Reining it in for 2025 - anyone with me?

[Christmasgonk]

So we’ve had a hugely expensive 2024 following an (almost) full house renovation plus extension. And we have overspent on Christmas (largely because we wanted to go “all out” this year as last year we were living in a damp and cold building site. However, we really really need to cut the spending in 2025 to build up a buffer/save for retirement.

Current plan is:

• quit drinking at least until May (when we go away) - I need to drop about 2 stone anyway;
• meal plan religiously and use as much from store cupboard as possible - we grow a lot of our own veg but obvs not much left this time of year
• stop any mindless spending, particularly Amazon habit!!!

Most of our spending tends to be on food/drink (even though we don’t really eat out anymore) so if we can cut that down we might be able to boost our savings.

anyone with me? What’s your spending weakness?

Also there's world of books which I find pretty much any book I want on.

I would like to join please. We have recently had a loft conversion, we were planning on re working our finances to be better at overpaying the loft conversion mortgage to clear it ASAP. But my dh was made redundant just before Christmas so now we're reining it in to make sure his pay out lasts as long as possible. With cutbacks it will last 7 months. He was on a good pay, I earn half his pay. There's also no guarantee he will be able to earn the same salary as quickly as we'd like so we need to be prepared for his regular income to be less than Before. He's confident, I'm more hesitant because I'm still upset at the timing of it (we've been pretty bad in the past. We aren't in debt but we never came out of the year with more money than we started, and considering what we earn together we should be saving tbh, so I'm just like arrgghh we finally had a plan that was going to work and now that's been screwed up aswell!!)
We have 3 kids. 9,4 and 2
Zero no spend days so far. Ds aged 2 needed a new winter hat, he's growing so fast that his older brother aged 4 is still in the hat we'd usually hand down to ds 2!! Also ds2 is ready to move into a swim vest and yep, ds1 is still in his! He's only 4 and has refused swimming lessons - even though he loves the water, so I'm not blaming him that it's cost me an extra £20 😂. So had to get another one of those.
Topped up with shampoo etc in a £30 boots spend (but did the recycling so got £5 on my boots card).
We were out today (didn't buy any food out, took everything with us) and had McDonald's on the way home (coming home at bedtime so needs must!)
We should be ok from now, all weekend activities are already paid for (rock climbing on a 3 for 2 deal paid for before Christmas, circus paid for by my parents, and a birthday party with the present paid for from a return of an item I decided not to give dd for Christmas 😂🎄🎅🏼), then it's back to school. It's the weekends we struggle with but we're hoping with the loft conversion and the extra space it will be easier to be at home.

The main thing I am doing is keeping track of every single purchase on a spreadsheet. To make it clear and obvious how much we have left for the month. This is where I usually fall down and don't keep track of it, then what should be put into savings the next month is actually used to clear what's been paid for the month before.

Sounds like everyone is doing well so far! We are also discussing purchases before they are made so male every purchase accountable. This is my problem when I'm grabbing a coffee/lunch when running errands, even though I work from home! So if I had to tell dh I bought lunch out.. It will hopefully make me not want the shame in having to tell him 😂😂.

@HP87 so sorry to hear about the redundancy. Sounds like you are planning though to make sure you have funds to last. Have you thought about checking out OLIO too for food? May help cut the food bill down a bit.

Did big shop this morning - £77.90 but still need Soreen bars and bananas for lunchboxes plus top up milk in the week. It wasn’t too bad but we are eating out the freezer a lot this week. Took kids to park this morning (free) but was too cold for them so didn’t last long. Then I dropped a library book back and picked up another one I had reserved (free). Got some grapes, carrots, cauliflower from OLIO (free). DC2 loves grapes so has already been munching on those. Carrots will be used this week for my lunches with homemade humous (which already had stuff for). Then took kids to soft play at garden centre (free). Took our own snacks and didn’t buy coffee (as it’s terrible anyway).

Home now and Xmas party food from freezer for lunch. Staying in this arvo as bad weather meant to hit us shortly so will hunker down. DH is going to make a batch of chicken stock from bones in freezer and I’m going to make a lemon drizzle with the free lemons we got from olio earlier in the week.

