Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Original poster

Debt Free 2007

150 replies

charliecat · 23/05/2007 12:21

Following on from a previous thread there are a fair few mumsnetter trying to get out of and stay out of debt....chatting about it and moaning about skint
We are a friendly bunch please come in

A round up of a lot of the tips/links so far:

  • Decent food budgetting/planning - Email Flamesparrow at gmail dot com for a copy of Capp?s spreadsheet! (Didn?t want to tell everyone to CAT you Capp unless you wanted them to )
  • uswitch
  • 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.

BUDGET
Work out a spreadsheet for your monthly/weekly spending. Spend a couple of months tracking every penny you spend ? you will be able to see where your money trickles away to!!!

SHOPPING
*Shop online if you make a comprehensive list (it will cost more if you miss lots off)
*Menu plan ? easier to make a stickable to shopping list

  • Use Quidco to get money back on shopping
  • If you can be trusted to pay it all off before the end of the month, do your shopping on a Tesco credit card to get the points to use elsewhere
  • Eat before you shop
  • Buy extras like milk and bread at the corner shop ? what slight extra you pay for the milk, you save on not seeing tempting offers!! (4 pts of milk is actually CHEAPER at my corner shop than Tesco Express)
  • Sign up for anything that will send you free vouchers
  • Pay at the self service machines in Tesco as they accept all vouchers regardless of purchases
  • Avoid gift/cleaning aisle in shops ? you buy things you don?t need FOOD ? Menu plan! It can be a 2 or 3 week mix n match type thing, but have some plan to help you shop ? Work out which foods can be economised on, and which are just not worth it ? value mushrooms are just an odd shape, value mince is more fatty, but if you strain it it is fine, but frozen mince tastes like disintergrated cardboard ? Cook bulk meals and freeze ? 2 packs of mince can often make 3 meals, where as 1 pack makes 1 n a bit ? Bulk meals out with lots of veg ? again, a Bolognese sauce goes a lot further if its filled with peppers, grated carrots etc ? Take drinks out with you so you are not forced to buy ? Get Fruit and Veg at markets (have discovered that DH works next to the people who supply the organic veg box people ? we are now getting organic veg for less than basic tesco veg prices

GIFTS
? Keep a list of birthdays with you so you can buy presents as you spot bargains
? Save for Christmas NOW ? Use a club or a separate savings account with a standing order - don?t wait and see what you can afford at the end of the month ? you won?t be able to

GENERAL
? Save up spare £1 coins and coppers etc ? You can get it changed at most Sainsbury?s in a machine ? it does take some of your money in a charge, but I never get it changed if I have to take it to a bank, so it makes more sense.
? Claim back you bank charges if you have them
? Cut up credit cards ? If it is not a matter of starvation or eviction, it is NOT an emergency
ITS NOT A BARGAIN IF YOU DIDN?T NEED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!

OP posts:
GreedyGecko · 23/05/2007 12:29

Hi CC, lol @ you killing the old thread! Good luck with your 0% CCs.

Original poster
charliecat · 23/05/2007 12:36

Scared to post on this one now in case I wave my wand of death over it

OP posts:
Jas · 23/05/2007 12:46

Ooh a new thread. I really should make a bit more effort here again.

I'm still saving £1 and £2, and am using the e-savings at nationwide to save up for our tax bill (thanks cc for that one)
I'm still (mostly) sticking to a vague menu plan, too.

Also need to see if I can claim back mortgage transfer fees...don't let me forget that one, and anyone else who may be able to claim, I'll find a link to the thread later, it looks really easy.

MrsWho · 23/05/2007 20:07

Thanks CC I was thinking we were getting a bit big anyway.

i need to ask about 0% cards too.My usual card offered a 0% on balance transfers so I thought I may as well do thta as I needed a new one BUT I think it pays off the balnce first then the new purchases so I end up paying interest on the new stuff?

kirstygem · 23/05/2007 20:20

Just when you think every going well and had good couple months i do something stupid like drive into back of a van and now need to pay the £200 excess on my car insurance Souns bad but I not bothered about car its having to find this £200 from somewhere the week before payday.

GreedyGecko · 23/05/2007 21:35

uh-oh KG.

MrsWho - yes it pays off the smallest amount of interest first, so transfers, then purchases.

Original poster
charliecat · 23/05/2007 21:40

Oh KG Shit.

Ive read somewhere never spend on a cad after 0% BTing as ..oh...no idea but dont spend on it after BTing.
MSE for more on that..

OP posts:
MrsWho · 23/05/2007 21:46

KG

Thanks may transfer again though there is not that much left though.

Jas · 24/05/2007 15:21

MSE info on claiming back mortgage transfer fees.
I have printed a letter to send off as I think I might be able to get £150 back

kg.
DP has just informed me he has scraped all down the side of our car today, and our excess is also £200, but he has friends who will (hopefully) be able to sort it for less than that. If not, it will just have to stay scraped.

