How do you budget - I mean really, how do you do it

[fruitstick]

I don't mean in terms of saving money but in terms of working out how much you need and not going over.

I'm ashamed to say I've never stuck to a budget and just bobbled along, probably wasting a fortune. But now I really want to save some money (well repay savings that I've spent).

If you set a food budget, how do you calculate what you're spending. Do you do it online? Or to you just get to the checkout and hope god the best.

Do you get your weekly cash out in one go and just spend it tip it's gone

I realise these are ridiculous questions hut I am clueless.

I use a spreadsheet and I shop online for most stuff . Then its case of knowing how much stuff costs for top ups

WE get paid monthly and all direct debits are arranged to go out int he couple of days after payday

I use software called Microsoft Money which was already installed on my PC. If you don't have personal finance software, if you keep track of what you spend by category for a week or two on a spreadsheet you'll quickly get a picture of your regular outgoings.

Start with the essential bills such as rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance. Take them one by one and see if you can reduce the cost by shopping around. Online comparison sites are very good for this. For an afternoon's effort you can easily be £50-£100 a month better off.

Then examine all your other Direct Debits and Standing Orders. Make sure you know what they're paying for (some people don't, you'd be surprised) and then see if they are still required, can be dispensed with or the price reduced.

Start the food budget process with a simple menu plan.... Use things you already have in cupboards, fridge and freezer before buying more. (Many people have a few weeks' worth of food stockpiled). Build cheaper foods like vegetables, eggs and beans into your menu plan and avoid using lots of expensive ready-made foods

Running what you need through an online site is then a good way to predict the cost. Print it out once you've adjusted it downwards and take that with you as your shopping list.

Finally... set up a savings account and a regular debit going into it. Even if it's just £10 a month, factor that into your budget and keep it going. Everyone needs money for a rainy day!

The sheer act of keeping track of your income and expenses means you will spend less. Worth doing. Good luck

I do my shopping online and know roughly how much I can spend and can't go over.

We have started taking the money out of the bank which we need to get us through the week instead of using the card as we were losing track of where the money was going.

That's really helpful, thank you. I have a mac so can't get ms money but definitely think online shopping is the way to go!

The budget planner on www.moneysavingexpert.com is brilliant - you need to sit down and spend a couple of hours doing it properly with bills and things, and it really does give you a great idea of where you're spending.

Other than that, menu planning and food shopping online (allowing for extra milk/bread runs during the week if necessary) can help keep food shopping bills down - if the total comes to more than the budgeted amount, replace meals with cheaper ones (veggie stir fry, casserole, pasta etc) until the total meets what you have to spend. Also in summer growing salad is v. easy, as well as herbs and tomatoes, if you can be bothered.Salad saves loads on supermarket prices, if you eat any kind of quantity of it.

Places like Money supermarket etc are good for getting household bills down.

Our biggest thing was buying things like cakes, sandwiches etc on family days out (we usually go somewhere cheap, but could spend lots on snacks etc), so we bought some nice SIGG water bottles and buy decent packed lunch stuff - it still costs a lot less than, e.g. buying lunch in a national trust restaurant. I take mine and DS's water bottles out with us daily, and it saves a bloody fortune!

limit car use - seriously, petrol is expensive now. it used to be a relatively small part of the cost of running a car, but at £1.20 a litre, combining, e.g. shopping trips with commuting home from work makes sense! trains can be cheap if you book way in advance, but are rarely cheaper than driving for last minute journeys.

Ummm.... turn off the lights and sit in the dark?