Tonight is fish from freezer - we bought too much for NYE so froze some and having tonight with a lemon butter sauce, home made skinny fries from the free olio potatoes earlier in week and green beans. Going to follow that with meringues and ice cream that we have kicking about with some melted chocolate orange left over from Xmas.

Really bloody determined to cut down and meal plan around what we have or what we can get for free/reduced as far as possible.

Did a big food shop today £104 but hadn’t been shopping apart from an M&S meal deal since 21st Dec so not too unhappy with that. Yet again things seem to have increased in price Tesco own ridged crisps which were always 89p for 6, jumped to £1.35 in the autumn and today ( only 2 weeks since I last bought) £1.60. Likewise their own porridge sachets (DH works on a farm so takes them for breakfast as free milk and easy to microwave) up until my last shop £1 for 8 sachets today £1.35 so not insignificant price increases.
I also topped up with fuel but apart from that shouldn’t need to spend anything else this weekend.
Listed a couple more bits of Vinted - only small amounts but better in my purse than sat in the wardrobe gathering dust.

I'm due my first dc in 8 weeks so will be on maternity pay for a little while but I'm still very determined to save. Going to start with slowly selling a load of sh*t that DP has had in his drawers for years and not touched but won't let me get rid so I'll slowly get rid on vinted and he won't even realise! Typical man😂

Really would love a takeout pizza for dinner tonight but we've got loads of bits in the fridge I can use so will have a five guys fakeaway instead - that's a start!

Oh I'm also skipping my January Eyelash appointment so that's £55 saved!

@Nearlyadoctor i definitely noticed some increased prices today. It was also quite disappointing that there was lots of Xmas food they were trying to get rid of but it was barely reduced!

@anonny55 congrats on the impending arrival! Def flog your husbands stuff if he doesn’t use it!

just sold a couple of items of the kids old clothes on a local group so £8 in the jar. Keeping these sorts of sale proceeds for when we’re asked for cash by nursery/school so it’s easily accessible.

im always amazed by the fact that you can get money for your old stuff!

Re porridge sachets.. tesco 1kg porridge.. in blue bag like flour.. is £1.25.. DH can put some in a tub for work.. with pinch of salt ( and sugar if he must!!) .. 3 minutes in microwave.. much cheaper than sachets!! Really good value!

I have seen the prices of everything still going up too! My food costs do need sorting but I don't have the head space at the moment, I need to focus on not buying unnecessary stuff first.

Not a great day yesterday, dh and the older two got lunch before rock climbing (their "older ones" treat to eat out without the little one.) I got that joy but was with my mum so she paid. We'd have eaten at home if it wasn't for going out with my mum.
Went through the kids clothes for school next week and realised DS1 pants have disappeared into thin air so my mum dropped me and sainsburys on the way home and I walked home with ds2. (as apposed to waiting until dh got home and then driving out on my own).
The kids wanted to do a couple of extra activities at rock climbing which was another £9 (dd doesn't usually have the confidence to do all this extra stuff but since her younger brother has joined her on some of these older kids activities she's had a boost so dh wanted to encourage this new confidence. So I don't blame him for spending it).
I checked the kids coats and ds1 raincoat was too small but found one on vinted and paid £4.85 for the next size up. Dd usually needs new clothes around Feb time so I'm not looking forward to that. I do get most stuff from vinted/Facebook but I find it so time consuming when you're doing a big bulk. She's getting particular in what she wants to wear too (turning 10 soon!) so that adds to the time it can take to find it all.

All OK things to purchase (although the extra rock climbing costs have put us off booking again once they have had their "free" visit at the end of Jan). But still almost £50 when you add it up. We'll be better prepared and make them lunch next time too. It's a treat to allow it but when you're adding up every cost you see how much it is.

Today and tomorrow should be fine. Then back to school.

Almost had an expensive moment just now. Went to put DC1’s wet sheets in wash and it wouldn’t turn on. DH went out to investigate and the electrics had gone in our utility (which is attached to our garage). He couldn’t fix it but instead has run an extension lead into garage and powered it off there.

