Debt Free 2007?

[Flamesparrow]

Keep thinking about this since yesterday...

Am thinking that my aim for 2007 is to be in a decent(ish) money situation next Christmas BUT I don't wanna take the swing out of the budgie's cage completely...

I need to work out how to save money, pay all the bills, but still be able to have the odd treat here and there.

I thinking:

• Decent food budgetting/planning
• uswitch (I think I am on the cheapest anyway)
• s/o for savings AND a s/o for treats
• Work out the birthdays that will be coming across the year and make sure I put aside enough each month to cover the hell months.

What else should I be doing?

So far I've done ok - but then I hate crowds so I am not having to face sales really.

Hi. Just seen this thread and I'm a bit late but really need to join too! Am still on mat leave (unpaid) and will not be returning to work until we move house (moving to new area so re-locating with work) so we are surviving on 1 salary and extending our mortgage to buy a bigger house. When I go back to work we'll have so little left over each month (great spreadsheet!) so I need to get frugal now, esp as we have a big o/draft and have all the legal and estate agents fees looming (gulp!)

Thanks for all the advice - will def be doing the meal planning as I waste so much money on food and take aways

I'm not going near any shops this week, so I may miss lots of bargains, but at least I'm not spending too much.
I have some gift vouchers coming this week so I will spend them when they arrive.

I'm adding to my £1 tin slowly, and I've had an acnowledgement from the bank re claiming my charges back, so at least they can't say they didn't get the letter.

Am I insane... in the midst of all this saving I had a call from cancer research and they sent me a little cardboard money box to put my change in for them - even though I keep thinking I should be saving it, it feels like the right thing to do to give to them.

If it feels right then go for it. It may get eaten up in the admin that they used to call yu and send out the box though >
Or you could have two pots going, one for you one for them.
Charity begins at home. Theres no point giving someone else something your going to need later on in the week.

I haven't done the sales this year & we are cancelling SKY next week.That will save us £34 a month.

I have a pile of things to go onto eBay once the unwanted Christmas present rush is over.

My new years resolution is to get my polytunnel up & running so I can grow most of our veg & sell the excess.

I have also been quite strict about eating up leftovers & eatoing stuff out of the freezer rather than leaving it in the fridge for days & then binning it.

I need to get round to cancelling sky (or at least threaten to so they discount it!)

gave 1 months notice to SKy today.They didn't offer it at a discount though so will just wait til they phone up in a couple of months
They did offer free broadband (not in my area)and cheap phone calls but they were the same as I'm on atm.
Bloke on phone asked why I was cancelling , I said because of the cost, his reply? won't you have to pay more to entertain the kids now?

nikkie, i had a sky bloke ring up and offer me loads of deals. i kept saying i didn't want to pay more. "but you like films, so why aren't you getting sky movies?". because i can't afford to pay more! i'm cancelling it this month and getting NTL tv, they offered us a great deal as we've already got broadband and phone with them.

pmsl @ costing more to entertain kids.

Well... I've had my hair cut and 2 takeaways and its only the 3rd

BUT - I've written it all down very nicely

The cynic in me is coming out with the charity box too

I once had Sky for 3 months for 63p a month so will keep coming back with offers that I will take (then cancel again so I don't have to pay full whack!)

More tips from another site.

find cheap petrol

Don't buy 'brand' medicines, 16p paracetomol rather than £1.20

I need to do this too, can someone send me the budgeting thingy please [email protected]

I need to clear a couple of small debts and be able to have driving lessons.

It is good though when you realise the debts are going down.

In March 06 I owed my water company nearly £700. Have been paying some off each week and now only owe just over £300 and thats including the water I have used since.

I'm quite looking forward to my next gas bill - we were a lot in credit and they wanted to up our payments, so I called and said even with winter our current payments should be ok, and the guy said I could probably even stand to drop them. I left them as they are, and we have had a new boiler since then, so hopefully come the next payment review (March I think), I should be oodles in credit and be able to stop payments/very very much drop them for a few months

Oh, im on a prepayment meter for gas and eleccy, think nutty is too.... Top Tip, which ive been meaning to do for YEARS and only got round to doing this year is, when in summer and your not using that much, keep putting it on anyway...so I keep sticking 10 quid on thru the summer and end up with £100 / £150 on each of my meters which means I can have the heating on when its cold and the kids are on holiday...like NOW!
Brilliant.

Oh yes, I remember when we were on prepayment trying to make it so I stuck x amount on on the same day regardless of what we needed so it covered good and bad times.

Got my clubcard deals book today so, am changing some of my vouchers into english hertitage membership and cadw membership (for cheap days out!) also had another £15 left that needed using by Feb so am getting a pass for my local zoo (more cheap days out!)

Yep you are right CC I am on prepayment meters for gas an electric and I definatly need to do what you've just said. I need to just stick the same amount on, on the same day each week, instead of checking it every day and trying to work out how little I can get away with putting on.

Guzzling it now isnt it?
Kids are back to school tommorow and I will go back to switching the blow heater on for them to get dressed for 10 mins and sitting with 3 jumpers on till 4pm!

nikki
is cadw and eng heritage the same thing - if not i think that you can get in free to both by buying one or the other (not 100% certain but worth checking first!). we wnet to wales on holiday and got in everywhere with eng heritage/nationla trust memberships.

I have just shopped at the market for my fruit and veg and it came to £12 this week . Don't really know how much i normally spend but things I did know the price of were much cheaper. Kiwi fruit I buy 6 a week at 99p for 6 in morrisons at the market £1.50 for twelve.I will keep them in the fridge and they will last for 2 weeks.

I still can't find these savings cans?

Does anyone know if it cheaper to put your heating on a timer or just keep it low all the time?

I have been having mine low but set with the thermostat so that if it is below x temp it comes on low, ut is off the rest of the time iyswim

Heat is something I am very particular about and I tend to eat less rather than be cold.

link\cgi.ebay.co.uk/LARGE-CASH-CAN-MONEY-TIN-500-SAVER_W0QQitemZ320067093559QQihZ011QQcategoryZ149QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem\cash can} BUT you can get uglier versions in the pound shop some times for ...a pound!

here sorry