Printable View
One tip that works for me... Do NOT look at the catalogues or magazines or any advertising material. Even better... Get a "No junk mail" sign. I buy SO much less stuff all because I do not look at the junk mail. It goes straight onto the recycle bin! (I really have to get a sign)
a list for shopping and when we get paid I plan on doing a big shop for the month at the supermarket, the going to vege store or butcher when we need.
Im not organised enough to do meal plans and hubby is a fussy bugger which makes it harder ;)
Cash. Make envelopes of cash for what you are supposed to spend. Do not go outside the budget. Only spend what you have to. And put it in perspective. And keep a list of spendings in your purse and write in it everytime you make a frivolous purchase.
I think it's easier to not spend what you don't have. I haven't had this problem for a loooooooong time. But even now when things are starting to get better (slowly) I'm still tight, and find it hard to buy anything I don't really need, can't make or can't borrow.
We had to cut back to the extream as well. DH was on 6 figure salary and there was only 3 of us in the house, then he decided to go back to Uni full time and only works enough hours in a casual job to pay the mortgage. I worked it out the other day and we were earning $800 per week (in the hand) more than we earn now :( reality check bit us in the backside real quick! Budgeting is hard but it can be done.
My tips:
Plan your meals and only get from woolies and coles what you need. Get everything else from ALDI or the fresh food markets (we save about $100 per week doing this)
Make your lunch.
Treat yourself to a take-away once a fortnight. Make it a nice one so your more likely not to stop off at Maccas on the way home.
Put away money each week for something like birthday's or Christmas etc....even just $10. Makes a big difference
For gifts, I have a box where I keep all the gifts that I have recived that either I don't need or aren't really my thing. Make sure you remember who gave them to you though so you don't accidently give them back to the same person LOL! I have saved heaps of money doing this. If you get some handcream that you hate the smell of, don't use it for the sake of using it, re-gift!
For Christmas, set a budget and stick with it. This year I am getting everyone couples presents, which will be a food hamper. Just a selection of goodies and you can personalise them towards the couple. I.E if they are on a diet go for Salsa, Corn Chips, Popcorn, Tea, Coffee, dried fruit. etc
For kids, they are getting a stocking filled with treats and toys. Playdough, lollypop, bubble wand, yo-yo - and a few more little things. I found that they were so excited about unwrapping all their little gifts, they played with a $1 bubble wand for 3 hours :o
I hope this helps! Nothing is worse than feeling like you are sinking financially. I have been there and it's the pits.
These few things have saved me hundreds of dollars. Good luck :) x
Going to start using some software that connects to a phone app for that. Being using the trial and am very happy with it, more user friendly than my massive spreadsheet.:
Now if only I can handle DH :rolleyes:
Are you using You Need A Budget?:
Yes. A financial friend of mine swears by it and I am really liking the concept behind it. I want to be be able to keep my money in accounts, not take it out in cash to allocate it.:
Thanks Astrid, I'm going to download the trial tonight :)
Im bad with this too. We've started withdrawing our leisure money as cash, and only using that, no matter what. We also bought woolies/coles/kmart/target card through the entertainmentbook (5% discount) and only use that for our shopping. We actually spend an extra 30% on groceries than I budgeted originally!
Update time
Well I absolutely suck at this. Probably not a good thing to start before a big birthday, show day etc. Plus the girls shoes seem to have all fallen apart at the same time, I suppose that is necessary spending though, so does not count.
Good thing has come of it though, DH has finally seen the light about us only going to the show every 2nd year and another big kiddie as well. He can see that a few hundred at a crappy show is just waste, plus we are missing out on better events that are cheaper (like there was a rockabilly weekend near by I wanted to go to). DH is a creature of habit, going to the show is what he has always done, pity it has taken him 10 years to get to the same place as me, that every year is too much.
Astrid, how are you finding the software? I'm tying to stick to our budget but excel just isn't doing it for me. I need something more visually appealing and easier to see where the money is going.
We do this. If you only do grocery shopping with gift cards it makes you more conscious of what you spend too!:
We also get fruit and veg delivered each week. It is a little more expensive than supermarket prices, but easily tracked, fresher (so less waste) and less trips to the shopping centre where you're tempted to spend.
Ruralish, so no delivery out here ;) Despite lots of farms, fruit and veg are exxy.
As for the software, I have just purchased the full version. I stopped using it and my normal budget spreadsheet for a few weeks, so I got really out of whack. Have started fresh as of yesterday and am just getting used to using the app, along with the change in thinking. I still have my spreadsheet going along side, we have a tight few months coming up and I need the projection, not just allocating what we have already been paid.
Could you go to farmers markets for fruit and veg? Less temptations there too. I'd give them a try but I'm quite lazy and much prefer the nice young man who brings my box right into my kitchen. ;)
The farmers markets down this way are a joke. Only worth it for eggs, which we don't need. Thanks
Anyway this was about superfluous spending. Really thinking about do we really need it before making a purchase, as it is so easy for $10 here, $5 there to just go from the purse/bank account. Changing my mindset.
Its really hard to stop those little buys. Today I put back half my trolley cause I didn't need it.
I find if I take a cash limit in with me then I can't buy the wants, just the needs.
Astrid - how are you going with the YNAB? I am just looking at the website today after reading this thread sometime ago - just getting my MS Money up to date (not great for budgeting but is good for balancing accounts) and trying to decide if is worth setting up the YNAB so any feedback would be appreciated.
How weird the date on my post says 1970 - using BB before even born!
Am currently setting up YNAb free trial - very impressed will make many things far easier. Going to do free online class on Wed.