Serious Question

I would recommend your soups to anyone, they're delicious. By the way, I've run out.....................

 

I'll restock you when I make the next lot!

 

Couldn't agree more.

Insurance companies rely on the apathy of customers when it comes to renewal. I read a story recently about a lady who was happily paying over £1,000 per year for her house and contents insurance, only to find out in a chance conversation that her next door neighbour was paying £200 for the same cover. This was because she had just let her insurance renew year after year withough looking at it.

 

Tell Sky TV you are going to stop using them and you are going to VirginMedia or another provider.

I bet they come back with a better offer than you are paying now.

 

Thanks, that will stop me having to rummage about in the bins at the back of the Dil Raj.

 

Ring up your mobile phone companies and Sky and tell them you are struggling for money and ask if they can do you a cheaper deal. Sounds silly but it often works. My wife saved £10 a month on her mobile just by asking Orange.

Also check you use all the minutes you are given on your phone because if you're using way under your limit you're just wasting money.

Walk to the shops if you don't need much shopping, or alternatively buy a cheap bike and use that. Can you cycle to work? I have a bike and save about £20 a month in petrol by cutting out the 9mile round trip to work each day. Plus im fitter ps i also have a 2 year old, so no excuses you're tired!

Check your car isn't full of junk and that the tyres are inflated properly. A needlessly heavy car and under inflated tyres will cost you a fair bit of money each month in petrol.

Buy a Raspberry Pi, (£40 or so) hook it up to your computer and broadband. Download films from the internet and play them via the Raspberry Pi through your TV. No need to pay for films again. You can also watch Sky sports in the same way, although the quality isnt anywhere as near as good as the tv.

Make your own washing powder. See here

Keep an Excel spreadsheet of all your spending (i have one i use if you want it), helps to identify where you 'waste' money.

Cheaper shops are worth it. We have a brand where I live called Jack Fulton's. Bargain prices on branded and non-branded stuff. Clothes shop at 2nd hand stores.

Use Gumtree to sell unwanted stuff for a profit, or Freecycle to pick up things you needs for free! Especially useful with kids and toys/clothes etc...

 

Enjoy yourselves. It's only money, you can't take it with you.

 

I save money on cigs as well by smoking the odd ABE

 

Shop late in the day at supermarkets. Price reductions ahoy, especially on bread and veg. Stick a load of loaves in the freezer and defrost as needed.

Or nip round the back and rummage in the bins.

 

Drink more council pop

 

You don't need towelling nappies

There are 'modern cloth nappies' with hemp and bamboo inserts and yes, they work out much cheaper than disposables in the long run.

Now look what I'm posting on this board. What next? Practical Home Tips with budmustang. I'm off to commit a depraved act to purge myself of such thoughts.

 

Nappies with bambee inserts...

...tough love I guess. Still it'll give the bairn "something proper to rooar abart".

 

Or get someone's Sky Go password like Stahlrost does so you can watch sky for free!

 

Bambee inserts ?

Losing it - it must be home time soon :-(

 

Re: Bambee inserts ?

without knowing what your exact salary is its hard, you say resonable so if you are both on 30,000 thats 60,000 a year, so you must be spending in excess some where.

sky reduce as everyone else has said, if you dont have one get a water meter fitted,i saved at least 200 a year with a meter sometimes more.

maybe think about a gas pay meter and electric too,20 quid used to last me afortnight on electric and in summer 5 a week for gas a little more in winter.

cut out starbucks coffees if you go every day on way to work,

change mobile package, see if they offer a family plan.dont just look on there website phone them up.

Also dont be too afraid or embarresed to ask for help, i went to citizens advice when i was having my house and car repossesed,with there help i managed to keep hold of the house for an extra 3 years.

I know your not in that predicament but they have financial advisors who can see where your spending and help cut costs.

 

Sky: There isn't anything on sky you cannot either stream live or later on a computer. It's the future, the quality will improve and they are grabbing the last wads of dosh they can from subscribers until they have to sell it for considerably less.
Food: Aldi , Lidl, nowt wrong with them. Bulk buy non perishables, look to shop regularly so you don't throw perishable stuff away, and plan meals. If you can cook for 3 you can cook for 6 and freeze stuff, saves time later. Ready meals, even reduced or cheap are ok if you really have to but you really don't know whats in them and they don't fill you up, you end up making a sarnie 1 hour later. Both Aldi and Lidl do specials on produce, usually 50p for a bag of apples or broccoli or tangerines etc, buy them, get creative and base you meals round whats cheap. Pack up is a must.
Mobiles: shop around, £40 each seems expensive to me.
Driving: Drive like a chauffeur. Change up early but don't lug the engine and sit in neutral at lights. When accelerating onto motorway do it pretty quickly and rev it out so you get to cruising speed quickly. It actually uses less juice than slowly getting there + plus the engine gets to clear it's throat from all that nursing it round town.

Sell: What you no longer need on E Bay, have a clear out. Some people will buy anything! and weigh your old clothes in, places actually pay money for your old rags, you could give them to charity, but charity begins at home, besides their sorters nick all the good stuff and sell it on E Bay or keep it themselves , so feckem.

 

I work in the consumer debt industry and have a lot of experience in speaking to people in financial difficulty, so this is a common thing I come across.

Some good suggestions on here. The Sky one, insurances, cheaper food shopping etc are all ones to consider.

Do you have a mortgage or do you rent? If you have a mortgage, you could ask to go onto interest only payments for a few months just to allow you pay off your credit cards and or to save a bit up.

The best advice arguably is do an income and expenditure sheet. It's amazing how much it can help you to see what's coming and in and going out, and may help you to identify how much you need to reduce spending. Then you look at the expenditures and see what you can shave money off. We are buying our first house and I've done that for us even though we should be okay, just to see what's spare each month to save etc.

You're doing a good thing in asking before you get into any real difficulty.