Keeping up appearances.......

cutestkids · 1 January 2012 at 1:34PM

Hi Happy New Year :beer:

Well done for the changes you have already made.

With regards the cheaper brands for food shopping, I buy most things supermarket own brand and to be honest the difference is practically non existant.

Tesco cereals are great and less than half price compared to the brands, also if you have Lidl or an Aldi near you the quality is really good and the prices are fantastic for a lot of things.

FlacosFloozie · 1 January 2012 at 6:30PM

Hi Happy,

Just want to wish you good luck. I also have a well paid job and find the expectations of what other people think I should be able to spend a pain. Saying I can't afford that is not believed

I've found that the house move has allowed me to say, 'we've had some extra expenses so we need to tighten the purse strings a bit' and people seem to take that much better for some reason.

Anyway, fingers crossed for you xx

HappyNow · 2 January 2012 at 2:26AM

Hello, time for another update, and thanks again for the comments.

Cutestkids - I tended to use supermarkets own-brands for lots of stuff anyway, but this time I have tried some of their Value range. I opened the box of tissues today (48p!) and I am very impressed. Not only does the quality seem as high as the premium brands, but also the box doesn't look too 'value-ey' on my dressing table - just white with a red band around, no visible blue stripes to give it away. We do have a Lidl nearby so I will investigate that soon, thanks for the suggestion.
Flacosfloozie - yes, you're absolutely right. People just assume that my husband and I are financially OK because we both have good jobs and are older (I'm 52). If only they knew!!

HappyNow · 2 January 2012 at 3:01AM

Today I have continued with my Money Makeover. Because it's all a bit daunting, I have decided to focus on one area of expenditure per day. And today's project was our animals. Gulp.

We have seven animals in total that seem to have joined us over the years, made up of horses, dog, cats and a chicken. I have estimated that I need to budget £204 per month for their upkeep. I KNOW this is outrageous, but there is no way I could part with any of them. And maybe they are slightly moneysaving, because caring for them keeps me fit and active, and while I'm mucking out horses/walking the dog I am not spending on anything else. Hmm, not convincing I know.....

Horses. We have our own stables and land so there are no livery costs, but even so, horses are not cheap to keep. However, I have checked our feed/bedding bills and now know who is our cheapest supplier and will buy only from there in future. I have also weighed their feed to check I am not accidentally over-feeding. Both horses are quite old (so selling/re-homing isn't an option) and when anything happens to them I will not be replacing them, and might even be able to rent out our stables to bring in some money.
Cats. The cats have been down-graded to Tesco's own dried cat food from Go-Cat. They don't appear to have noticed!
Dog. She is a young, growing dog so I need to keep her on a premium food, but I do weigh it carefully and don't over-feed, and I have found the cheapest supplier. Her insurance is due for renewal next month so I will shop around.
The chicken. Costs virtually nothing to keep but unfortunately has retired from egg-laying!

I think my estimate of £204 per month is about right. Horses cost much more to keep in winter than summer, so I have averaged the cost over a year and have set up an 'animal' bank account which I will pay into each month. Apart from our dog, none of the animals are insured due to being elderly, so I have included £80 per month towards vet bills. Self-insuring as Martin calls it. That figure is a total guess, but if we don't need to spend on vet bills and the balance builds up (fingers crossed!) it can be put towards a credit card debt.

The dog and cats are all overdue for worming/flea-prevention. I have just spent an hour comparing prices at online suppliers and I reckon I've saved £10, with 5% Quidco to come. Impressive!

Baldybear · 2 January 2012 at 12:12PM

Hello, just wanted to drop by and say good luck

Its a tough journey, but one we are all determined to succeed in.

I can see why you have your animals, I have debts that I want to get rid of, I have just lost my pony on NYE and really want another one so a good incentive to get rid of them!

Lots of luck

PinotGrigio41 · 2 January 2012 at 12:18PM

Just wanted to drop by and wish you loads of luck. I have only skim read you diary but I will subscribe. As you will see from my signature, we owe a pretty hefty amount of debt also and are only just starting out on our rather daunting journey. I have a diary which I have found is useful, if only to ramble away to your hearts content !! I will read your diary properly when I have more time, but just wanted to say Hi !

HappyNow · 2 January 2012 at 1:54PM

Thanks for the replies Baldy and Pinot, I have found both your diaries and had a little nosey through them!

So, today's acheivements so far:

Christmas decorations all taken down and stored in the loft. I very frugally cut up some of this year's Christmas cards to make gift tags for next year, though I'll probably have forgotten that I've done it (or where I've put them) by December!

My Money Makeover project for today was to check if our main bank account is the best one for me. It's a Barclays Premier account and there is a fee of £17.50 per month. This includes RAC cover, phone insurance (which I have used once) and comprehensive travel insurance, plus a few other bits that I can't imagine ever using. Although that does sound like poor value for money I have decided to stay with them for the time being at least. This is because I have a generous overdraft limit with them of £5000 which is at a reasonably cheap rate (first £1000 free, then 14.9%). I use the full £5000 towards the end of every month - in fact I am ashamed to admit that the account never goes into credit. The interest tends to be about £31-£34 per month. I can't imagine a new bank would offer me that sort of overdraft and, as I need it in full just now, I will sit tight. If anyone thinks I am wrong, please feel free to say so!

The other thing I like about my Barclays account is that I have been able to set up four very simple savings accounts to sit alongside it, which will help me with the PiggyBanking system Martin recommends. I will set up standing orders for various expenditures to help with my monthly budgetting. That will perhaps mean I use my full overdraft quicker, but I do think it will help prevent over-spending and eliminate any unexpected expenses.

Right, onwards again!

HappyNow · 3 January 2012 at 6:26AM

Well, first day back at work today after two weeks holiday. Home-made chilli for lumch all packed and ready and apart from putting petrol in my car I promise there will be NO spending today.

hillside777 · 3 January 2012 at 9:39AM

I have found your diary from Pinot's.
Wanted to wish you well and have subscribed.

Hopelessly_Hopeful · 4 January 2012 at 7:07AM

Morning and Welcome

I have subscribed.

You sound very well organised. I am a big fan of channelling energy!

Don't worry about the SOA police, we will support you if and when you are ready to post one but don't feel obliged. It's your journey, no one elses. As for the pets, you have them so you have to look after them so please don't worry about that.

Have a good morning.

HHx

Keeping up appearances.......

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