not even covering her half of the bills. However the job is guaranteed set hours which works very well for childcare.

Today has been a productive NSD day in my kitchen. Chicken carcass, a few more scraggly vegetables and herbs from the garden (black pepper mint, lemon thyme and marjoram) is being slow-cooked into a stock. Cooked chicken shreds in the fridge (unused chicken to go into freezer tomorrow). Dinner was from the fridge (sausages and air fryer skin-on chunky chips, cut from reduced potatoes acquired at the weekend). Some smaller chips saved to be made into chicken and potato pies. Also made a bowl of coleslaw from a scrag of cabbage (outer leaves into the stock), two previously forgotten onions from old veg box, salad cream, lemon juice, seasonings and a large handful of kidney beans cooked earlier this week.

joedenise

If your DW is on minimum wage and doesn't always get the full amount why is she paying half the bills?  Assuming of course that you are not on minimum wage.  Surely you should be paying proportionately.  My DH and I just had the one joint account which all bills came from so there was none of you pay for this bill and I'll pay for that one!

CJRyder

joedenise said:

If your DW is on minimum wage and doesn't always get the full amount why is she paying half the bills?  Assuming of course that you are not on minimum wage.  Surely you should be paying proportionately.  My DH and I just had the one joint account which all bills came from so there was none of you pay for this bill and I'll pay for that one!

Our bills come out of the joint account too but we each put something in at the beginning of the month to cover monthly payments and maintain a healthy emergency budget. But I do regularly check the accounts so this is helpful to know to ensure that the books are balanced.

When we moved in together DW was very insistent that she paid half of everything and has maintained this insistence although admitted when she needed help through two redundancies. At that point we were living in a one room all-inclusive flat so bills were minimal. Obviously that changed with buying a house together, having to pay our own bills plus mortgage, exchanging of rings and the arrival of DD. Whilst I am close to minimum wage myself I work more hours but also wasn't one for regular takeaways, going out clubbing, etc. so saved whilst she lived at home before joining me and spent.

CJRyder

Today was a spend day and trip to town as a family. Cost to me was return bus fare, some muslin cloth and a fiver for some colouring books. Picked up some cooking apples, night nappies, cheap dried mixed fruit and a banana up in Sainsbury's covered by a gift card from the nursery and stopped in a haberdashery to buy some muslin to strain stock amongst other things, very kindly cut into squares for me. Trip to town was primarily so that DW could go to a restaurant and use an expiring voucher so she covered cost of lunch. Then home. 

Colouring books are to make a few DD entertainment grab-bags that we can always have to hand. Thinking a colouring book, crayons or pencils, a story or two. Maybe a small cuddly toy depending on the space available. Also all cheap, cheerful and replaceable so that it doesn't matter when something gets lost, damaged or otherwised estroyed.

goldfinches

If you haven't already had a prowl around your local charity shops I heartily recommend that you acquire the habit especially as small children grow out of stages so very quickly that many people donate hardly used items that you can snap up for pennies. The other place I know is very good for childrens clothes and equipment is your local branch of the National Childbirth Trust, ours has twice yearly sales which are very good value. If your local branch isn't doing this you may find that relatives live near a branch that does so you can prompt them to join and then invite you over for the sales.

CJRyder

goldfinches said:

If you haven't already had a prowl around your local charity shops I heartily recommend that you acquire the habit especially as small children grow out of stages so very quickly that many people donate hardly used items that you can snap up for pennies. The other place I know is very good for childrens clothes and equipment is your local branch of the National Childbirth Trust, ours has twice yearly sales which are very good value. If your local branch isn't doing this you may find that relatives live near a branch that does so you can prompt them to join and then invite you over for the sales.

Our baby and toddler clothes have mostly come from free stuff Facebook groups. Now DD is of the age where we're having to start paying for stuff we have found a market stall where everything is £3. I will start doing more charity shop hunting though! Cheers for that.

CJRyder

Today was a spend day, mainly to top up provisions. I splurged on a yellow label pack of tuna steaks. I have never liked tuna out of the tin and, after successfully completing a cooking challenge (one hour, no prep allowed beforehand - I made four dishes and a Gin and Tonic...) I felt that I should try and expand my horizons that little bit further. Cook them tomorrow! Also ordered a new TV as ours is stuffed after 7+ years...

Did some cleaning, de-iced the bottom of the freezer and DIY re-fixing overflow to the bath. Dinner was slow cooker braised liver.

Finally I added myself to the Mortgage Free list. A happy and productive day.