30 Ways to save £1...

MoneySupermarket.com have challenged bloggers to come up with 30 ways to save a £1, you can read all about it here.

 

Having set a personal challenge at the start of the year to live the life of thrift throughout 2013 I thought this would be a perfect challenge for me to take part in, especially as we approach midway point and motivation is dipping slightly. 

 

So here it goes...

1. Save all loose change - 1's, 2's, 5's they all add up!
2. Collect £2 coins.
3. SELL SELL SELL - If you don't need, want or use it then get rid.
4. Remember to use loyalty cards at all your favourtie shops and cash in the rewards.
5. Use cashback sites when shopping online.
6. Search for discount codes when shopping online.
7. Remember to price match. A lot of companies will now match prices if you can show the same product at a different shop for less.
8. Use PetrolPrices.com to find out where to get the cheapest fuel in your area.
9. Take a packed lunch to work and save money on buying dinner each day.
10. Meal plan and always make a shopping list - this helps avoid those impulse buys!
11. When doing the weekly shop, go down a brand or consider going to a 'cheaper' supermarket. We love Aldi in our house!
12. Use coupons - cut them out of papers, magazines or print them off the internet.
13. Search Groupon for cheap days out / products.
14. Challenge yourself to have a no spend day,
15. Batch cook food and freeze it to avoid it going to waste.
16. Enter competitions, you never know you just may win!
17. Consider a second / part time job.
18. Buy Christmas presents throughout the year, you can pick up some fab bargains in the sales this way and spread the cost.
19. Suggest doing Secret Santa to family and friends this Christmas.
20. At the end of each day transfer the odd pence in your bank account into a seperate savings account and watch the amount build up.
21. Visit a college salon to get your hair cut.
22. Instead of having a take away enjoy some yummy shop bought treats such as pizza, wedges etc.
23. If eating out look out for 2 for 1 deals or 2 for £10 etc.
24. Shop around for utilities such as gas and electric and make sure that you are getting the cheapest insurance available.
25. Car share where possible.
26. Buy second hand - you can get some good quality stuff on selling sites, at carboots and in charity shops etc.
27. Search Freecycle for any wanted items.
28. Swap unwanted clothes, bedding, rags etc for cash. Search online for the nearest clothes for cash store near you. 
29. Keep a spending diary to keep track of your money and to see where it goes, chances are after a few weeks you will see a pattern and will be able to cut your spending somewhere.
30. Always ask yourself do I NEED this - if not you can probably leave it and save a bob or two!

 

Can you think of any more ways to save a £1?

 

 

 

Working in an office is...

EXPENSIVE!

 

I work in an office and my colleagues are genuinely a lovely bunch of people who I enjoy working with however on Tuesday I returned to work after the bank holiday weekend and my first thought was "Oh I must pay my tea and coffee money" not an unusual thought as I have been paying £1 a week for tea privileges since I started back in July.

 

Part way through the morning the lady who runs 'birthday club' approached me, "we have three birthdays in May" she told me, so I handed over 3 more pounds, while doing so another colleague announced that she was leaving on Friday. It will be sad to see her go however she is off on a new adventure to Sunny Spain! So after paying my tea debt, and my birthday money I sat back down in front of my computer when suddenly "ping" I have a new email so I open it up. Its from another colleague, she has heard about the colleague that is leaving and thinks it would be lovely if we could club together and get her a card and some nice flowers, maybe even go out for goodbye lunch? So back into my purse I go, trying to scramble together the last of my change to put into the 'leaving fund' and also a table has now been booked at the local pub for a nice Carvery lunch.

 

After emptying my purse I then go into the kitchen to make a brew (might aswell get my monies worth) as I open the cupboard to get a mug I see something stuck to the door. I look at it and realise its my manager's sponsor form for a sponsored walk he was doing. I had put my name down but was yet to pay (damn it!) luckily he is on annual leave so that can wait till next week!

 

Finally I sat back down and it dawned on me... working in an office is expensive! we never had this when I worked in the Supermarket or when I was a Support Worker. I looked back on my 10 months and so far and I have contributed towards...

 

8 leaving gifts.

6 birthdays (including a 50th).

2 get well cards / gifts.

2 sponsorships / fundraisers.

