...then all day you'll have good luck. Or more money than you left the house with...
Roadchange, roadkill...call it what you will. See it, pick it up. Sounds kind of obvious really but you'd be surprised how much money it's possible to find and how it adds up over the weeks and months.
I've always been quite good at spotting money laying on the pavement or in shops and have never been shy about picking it up. I have, at times, been given looks from passers by that I can infer from that they think it's 'beneath' them to bend down and pick up money from the floor. Perhanps they aresome of the careless people dropping their change and not going back for it. Maybe they would change their minds if they tried it, saved it up and found out how much it can add up to over the course of a year.
As I said, I've been pocketing this free cash for years but a couple of years ago I thought instead of just throwing it in my purse and it being absorbed into my everyday spends I would keep it seperate, save it and see how much it amounted to over the course of a year.
The first year of trying it came to the princely sum of just over £50. Last year I did better with a shade over £60. Doesn't sound like a lot? Both years it has paid for Christmas dinner (with all the trimmings), crackers, mints, booze with plenty of change left over at a cost to me of naff all. Thank you people of Nottingham...it was delicious!
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Soccer...on a shoestring
One of my passions in life is watching my beloved Notts County. Dad first took me when I was 5 years old and he kept taking me until it became ingrained in me to support them. Some seasons they are an absolute joy to watch and I wouldn't be anywhere else, others it's a little 'painful' but they're MY team through thick and thin.
Unfortunately, football in this country has become ludicrously expensive. Add up the price of a ticket, plus programme, drinks, food and travel and you'll be hitting an almost eye-watering amount of money to be spent. Then there's the seemingly never ending replica shirts to be purchased, scarves, hats and all manner of other items of clothing, stationary; even garden gnomes for crying out loud! Like everything else though, this tightwad has ways and means of keeping costs down....
Travel to home games has become a breeze with Premiere buses new services and excellent range of cheap tickets. A 'duo' ticket (£6) allows two adults and up to two children unlimited travel on their buses all day. As the trip to Meadow Lane for us involves 4 buses (two each way) it's a bargain,even more so when their competition Trent Barton want double that for the same style ticket. Ouch!
At £3 a pop we gave up buying the souvenier programmes a while ago. There's nothing wrong with them and the lads in the office who write the content do a fantastic job, but it's an expense we can do without right now. They only get stuffed in a drawer or cupboard in any case!
Food and drink is another one that is simple to reduce costs on. We take our own! Bottles of fizzy pop can be found in Poundland (2 for a quid dontcha know), they also do various packs of 4 chocolate bars. Chuck in some fruit from the bowl at home and a flask of tea/coffee/hot chocolate in cold weather and we're sorted.
Of course, the biggest expense involved in following football is the price of tickets. At Notts the cheap seats command a price of £21 per adult, the others £23. Season tickets are £325 and £400 respectively. Ouch! Ido have a season ticket, so do the two kiddos who come along too. 14 year old has his as his birthday present each year so doesn't cost me anything extra and 6 year old's was free (with the purchase of an adult one). To pay for mine I have a sealed tin (from Poundland...the sort you need a tin opener to get in to...) where I put every single £2 coin I receive in change. Last year, a week before 'seasonticket deadline day' I opened the tin and found I'd saved £190. Took a huge weight off the finances I can tell you so I was able to pay for mine outright instead of going for the 'easy yet more expensive' finance option.
So there you go. Watching football can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it. For the record I was inspired to write this while sitting watching Notts yesterday. For the record we drew 1-1 with MK Dons, played some cracking football in the second half and the entire day out cost less than a tenner. Result!
Unfortunately, football in this country has become ludicrously expensive. Add up the price of a ticket, plus programme, drinks, food and travel and you'll be hitting an almost eye-watering amount of money to be spent. Then there's the seemingly never ending replica shirts to be purchased, scarves, hats and all manner of other items of clothing, stationary; even garden gnomes for crying out loud! Like everything else though, this tightwad has ways and means of keeping costs down....
