Budgeting and money saving

[littlepup]

Second hand for baby is fine for a lot of stuff except car seats. It isn't recommended to use them second hand. They also have a best by date.

This - also buy mattresses new however our new Moses mattress was around £11 and a new mattress for the next2me was £21 (both Amazon) so as long as it has the right certifications it doesn’t have to be expensive. Babies do not need soft mattresses, they need a firm, flat surface. Cot bumpers and quilts etc are dangerous too. People spend a fortunes on crap to put in a crib which increases the chance of SIDS A sheet is all you need.
Also, if you go for a second hand cot, just check it’s got the right certification too.

 

[Slothgang]

Some amazing baby advice! Just to piggy back on with a cheeky one - don't take the labels off of any gifts you receive until you know your going to use it. You will receive loads of clothes for a firstborn! You won't get enough time for the baby to wear all the outfits as they grow so fast and clothes with tags still on sell for more money on ebay x

 

[Spicyburrata]

I moved home recently to save for a few months as I am currently trying to buy a flat at the moment (wish me luck ).

In the process it has forced me to have a clear out and I've just been putting loads on Vinted. It's mostly clothes, shoes and unopened make up/cosmetics but it's things I might have thrown out in the past. Depending on the item it may only be a few £s but it does add up and I put the money from it straight into my savings account.

You would be surprised what others are looking for and willing to buy and better for have a few pounds in your pocket than nothing!

 

[Kittypops]

Lurking in the shadows of this thread with my notebook and pen in hand for all the tips

I've seen a few of you mention Vinted, is it any good? Better than ebay?
I was put off Vinted as it looks like you need a printer at home to do postage labels, gave I got that bit wrong?

 

[Slothgang]

Lurking in the shadows of this thread with my notebook and pen in hand for all the tips

I've seen a few of you mention Vinted, is it any good? Better than ebay?
I was put off Vinted as it looks like you need a printer at home to do postage labels, gave I got that bit wrong?

I don't use a printer, they give you the address and I just handwrite it. Benefits and cons compared to ebay. I probably make less money on vinted than I do ebay but vinted don't take any fees at all so x

 

[Spicyburrata]

Lurking in the shadows of this thread with my notebook and pen in hand for all the tips

I've seen a few of you mention Vinted, is it any good? Better than ebay?
I was put off Vinted as it looks like you need a printer at home to do postage labels, gave I got that bit wrong?

I've used eBay and Depop in the past and I definitely prefer Vinted. I do have/use a printer and find the whole process really easy. As Slothgang said there are no sellers fees which is great. Although I have noticed that because of this the price you can charge is usually lower than what you expect on Depop for example as the buyer does have shipping and fees on top.

 

[boomska]

Hi guys!

i want to ask for your advice, I think I already know the answer but I want to double check that I’m not being stupid.

i have debt. The two main debt I have is a credit card that I’m paying interest free on until 2023 and a loan.

one of my outgoings is now changing to every 2/3 weeks so I’m going to have an extra of min. £35 to spend, save or pay off debt.

im thinking one week £35 goes to debt and another week it goes to saving so alternate between the two.

However I don’t know what to pay off first-CC or loan. I have an MOT due next month so if any repairs need doing (that is over the amount I’ve got saved atm for car repairs) the CC will be used. But if pay some extra towards the loan, it’s like they reimburse you and pay it towards the loan aswell. So I’m thinking loan first and then CC? Some say pay off the smallest debt Which would be CC and if I get that cleared, it would save up £25 extra.

i hope that make sense!!

 

[CatVonMe]

Hi guys!

i want to ask for your advice, I think I already know the answer but I want to double check that I’m not being stupid.

i have debt. The two main debt I have is a credit card that I’m paying interest free on until 2023 and a loan.

one of my outgoings is now changing to every 2/3 weeks so I’m going to have an extra of min. £35 to spend, save or pay off debt.

im thinking one week £35 goes to debt and another week it goes to saving so alternate between the two.

However I don’t know what to pay off first-CC or loan. I have an MOT due next month so if any repairs need doing (that is over the amount I’ve got saved atm for car repairs) the CC will be used. But if pay some extra towards the loan, it’s like they reimburse you and pay it towards the loan aswell. So I’m thinking loan first and then CC? Some say pay off the smallest debt Which would be CC and if I get that cleared, it would save up £25 extra.

i hope that make sense!!

Credit cards are generally much higher interest rates so I would clear that off first.

 

[Lac1985]

Hi guys!

i want to ask for your advice, I think I already know the answer but I want to double check that I’m not being stupid.

i have debt. The two main debt I have is a credit card that I’m paying interest free on until 2023 and a loan.

one of my outgoings is now changing to every 2/3 weeks so I’m going to have an extra of min. £35 to spend, save or pay off debt.

im thinking one week £35 goes to debt and another week it goes to saving so alternate between the two.