You are right about the cc Mrs Who, everything else is paid off before the balance transfer, so you shouldn't use the card at all until you have paid the initial transfer off. I put all ours on one card and will have it paid off before the free period expires if I keep paying £100 a month.

Jas · 24/05/2007 15:21

MSE info on claiming back mortgage transfer fees.
I have printed a letter to send off as I think I might be able to get £150 back

kg.
DP has just informed me he has scraped all down the side of our car today, and our excess is also £200, but he has friends who will (hopefully) be able to sort it for less than that. If not, it will just have to stay scraped.

You are right about the cc Mrs Who, everything else is paid off before the balance transfer, so you shouldn't use the card at all until you have paid the initial transfer off. I put all ours on one card and will have it paid off before the free period expires if I keep paying £100 a month.

MrsWho · 25/05/2007 19:32

Have applied for another one now anyway but don't have much spend on it anyway, good job I thought about it early as it is my main card

Aloveheart · 26/05/2007 08:46

Hello all didn't realise we'd all moved here. lol

I have paid my phone bill today

had a sanding order to go to water bill due in october so it will be paid off by the time october comes.

Need to pay rent and council tax on tuesday. and put money by for eleccy, gas, sewage.

Have dd for tv licence and i can't think what other bills i have, lol.

CC i have cancelled that dd for insurance.
But have my cats insured.

Trying not to spend a fortune of food shopping.

I'm going to try to be a tightfisted person this month, not sure i'll do it though, lol.

NuttyMuffins · 26/05/2007 09:17

I need to buy nothing but essentials for the next 2 weeks. My glasses are ready to collect from the opticians and I don't have the money for them

Everytime I save a bit, i end up needing to buy something or pay a bill with it.

Oh and have just got a credit card. The intention is to use it for my food shop each week, and then pay it off in full every month, hopefully then improving my credit limit/record. Am rather scared though, so have just shoved it away in a draw for now LOL.

Original poster
charliecat · 26/05/2007 12:40

With that cc nutty, what you need to do is go spend 30 on food and either shift the 30 into a savings account if you bank online, or into a paper envelope at home. The moment you walk in the door transfer/move it inot it or it will go shitfaced and put you in debt.

OP posts:
NuttyMuffins · 26/05/2007 13:55

Yep am planning to put whatever I have spent on food straight into cash box and then pay the balance on CC well before due date.

Am gonna start off slowly, and perhaps only use it twice a month to start with, unitl i am used to the routine of doing the shop, getting the money out, putting it up etc.

NuttyMuffins · 26/05/2007 13:55

It should help lower my food bills too, as at the mo I can only use my cash card online with Sainsburys, and now I can use either Asda or Tesco.

Which is the cheapest do you think ?

Original poster
charliecat · 26/05/2007 14:15

I would say Tesco, but some say its not. Our dinners are based on whats on BOGOF
I tell you what was a fantastic Idea, listing what you have in the freezer on the front of the freezer, so you know whats in there, and what you need to buy to make whaevers in there into a dinner.
Will this be online shopping, you MUST use a code for points from MSE and then every 3 months they send you vouchers, which you then convert to deals and then flog on ebay.
Must must must lol....then every 3 months you will have 100, 200 free from your shopping.

OP posts:
NuttyMuffins · 26/05/2007 14:22

You lost me when you started on about the points CC

Don't have a clubcard, have just registered acount with them online, but not sure if that was just for shopping or vouchers or what........need a confused emoticon.

Original poster
charliecat · 26/05/2007 14:26

you NEED a clubcard, i am slightly obsessed, but you NEED one. whos your cc with? not tescos is it lol??
i will talk you thru it ...you just copy and paste a code...say for 1000 points....you do that 4 times...4000 points....they send you vouchers...40.00 to spend at tescos
BUT if you swop them for blackpool vouchers, or other places you can sell them for 160...cash. Much better

OP posts:
NuttyMuffins · 26/05/2007 14:34

Ahhh ok, so i need to register for a card too ??

Another thicko question coming up.....you know the bogof deals, do you add 2 to your basket to get the free one , or add one and they automatically give you the free one ???

Original poster
charliecat · 26/05/2007 14:37

add two you need to pick up a paper card instore I think.

OP posts:
NuttyMuffins · 26/05/2007 14:40

Ahhh ok ta CC

Original poster
charliecat · 26/05/2007 20:59

while your waiting for the sun!

OP posts:
Aloveheart · 30/05/2007 20:59

Thought i would bump up this thread, no one has been on it for ages!!!

I am not sure what i have done to save money this month but... cough.

I am off out for lunch tommorow and off out next saturday for a night out with dp, which i am really really looking forward to as i can't remember the last time i went out of a evening.

MrsWho · 02/06/2007 21:31

Spenta fortune while I was away

Petrol was much dearer there too 99.8/9 compared to 94.7 here at being that observant