Moneysaving tips for a new homebuyer

PositiveBalance

Buy good quality saucepans and knives. They may cost a few pounds extra,  but will last you a lifetime.

Herbs and spices help make inexpensive food taste good. Invest in some.

Get energy saving lightbulbs/LEDs to reduce how much you spend on lighting.

Get a clothes maiden for drying your clothes. I don't own a tumble dryer and don't struggle to dry my clothes. I used to struggle in my previous abode,  though, and I was gifted a heated clothes maiden, which is brilliant for drying big things like bedding and towels. Get a regular one to start with and see how you go, then consider investing in a more expensive heated one if it will be useful.

Buy a wool quilt. They aren't cheap, but they are SO worth it as they keep you toasty in winter and cool in summer. There will be no need to change your quilt with the seasons.

Silly as it sounds, put your washing up liquid in a pump dispenser, figure out how many pumps you need to give you a full sink and don't use more than that. Your washing up liquid will last you a lot longer. I used to do the same with shampoo and conditioner before I swapped to shampoo and conditioner bars and I swear I saved a fortune by making each bottle lady longer as I was only using the appropriate amount to do the job.

Batcb cooking is a great for reducing food waste, helping to reduce food costs and keep a few meals in the fridge/freezer so you are less likely to splurge on takeaways.

As you are moving into your first place, you probably want to enjoy it on your own but remember that you can earn up to, £7500 a year tax free from having a lodger rent a room in your home. Check out the government website for more details.

Good luck and enjoy! 😁

Rdwill

Remember that you are not your mum and dad now,

probably mortgage paid off, 6 figure salary eating from Waitrose,

but your mum and dad 30 years ago, 3.5 x salary mortgage (but interest rate at 6%) subsisting on Asda basics, using the computer fan as heating as you worked all hours trying to establish yourself in the world (that was me).

I worry for the 'culture shock' my son will receive when he moves out.

goodwithsaving

@Rdwill irrelevant and ptronising. Anyone with sense, who has saved for a house, knows they can't live the life of riley and knows parent's didn't have the same life 30 years ago as they do now.

OP, topcashback if you buy anything (especially broadband, energy, insurance) and scour Facebook marketplace for immediate needs. Buy a decent mattress and bed however. A poor quality mattress is a waste of time. 

The advice about the hot water and heating was great, and I'd buy a slow cooker too. Not for the saving, but because it's nice to finish work and come back to a "meal cooked for you" when you live alone.

outtatune

RobM99 said:

Buy good quality anything! Not those 50p bendy breadknives, for example. No pleasure in using cheap (in the worst sense)  things. 

100% this. My mum always used to say that she wasn't rich enough to be able to afford to buy cheap stuff.

Brokenlynx

PositiveBalance said:

Buy good quality saucepans and knives. They may cost a few pounds extra,  but will last you a lifetime.

Herbs and spices help make inexpensive food taste good. Invest in some.

Get energy saving lightbulbs/LEDs to reduce how much you spend on lighting.

Get a clothes maiden for drying your clothes. I don't own a tumble dryer and don't struggle to dry my clothes. I used to struggle in my previous abode,  though, and I was gifted a heated clothes maiden, which is brilliant for drying big things like bedding and towels. Get a regular one to start with and see how you go, then consider investing in a more expensive heated one if it will be useful.

Buy a wool quilt. They aren't cheap, but they are SO worth it as they keep you toasty in winter and cool in summer. There will be no need to change your quilt with the seasons.

Silly as it sounds, put your washing up liquid in a pump dispenser, figure out how many pumps you need to give you a full sink and don't use more than that. Your washing up liquid will last you a lot longer. I used to do the same with shampoo and conditioner before I swapped to shampoo and conditioner bars and I swear I saved a fortune by making each bottle lady longer as I was only using the appropriate amount to do the job.

Batcb cooking is a great for reducing food waste, helping to reduce food costs and keep a few meals in the fridge/freezer so you are less likely to splurge on takeaways.

As you are moving into your first place, you probably want to enjoy it on your own but remember that you can earn up to, £7500 a year tax free from having a lodger rent a room in your home. Check out the government website for more details.