We do need a new washing machine but DH wants to wait until the boiler goes and then completely do the utility.

We did a house renovation/extension over the last 18 months which pretty much wiped out our savings (plus extra borrowing) so want to build up savings again before doing anything else (though we do still have a fair bit to do including our en suite which is all ripped out). But we also just can’t face it for a while, having only just got rid of the builders and all the stress we went through.

im really glad he’s quite handy as having to call out an electrician would probably have wiped out any savings this month

I would like to join, determined to at least put a dent in my debts (close to £10,000) my mortgages are low but I am always buying daft stuff so need to reign it in. Too much spending on clothes so will no longer buy new clothes except underwear, will stop buying meal deals or snacks for work as I'm lucky enough to work where food is provided, I'm also writing everything I buy in a daily diary so I can monitor my spending.

Any ideas for cheap but filling cooked breakfasts? Ideally quick too. I'm getting sick of omelettes! Most recipes involve something sweet and I can't do sweet things in the morning...so no honey or fruit.

Stumped!

With you on Amazon. I'm make do and mending much more. Getting out the needle and thread to repair things rather than buying new- holes in socks etc. Getting through the pantry left-overs before buying more.

I am also writing everything down to, makes us feel more accountable as to what we are buying. We usually end up going mad over the school holidays but since Jan we've done OK there is definitely a few things I didn't buy because I didn't want to have to justify the purchase to dh or write it down and think about looking back at it later in the year!

We only have a pretty simple loft conversion that took 5 weeks over all and that was stressful enough with the builders in and out. And half the time they accessed the loft from the outside. I can't imagine builders for that long. A huge relief your dh could sort the problem and I would also definitely wait a while before doing anything else too. Not just the money side of it but the stress of people in and out all the time, even if they're doing a good job it's still hard work to manage around work and kids

reining in? Yes, middle of Lidl will be avoided like the plague this year

Needed some fruit and just went to m&s for it, I always find myself having to throw most away and buying more when I go to Tesco etc as it goes rotten so fast so I'll save money in the long run!

Big food shop tomorrow..planning on going through the fridge and cupboards when I'm home and making a meal plan out of the bits we have and just picking up any extras we need.

Busy week ahead so going to do a bit of meal prep so we don't get a takeaway or grab meal deals etc.

Us too !! Hoping to pay off in 6 years. Also need more in pension and savings. We have a great time doing bucket list things mainly events and holidays but waste a lot

I agree. Market stall are better or farm shops if any near you. New potato’s I bought weds before Xmas still very good today whereas Asda rotten by end of week.

Keep the ideas coming please.
today I written every item in freezer and put it on the fridge. Evough stuff to last the month of properly meal prep. It good to clear out freezer too.
batch made some soup today healthy eating for January. Picked up veg and fruit at market and some at M&S.
just get a basket not a trolley stops overbuying

Poached eggs porridge even smoked salmon be reduced now and most freeze only need a little. Asparagus is nice with both. Seeded bagel thins ?

Got out the ski suitcases and sold kids stuff in vinted today hopefully rest soon.
ordered thermals into M&S as so cold working at home but found my ship thermals in loft and ski socks so they now in drawer and I’ll get order refunded. One set too small as I’m bigger now but 2 did.
was looking to buy merino wool jumpers on vinted too but going to resist this winter and wear thermals. Going forward will only buy these materials

Today was hard but I resisted.

I watched Dr Chatterjee on Sunday brunch and automatically went to buy his new book but had to remind myself to wait until it’s in the library.

Then Dh mentioned making soups. I donated the nutribullet a few years ago so offered to buy a new one. We decided to wait.

Then I saw that you can buy a stand for the shark mask that I got for Christmas. I don’t need it.

I decided to add up what I would have spent and I think it’s around £95!

Camping type shops maybe get a sale one. Metal is best I think

Yes us too. I’ve increased pension but it’s not going to be enough I may have to work longer . In process of getting forecasts and overlaying mortgage. Really need to practice living on less