Do I want it? No. Do I need it? No. Save it! #2

[Jellycat369]

Managed to save £295 this month after not being able to save anything last month. Also both mine and my OH credit cards are fully paid off Had a good discussion about money goals with my OH and we're going to try and flesh those out so we know what we're aiming for. Got another payrise this month plus the bonus for my work pension for opting back in so that's good, although my salary will take a hit soon once my mat pay kicks in. I'll be 6 weeks postpartum on Sunday so planning my health kick from May 1st, I'll mainly be focusing on healthy eating and walking but hopefully that'll save us money on convenience foods and electric as I won't be sat watching the telly. Also have sorted out the baby clothes that no longer fit and my clothes and am planning to sell them on ebay as I believe there are no fees for clothes now. I don't imagine it'll make me much money but at least it'll give me something to use towards buying new clothes for the kiddos and for me too once I lose the baby weight.

 

[BorisBear]

My car cost me £500 this month at the garage it’s 10 years now & it’s going to start going wrong I know it. I really don’t want to buy a new one. Will be a tight month for me now, bills paid though but we have our in laws over on holiday for 2 weeks.. so some meals out will hammer us

 

[rainbowlemon]

My car cost me £500 this month at the garage it’s 10 years now & it’s going to start going wrong I know it. I really don’t want to buy a new one. Will be a tight month for me now, bills paid though but we have our in laws over on holiday for 2 weeks.. so some meals out will hammer us

Could you let your in-laws know? Meals out are pricey and if it would be easier for you then skipping eating out altogether would be the better option.

 

[Curiouscupcake]

We are so close to paying off some debt and being much better off each month but I keep making random purchases. Yesterday it was tickets to an event, a few weeks ago it was a deposit for a family holiday. I just need to sit on my hands and wait a few months. Funny the talk of investment earlier on the thread, my husband mentioned investing each month once we are in the position to do so. I would probably invest £100 or so a month, then send some to savings we don’t touch to help build an emergency fund and then have another pot to use for holidays and things so it’s a bit more flexible. Cant wait

 

[Notworthy]

Within reason I don't see an issue with spending on outings/holidays etc as long as its not being funded by borrowing. Its the mindless purchasing of stuff and endless takeaways that I think are a big problem I can't believe how many Uber and Diveroo mopeds are in my very small town and they're delivering to the poorer areas. They're a complete menace on the road too. The other day I watched 1 go the wrong way on a busy roundabout. Mental

 

[Curiouscupcake]

Within reason I don't see an issue with spending on outings/holidays etc as long as its not being funded by borrowing. Its the mindless purchasing of stuff and endless takeaways that I think are a big problem I can't believe how many Uber and Diveroo mopeds are in my very small town and they're delivering to the poorer areas. They're a complete menace on the road too. The other day I watched 1 go the wrong way on a busy roundabout. Mental

Yes definitely but mine have been using credit to pay. I’m aware of it at least I just don’t want to get into the position of still paying things off by the end of the year when we can be so much better off. It’s my birthday soon and I’ve consciously tried to make a list of things that aren’t expensive, and don’t just add clutter to the house… it’s actually quite tricky to do.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

We are so close to paying off some debt and being much better off each month but I keep making random purchases. Yesterday it was tickets to an event, a few weeks ago it was a deposit for a family holiday. I just need to sit on my hands and wait a few months. Funny the talk of investment earlier on the thread, my husband mentioned investing each month once we are in the position to do so. I would probably invest £100 or so a month, then send some to savings we don’t touch to help build an emergency fund and then have another pot to use for holidays and things so it’s a bit more flexible. Cant wait

Well done, this is amazing! Re random purchases - a friend in the US with their style of student loan told me his trick for clearing debt (he’s both student loan and mortgage free in his early 30s!) was just constantly drip feeding it, like every day he didn’t get a coffee/beer/whatever he’d log into his student loan account and transfer that money. Not saying this in the boomer sense of how we’d all be minted if we didn’t eat avocado toast, obviously he was also committing a ton of other money to it too, but I personally think it’s a level of mindfulness/centring your goal that really helps? Because of that idea I’ve always set it up so I can easily make bank transfers to my mortgage account and it defs helps! Also a form of the meme format girl math here but say I return something I’ll always put that money on because it’s been spent already lol.

 

[Curiouscupcake]

Well done, this is amazing! Re random purchases - a friend in the US with their style of student loan told me his trick for clearing debt (he’s both student loan and mortgage free in his early 30s!) was just constantly drip feeding it, like every day he didn’t get a coffee/beer/whatever he’d log into his student loan account and transfer that money. Not saying this in the boomer sense of how we’d all be minted if we didn’t eat avocado toast, obviously he was also committing a ton of other money to it too, but I personally think it’s a level of mindfulness/centring your goal that really helps? Because of that idea I’ve always set it up so I can easily make bank transfers to my mortgage account and it defs helps! Also a form of the meme format girl math here but say I return something I’ll always put that money on because it’s been spent already lol.

