Has anyone got any tips on living below your means.

[ScarboroughFairy]

I don't mean setting a budget I mean tricks and tips. This could help anyone if you want to chip in. my idea is bar soap instead of bottles. I don't have a problem with frivolous spending but I am living above my means. I am OK with the cost of my food and bills etc which are reasonable. It's just everything else.

Make yourself use up all items such as make up, shampoo and other beauty products before you buy any more. I did this once with shampoo/conditioner and didn't buy any for 8 months. I need to do it again and also with my make up!

Its not funny - its a sensible thing to do

Unless you are that person who can pay a credit card bill off in full each month , without a bother ,without it bringing you into over draft or sacrificing savings . then freezing it into a block of ice is sensible - you cant buy on a whim, you have to wait , and in that time of waiting, you have time to think seriously about buying

Credit is grand - if you can afford it

I saved up for two years for a big money item. I went in and ordered it and to pay the deposit. It wasnt until the vendors said to me " most pay on credit, we dont offer it, but check see if you can find a 0% card and pay on that ? " that I thought to myself, id rather the money still there in case of .......

So I applied and got interest free card for 24 months. Split my payments over that time, and cut the card up

I refuse to get into debt that I find for me spirals. I save the money first, and then if offered take the 0% interest - but I dont spend what Ive saved, that's earmarked to service the debt, but there's a bit of lee way if life gets in the way

Its both practical and funny. I can picture it being in a comedy.
Your suggestion of saving first is a really good idea. I can afford to pay off my credit card at the end of the month to be honest but it does get out of hand so that's a really good suggestion for things that aren't urgent.

Taking my own lunch to work rather than buying a meal deal from the shop saved me a fortune and is probably much healthier too.
Also, try using cash instead of contactless at least for non essential purchases like snacks etc through the week so you physically see the money going down. It's something I started doing when I was in my first year at University. I was in catered halls so got breakfast and evening meal provided but needed to buy lunch, drinks etc through the day. I worked out what I could reasonably afford to spend in a week and took only that amount out of the cash machine on a Monday morning on my way to my first lecture. That had to last me for the week so if I treated myself to something expensive on Monday and Tuesday I knew I'd be hungry on Friday which I found helped concentrate the mind!
I think with cards, especially contactless as it is so effortless, it is easy to lose track of what you're spending - it doesn't feel like real money somehow. But handing over actual money and seeing the amount in your purse reducing can make you realise what you're spending and sometimes think twice about spending on stuff that you don't really need. That fancy coffee might seem a bit less attractive if paying for it leaves you with only 27p in your purse rather than just waving your phone over a machine.

And if you break DW tablets in half you won't notice much difference apart from having the cost 😉

Has anyone suggested the snoop app. It’s actually pretty good and it’s alerted me to lower bills, bank switched, cash back, as well as telling me when I bust my budgets for groceries or going out.

Is it free how does it work I'm worried about linking anything to my bank due to scams

Batch cook and freeze main meals that pasta/rice can be added to.

Batch cook and freeze big batches of soup for lunches.

Butchers will often give away bones for stock.

Bulk buy what you can.

Get a bigger freezer if you can. Buy up reduced meat and bread.

Heated blankets and oodies instead of heating.

Those are my main tips. I batch cook and 10 portion pot of soup every week, it goes into 2 portion bags in the freezer. Get a good variety going and you take one oit every day. Super healthy and filling.

I also batch cook a lot of bolognese/casserole/curry/chilli and freeze, then get them out as and when. It’s best to do it depending on what meat is currently reduced.

sometimes I buy 3 half price chickens, get an enormous casserole going, freeze 10 portions then make dumplings when I take them out.

Focusispower
*Has anyone suggested the snoop app. It’s actually pretty good and it’s alerted me to lower bills, bank switched, cash back, as well as telling me when I bust my budgets for groceries or going out.

Is it free how does it work I'm worried about
I have the free version for a few years and its good. You can pay an upgrade fee but im happy the way I am.

If you also buy them from Aldi or Lidl for about 8 p a tablet instead of nearly 16 p for Persil, you also won't notice a difference.

I always try to do this, but if I forget or don’t go home first I have stopped buying things if I can’t remember if we have them. This has led to a few substitutions, but on the whole has worked out!

Put some money (I put a fiver in but add a bit the odd time too) onto Aldi gift cards once a week/ fortnight, it means the Christmas shopping is easier

library

movie night in instead of cinema (although I miss the cinema but with so many of us it can only be justified for a huge release

as someone said track every purchase for a month, noticed the kids were buying snacks etc so just started buying multipacks.

As others have said save at the start of the month and remember no matter how small the amount it adds up

I cut open all toiletries to get the last amount.

@ScarboroughFairy it is free. I haven’t experienced any issues and have had all my accounts linked to it for 6 months.

Track every bit of spending. Everyone’s spending. You have to know where it’s going. Check your bank statements and go back a year…. Then allocate money each month. So if you spending 240 a year on presents, that’s £20 a month in that pot… and so on.

I think that's a good tip in itself. I still have to remind the OH that he needs to look at the price per tablet or the price per 100g etc.

