Marvellous Money Saving March.

[CremeEggThief]

Hi All,
Thought I'd start a new thread for all regulars and anyone else who is interested in saving money in March .

DS eats far far more than my nephew, who is a year older. He may possibly be a freak, worry not! He's skin and bone too.

pass I can only get away with 5 weeks now for my hair, I started going grey very early and have naturally dark brown hair, so it shows. I feel the pain.

Chicken curry for tea. Using celeriac up and some odds and ends. Will let the family have oven chips with the curry, as a treat.

This is what I like about this thread. Your income isn't the deal here, it's being frugal for a variety of reasons. We actually have a very high income (if you count DH's dividend), but high outgoings too. We are all so supportive and share the same goals.

DH has agreed to chickens again. He did agree, then decided against in, but has agreed again. So will keep my eye out for chicken coups on Ebay and Pre-Loved in our area.

£1.53 on a jiffy bag and 2nd class stamp at the post office.
£6.20 Tesco (batteries for the smoke alarms and cooking oils).
£1.80 plant from the local florist.
£1.94 on some fab waffle biscuits and cherry bakewells from Lidl.
Total : £ 11.47.

Thanks guys, feel much better now.

Ok gotta shut down the computer and go pick dd up from nursery. The whole meet the new staff session got moved to next Tuesday. I hope they realise that I need to resign by end of the month to join them in September! Well, I did tell the secretary that...

NSD.

LSD £1.29 on lentils.. I know how to really live!..

Oh bugger just found out I am scarily near my overdraft limit. No savings this month here either then!

I'm trying not to panic too much, we had the trip away and a couple of other expenses recently like getting DCs some clothes and a few one off home ed things so... that explains most of it. And obviously as we had to start paying CM in cash before childcare vouchers go through that made a huge scary dent.

Still, going to suggest we reduce our food budget a bit more - it's those damn top ups. I'm a bit of a food hoarder so I do all this bulk cooking and stock up on stuff, but never take it into account when shopping, so just buy more instead of using up stores!

This is what I like about this thread. Your income isn't the deal here, it's being frugal for a variety of reasons. We actually have a very high income (if you count DH's dividend), but high outgoings too.

A very true statement. My dh always says 9 times out of 10 your out goings are comparable in respect of your earnings.
My dsis thinks we're rich but fails to see what our outgoings are. Above that, her dh is tight.

Yes no judging here.
Nsd today about bloody time too.

Oh not to mention DH's bus pass and DD's brownies uniform.

Totally agree about lack of judgement. We all have the same goal really don't we, so we can be united regardless of what we earn or spend on :)

I like the lots of actual accounts idea but the admin would drive me nuts.

However we are in debt so maybe we should have! We've actually gone the other way and are funneling almost all our budgeted money into just one account so that as well as being able to update the spreadsheet we can also go to an atm and see how much is left overall while we're out.

We just have the one main account too. All bills come out of there plus food and petrol. Any one off spends or stuff for the dc etc come out of our own accounts (which look pretty pitiful). We'd be ok if we didn't have credit card debt.

Why is the natwest site so bastarding SLOW today? Trying to do a transfer to avoid more charges but it's just whirring round and round. DH has transferred some from his account instead as the mobile app is fine but I don't have that. FFS

(Still I should use this to learn to stop being such a fecking ostrich about my bank balance)

I don't have pots. I have a current account, a joint account, a savings account, 2 children's account and an isa. So money goes into the current account every month. Money gets moved into the joint account for the mortgage, paying of credit cards, shopping etc. money goes dd into the kids accounts and the savings account. Money used to be put into the isa but not anymore. Hope to do that again.

I do have a few hundred pounds every month spare which is great but it usually remains in the current account as I never get round to moving it across to the savings although I should (so the coin sweeping but on a monthly level). I tried doing the coin sweeping but Hsbc won't let me transfer that!
And this few hundred pounds somehow doesn't grow! I think that's my concern really. If I have a few hundred per month, where does it go every month? You'd think if even if I had £100/month spare, I'd be able to have £1200 by the end of the year!