Good luck and enjoy! 😁

Definitely some good tips here, you're not the first person to suggest the value of good quality cookware, this tip has definitely made it into my notebook along with a google search for 'clothes maiden' (I've never heard of this, especially a heated one). 

Washing-up liquid in a dispenser is something I'm already doing now, massively underrated after coming across that one I wanted dispensers for everything. 

Rdwill said:

Remember that you are not your mum and dad now,

probably mortgage paid off, 6 figure salary eating from Waitrose,

but your mum and dad 30 years ago, 3.5 x salary mortgage (but interest rate at 6%) subsisting on Asda basics, using the computer fan as heating as you worked all hours trying to establish yourself in the world (that was me).

I worry for the 'culture shock' my son will receive when he moves out.

I'm more worried I'm the one who might be make a few too many trips to Waitrose to be honest. Suffice it to say that's why I'm here, to get into the Lidl mindset.

goodwithsaving said:

@Rdwill irrelevant and ptronising. Anyone with sense, who has saved for a house, knows they can't live the life of riley and knows parent's didn't have the same life 30 years ago as they do now.

OP, topcashback if you buy anything (especially broadband, energy, insurance) and scour Facebook marketplace for immediate needs. Buy a decent mattress and bed however. A poor quality mattress is a waste of time. 

The advice about the hot water and heating was great, and I'd buy a slow cooker too. Not for the saving, but because it's nice to finish work and come back to a "meal cooked for you" when you live alone.

Mattresses have come up a lot in chats with friends as something not to be skimped on. I've made a mental note not to skimp in this area, that said the luxury stuff does get quite expensive.

Rdwill

I'm more worried I'm the one who  might be make a few too many trips to Waitrose to be honest. 

That's my point, if you're currently living with 'rich' parents your mindset with regards to your expectations is going to need a serious reset.

And its better to accept that reset sooner rather than later, as a lot of cash will disappear while you're coming to that realisation. 

I didnt mean to patronise and apologise if i did, but you asked for advice and that was mine, hopefully it will help you 'hit the ground running'.

Oh, and get a freezer and batch cook  although I spent my early mortgage years living off fray bentos pies and cheap cider!

jackieblack

Make a budget plan and stick to it. Include everything, putting 1/12 of expected annual bills aside every month avoids having to borrow for predictable known expenses.

Brokenlynx

Rdwill said:

I'm more worried I'm the one who  might be make a few too many trips to Waitrose to be honest. 

That's my point, if you're currently living with 'rich' parents your mindset with regards to your expectations is going to need a serious reset.

And its better to accept that reset sooner rather than later, as a lot of cash will disappear while you're coming to that realisation. 

I didnt mean to patronise and apologise if i did, but you asked for advice and that was mine, hopefully it will help you 'hit the ground running'.

Oh, and get a freezer and batch cook  although I spent my early mortgage years living off fray bentos pies and cheap cider!

No I didn't take the sentiment as patronising, its more a reflection on my personal habits. My parents, by way of circumstance are a little more frugal than I am. My intention is to adopt some of their habits in day-to-day spending whilst maintaining the mindset the spending on 'quality' in other areas is worth it in the long term.

jackieblack said:

Make a budget plan and stick to it. Include everything, putting 1/12 of expected annual bills aside every month avoids having to borrow for predictable known expenses.

Yeah I've created this including elements such as: 

Savings/Emergency fund

Investment fund

Pub trips

Worktime lunches/coffee

Ride hailing taxis

Transport

Grocery shopping

Council Tax

Clothing

House Repairs/Maintenance

Nights out

Eating out

Food Deliver

Other entertainment

Broadband

Electricity

Gas

Mobile bill

Water

Home insurance Overall I think my spending comes to within my means but this is more a month-by-month spending estimate that doesn't take into account the large upfront costs of purchasing furnishings and the like. I've still got some work to do later in that category.

Zabadak!

Other people have said the benefits of buying a good mattress. Seek out small independent bed shops, I got a pocket sprung mattress that is so comfy from a local shop. It was half the price of what the big chains were charging and made in a neighbouring county, just didn't have a designer name on the label.

benbenandme

I second the clothes airer for drying washing. Also ask friends/family for spare coat hangers - hang some stuff up on hangers and hang from curtain poles / shower rail to dry.