Really helpful (not helpful) advice

[FurbleSocks]

Obviously the cost of living is rising at the moment and I've seen a few month saving articles including that ridiculous Times article about swapping a nanny for an au pair

One I've just seen is 'blowing 10 grand a year on partying and now saving thousands'. I don't have £10k to blow on partying in the first place! I wish I drank Starbucks coffee, or smoked so I could give it up and save ££££. But I can't afford them in the first place and smoking is a filthy habit. And I already wear thermal socks and thick jumpers when I work from home. What not helpful 'helpful' advice have you seen?

This sort of advice reminds me of the MN classic response to earning a few extra Bob "just take in some ironing"

Reminds me of the Tracey Ullman sketch
‘In Claam (Clapham) we share things, like…. the chauffeur’

Most of the advice rich people give to poor people is bullshit because it ignores the fact that poor people have limited access to the solutions rich people have, because they are POOR.

Problem: 'I have been housed in a bedsit in central London with only a kettle'
Answer from rich twat: 'Grow vegetables in your non-existent garden and cook lentils on your non-existent cooker'

The trouble is that when a poorer person says, “I can’t afford it”, the richer person assumes they mean “I have the money but prefer to spend it on other things”. I remember getting so irate with someone like that because they just didn’t get it that I did not physically have the money, at all.

I agree it’s frustrating to see tips like “don’t buy coffee every day” or “make lunch at home to take to work” when you already do those. So patronising.

I used to work in a charity supporting homeless young people. We had a student who was unbelievably confident in his own experience and skill, and just outrageously out of touch with the reality of life for our young people.

As part of his uni course, he had to plan, deliver, and evaluate a groupwork course, and - after consultation with some of our young people - he chose to have an 'affordable cooking' theme.

On the first week, he gathered his little group of 18 year old care-leavers together and taught them how to make...
...
...
... a homemade piccalilli.

There's a news article that keeps popping up "we're having to hire a 10k Au Pair and get rid if our £40k Nanny, as we prepare for the financial squeeze"

Or some such bullshit

Keep your heating low to save energy bills.
Great if you don't live in a damp house

Get a prescription pre-payment.
Fine if you can afford it, but it's cheaper not to get your prescriptions.

There's help for low income families.
But fuck all if you're just above the threshold.

It's sensible to pay into a pension.
Not if it means you can't pay the bills.

Shop local and organic to save the planet.
Great unless you're on an Asda budget.

When people say "just buy in bulk, it's much cheaper" Yes, because when you're down to your last £40 to feed a family of 4 for a month, you're going to spend a quarter of that on a sack of rice And it's usually followed by "just get a slow cooker, they're only £20 and they're much cheaper to run." Again, when you don't have £20 spare it's not an option

It is so depressing when you have been following the advice for years. The problem is there is no new money saving advice. I have a tiny freezer and nowhere to put a 2nd freezer. So I'm particularly sick of batch cooking tips!

I find the free Tesco magazine full of useless hints and tips like this.

'Take advantage of buy one get one free offers!'

'Look around for reduced items, they taste just as fresh and cost less!'

So basically, common sense things that we are already doing then.

@Survivingmy3yearold

When people say "just buy in bulk, it's much cheaper" Yes, because when you're down to your last £40 to feed a family of 4 for a month, you're going to spend a quarter of that on a sack of rice And it's usually followed by "just get a slow cooker, they're only £20 and they're much cheaper to run." Again, when you don't have £20 spare it's not an option

I hate this advice because it also assumes you have the space to store 20 kilos of rice, odds are if you're struggling financially you won't have a pantry for bulk shopping.

@MoiraNotRuby

It is so depressing when you have been following the advice for years. The problem is there is no new money saving advice. I have a tiny freezer and nowhere to put a 2nd freezer. So I'm particularly sick of batch cooking tips!

This is exactly it. No new money saving advice. I did all the original ones back in 2008 with the credit crunch and my finances haven't recovered since.

My main Christmas present this year was a heated throw for when I work from home. I'm not saving petrol money because my office was only 2 miles away. I am spending money on heating and lighting though!

@Theflamingnerd yes, exactly!

"Why don't you shop in Aldi?"

Said to someone with no Aldi in walking distance and no car.

"Lots of bargains at your local market!"

My market is four stalls of dog treats and MLM sellers.

Another one is "sell some of your unwanted items on eBay". Utterly useless if you need all your clothes etc, and use them until they are worn out so nobody would buy them anyway.

The "save money by giving up smoking" always annoys me as it seem to feature in every money saving tips column. What about those of us who never started? Surely non-smokes massively outnumber smokers these days? And I'd assume anyone who does smoke isn't blind to the price of cigarettes.