Not that many years ago, in our Grandparents' day, you felt lucky to have a glass of wine at Christmas. Your Mother/wife/sister cut your hair for you. You did your own nails. You didn't have a mobile phone. You lived on mutton, vegetables, eggs - whatever was in season and cheap. You drank water!
Okay - so times have changed and we expect a little more nowadays, but you can still live relatively cheaply if you live within your means. The well known saying 'look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves' is absolutely true. Every penny counts! If you are honest to yourself about what you spend every week you will see how it can add up and what savings you can make.
Really it's common sense but that seems to have gone out of the window! Having your hair dyed for £60+ is really not a necessity. If you haven't got enough money just don't do it! Having your nails done is ridiculous when you haven't got enough money and you can do it yourself. We're hardly talking about slumming it!
Look at your lunches. Do you buy your lunch at work every day? If you spend £4 on your lunch 5 days a week that costs you over £1000 each year. If you made your own lunch and took it in (sandwich/salad) it would likely cost less than £1. You could even take the leftovers from last night's tea. And stop buying drinks. A bottle of coke often costs over £1 - that's £260 if you have one 5 days/week. Just drink water or if you can't stand that then buy some value squash.
Buy mulitpacks and deals at the shops but make sure they last long enough. It may seem like you're spending a lot at first but it will be worth it in the long run. Plan your meals to avoid waste but see what's on offer at the shops. Make sure you can freeze multibuys.
Home cooked meals can go a long way. Meals like chilli and curry are easy to make, great to freeze and go a long way. At the time of writing, a well know supermarket's prices were as follows:
Chilli:
TOTAL: £9.76
This could make 10 meals for around £0.98/meal. All you'd need to add is some spices.
Curry:
TOTAL: £12.83
This could make 8 meals for around £1.60/meal. And you'd have the chicken bones for stock!
Most of us feel a mobile phone is a necessity nowadays, but you don't need the most up to date model. Go for something cheaper and cut down on your package costs.
Go for a walk or a run instead of paying for gym membership. There's plenty of exercise you can do without paying.
Share a car when you can. If you must have a car get a cheaper model and look at the running costs before buying. Don't do unnecessary journeys and only fill your fuel tank halfway to avoid uneccessary weight which can cause higher fuel consumption.
Okay - so times have changed and we expect a little more nowadays, but you can still live relatively cheaply if you live within your means. The well known saying 'look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves' is absolutely true. Every penny counts! If you are honest to yourself about what you spend every week you will see how it can add up and what savings you can make.
Really it's common sense but that seems to have gone out of the window! Having your hair dyed for £60+ is really not a necessity. If you haven't got enough money just don't do it! Having your nails done is ridiculous when you haven't got enough money and you can do it yourself. We're hardly talking about slumming it!
Look at your lunches. Do you buy your lunch at work every day? If you spend £4 on your lunch 5 days a week that costs you over £1000 each year. If you made your own lunch and took it in (sandwich/salad) it would likely cost less than £1. You could even take the leftovers from last night's tea. And stop buying drinks. A bottle of coke often costs over £1 - that's £260 if you have one 5 days/week. Just drink water or if you can't stand that then buy some value squash.
Buy mulitpacks and deals at the shops but make sure they last long enough. It may seem like you're spending a lot at first but it will be worth it in the long run. Plan your meals to avoid waste but see what's on offer at the shops. Make sure you can freeze multibuys.
Home cooked meals can go a long way. Meals like chilli and curry are easy to make, great to freeze and go a long way. At the time of writing, a well know supermarket's prices were as follows:
Chilli:
- 2 x 900g good quality mince meat: £6.00 (on offer)
- 3 x peppers: £1.65
- 2 x tin kidney beans: £0.38
- 2 x onion: £0.40
- 3 x tinned tomatoes: £0.93
- Rice (1kg): £0.40
TOTAL: £9.76
This could make 10 meals for around £0.98/meal. All you'd need to add is some spices.
Curry:
- free range chicken: £8.49
- 3 x peppers: £1.65
- 1 x courgette: £0.36
- 2 curry sauces: £1.00 (on offer)
- 1 x tinned tomatoes: £0.93
- rice (1kg): £0.40
TOTAL: £12.83
This could make 8 meals for around £1.60/meal. And you'd have the chicken bones for stock!
Most of us feel a mobile phone is a necessity nowadays, but you don't need the most up to date model. Go for something cheaper and cut down on your package costs.
Go for a walk or a run instead of paying for gym membership. There's plenty of exercise you can do without paying.
Share a car when you can. If you must have a car get a cheaper model and look at the running costs before buying. Don't do unnecessary journeys and only fill your fuel tank halfway to avoid uneccessary weight which can cause higher fuel consumption.
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