general money saving tips

[raggydoll]

I am in a bit of a sticky situation at the moment where i may be forced to end up temporarily doing a job that pays significantly less money than i am on now. This has come quite out of the blue. I am putting plans into action now to start saving money and cutting costs and i got to thinking about the previous thread on here about how tight we are. I am not really good with money but if i want to continue being a horse owner - which i desperatley do i am going to have to make some drastic changes to my spending habits and think about generatinga second income. So back to my question what general money saving tips do you have?

[dcp]

Staying away from shops!! I work in town and at lunch go for a walk and end up popping into boots. Might see something on offer and buy it for the sake of it. Would probably do this with clothes shops but I haven't been into one of those for ages.

budget for everything and make sacrifices. Do you really need to buy horse and hound when you can go onto their website. This is how I survive these days!!

[*Sez*]

I'm in a similar position so I've also been trying to find ways to save money :o Having finally sorted out our finances enough to be able to buy our house and horses last year, my husband lost his job at very short notice just before Christmas, and is now too ill with stress to work. So our income has effectively halved and we've been told we don't qualify for any kind of income support or benefit. I've found things like avoiding eBay have helped a little, not buying DVDs, clothes only come from cheap places like Peacocks and George at Asda now :o Food has become the bare minimum and preferably Tesco Value! Salsa only gets new things if they're on offer at the tack shop (or if they're desperately desperate and I need them), and treats have been limited to carrots and apples - no more expensive bags of horse-bix! It's difficult, and I still have the threat of losing everything we've worked for over the last few years hanging over me and probably will until I either find a job that will pay me £30,000 a year or hubby feels well enough to start working again. Obviously when we get to the point our savings have dried up and we start having real problems paying the mortgage, it'll have to be selling the horse before losing our home :(

[raggydoll]

yeah im afraid my OH have had a very similar conversation recently which is when we decided to do something now cos i dont think i could abre to part with Bim, id rather lose the house!!! but then its only half my house and that wouldnt be fair on OH :(

[Shadowlark]

Keep your horse out 24/7 ;) Pull his shoes...those sorts of things can be HUGE savings while still keeping him happy and healthy :)
Splash is very inexpensive, because I chose to keep him as "natrualy" as I can - this isn't me being frugal it's simply how I keep him :)

[raggydoll]

shes out 24/7 already infact she is actually very cheap to keep, but i hadnt really considered that i could have her shoes off and just ride in the field or give her a bit of a break for a couple of months if the worst came to the worst. Shes not the sort of horse that would mind!!! I always intended to go barefoot altogether but she was on the back when i got her and they wore down too fast so maybe not suitable for us. Anyway im rambling now thatnks for that idea shadowlark.

Im looking for general tips really tho cos i dont think i could really save any more money on bim. How do i learn to be more careful with my money - how do you guys do it?!

[Daffy Dilly]

Just things like when you wash your hair, only use a small amount of shampoo and even less conditioner. Some days just use conditioner, and others just shampoo. Apparently this is good for your hair anyway. If you have your legs waxed, it may feel awful, but only do it if you're going out and planning to wear a skirt. Do the same for hair dressing/nails or buying makeup. Walk more, eat proper meals rather than snacking, drink more water (rather than milk etc), turn the lights off, tv off, computer off. Take a sandwich to work rather than buying a meal, forgo the weekly take away. If you are a member of a gym, cancel that and go for a run around a park instead.

As for a second income, old clothes, shoes, books, any dvds you've watched once, horsey gear, try selling it on Ebay. :)

[Daffy Dilly]

I most definately am not careful with my money. I plan on setting up a second bank account with only a cash card and will transfer a certain amount (£10 or 15) a month into that to be kept for emergencies. I have always sworn down I will not have a credit card, the temptation would just be too much. :o

Do you have an expensive to run car? If so, consider getting something cheaper. My Dad gave his up this week as it was costing him £750 a month (it was on lease) before fuel/tax/mot was taken into account. We're now down to something that should save us £400 a month. The problem we found was that when trying to do the house up, problems always arose and things costed twice or three times more than we expected. We're considering doing the same with the Freelander, but it's only halfway through the lease, and on days like this with the snow, we're glad of it! :)

