How are you all saving for your deposits

dannyboycey

beingjdc wrote: »

I buy ingredients, not ready-made food. I cook a stack of it on Sundays and freeze five bagfuls. Five days a week in which I don't buy lunch from the sandwich shop = £80 a month saved.

I also do this. Once a month, on a Sunday morning I cook a shedload of meals and put them in those foil trays you get chinese in. You can buy a stack of these for next to nothing in our local shop. I then freeze them and use them on weekdays (weekends I usually eat out / with friends) There are multiple benefits in doing this:

*Saves money.... more than you might think!
*Much, much healthier than buying ready meals / processed food.
*Really tasty, varied menu of fresh ingredients.
*Saves time (the deal winner for me!!)

In addition to this I grow loads of herbs both inside and outside, which really liven up these meals.

You can spend a fortune on food if you're not careful - and if it's processed, it's doing harm to your wallet and your body!

Aside from food, I keep tabs on what I call my 'leisure money', by drawing it out in cash in one chunk at the start of every month. It's a set amount that I know wont hurt my budget and once it's gone, it's gone. If I know I've got a lot of social do's coming up, I try and carry over some of this for the month after.

clobber_2

Oh, growing your own herbs is a good one. Makes your cooking taste better, can liven up the cheapest salad or stew, and is fun.

dannyboycey

clobber wrote: »

Oh, growing your own herbs is a good one. Makes your cooking taste better, can liven up the cheapest salad or stew, and is fun.

If you've got a windowsill that catches the sun, chilli's are pretty easy too! For anyone that's interested in cooking and growing your own food - Jamie's 'at home' cookbook is amazing.

PasturesNew

clobber wrote: »

Oh, growing your own herbs is a good one. Makes your cooking taste better, can liven up the cheapest salad or stew, and is fun.

Fun?

I had a vision there of you sat in a bleak, bare, attic room, on a wooden chair, diligently watching a pot of wilting herbs grow on a windowsill that never gets any sun.

clobber_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

Fun?

I had a vision there of you sat in a bleak, bare, attic room, on a wooden chair, diligently watching a pot of wilting herbs grow on a windowsill that never gets any sun.

Are you spying on me, Pastures?

PasturesNew

!!!!!!? wrote: »

Wow - sounds like you had really bad luck.

Assuming you don't want the bike to do really long distances, then one of these might be perfect for you: Brompton Folding Bicycle.



Pricey though (575 quid). And they seem to have gone up since I last checked. That's inflation for you.

I remember some years ago (15? 20? 25?) some car was being sold with a folding bike in the boot. Something about driving closer to work then cycling the rest. Obviously some previous oil crisis years and a marketing department trying something new.

I wanted the bike to enjoy. And I did enjoy it. I wouldn't enjoy riding the one in your link as I'd look a right plonker. And looking a right plonker isn't up there on my To Do List.

There was a 1-in-4 to get out of my town, whichever way you went. Followed by relentless up/down hills forever between 1-in-4 and 1-in-8. No flat bits. Small wheels are for flat bits.

butterfly72

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

You've paid off £12k and saved £100k in 8 years? Bloody hell, that's amazing.

Its been acheived by hard hard work, both in terms of our careers and moneysaving thrifty ways! We have sacrificed by going out less and eating in, no flash cars or caribbean holidays! We even moved from a really nice house to a flat so we were paying less rent. But we got lucky and the flat is really nice and cheap despite being in a very expensive area. (sometimes things just work out that way!) And I suppose like PN says if theres two of you it makes a big difference.

The OH does think I take it a bit far sometimes.. from the way I squash the loo roll so we use less to filling a flask with hot water so I don't have to boil the kettle again in the morning (only do that when I'm home alone!!)

My latest moneysaving thing is to drive more carefully and do the overrun stopping! Also I've been on a cycling safety course and will soon be cycling to my patients instead of using the car (NHS only pays me 33p per mile!)

I think it just shows you that if you put in the effort and a bit of luck the savings can mount up.
good luck everyone!

Snooze

:eek:

This thread is amazing. I'm so glad I don't live like you lot. What a waste of your lives. :rolleyes:

As far as I know you only get one shot at life and spending every day making huge sacrifices so you can save a few quid is really sad.

What is wrong with using (finding?) the skills you were born with and using them to their max so that you've got a good income from your knowledge and therefore live a normal life buying the stuff you want and doing the stuff you want to do?

Everyone is good at something, but most seem to rattle through life refilling shelves in Tesco or being a security guard on the national minimum wage. Such a waste of a life.

Rob

PasturesNew

Snooze wrote: »

:eek:

This thread is amazing. I'm so glad I don't live like you lot. What a waste of your lives. :rolleyes:

As far as I know you only get one shot at life and spending every day making huge sacrifices so you can save a few quid is really sad.

What is wrong with using (finding?) the skills you were born with and using them to their max so that you've got a good income from your knowledge and therefore live a normal life buying the stuff you want and doing the stuff you want to do?

Everyone is good at something, but most seem to rattle through life refilling shelves in Tesco or being a security guard on the national minimum wage. Such a waste of a life.

Rob

Nice idea but it often takes money and/or support to be able to do that.

Usually, most people's skills are either unknown or not economically viable.

Everybody's opportunities are different. Geography plays a part.

I could have been successful at something if I'd had the time/money to be able to investigate things, e.g. if I'd had a partner who earnt enough to say "you don't have to work, go on, build a business/income". Most people are too busy having to keep on top of life to have the luxury to take a risk.

Also ... what is one good at? I wish I knew what I was good at. There's no way to know unless you happen to have a passion and a channel for it.

What do you do then?

dannyboycey

Snooze wrote: »

:eek:

This thread is amazing. I'm so glad I don't live like you lot. What a waste of your lives. :rolleyes:

As far as I know you only get one shot at life and spending every day making huge sacrifices so you can save a few quid is really sad.

What is wrong with using (finding?) the skills you were born with and using them to their max so that you've got a good income from your knowledge and therefore live a normal life buying the stuff you want and doing the stuff you want to do?

Everyone is good at something, but most seem to rattle through life refilling shelves in Tesco or being a security guard on the national minimum wage. Such a waste of a life.

Rob

You don't know anyones circumstances here. Certainly not mine anyway! I for one am not wasting my life, as I'm sure many others here are not either. I'm guessing you're a real high flyer??