Travel to home games has become a breeze with Premiere buses new services and excellent range of cheap tickets. A 'duo' ticket (£6) allows two adults and up to two children unlimited travel on their buses all day. As the trip to Meadow Lane for us involves 4 buses (two each way) it's a bargain,even more so when their competition Trent Barton want double that for the same style ticket. Ouch!
At £3 a pop we gave up buying the souvenier programmes a while ago. There's nothing wrong with them and the lads in the office who write the content do a fantastic job, but it's an expense we can do without right now. They only get stuffed in a drawer or cupboard in any case!
Food and drink is another one that is simple to reduce costs on. We take our own! Bottles of fizzy pop can be found in Poundland (2 for a quid dontcha know), they also do various packs of 4 chocolate bars. Chuck in some fruit from the bowl at home and a flask of tea/coffee/hot chocolate in cold weather and we're sorted.
Of course, the biggest expense involved in following football is the price of tickets. At Notts the cheap seats command a price of £21 per adult, the others £23. Season tickets are £325 and £400 respectively. Ouch! Ido have a season ticket, so do the two kiddos who come along too. 14 year old has his as his birthday present each year so doesn't cost me anything extra and 6 year old's was free (with the purchase of an adult one). To pay for mine I have a sealed tin (from Poundland...the sort you need a tin opener to get in to...) where I put every single £2 coin I receive in change. Last year, a week before 'seasonticket deadline day' I opened the tin and found I'd saved £190. Took a huge weight off the finances I can tell you so I was able to pay for mine outright instead of going for the 'easy yet more expensive' finance option.
So there you go. Watching football can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it. For the record I was inspired to write this while sitting watching Notts yesterday. For the record we drew 1-1 with MK Dons, played some cracking football in the second half and the entire day out cost less than a tenner. Result!
Friday, 20 January 2012
Luxury vs Value...
I was sitting this morning enjoying a wonderous coffee in my favourite Caffe Nero when I was struck by the thought that some folks may not take this to be a 'money saving' experience. I guess it isn't on the face of it, however in life I firmly believe that there should be some luxuries, the odd thing or things that in your mind cannot possibly be compromised on.
Everyones list will naturally be different. Mine also includes Typhoo teabags, treats from Lush, Cadbury's Hot Chocolate, Bisto and Coca Cola. The real thing if you please and not some cheap and nasty imitation. In my defence, my cupboards are stocked with value products, my freezer is stuffed full of yellow stickered goodies and home grown vegetables...even the toiletries drawer only contains things bought on offer. My clothes are worn until they either fall apart, shrink or become tatty and or shabby, likewise my shoes and boots. So I allow myself the odd indulgence.
Even though I allow myself these items that CANNOT be comprimised on, I do still look forthe best prices possible and would rather do without entirely than pay over the odds. People who shop with me get used to the cry of "I'm not f'ing paying that" as I walk round various shops. I've even been known to say it in Poundland....
I have little rules I made up myself regarding how much I'm prepared to pay for anything, including the treats. For example, I adhere to a maximum of 10p per wash when it comes to Laundry detergent. My local Co Op last week had Surf 30 wash boxes of powder on offer for £3. I bought 3 as it met my 'rule'. However I'm 'careful' with my detergent usage and therefore a 30 wash box will do more like 100! Seriously, you do not need to use anything like the amount that manufacturers would have you believe. £9 for almost a years worth of laundry. Works for me! Toilet roll is another thing that comes under my rules. 25p a roll is plenty thank you very much. This one is pretty easy to adhere to though as even if the main supermarkets do not have an offer on when we come close to running out the pound shops can be relied on.