However I don’t know what to pay off first-CC or loan. I have an MOT due next month so if any repairs need doing (that is over the amount I’ve got saved atm for car repairs) the CC will be used. But if pay some extra towards the loan, it’s like they reimburse you and pay it towards the loan aswell. So I’m thinking loan first and then CC? Some say pay off the smallest debt Which would be CC and if I get that cleared, it would save up £25 extra.

i hope that make sense!!

If your credit card is interest free until 2023, and you’re confident you can pay it before the offer runs out, I’d pay towards the loan first. Assuming your loan isn’t 0%!

 

[grumpy_curry]

Hi guys!

i want to ask for your advice, I think I already know the answer but I want to double check that I’m not being stupid.

i have debt. The two main debt I have is a credit card that I’m paying interest free on until 2023 and a loan.

one of my outgoings is now changing to every 2/3 weeks so I’m going to have an extra of min. £35 to spend, save or pay off debt.

im thinking one week £35 goes to debt and another week it goes to saving so alternate between the two.

However I don’t know what to pay off first-CC or loan. I have an MOT due next month so if any repairs need doing (that is over the amount I’ve got saved atm for car repairs) the CC will be used. But if pay some extra towards the loan, it’s like they reimburse you and pay it towards the loan aswell. So I’m thinking loan first and then CC? Some say pay off the smallest debt Which would be CC and if I get that cleared, it would save up £25 extra.

i hope that make sense!!

I would definitely go by highest interest first. Pay down that credit card and pay it down fast. The interest in 2023 is only 12 months away. Its 26 payments for 35£ if you pay every two weeks. Where does that leave you debt wise?

 

[boomska]

If your credit card is interest free until 2023, and you’re confident you can pay it before the offer runs out, I’d pay towards the loan first. Assuming your loan isn’t 0%!

correct but the interest has already been added on, before I signed on the dotted line so I knew I would what I be paying off interest wise before agreeing to it

xx

I would definitely go by highest interest first. Pay down that credit card and pay it down fast. The interest in 2023 is only 12 months away. Its 26 payments for 35£ if you pay every two weeks. Where does that leave you debt wise?

well my CC debt is £1,230 and something pence at the moment and paying £25pm so if I pay that off with the extra, I’ll only have a little left (if I’ve done my maths right, currently at work atm!) and then I’ll have my loan left. At the moment it’s about £5,330 And I’m paying £108 per month towards that!

 

[littlepup]

Hi guys!

i want to ask for your advice, I think I already know the answer but I want to double check that I’m not being stupid.

i have debt. The two main debt I have is a credit card that I’m paying interest free on until 2023 and a loan.

one of my outgoings is now changing to every 2/3 weeks so I’m going to have an extra of min. £35 to spend, save or pay off debt.

im thinking one week £35 goes to debt and another week it goes to saving so alternate between the two.

However I don’t know what to pay off first-CC or loan. I have an MOT due next month so if any repairs need doing (that is over the amount I’ve got saved atm for car repairs) the CC will be used. But if pay some extra towards the loan, it’s like they reimburse you and pay it towards the loan aswell. So I’m thinking loan first and then CC? Some say pay off the smallest debt Which would be CC and if I get that cleared, it would save up £25 extra.

i hope that make sense!!

Don’t save that amount until you’ve paid your debt. Your debt will only be increasing due to interest and if you don’t manage to by it paid before the interest free period you might come unstuck. Get the debt paid then consider your savings goals.

Saving with no goal is not a good idea due to interest vs inflation at the moment. You want to look at investment based saving to be making sure your money holds its value.

 

[CatVonMe]

Also I would be of the thinking that yes saving is important but if you’re saving a lot while still having a lot of debt then the savings aren’t really yours.

 

[boomska]

Also I would be of the thinking that yes saving is important but if you’re saving a lot while still having a lot of debt then the savings aren’t really yours.

i totally get where you’re coming from but the way I see it is if an unexpected bill or Something happens, and I have to pay but used my savings towards my debt, I would rely on my credit card again or potentially another loan so getting into more debt.

So when I say savings, I do mean like an emergency fund or a saving pot for my MOT etc, not just ISA/savings account!

 

[grumpy_curry]

i totally get where you’re coming from but the way I see it is if an unexpected bill or Something happens, and I have to pay but used my savings towards my debt, I would rely on my credit card again or potentially another loan so getting into more debt.

So when I say savings, I do mean like an emergency fund or a saving pot for my MOT etc, not just ISA/savings account!

Emergency savings is important but I would still make sure to pay off the CC first. Those usually come with lots of interest after the free period has run out.

If you can find another offer that will last you to 2024 you could pay off the first CC with the second to take advantage of the interest free loan. Then you have a bit more breathing room.

 

[xbxbx]

I’m another person that is glad they found this thread! I used to be really good at saving but being furloughed then made redundant made me blow through my savings. It wasn’t even because I was struggling, I just turned to emotional spending and having deliveries every week cheered me up being in lockdown lol.