[raggydoll]

Thanks Daffy Dilly great advice. I will have another clear out and see what i can ebay i made quite a bit last time i did that. My car is pretty cheap really although i am paying £140 a month for it on finance atm but its all paid for by october so its not really worth swapping it. Unfortunately it is due its MOT in May and the exhaust is blowing badly. However as i read your replies i was thinking actually theres a lot of things i could give up if it meant i could keep bim and the house. Unfortunately one of those things is the internet!! how would i cope without you guys :o

[Shadowlark]

Hubby and I keep our credit cards in the freezer..in margarine tubs of ice.

Sounds mental I know.. so here is the reason.
Before we can charge ANYTHING we have to thaw them out - which takes over night - giving us the night to think about it and if we TRULY need it. It has worked VERY well to bring our budgets in line.

budget, budget budget. Call up your statements and look at where you are spending. Carry cash instead of bank cards - again it forces you to THINK about it. At the start of the week I pull my spending money for coffee lunchs etc. and leave the card at home. That way I don't blindly over spend on nonsense like Starbucks. Drive thru/take aways have to fall under that category to - again it prevents me over spending on nonsense

Shop for groceries with lists and stick to them. Check your classifieds - used stuff stores before buying anything new. I have tremendous luck getting used jeans from the Salvation Army! (I go through a lot of jeans due to flyball and my dogs nails wearing through them) Is there a "no name" brand in something.. a lot of the time the knock off is just as good! Drive only when you HAVE to that sort of stuff.

Keep a photo of Your horse in your wallet Front and centre - and every time you open it think.. is this a NEED or a WANT - there is a HUGE difference.

[Daffy Dilly]

Thought of some other things.

When you're going to have a shower, tell people. That way, they don't run hot or cold taps and make the shower go so hot it hurts and you have to move, or so cold it hurts and you have to move, because that's wasting a lot of water. ;) :rolleyes:

If you know you use a lot of kitchen towel or catfood or something, buy it when it's on special offer, ideally BOGOF and find somewhere to store it until you need it. Do the same with bread/pizza etc - freeze them! Buying in-season food is also cheaper, albeit only marginally. :)

[raggydoll]

fantastic tips guys - thanks! I think i will be trying most of them if not all!!!

[Karls Mum]

Hi new to NR, but just been in the same situation myself. I used to have to pay £17.50 per 1/2 litre of linseed oil at my local saddelery which i gladly paid until I switched to vegetable oil from Aldi for 46p a litre! Bargain! My horses coats are great, its non-heating and so much cheaper. Try that if your horses are fed wih oil its cut my costs down by at least £40 a month. Hope that helps.

[Est]

If you Google a few search terms such as "frugal living" you'll find some fantastic sites with money saving tips. These sites have helped me out of many a sticky situation and may shortly be doing so again :rolleyes:
I'd draw up a budget as a priority (what the actual outgoings are, not what you wish they were ;) ), then look at what can be done without for now (haircuts, clothes, newspapers, buying lunch out etc). Whatever's left, look at ways to make it as cheap as possible. You can't affect your water or council tax but everything else can be switched or made cheaper.
I wouldn't personally lose the internet connection until absolutely necessary as it is information, support, tips, access to ebay for selling stuff etc - it is part of the money-saving process really.
Hope everything goes okay for you, it is awful being in situations like this as I know only too well :(

[raggydoll]

thanks guys, i'll go and do some googling now est :D

[horse__obsessed]

Unfortunately one of those things is the internet!! how would i cope without you guys :o
Uzse the internet for free at the local library!

Hubby and I keep our credit cards in the freezer..in margarine tubs of ice.

Sounds mental I know.. so here is the reason.
Before we can charge ANYTHING we have to thaw them out - which takes over night - giving us the night to think about it and if we TRULY need it. It has worked VERY well to bring our budgets in line.
Thats a fab idea!