Does anyone else just really enjoy saving?

[MorallyBankrupt]

9 months ago I was bitten by the savings bug

Since then it has become my obsession. I just really enjoy it. It has come to the point I would rather save £20 then get a takeaway, I will walk 40 mins into town to save £2 on petrol and £2.50 on parking!

I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon... has anyone else gone through a phase like this?

Are you saving for something special?

A house deposit I guess. And really just to have savings!

I really enjoy spending. I suspect your way is better...

I used to save all my random bits of change and £2 coins. Then I'd not have any money when I popped to the shop so ended up using my card. You have to spend 5 squid to use a card in the village shop, so even if I just wanted a loaf of bread I ended up spending more. I had a nice pile in the jar, but the bank account looked crap! Have given up on that now funnily enough.

As for your saving £20 by not getting a takeaway, well we do that too - only it;s because we can't actually afford one.

I go through phases of saving, investing & spring-cleaning the direct debits. I keep all my finances on some software and it is very addictive to watch the graphs going upwards :) Got a goal of paying off the mortgage inside five years which keeps me sharp. But I also have phases of doing mad, expensive stuff like treating myself to a fancy sat-nav or booking a citybreak in Rome just to balance things up. Don't want to end up one of those old women you hear about, dressed by Oxfam, living on gravy granules and leaving half a million in her will.

Lol @ Cogito, I am the same. We were saving like mad to repay our debts. Now we have nearly done that (2 loans done, 1 to finish at the end of this year - thank you exes) we are over GBP650 better off a month which is now going towards a house. There is always a savings goal. However, you are right everyone needs to let off a bit of steam once in a while.

I love saving too!! I spend hours on the Internet researching! Then I keep "checking" the small 3 digit amount that I have saved! I am saving up to send my son to a very good Montessori school nearby. Though last night my boss rang me up and gave me two weeks notice I was a nanny and dearly loved my job.

Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert site is worth a look for some good tips for the stingy thrifty. .

Oh I would happily say I'm stingy

I want my own home and if I have to be seriously tight for a few years. So be it. Alas DH doesn't quite see it the same way.....

I'm careful but my mother could run money-saving master classes. She makes Martin Lewis look like a flash, irresponsible spendthrift. Examples of money saving mum style...

• When waiting for the hot tap to warm up, use a canister to catch the cold water you'd normally send down the plughole and use it to flush the loo or water plants. Keeps the water meter bill down.
• Never buy plants. Tour parks and large gardens equipped with secateurs, plastic bags and damp cotton wool.
• Volunteer to collect second hand goods for the local jumble sale so that you can triage the best stuff and keep it for yourself... paying a pound or two, obviously.
• Disconnect every electrical appliance in the house when not in use and privately wish you could do the same with the fridge freezer. (She beat the Greens by about 30 years with that one)

I could go on...

morally - us too. I am saving like mad for a deposit for a house. It is going to take us about 5 years. My DH isn't as into it as me but i too will walk into town - 2 miles - instead of driving and put away money each month. Do I like it? I think i would rather spend it but there is a satisfaction in saving it and seeing it growing.

I love it and am another 'checker'. Just have to have a quick look at my online banking every day to make sure it's all still where it should be (and hope that some freak accident by the bank means it has grown). Am saving for a house deposit and would happily forego fancy things for a while. Unfortunately DP is set on doing an expensive holiday next year before we get tied down by mortgage etc, ignoring the fact that we'll never get a mortgage without a deposit!

Well I logged on to online banking today only to see that all my savings were gone!

Turns out instead of moving my ISA the bank had just decided to close it....and not open another one I guess they were hopeful I'd just let them keep all my money

Sold DH's bike yesterday and put the cash straight in the bank

I am starting the feel the pain of never eating out though :( I do miss restaurants and the cinema!

I love saving. Am another one of those who checks their online banking every day! Am saving for my holiday spending money and just round down my current account to the nearest hundred and put the excess into my internet instant access ISA. Yes I normally have to dip into it a little at the end of the month, but it stops me from spending and love seeing the figures on my account.!!! I do work six days a week and also freelance hairdress in the evening to get wages.

Guilty as charged. I love seeing my savings go up and yes, I do check my online banking just to stare happily at the figures. I'm currently persuading DP that we should overpay the mortgage so I can see the debts go down faster as well.

Well I'm so glad I'm not the only one

I've planned it so by the end of August we'll have saved 50% of DH's gross salary as per Martin Lewis's recommendation. That should feel good! So actually that'll be more like 12 months outgoings saved.