A few things I’m doing to save money

Toonie

Well done on your changes, it's all about doing the things that are acceptable to you and fit with your budget. That's why things like the downshift challenge are good as you can discover the things that you like. And if you don't like then, you can always go back.

As finances have been very tight for me and my partner, we have made an effort with our grocery shopping. I understand there are people who have nothing left to cut and for the last 8 months we have been like that and whilst not entirely comfortable now, we are working our way to getting a little breathing space. 

Your nespresso machine sounds like a very good investment and cutting down the takeaways is something we have done too, but we also will have a "fakeway" night where we buy some bits and pieces from Sainsbury and have a Chinese evening or fried chicken night. The few times we've gone to the pub we let our pals know we aren't doing rounds as they do get pricey, so we have managed to stick to budgets.

We've also taken advantage of any free streaming services or free trials. The other thing we do is cancel Netflix in the Spring and Summer and then resubscribe in Autumn at the lowest level (£6.99) as this saves up some good entertainment when the weather isn't so good. I do the same with other suscription services, so I only sign up for a month at a time when there are several shows we want to watch.

Siebrie

If you're just starting out on the financial-savvy journey it's probably worthwhile to check the costs connected to any financial transactions. For instance, we used to pay our mortgage insurance automatically every month, which was set up by our bank; they forgot to tell us (although it was written somewhere in the paperwork, like in the middle of the small print on page 11)  that that came with a €5 admin fee for every transaction, which came to 12 x €5 x 2 = €120/year! We switched to annual payment, which has no admin fee attached at all.

linz

My food shopping and meal planning has gone out of the window over the last couple of months. I regularly nip to my local co-op in the evenings and see what YS stuff there is. Buying and freezing YS items as well as growing my own veg has saved me a lot on my shopping bill. I totted up what i'd spent in the supermarkets on just food over the last month and it was around £54. This is for just me in the house. 

joedenise

Siebrie said:

If you're just starting out on the financial-savvy journey it's probably worthwhile to check the costs connected to any financial transactions. For instance, we used to pay our mortgage insurance automatically every month, which was set up by our bank; they forgot to tell us (although it was written somewhere in the paperwork, like in the middle of the small print on page 11)  that that came with a €5 admin fee for every transaction, which came to 12 x €5 x 2 = €120/year! We switched to annual payment, which has no admin fee attached at all.

There aren’t generally bank charges in the UK.  I believe you are based in the EU where I know most banks do charge.

Sometimes monthly payments have interest charges but that is from the company and not the bank.  Usually cheaper to pay annually if you can.

Siebrie

@joedenise That's good to know. I hate Belgian banks, as they are very unclear on their costs. For instance, I know (because I've read it somewhere) that they used to charge €2 per withdrawal abroad, but this cost would not be added at the time of withdrawal, they would add it all up and charge it in one go in April. They also never indicate the interest they pay or charge at any one time; you actually have to call the banker at your local bank office to receive this information.

dreamyd

@baltiqueen thanks for this thread. 
I treated myself to a refurbished Nespresso-style machine from Lakeland's eBay shop earlier in the year  and I really love it. I still have the occasional coffee out, but only when there's extra points on it from Caffe Nero or an extra freebie attached  as I have student status through work.
Apologies for being Captain Obvious, but have you tried the Aldi versions of the capsules if there's a branch near you? There's a range (currently around £1.99 for 10) and they're plastic-free. I empty them using a recycling tool. The coffee grounds go on the garden (or my growing collections of rescued herb from the supermarket) and the aluminium goes in the recycling. Lidl no doubt their own as well, but we don't tend to shop there because it's a bit of a trek.
My next big experiment is to try a refillable capsule , but the reviews are a bit mixed at the moment.
I know that everyone here is at different point in their lives and we all have the things that make it better (or even just more bearable)

Alips

baltiqueen said:

Will list and anyone else can join in with their suggestions and tips..
Here goes:
- stopped buying takeaway coffees and invested in a nespresso machine.  Have one each morning to start the day. Costs approximately 50p per pod and really decent coffee

ive recently found oddcoffeeco.com and subscribe there to save money on my coffee pods 

 meal plan write a list then order online via click and collect
takeaways are now once a month max
using airfryer instead of oven now we are down to 2 of us. ( 3 kids at uni...)

ariarnia

joedenise said:

Siebrie said:

If you're just starting out on the financial-savvy journey it's probably worthwhile to check the costs connected to any financial transactions. For instance, we used to pay our mortgage insurance automatically every month, which was set up by our bank; they forgot to tell us (although it was written somewhere in the paperwork, like in the middle of the small print on page 11)  that that came with a €5 admin fee for every transaction, which came to 12 x €5 x 2 = €120/year! We switched to annual payment, which has no admin fee attached at all.

There aren’t generally bank charges in the UK.  I believe you are based in the EU where I know most banks do charge.

Sometimes monthly payments have interest charges but that is from the company and not the bank.  Usually cheaper to pay annually if you can.

even in the uk it's worth thinking about if you can make annual payments because often paying for insurance monthly means it costs more over the year. i don't think there's anywhere like 120 in it but i think last time we looked there was a 20 difference between annual and monthly. that's 40 cups of coffee for the OP!

JIL

I love a coffee when I'm out but some are so expensive.
Walking along the seafront I picked up a takeaway from a van. My fault for not checking the price first but £3.50 for a flat white shocked me. 
Another time I bought a flat white and a sausage roll £9.50. 

I really want to support local businesses when I'm in my own town and away but it's easy to see why Macdonalds and wetherspoons get the customers.
You can get unlimited coffee and a breakfast muffin for less than a £3.50 takeaway coffee, in wetherspoons and it's not much more in McDonald's.

My biggest savings has been taking my own lunch to work. I used to work near boots and bought lunch in a meal deal every day. It helped me whilst dieting as calories were counted for me, and by using my advantage card every so often I got a free meal. However I moved office and there were no food places close by. So I started taking lunch, suddenly I had money left in my purse at the end of the week.

I haven't looked back. 

joedenise

ariarnia said:

joedenise said:

Siebrie said:

If you're just starting out on the financial-savvy journey it's probably worthwhile to check the costs connected to any financial transactions. For instance, we used to pay our mortgage insurance automatically every month, which was set up by our bank; they forgot to tell us (although it was written somewhere in the paperwork, like in the middle of the small print on page 11)  that that came with a €5 admin fee for every transaction, which came to 12 x €5 x 2 = €120/year! We switched to annual payment, which has no admin fee attached at all.

There aren’t generally bank charges in the UK.  I believe you are based in the EU where I know most banks do charge.

Sometimes monthly payments have interest charges but that is from the company and not the bank.  Usually cheaper to pay annually if you can.

even in the uk it's worth thinking about if you can make annual payments because often paying for insurance monthly means it costs more over the year. i don't think there's anywhere like 120 in it but i think last time we looked there was a 20 difference between annual and monthly. that's 40 cups of coffee for the OP!

My 2nd paragraph said that!  But that is interest from the company and nothing to do with the bank.