To most of us it's simply home, after the daily attendance at your place of work, we come home to a warm and cosy place of our making.
The level of comfort often is dictated by how much money we have and our age, which often dictates the level we have reached. Young and starting out is often a lower level, empty nester's often are in a great place, and then some slip when in retirement income is reduced.
How we spend our income also plays a huge part, consumerism keeps our economy running, our government would struggle if every one stopped shopping.
Our pace of living is fast, on the go all the time, we are bombarded with all the latest must have stuff, the rental business of storage space is huge, 30 years ago it was unheard of and not required. Rather than throw something out or pass it along, so many hide it in rows of lockups and pay rental.
Do I own a car to get me to work so I can earn money,
or did I buy the car because I earn money.
I read a good post here, where Phil talks about a cashless society and how easy it is to wave plastic and spend without realizing just how much loads of small amounts add up in a week. In the past couple of years I take a cash sum each week, in the beginning it was just enough to get me by, now every week I have cash left over, which I save and when I have enough I have a bigger treat. Could be lunch with daughter's, something for my craft stash. I have never increased the amount I take, I just stopped spending on frivolous stuff. It has been hard work persuading my hubby this was a better way of life, bit by bit he has listened to my mad schemes to simplify and enhance our world.
We have changed our way of thinking, how we spend money and on what, we buy what we need, ignoring all the sales, discounts and hype. Everyone's lifestyle is their own, we now enjoy a much better way of life.
We enjoy lovely weekends at home, we do not go into town each weekend to shop, our weekends are now lazy enjoyable time at home together. The main thing we have noticed how much more time we have together, take away the rushing about and our time slows down to an enjoyable level.
This week was a success in our house, our internet/TV/phone rental was £62 per month, hubby wanted to cancel the TV to save money, I suggested he call another provider and get costings, which was £11 less for a very similar package, he was all for changing supplier. I suggested he call back our supplier and tell them we could go else where and save money, he got them to match the other cost, plus we also keep a 5% discount which made it cheaper. So a brilliant saving without have to change anything. Hubby is really pleased with himself.
I get an email from Martin Lewis, Money saving expert, each month and use his site often, he has loads of tips on how to play the big corporate's at their own game.
We are not as savvy and loads of bloggers I follow with your clever way of saving money, I would love to be self sufficient, but that's my dream not hubbies.
How have you made a good saving recently, as they say every little helps.
We went through a similar "conversion",now we find it hard to even think about spending for spendings sake and treats!! A walk in a park or on the beach on a Saturday is so much nicer than going round the shops.
ReplyDeleteYour "mad schemes" are the difference between the anxiety of always chasing our tail or living well. Great post.
ReplyDeleteYour lifestyle reads very similar to ours. Always looking to make savings and we manage quite well. We have no debt and saved hard to pay for our wedding last year. It helps that I don't really enjoy shopping. 😊 X
ReplyDeleteI have never enjoyed gong around the shops, I dont think being self sufficient is a cheaper money saving way to live, the set up cost takes years to re-coup for us its more of a lifestyle change than to save money, I am pleased to hear that your hubby took your advice and got a good deal.
ReplyDeleteIt really annoys me that companies will match a better deal you've got from a competitor, why not just reward their customers and give them a good deal in the first place? It annoys me that you have to shop around for the company you're already with to give you good service. We have Sky TV with films and sport, and multiroom, and we have our broadband and telephone with anytime calls with them too. We get a discount with them every year otherwise we'd cancel. This year the cost had risen to well over £100 per month, there's no way I would pay that but Mick rang them up and he got them to reduce it to £61, which I don't think is bad considering what we have with them.
ReplyDeleteI think using cash is a great way to keep on top of unnecessary spending. I have a friend who's finances are in a complete mess so she even puts small amounts (like a coffee out) on her credit card. I think of our coffee and chat as a treat so I budget for it from the beginning of the week. Like you.. I've also found that I can save toward things that I really want. Jx
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how small changes can add up to big things isn't it. I don't like it when companies will match others, but not offer the things initially, or the ones who offer low prices for new customers, but not existing ones. Why they cannot just be upfront in the first place is beyond me! Well done you though for working around it!
ReplyDeleteI would not say we are exactly frugal but we try and spend wisely. We enjoy good food, and I don't mean expensive food, but good quality. And we like to have flowers in the house, that is our treat, and I buy books and I subscribe to three monthly magazines. But we live in a lovely area of the country and so we don't feel the need for holidays and our car, while in very good condition, is now 17 years old (we don't mind that one little bit, it might bother others who always like everything up to the minute, whether a car or even a mobile phone or some kind of music device.) We don't buy many clothes but we like to buy good ones in classic styles and colours so that they will last, ditto shoes, but if I see something worth buying in a charity shop I'm not daft enough to leave it there, I buy it! Recently we bought three lovely cut glass tumblers in an antiques centre and paid just £11 for them. We bought them because we actually needed some new glasses, not just because they were a bargain - it's not a bargain if you don't need it regardless of cost. They are nicer than anything in the chain stores or the supermarket and antiques are the ultimate in recyclables, are they not?
ReplyDeleteWe might enjoy having coffee out when we are out for a walk, but if as today when we fancied a slice of cake and then saw it was £3 for a small slice we're not daft enough to pay this. Instead, we enjoyed our coffee and then we went home and I made a cake for less than the cost of one slice! I don't think that is particularly frugal, it was just sensible!
Have a lovely weekend,
Margaret P
I love this post and have wanted to do a post like it, but am always afraid I'll offend some family members. My husband and I always use cash. We don't have a debit card or an atm card. We do have a charge card, but we pay it off monthly. We get a set sum of money each week for our own expenses, we have a his, mine, and ours savings, and we are not in debt. It feels great. I know too many people who are in a financial crisis from over spending on stuff that makes them feel happy at the moment, but long term, they are stressed and the happiness goes when the charge bill comes in. And kids now will have no concept whatsoever of the value of money. Great post
ReplyDeleteCindy
A quite life here too, with the odd treat when funds allow.
ReplyDelete