1 New baby gift.

10 months worth of tea and coffee.

 

In addition there is also the number of meals I have attended in order to say goodbye to someone or wish someone a happy birthday, not to mention the Christmas meal we had too. Not sure my purse can keep  taking the battering!

 

 

I NEED to know... are all offices like this?! Or is it just mine??

If you work in an office (or in any setting for that matter) do you find you are always paying out for something?

 

Thanks for reading! xx

Money Money Money

So having seen a few posts on twitter about money (or lack of) I thought I would do a post about money management. Now I am by no means claiming to be an expert on the subject, in fact I would say I am quite the opposite. I have debt, some days I wonder if I will ever be debt free and most days I wish I could meet my former 21 year old self and slap her hard in the face and tell her NO! Never the less what’s done is done so now all I can do is work hard to improve the situation that I am in as let’s face it, it won’t sort itself out! So here is what I have been doing...

Meal Planning

Meal times used to be a great expense in our house, weekends were mainly filled with takeaways and I used to be in and out the supermarket almost daily picking something up for dinner and of course other tempting treats would end up in the basket. By having a meal plan we know what we will be eating each day and we avoid 'convenience' foods.

This now leads me on to my next point.

Shopping Lists

Once we have completed our menu plan for the week we write our shopping list, we also check the cupboards and fridge to see what food / ingredients we already have in. I know it sounds simple but I can’t tell you how many times I have bought unnecessary items as I didn't realise I already had them in. Also try going down a brand or like us consider a cheaper supermarket. We used to shop at Tesco’s when there was an Aldi right next door and now we do a weekly shop including nappies / wipes and pet food for approx £40 a week.

Spending Diary

Keep track of your spending. Keep a diary for a month and then review it, you will be surprised by what you spend your money on!

Know your APR’s

If you have got any debts then take note of them and learn your APR’s. My husband has a credit card that he routinely paid the minimum payment for every month for around two years before noticing the balance never went down. He must have paid the amount owed twice over by now!

Tackle the debt

Think about how you want to tackle the debt. There are a number of charities that can help with debt management. NEVER pay anyone to help you deal with your debt there really is no need.  Charities such as Stepchange, CAB and Christian’s against poverty can all help.

You can of course tackle the debt yourself (this is what we are doing). First step, if you are in arrears with any payments then contact the companies and discuss it with them. It’s so scary and daunting however you feel such a sense of relief once the call is over.

Also you might want to consider snowballing, this is where you prioritise your debts in order of highest APR’s and aim to pay off the debt with the highest APR first.  To help calculate a snowball plan click here.

Believe in yourself

Finally believe in yourself! At times it will seem impossible, like you are constantly trying to fight a losing battle but unfortunately these things can't improve over night and it does take some time before you see the differences but I can tell you from experience that once you do, it makes it all worth it. I  may still have some debts but I know I'm better off than I was two years ago and I know things now can only get better. As I say I am no expert, I am just talking from personal experience. 

Good Luck and Thanks for reading :)

Getting Organised for 2013!!

Ok... so I know we still have a month left of 2012 however today I made the decision to get myself organised ready for 2013. My husband and I tend to muddle through from one situation to another (or so it feels like it). So for 2013 I am taking it back to basics. Today while in the pound shop I saw some A4 week view diaries, so I picked one up, along with some sticky notes and a couple of highlighters and the plan is this...

 

Firstly I am going to make a list of everyone's birthdays and any upcoming special occassions (such as weddings / christenings) and write them all in the diary. I'm also going to pop a sticky note on the first of every month with a quick overview of whose birthdays are coming up that month.

 

I will also put a sticky note the month before any 'one off' costs may be due - such as car tax or mot etc.

 

Then of course I will write down all my bills / payment dates etc. (I find check lists quite therapeutic and love nothing more than putting a line through something or putting a tick next to it - loser alert?!)

 

I am also going to have a look at my debts and form a plan on how to reduce them and all over payments will again be documented in the diary... but more on that another time (maybe?) Savings will also be documented as I plan on putting £10 a week away for next Christmas, also thinking of collecting some saving stamps throughout the year for the Christmas big shop? we'll see!

 

And finally I will make a list of all the people I need to buy Christmas presents for as you never know I may find something perfect for them throughout the year...