any money saving advice

[niknik]

decided to limit myself to £100.00 a week and will take that amount out and on no circumstances go over ( should be do able) hopefully will be able to put some money to one side to pay for the car service and other big bills that are due soon.......

100 a week....how many are you? seems a lot........

[Thomzo]

If you have any debts then I'd recommend paying off the one with the highest interest rate first, if you can do so without incurring early repayment penalties. Then pay off the next highest and so on. Just make the minimum repayments on the other loans in the meantime.

You say you don't have any credit cards so it sounds like you're pretty sensible with money anyway. You might actually consider getting one but ONLY if you are disciplined enough to pay the balance off in full each month. A lot of credit cards give cash back and it's amazing how quickly it can mount up. I use a card issued by a big supermarket. I pay for everything on it but keep control of what I spend. Then pay off the full amount each month. Every few months I get a whole load of vouchers which I can spend on treats or use to buy presents.

I hope it works out ok for you. It's amazing how much you can enjoy life without spending very much.

Zoe

[MEL78]

Nikik hi there are four of us most of the time plus a wandering teenager that turns up most weekends and eats everything in sight....£100.00 is for food and everything else ...bus fares....school funds etc.....hopefully I can spend less but I doubt it if the teenager turns up....

[niknik]

a wandering teenager that turns up most weekends and eats everything in sight.......

I know what you mean.... I have one of those here now.......... always eating.....and says he´s starving, so I cook a bigger dinner, and he leaves half of it! arggggghhh. makes me so mad! Wouldnt be too bad if still in pan or whatever, but he´ll fill his plate, and push it around etc. so only good for the pets! such a waste!

So your shopping on a Monday or Tuesday, so by the time the teenager turns up, there´ll be less for him to scoff, less of the nicer stuff.. ( might put him off coming so often too! )


Be strict with yourself, and if there´s a good offer going so you save on that , don´t allow yourself to be tempted to spend these "savings on an extra treat!..... putany savings, however small, to one side..it will soon mount up!

[dave45]

try looking back through these forums for ideas
http://boards.fool.co.uk/living-below-y ... 50074.aspx
http://boards.fool.co.uk/dealing-with-debt-50079.aspx

ISTR the "corned beef diet" used to get mentioned a lot :-)

[MEL78]

I think the only way to stop my wandering teenager is a lock on the cupboards as he doesn't live in the same time zone as the rest of the world ......when he turns up he is out until the very early hours (4/5 am) and then in bed all the day...not quite sure when he rises to raid the cupboards as he is rarely seen but empty they do...unfortunately he is my partners son not mine and my partner is not exactly a strict parent......end of his first year at uni and no sign of a part time job.......

[Annpan]

It might be an idea to have a family meeting about finances (we've done it and our 4YO seems to understand enough to make her stop asking for stuff) We have just stated as fact 'We just don't have the money" You might find out the kids are willing to meet you half way.

If you have a supermarket close by, find out when they reduce their bread,etc.... fruit and veg is usually reduced before it has even ripened.... saves us an absolute fortune, especially now we have a freezer to keep it all in.

We do a single weekly shop now and don't allow other purchases. I do a meal plan and check the cupboard and fridge the day before we go...and we try not to stray from the list much. We buy the 3 cartons of milk for £3 and keep 2 in the freezer, we buy fancy looking rolls for 20p that OH can take into work, etc, etc,

Packed lunches are a MUST, we try to keep them exiting, even if we spend £5 on fancy meats, breads, dried fruit, etc that is still £15 a week saved on lunches bought at work for OH

and I try to carry a few cheapo cereal bars (or homemade biscuits or pancakes) in my handbag if we are out.... If anyone gets hungry that can help stave it off for an hour or so, till we get home again.

[happyhippy]

Re the horseriding?My daughter was horse mad(as I was when I was young)and I know riding lessons/treks are expensive.My daughter had some paid lessons,and then offered grooming services/mucking out in exchange for an hours hack.Later we were living on a farm,and I was reluctant to buy said child a pony because I know all too well how fast they can lose interest.So....as we were renting the farmhouse,I asked our landlord(farmer)how much it would cost to agist a pony in one of the fields.He said a tenner would do it( )so we found a loan pony who happened to be owned by a student vet,she offered to worm it and what not when she was home from uni,which she did,and daughter was very happy!!! When we moved,the vet had the pony back(we were moving from Scotland back to Wiltshire)and within a week,daughter had offered her grooming/mucking out services again,and then had access to a horse for free.Might be worth a shot?I think in another way it taught my daughter that if you want something,then you have to work for it and she really enjoyed the experience.

[MEL78]

Once again thanks everyone for the kind advice .......I am already an avid shopper of reduced items....the kids go in search of yellow stickers when we shop.....and are not adverse to eating out of date food.....they know to check for mold rather than the date.....the girls are really good on the whole and don't ask for much ...they do as I have said get their music lessons and riding lessons etc...but I would really not want to stop them as they benefit from them so much.....I think the main culprit in our household is the wandering teenager who no matter how many times is told just takes whatever.....I can have things perfectly planned out for the kids packed lunches and go to put them up ..and lo and behold another trip to the shops is in order.....I have tried til I am blue in the face to get my other half to toughen up with him......think he still has guilt issues over divorcing his mam....have tried to tell him that he is doing him no favours and that he needs to make him stand on his own two feet.....am sure the girls are well aware of the double standards in the house as I have always been a very strict parent....maybe too much at times but I must admit I do have very well behaved kids as a consequence thereof....anyway roll on next thursday PAY DAY and I can start my budget (that is if bills ever stop coming through tghe door this month)

[boboff]

Thats really hard Mel, best of luck.

Could you try giving him £15 a week and giving him his own shelf in the fridge / cupboard. Explain to OH it's like living on his own but in your house??? But I suppose as a student, he'll be gone soon and OH won't want to "cut him out"

Anyway I have no ideas, but I would say that if I was worried about money and stuff missing from the fridge, the music lessons and riding lessons would have to go, I couldn't feel that I was being fair to the nocturnal food thief, when he was taking a few £'s of food, but "our" kids were getting these special treats......... Although I have learned that it's best perhaps not to say these things on a forum, as it is so very very personal, and I have no idea of your circumstances, but as I say I feel how hard it is, but I have stated only what I would do, and you must do what you must, so I hope that I haven't been overly rude!


(*goes back to Tact and decorum self help book:- Oh Arse, got it wrong again!)

[MEL78]

Hi the teenager has def not missed out on things.....he himself had very expensive fencing lessons..etc.....he still gets plenty...so sorry but the music lessons etc will not be stopping.....the fridge insn't empty but I do tire of filling it constantly......but I don't think a shelf for him would work as he would still just help himself to whatever else he wanted when he came in from one of his many trips to the pub.....