Budgeting and money saving

New to Tattle Life? Click "Order Thread by Most Liked Posts" button below to get an idea of what the site is about:
Tesco sim only. I pay £9 a month for unlimited calls and texts and 10gb data.. My daughter has the same, I bought the iPhones outright to have minimal monthly payments.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4
I'm with Three - £10 a month for unlimited calls, texts and 30gb of data. My previous sim contract was with Three and £26 a month for unlimited calls, texts and data. I shopped about and seen a good deal with o2 with BLC discount and when I mentioned to Three I was leaving they offered me £10 a month - always worth mentioning you've seen a good deal and see if they can match/beat it! I couldn't see this deal anywhere on their site so definitely worth saying to them in case they can offer you a better deal
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1
If any of you have a Topcashback account. They're offering instore cashback at Tesco until the 15th when you link your card.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4
Always check out kindle daily deals on Amazon… sometimes books I’ve had my eye on for ages that are £10+ are on offer for 99p and you can read them on the kindle app on your phone if you don’t have a kindle
Also a Waterstones plus membership card is always good value
 
  • Heart
  • Like
Reactions: 3
I use money envelopes. So idea is, things like food, petrol, necessities, days out/treats all get an allocated amount that you budget and then you pop that amount in an envelope for that specific thing only. You have to be really meticulous and make sure everything is accounted for cause once the money runs out thats it as you're not supposed to take money from one envelope and put it into another. I find it really handy personally as it makes me think of what I'm buying and if I really need it, and it means that I don't go overboard on things like meals out cause I have an allocated amount (I appreciate that seems boring but I have a bad habit of ordering more food than I can eat!)

I make a list on my phone of each person and buy birthday and Christmas presents throughout the year. Usually in the sales after Christmas. I've been known to finish my Christmas shopping by August so I'm literally just waiting for November to buy the cards and that's it. I also shop around and see if I can get things for cheap on eBay etc.

I plan my meals/snacks for the week and then I only buy what I need. I usually don't need a lot cause things like spices, pasta, rice etc last more than a week so I am often under budget which I love at the end of the month looking into my envelope (see above lol) and seeing left over money. I also shop in Lidl and just go to Tesco or Asda for things you can't get in lidl. I find planning means I only have to go once a week which saves money.

I use apps/points systems which does sometimes pay off. I also take advantage of the receipts surveys so for example, if you go to subway, on the receipt there's a survey and then once you've completed it they give you a code for a free drink or cookie. I appreciate it seems like spending money to gain something but if you're going to be spending it anyway for whatever reason, you might as well take advantage of it. Once I had enough subway reward points for a free 6inch and with the app I got a free drink so my whole meal was 69p which was the cost of the cookie I chose to buy.
Yes! I also do that with envelopes and its made such a different to me. I used to be one of those people who would pop into home bargains for 1 thing and end up spending £100! So now i have a set amount and it really makes me stop and think about the things i buy.
I also do similar to you at Christmas. I refuse to get into debt for it and im pretty organised and good at buying throughout the year so by December i can really enjoy the festivities and im not skint. I also have a separate savings pot for christmas, birthdays and holidays.
Meal planning is one thing i recommend everyone doing. I used to be so bad at impulse spending and just buying things for the sake of it, but im much better now. Even something as simple as a shopping list has really helped me. :)
 
  • Heart
  • Like
Reactions: 3
Ohh nice, I used to do a similar thing with jars. I got the inspiration from a Canadian TV show "Till Debt Do Us Part" - the full show is on YouTube btw and it's pretty great. I wrote down all my expenses and kept every bill and I saved so much money! I also found that my expenses go up and down in a two month cycle, so one month I need nothing from one of the categories like "Entertainment" or "Clothes & Gifts" and the next month I need all of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4
I subscribe to weekly circulars from all of my local grocery stores. I just received an e-mail that my local Whole Foods has 50% off all frozen pizzas this week. Yay 😊

It’s supposedly cheaper to buy produce in season. I spent frankly too much on a poster that I hung inside my kitchen cabinet to tell me what’s in season month by month. The produce prices are consistently high where I live. As a matter of fact, things like apples seem to be more costly than what I remember 😕 I’ve written those off as luxury items. Aside from bananas and alliums, I have made the switch to frozen produce.

I love bananas by the way. Twenty cents a pop - yes please!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1
As others have said, a budget spreadsheet has done wonders for my finances.
In 2020, I had hardly and savings. I have been working since 18 years old (now in my 30's), so it was so embarrassing that I hadn't saved much over all those years! But started a new job in 2020 and saved LIKE CRAZY and have a good amount of savings now. I have turned my finances around and in a good place now. SPREADHSEETS are the best.