I’m not in a massive amount of debt thankfully, just paying off a loan I used to help renovate my flat that I bought at the end of 2019. I would like to pay it off sooner but my main priority is to build up my savings again.

Don’t really have any tips to add because it’s still early days for me but I have seen a few people mention energy prices. I am ‘pay as you go’ and have been ever since I bought my flat. I live alone, my flat is a pretty decent size and I only spend around £25-£30 a month in winter and way less in summer. I’m out all day at work so there’s not really any gas or electric being used then, but when I’m home I have the heating on pretty often and am terrible for leaving lights and tv on etc so I could definitely spend even less if I tried. Not sure how easy it is to switch to PAYG for gas and electric but I definitely recommend it if you can.

 

[Lulu Goss]

So glad I found this thread. I’m on maternity leave and due to drop down to SMP from March. It sounds stupid but it’s only really hit me this weekend how little I’ll be getting each month compared to what I’m used to, plus I’m the higher earner so although my partner will cover what he can, it is going to be a struggle.

To start off I’ve started selling things I don’t use - I’ve got clothes with tags on still that should have gone back at the time, or things that have been barely worn/used. So I’ve started to put those on marketplace and have made a couple of sales already.

I’m also going to call sky about our bill. It’s crept up to over £100 over the last year so I’m calling with the intention of cancelling completely but hoping they might offer me a much better deal.

We spend quite a lot on food shopping too so I’m starting to look for cheaper meal recipes/things I can cook then have leftovers for lunch the next day.

I’ve spent the weekend feeling overwhelmed and to be honest, really anxious and stressed about money. But i’m determined to make some changes to try and ease the pressure.

 

[Rippedjeanmaybe]

So glad I found this thread. I’m on maternity leave and due to drop down to SMP from March. It sounds stupid but it’s only really hit me this weekend how little I’ll be getting each month compared to what I’m used to, plus I’m the higher earner so although my partner will cover what he can, it is going to be a struggle.

To start off I’ve started selling things I don’t use - I’ve got clothes with tags on still that should have gone back at the time, or things that have been barely worn/used. So I’ve started to put those on marketplace and have made a couple of sales already.

I’m also going to call sky about our bill. It’s crept up to over £100 over the last year so I’m calling with the intention of cancelling completely but hoping they might offer me a much better deal.

We spend quite a lot on food shopping too so I’m starting to look for cheaper meal recipes/things I can cook then have leftovers for lunch the next day.

I’ve spent the weekend feeling overwhelmed and to be honest, really anxious and stressed about money. But i’m determined to make some changes to try and ease the pressure.

I would definitely try and cancel the sky if you can! We pay £30 a month for decent Internet and that’s it. We don’t have a phone or tv package as we don’t feel like we need 1000’s of channels! It’s saved us so much money!

food wise. I find making meals plans and cooking from scratch the easiest way to save a bit of money.

Make things like spag bol, don’t buy jars, just use carrots, onions, celery & tinned tomatoes to bulk up the meal and cut down on the amount of meat used as it’s cheaper to bulk out meals with veg rather than meat. Also frozen veg can be a lot cheaper, creates less waste and is just as healthy as fresh!

 

[Grizzlybear]

@Lulu Goss download Quidco or TopCashback before you change your broadband - I made £160 cashback from switching broadband to virgin and it’s £30 a month for 18 months on decent bandwidth

Also would recommend doing referrals or intro offers from hello fresh, gousto, pasta evangelists to etc as you get a decent whack of food for free or very cheap for your first orders and that takes the grocery bill down some weeks I find!

 

[Lulu Goss]

I would definitely try and cancel the sky if you can! We pay £30 a month for decent Internet and that’s it. We don’t have a phone or tv package as we don’t feel like we need 1000’s of channels! It’s saved us so much money!

food wise. I find making meals plans and cooking from scratch the easiest way to save a bit of money.

Make things like spag bol, don’t buy jars, just use carrots, onions, celery & tinned tomatoes to bulk up the meal and cut down on the amount of meat used as it’s cheaper to bulk out meals with veg rather than meat. Also frozen veg can be a lot cheaper, creates less waste and is just as healthy as fresh!

Yeah we only really got it for the sports channels but my partner has agreed that it’s not worth it when we’ve got so much other stuff to pay for!

Spag bol is a favourite in our house, I’ve had a look at some other cheap recipes today too - lots of veg seems the way to go for sure.

@Lulu Goss download Quidco or TopCashback before you change your broadband - I made £160 cashback from switching broadband to virgin and it’s £30 a month for 18 months on decent bandwidth

Also would recommend doing referrals or intro offers from hello fresh, gousto, pasta evangelists to etc as you get a decent whack of food for free or very cheap for your first orders and that takes the grocery bill down some weeks I find!

Ooh I downloaded TopCashback recently actually. How does it work - just by cancelling with sky and then signing up to somewhere else using the app?