Tips on getting through every day without spending a penny !

LouiseJ

Im sure this thread is called tips on getting through every day without spending a penny. It seems to now be re-named Is Laura565 a good or bad mum for not taking her kids to endless birthday parties.

Get a grip everone and let's get back to the more interesting topic that Laura suggested in the first post!

I too am waiting for some really cracking tips!

cwp500

Hi, I am totally unsure where this should be posted so all advice welcome please.

I would like to start a "singles only" thread to cover frugal living on one income, savings, and recommendations to break the stranglehold of couples and partners on offers, competitions and deals.

There are more single people than ever in this country but we are still treated as if deals and offers assume that we have a significant other to accompany us everywhere.

I know there is Saga etc but it would be really useful to trawl thru ideas for singles to take advantage of whatever may be out there.

All suggestions welcome; food, heating, clothing, etc

DrGUID

Well I'm single and rapidly paying off my mortgage!

Fortunately I'm the only one in my family with any financial sense, which helps way more than anything else.

By far the best thing I did was to start a small business on the side. My day job pays my living expenses, so the small business is 100% pure mortgage overpayment profit.

The easiest things I've found to save money are:

* Learn to cook. Food wasted to date this year = half an onion.
* Have tinned soup for lunch. It's always on offer in the supermarket, and keeps you full all afternoon.
* Have at least 3 spend free days a week.
* Set a weekly budget, and stick to it.

Thanks to the tips on this site, I've also:

* Moved to high interest current account.
* Got council tax rebanded.
* Used my good credit rating to start stoozing.

sunshine_shell

I have to defend Nottinghamshire Lauren565! I have lived in Nottinghamshire most of my life but i did my teaching practices in Wigan and Liverpool and every primary school has its gossiping mothers!

But just because the bully's mother has links to the school doesn't mean you shouldn't bring it up. She might not be that well thought of. Schools are very good at putting up a united front when everyone really hates each other!

Trying_to_be_good

Lauren565

If everyone went back to just inviting 8 friends to parties it would be much more manageable - but back to the moneysaving...

I found it really useful a few years ago to work out how much my infrequent bills were each year, and then divide this by 12 and trasnfer it to a savings account - so my car insurance, annual service, MOT, contents insurance, ground rent, medical insurance etc are all covered when they come in. This means I can really budget and know how much I can overpay on my mortgage.

The most cash I get out of the ATM is £30, and normally it's £20 and I make this last for 2 weeks as it's the sort of money that can just disappear. It amazes me that people can get a hundred pounds out and it's gone within a couple of days with no idea where it went!

I'm getting married this year (HOORAY!) so have been saving in a regular saving account - as I'll be in the habit of this, when the wedding is paid for this will be the holiday fund and again, I can be budgeting accurately and throw all the extra at the mortgage.

I'm sure there are other things I do (I do most of your list!) but they quickly become second nature, so I don't even think about them!

[Deleted User]

DrGUID wrote: »

Well I'm single and rapidly paying off my mortgage!

Fortunately I'm the only one in my family with any financial sense, which helps way more than anything else.

By far the best thing I did was to start a small business on the side. My day job pays my living expenses, so the small business is 100% pure mortgage overpayment profit.

The easiest things I've found to save money are:

* Learn to cook. Food wasted to date this year = half an onion.
* Have tinned soup for lunch. It's always on offer in the supermarket, and keeps you full all afternoon.
* Have at least 3 spend free days a week.
* Set a weekly budget, and stick to it.

Some very good tips! Agree with you about the tinned soup - Asda does some really nice ones at only 35p per can at the moment (and I'm fussy about tinned soup). There's also the DIY version:

Chopped, left over vegetables (even those tired looking salad vegetables you find in the salad drawer); diced onion; vegetable stock; add a small handful of kidney beans (Sainsbury's do a value brand for around 16p a tin) or similar for the protein. I sometimes add some rice or some pasta shapes. (If you want a thick soup - you can blend half of it - and then add it back to the rest of it). I make up a big pan to last 2-3 days. Very cheap and very yummy.

Oh yes - and when parsnips were cheap, curried parsnip soup (enough soup for 2 lunches for less than a pound).

This is all making me hungry .... !

lauren565

Tip on keeping the kids happy during half term. I went to wilkinsons yesturday and bought them 'right price' (wilkos own no frills brand) of crayons, colouring books, scrap books, felt tip pens and crayons and some pritt stick glue. The colouring books were only about 25p each, the scrap books 60p each and the crayons 16p. Filled up a big box, grabbed 4 of the Wilkinsons catalogues on the way out of the shop and my children have spent all day cutting out pictures of the catalogue and sticking them in their scrap books. They are having great fun! A cheap, easy way to entertain children! I can also keep the scrap books and show them when their older. Its also good to use up old magazines, and also christmas and birthday cards. Just let them chop the pictures out themselves with child safety scissors or cut them up into shapes and put in a bowl for them to help themselves. They are really enjoying it. Lauren x
Does anyone have a recipe for kids playdough????? Cheers.

lauren565

Here is a good website to look at for fruit/vegetables that are currently in season (listed by the month) - If you buy fruit/vegetables that are in season, they are very cheap, rather than buying stuff out of season as it gets flown from across the globe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/in_season/

do_it_today!

Hi Lauren :hello:
keep going with your thread! :j

lauren565

Here is a good website for finding out what fruit and vegetables are currently in season, as these are alot cheaper than buying stuff out of season which gets flown around the globe.... You could print it out and stick it on your fridge to refer to when you go food shopping next.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/in_season/

I hope no one minds me posting a link and i hope it isnt considered advertising. If i have broken any posting rules, please delete as appropriate. Thanks, Lauren