Just because something's on offer, it doesn't mean it's the best value.

I had a period of time when money was very tight.

You can make a huge difference to your monthly finances by getting your weekly shopping down.

So I would opt for the cheapest unbranded version of cereal/beans/shampoo/whatever and trial it. If we liked it we kept buying it, if we didn't we went up a price point.

Base meals of what you have in the house already rather than what you fancy. Really use up every scrap. I hate waste for environmental reasons as much as financial, so veg lurking near the bottom of the fridge gets roasted and added to a tin of chickpeas or butter beans for a nutritious salad, or made into soup, or added to some sort of sauce to bulk it out. Lentils and oats also very good for bulking out meals.

Agree with PP that adults don't really need snacks if they're eating 3 proper meals. Kids can have cut up cucumber, carrot sticks, cheap mini apples from a multi-bag.

Porridge oats for breakfast. The cheapest fruit and veg is usually seasonal and/or doesn't have big air miles on it.

I have a breadmaker and make a loaf a couple of times a week which is cheap and filling, but only if you already have a breadmaker. I can make a loaf of bread by hand very easily too, but it took a bit of practice and does take more time. None of the nasty chemicals in packaged bread.

I genuinely enjoy eating this way. It keeps costs low, is rich in whole foods and low in UPF. So a win-win-win in my opinion.

Don't "go shopping" as a fun activity. Do it if you need something specific and use price comparison sites and vinted first.

If you have some disposable income but are struggling to manage it having a "this or that" mindset.

So I can say "yes" to going out for dinner but that will mean saying "no" to take aways for a few weeks. I can treat myself to non-essential new clothes just for fun but that will mean less money for taking the kids to cinema/swimming/days out.

Just recognition that most of us can't say yes to everything and have to work out what to prioritise and what to say no to. A budget is good for laying this out in black and white and working out exactly how much money is truly disposable.

Check if your work has a benefits scheme which gets you discounts - both DH and I can buy gift cards for various shops/restaurants at a discount, including supermarkets. So we buy (for example) a £100 gift card for Asda for £96, saving £4 a week or over £200 a year. We always check both schemes before buying anything to see if one of us can a discount.

Check your banks too- we get disney+, cinema tickets and appletv through our banks. Lots offer cashback too if you use the card to buy something from a particular shop - again we see if one of us can get cashback before buying.

Switch the heating off as soon as you are all in bed, rather than waiting for the timer to do the job. Reverse in the morning. Although good luck in getting your energy bill lower than last year.
If you have a long run of cold water before it comes out hot, harvest it in a bucket to flush the loo (our water board has classified us as very low users).
Switch off lights in rooms which are not in use.
If you are old enough to have a free bus pass use this instead of the car when you can. It saves on parking costs too.
Batch cook and have slightly smaller portions. This gives you a ‘free’ extra meal here and there.
Make sure your loft & hot water tank are lagged properly.
Don’t have Amazon Prime (unless it is a free month’s offer). Have your items delivered to Amazon Locker to avoid payment charges (timing might be important here if you work FT).
Don’t buy interesting extras from Aldi or Lidl just because it’s cheaper.

I once was talking to my (poor) friend about budgeting and found she spent on average £10 a day on nonsense for her child. Neither of us could believe the other one’s astonishment.

She thought it was completely normal to buy a little toy whenever she went to the supermarket with her dc. I had never done it once.

Years later we were similarly shocked on the scintillating subject or how we sorted our laundry. 🧺

I guess this wouldn’t be a great for you as it certainly doesn’t have a ‘nice coffee shop’ vibe, but may be of interest to others - when I meet a friend for coffee we go to Witherspoons - it’s around £1.60 for a refillable cup. I think it tastes nice too.

Packed lunches
No cleaner
No car/share car/cheap car
Holiday out of season
Don't eat meat
Don't drink alcohol
Walk everywhere you can
Don't upgrade mobile, just ask provider for a cheaper tariff.
When insurance renewals come out, phone to ask for money off.
Pay everything as yearly, not direct debit
Only have heating on when you need it, wear slippers and a wearable blanket
Run or walk for exercise, no classes or memberships
Use cashback sites

My tip, and it's just the one, is for if you are forced to tolerate someone who is incredibly annoying but you can't get rid of them from your life for whatever reason

Every time they annoy you or wind you up, use it but go and put the effort into your finances instead of being cross. For example, sorting out things to sell, switching bank accounts, making sure that you have the best interest rate on any savings. Those faffy things that you put off. Do them. You'll reduce your stress and increase your savings all at the same time

Don't waste food. We throw so much away. I've been trying to be far less wasteful. I made a soup a while ago with carrots that had gone limp and spring onions that had dried out. It was genuinely one of the nicest soups I've ever made.

Don't overeat. Instead of seconds, save left overs and have them for lunch or dinner next day. If you have some stale bread, turn it into breadcrumbs or croutons. Left over mash, mixed with a bit of flour can be potato cakes.

DH is going away for 10 days soon and I am going to use what we have in the freezer and store cupboard for as long as possible, instead of buying food just for me. (DC are adults, no longer at home.)

Hah. I like this one.