The difference between value products and those of a more named brand variety has, this evening, been brought into stark reality. My 6 year old was playing upstairs and decided to try some of her 17 year old sister's new bath products that she was given by various relatives for Christmas. When it comes to this sort of thing we buy named brands at discount prices. The relos seem to prefer the cheap and cheerful sets from poundland/wilkos etc. You know the sort of the thing I'm talking about...the bag jammed full of products with a name that sounds similar to something that would retail at double the price.
Well...poor 6 year old came downstairs saying her face itched. Poor kid looked like she had been scalded the allergic reaction was that bad. A quick dose of antihistimine and a hose down in the shower has done the trick as has throwing the offending toiletries in the bin but it does go to show...cheaper isn't necessarily better. Some things shouldn't, and in the case of allergies...cannot be compromised on.
Everyones list will naturally be different. Mine also includes Typhoo teabags, treats from Lush, Cadbury's Hot Chocolate, Bisto and Coca Cola. The real thing if you please and not some cheap and nasty imitation. In my defence, my cupboards are stocked with value products, my freezer is stuffed full of yellow stickered goodies and home grown vegetables...even the toiletries drawer only contains things bought on offer. My clothes are worn until they either fall apart, shrink or become tatty and or shabby, likewise my shoes and boots. So I allow myself the odd indulgence.
Even though I allow myself these items that CANNOT be comprimised on, I do still look forthe best prices possible and would rather do without entirely than pay over the odds. People who shop with me get used to the cry of "I'm not f'ing paying that" as I walk round various shops. I've even been known to say it in Poundland....
I have little rules I made up myself regarding how much I'm prepared to pay for anything, including the treats. For example, I adhere to a maximum of 10p per wash when it comes to Laundry detergent. My local Co Op last week had Surf 30 wash boxes of powder on offer for £3. I bought 3 as it met my 'rule'. However I'm 'careful' with my detergent usage and therefore a 30 wash box will do more like 100! Seriously, you do not need to use anything like the amount that manufacturers would have you believe. £9 for almost a years worth of laundry. Works for me! Toilet roll is another thing that comes under my rules. 25p a roll is plenty thank you very much. This one is pretty easy to adhere to though as even if the main supermarkets do not have an offer on when we come close to running out the pound shops can be relied on.
The difference between value products and those of a more named brand variety has, this evening, been brought into stark reality. My 6 year old was playing upstairs and decided to try some of her 17 year old sister's new bath products that she was given by various relatives for Christmas. When it comes to this sort of thing we buy named brands at discount prices. The relos seem to prefer the cheap and cheerful sets from poundland/wilkos etc. You know the sort of the thing I'm talking about...the bag jammed full of products with a name that sounds similar to something that would retail at double the price.
Well...poor 6 year old came downstairs saying her face itched. Poor kid looked like she had been scalded the allergic reaction was that bad. A quick dose of antihistimine and a hose down in the shower has done the trick as has throwing the offending toiletries in the bin but it does go to show...cheaper isn't necessarily better. Some things shouldn't, and in the case of allergies...cannot be compromised on.
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Welcome!
Woah. I have my very own blog. My first ever....
I've been inspired to start blogging thanks to the moneysavingexpert site, a wonderous community of people who (for the most part) share my ideals and 'carefulness'.
As I seem to have spent most of my life scrimping and scraping by; to begin with it was by necessity but it fast became a habit that is hard to break I thought I could use this blog to share hints and tips I have picked up along the way and maybe others could share their tips with me.
So, my first recomendation would be that you too, dear reader, join the money saving expert community if you haven't already. You won't regret it I promise!
I've been inspired to start blogging thanks to the moneysavingexpert site, a wonderous community of people who (for the most part) share my ideals and 'carefulness'.
As I seem to have spent most of my life scrimping and scraping by; to begin with it was by necessity but it fast became a habit that is hard to break I thought I could use this blog to share hints and tips I have picked up along the way and maybe others could share their tips with me.
So, my first recomendation would be that you too, dear reader, join the money saving expert community if you haven't already. You won't regret it I promise!
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