Another tip: put money aside as soon as you get paid, BEFORE you spend on other things (obviously get the bills out of the way first). But before I used to (stupidly) spend first, then save the rest. Never do that, you must save first then spend the rest. I got it the right way round now 🤣🥰

Third tip: don't go out much. Lmao, literally. Stay home and save the money (boring, I know). Or if you go out, do free things/ cheap activities.

Remember women, we must be financially stable! It's especially important for women. So that we can support ourselves if anything happens to us.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 19
As others have said, a budget spreadsheet has done wonders for my finances.
In 2020, I had hardly and savings. I have been working since 18 years old (now in my 30's), so it was so embarrassing that I hadn't saved much over all those years! But started a new job in 2020 and saved LIKE CRAZY and have a good amount of savings now. I have turned my finances around and in a good place now. SPREADHSEETS are the best.

Another tip: put money aside as soon as you get paid, BEFORE you spend on other things (obviously get the bills out of the way first). But before I used to (stupidly) spend first, then save the rest. Never do that, you must save first then spend the rest. I got it the right way round now 🤣🥰

Third tip: don't go out much. Lmao, literally. Stay home and save the money (boring, I know). Or if you go out, do free things/ cheap activities.

Remember women, we must be financially stable! It's especially important for women. So that we can support ourselves if anything happens to us.
Branching off tip 3 slightly: Always keep food you can chuck in the oven in the freezer. Just nuggets and chips/pizza/microwave curry or something like that. Whatever it is that you like to have for takeaways. I find it much easier to avoid ordering food/drive thru when I know I've got that kind of food in the freezer
 
  • Like
  • Heart
Reactions: 12
As others have said, a budget spreadsheet has done wonders for my finances.
In 2020, I had hardly and savings. I have been working since 18 years old (now in my 30's), so it was so embarrassing that I hadn't saved much over all those years! But started a new job in 2020 and saved LIKE CRAZY and have a good amount of savings now. I have turned my finances around and in a good place now. SPREADHSEETS are the best.

Another tip: put money aside as soon as you get paid, BEFORE you spend on other things (obviously get the bills out of the way first). But before I used to (stupidly) spend first, then save the rest. Never do that, you must save first then spend the rest. I got it the right way round now 🤣🥰

Third tip: don't go out much. Lmao, literally. Stay home and save the money (boring, I know). Or if you go out, do free things/ cheap activities.

Remember women, we must be financially stable! It's especially important for women. So that we can support ourselves if anything happens to us.
Another advice that I have mentioned before, don’t drink if you go out. People usually get 2-3 glasses of drink and that really add up.
 
  • Like
  • Heart
Reactions: 5
Yep I find ordering online has a huge difference price! When I by mine at the optician they're over 100€ but online they're less than 60€. I was a bit worried they might be fakes but so far I haven't had any issues. I mean, 40€ is a LOT. And I'm someone who routinely orders books at the local bookstore even though amazon would have them way cheaper.
That's true, if you want to buy something, check online deals first. Or online discount codes. I love discounts and sales, I hardly buy anything full price 🙈

Recently, I went window shopping for perfumes and was smelling which ones I like. Then as soon as I found the one I liked, I left the store without buying. I checked online and saw the perfume I wanted at a discounted price and bought it 😚
As much as I wanted the perfume right away, I knew it would be worth the wait. I only saved £10 lol but every little helps.
 
  • Like
  • Heart
Reactions: 6
1.I joined three apps today where you have to upload receipts. I read from another instragrammer that you can also upload the same one to all three and get points with each.

Shoppix
Huyu
Snapmyeats
Just an update about receipt uploading apps. I downloaded them at the same time Shoppix has been the best so far and I'm 95 points away from a £5 payout on paypal. They take receipts from everywhere and there are no limits.

Huyu limits you to 10 receipts a week + M&S shopping is not included. Amazon giftcard mainly.

Snapmyeats also limits you to £5 a month earnings. Amazon giftcard .
 
  • Like
  • Heart
Reactions: 4
I have Monzo but it takes 24hrs to withdraw from the pot and sometimes you decide on things last minute so it’s a touch limiting only doing this. I don’t think I’ve ever withdrawn my wages in cash but I reckon physically seeing the money would certainly keep me accountable. All too easy to tap away here and there! X
I have monzo and I withdraw instantly from my pots. Normally when I’m standing at the till, it’s super quick🙌
 
I have monzo and I withdraw instantly from my pots. Normally when I’m standing at the till, it’s super quick🙌
Just created one now, they used to be 24hrs when I last had them! Was so annoying. Think I’ll start using them a little more :)
 
Just created one now, they used to be 24hrs when I last had them! Was so annoying. Think I’ll start using them a little more :)
The savings pots with paragon are 24 hours withdrawal with monzo but normal pots are instant