I’ve certainly noticed a mindset shift recently now we are looking at having some spare income. Making sure we either invest or put some towards the mortgage etc rather than just blowing it on holidays, definitely want to make some of it untouchable in some way.
I am aware we are in a fortunate position to do so, but it’s been a long time coming.

 

[Fledgling Psycho]

Excited! I've just purchased £50 Premium Bonds. Let the winnings roll in . I'm going to try and buy £50 every month from now on. I easily waste that much on crap each month.

 

[MarriotBonvoy]

Excited! I've just purchased £50 Premium Bonds. Let the winnings roll in . I'm going to try and buy £50 every month from now on. I easily waste that much on crap each month.

Can I do this as a British citizen living abroad ?

 

[Fledgling Psycho]

Can I do this as a British citizen living abroad ?

Not sure. Look on their website

 

[Silverback]

Well I just received some good news,My student loans have been written off! I never earnt enough to have to pay them back, especially as I went part time since being a parent.

I’m keeping a list of non- essential spending this month as last month went haywire with days out and meals out and buying some clothes. I’m determined to not waste any money and save up for a holiday next year.

 

[BorisBear]

Could you let your in-laws know? Meals out are pricey and if it would be easier for you then skipping eating out altogether would be the better option.

Yeah we went out last night for mil bday.. we don’t really drink but they all do so when bill was split it was 100 for us 3 with v v average food but we hardly ever see them so it’s not worth any arguments. I just did most of our weekly shop for the same price in lidl, eating out can be sickening but we enjoy going to nice places as we love good food. Families hey?!

 

[Peachy9]

I was able to pay off one of my two credit cards yesterday I have just passed them from interest free to interest free card for yyeeears, but have done the snowball method. £2.5k paid off since Jan

 

[Magentamarathon]

I was able to pay off one of my two credit cards yesterday I have just passed them from interest free to interest free card for yyeeears, but have done the snowball method. £2.5k paid off since Jan

Huge congratulations!

 

[Silverback]

Went to IKEA today to look at beds and was really anxious that I’d get sucked into spending a lot on little bits but only spent £17 on essentials so proud of myself for that. Even left behind a lovely jar/ vase reduced from £35 to £7!

 

[pinkmug]

Went to IKEA today to look at beds and was really anxious that I’d get sucked into spending a lot on little bits but only spent £17 on essentials so proud of myself for that. Even left behind a lovely jar/ vase reduced from £35 to £7!

Good for you omg, Ikea is like a financial whirlpool for me so now I avoid wandering around and just select what I need in advance, down to the item numbers

 

[Curly Top]

When I first discovered Vinted I purchased far more than I sold - like a kid in a candy store, Now I am trying to clear out my clothes and general clutter I am selling only. I move things out of the main wardrobe and place in my daughter's old bedroom after uploading them. If they don't sell they will go to charity. This way I can see what I have left and ensure that I don't need the rest. It's a very slow process but I am moving in the right direction.
The whole endeavour has made me very discerning when it comes to bringing more stuff to the house.
All I can say is it was a long time coming and I can hardly recognise my new sensible self.

 

[50degreesnorth]

I’ve spent more than I wanted to this month, on the plus side I haven’t brought anything into the house which was superfluous to requirements because we’ll ignore the fabric.

I’m really finding the fixed bonds a great way to sock away my cash for 6 months rather than finding something I could buy.

There’s no IKEA by me but someone local was doing a big trip and offered to collect a kallax for me. Trouble is/was - the kallax is (for me) simply functional - not the item I really want. So I’ve found the piece I really want - and although it’s obviously more ££ - it will stay for life rather than do the job.

Despite the kids whining we’re going to eat the cupboards/freezer for the next week as they too are to cluttered to see what we actually have.

 

[Silverback]

Had a talk with my therapist this morning about why I always feel my home has to be ‘perfect’ and why I agonise endlessly about the things that need doing. I grew up in an abusive home where my wildly insecure mother would spend every second of her life cleaning and aiming to make our house look good in order to give herself self esteem. She spent money she didn’t have, she got into debt. She was angry and jealous of her sisters who married fairly wealthy men and did their homes up.

My mum wasn’t a good mother to say the least, she allowed me to be abused for years and despite me not talking to her for years now she’s still managed to programme me to be afraid that my life doesn’t look ‘good enough’ in a shallow way. I am worried constantly that our front door is chipped and needs a repaint, that our chest of drawers is old and the skirting boards need repainting too.

Nobody comes to my house to judge me anymore. My friends and husband accept me as I am. But my mum programmed me and I’ve got to somehow unprogramme myself.

I don’t need to spend all our cash to try and measure up. It doesn’t matter if the front door is chipped.

Looking at Instagram makes it worse. All those beautiful houses and renovations.

I’ve got to get a hold of myself somehow and live within my means.