Shopaholic goes frugal….support needed!!

[Bobbieiris]

I’m on maternity leave at the moment and have become just a bit of a shopaholic …i blame instagram!! However I can’t afford it! I am embarrassed to say I have zero savings and my car got written off last week so need money for a new car too. I need to be an adult now I have my twins and learn some better spending habits. Does any one have any tips? Or want to save along with me?!

also, can you save well and manage to give yourself a little treat like a takeaway or something little each month?! Just to have something small to look foward to!

any frugal saving and scrimping tips welcome!

@Bobbieiris I’ll join you if that’s ok I’ve committed myself to a frugal February as I have an expensive 3-4 month coming up and like you, no savings.

I’ve removed the banking apps from my phone and re-installed on an old phone, so I can’t transfer money about while out - it’s cash only for me for now. And once it’s gone it’s gone. I’ve also set a tight budget and hoping to stick to it, so your post came at just the right time!

I hope you weren’t injured when your car was written off

@StreetsofLaredo yes of course ☺️ great to have some company! Luckily the car was just parked up and the side of the road; someone hit it and drove off which is a real pain as I didn’t get their details!
best of look with your frugal journey!!

Budget, work out what is coming in, what are essential outgoing, what you can save and how much is left for a little treat.
I am more in the buy a bar of chocolate for £1 than a takeaway for £30 as a treat and it is a really good mindset to get into.
You will have no money left with twins so get used to the £1 treat

@redfishcat thankyou, that’s a good idea with the £1 treat, and you are right that money will be tight with twins!! That does sound like a good habit to get into. I’m trying to get back into budgeting, I’ve been meal planning then doing a weekly budget for food and I’ve wasted no food since doing this which feels good! My downfall is the cheap stuff…charity shop toys for the babies, Asda baby clothes, Vinted and also Amazon deals..anything cheap really! It’s definitely a habit I need to stop!

Lots of cheap stuff you don't need and can't afford isn't cheap.

A fiver a day could be £20/30 pw or around £100 or more a month, close to £2k pa or £20k per decade. Taking interest earned instead of paid, over a decade, instead of spending a fiver a day on crap, you could spend £15/20k on a new/nearly new car every 10 years. It really does add up that much.

Look through your accounts and see what you're spending your money on and work out how to eliminate or reduce that spending.

Take food drinks and snacks with you most of the time.

Sell on Vinted and only use the balance to buy things, don't buy elsewhere.

Work out a budget including all essential costs, savings etc. Cut down or cut out costs where possible. Question every expense - many can be reduced or eliminated with little change in lifestyle.

Have a look at:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/stop-spending-budgeting-tool/

@Bjorkdidit I know, it’s become such a bad habit! And I used to be quite good at budgeting and saving. But wow that’s really helped me to realise how much I actually am wasting!!
thank you for the link…so useful!

Sell stuff on Vinted and Ebay, it's as addictive as spending and the perfect counterbalance.

P.S. stop buying stuff advertised on Instagram. It's really the worst stuff you can buy. Overpriced and a disappointment. If you have to buy, buy really cheap stuff on.... Vinted and Ebay.

@RogueFemale yes that’s a good idea! I cleared out a lot of stuff while I was pregnant and took it all to the charity shop but I’m sure I can dig out a few bits to sell! And yeah instagram stuff is a temptation but not worth it