If I had to give an answer now, it'd be to do with the school/nursery fees, swimming etc. so I might have £100 extra this month and leave it in the current account, next month's fees for after school club arrives so immediately I have to pay £160 so that comes out. With the £80 for preschool, I do the same so immediately I'm down £240.

So if I would have had £100 extra from last month, I'm now £140 down from just these 2 bills!! Let alone things like washing machine, car repair... So although I can afford all these things (just about), I don't take it out of the savings pot, it just sits in the current account!

Maybe if I was more diligent about moving money at the end of the week or month, then I'd see the effects of the savings and then be more reluctant to spend (other than on the fees and broken cars and machines!!).

Sorry for the long essay!

We have one account each and a savings account each, that's it. We both have online banking so transferring between them all is easy (ie despite not actually having a joint account, it's all joint money IYSWIM).

The only 'pot' we have currently is food at £400pcm, but even that is a new concept for us!

I only have the current account, one savings account (which is for the car) and one isa.

I set the car savings account up last year as really struggled to find the additional money needed for tax, mot and insurance - it all comes within a month of each other and came to over £800 although this year am determined to find a better deal on my car insurance. However only manage to save £50 a month into this account which is not enough.

I try and save £100 a month in the isa, this is my emergency fund and also covers things like Christmas if I am left short.

However it is only me and dd so maybe easier to keep track of what is going in and out of the account? I know how much the direct debits are and I know roughly how much is left for everything else.

I rarely if ever have money left at the end of the month though, there always seems to be something, Christmas, Birthdays, Cats needing the vet, holidays etc. However bearing in mind I am a single parent living on a p/t wage with no support from dds father I think I do o.kay!!

NSD at last! I'm really hoping to have another NSD tomorrow

I do YANB and yes i have paid for it, but its actually saved me loads.. Im a total convert..Iadmidt, but using it has made me budget for the first time in my life ever (and i'm 57!!)
Totally worth the £30 .. INMHO

We have a joint account where mortgage/house bills/kids stuff comes from, a joint savings accounts, kids savings, own personal accounts and personal savings. We don't operate in "pots", just try to keep spending on anything as low as possible, we sort of know what we can afford without causing trouble.

So today I've had 2 people contact me to see if I'm interested in roles, this is after I've verbally accepted the other. Must be something in the stars. ..might buy a scratch card for the first time!

Oh yes we have a joint savings account with a few hundred in it and I have an ISA with £9 in it
The dc have savings accounts which birthday and Christmas money goes into.

Pass are either of them of any interest?!

I have what I think is a 'middle' income. i.e not well off but not poor.. I usually clear about £1300 per month these days after savings ,.. of this i pay everything on the house -food and fuel, council tax , utilities etc ( as Dh works away and we have another small house he lives in during week).
.
He earns more than me.. but i budget my money only..he pays forcars holidays etc and the other house

What i like about being here is that yes, we all have different incomes and priorities , but we all recognise that being frugal means working towards having no debts and no nasty surprises and that we may be being able to save some for a rainy day ..

I think its about coping when we have to and hopefully being able to be eventually working together to be happy with what we have (and maybe having some dreams we can work towards too ).. Me?.. im saving for my campervan /travelling dream.(and some more hopefully to help my adult kids and DGCs)

ok perhaps a bit preachy' and 'pie inthe sky'..but forgive me .. ive had some this evening,

Sorry it sounds like my DH doesnt contribute.. .. he pays all i dont pay for, and meals out and any bill food fuel etc.. i need paying .. and plently of things when i dont either have cash..and presents too..

I am very fortunate in such a lovely generous partner, (and still gorgeous after 25 years in his skinny jeans.. but i dont tell him of course .... Well sometimes,when provoked, I might mention that hes ok-ish!)

Also lucky in being 'old' ..our mortgage is now virtually paid off...