Saving Money

[JacobMth]

Anyone got any tips on how to save money and resist the temptation of just spending it?

[factor-fiction]

Put as much as possible of it into an account where you can't make withdrawals or have to give notice

[bednobs]

write every penny you spend down, so you can SEE where your money is going

[Graham-W]

Like Bednobs says, but to take it a step further, keep receipts and "do the books" once a week or once a month. You'll be shocked by where the money goes.
Otherwise, shop at Aldi, eat at home, cook your own meals, turn the heat down and wear a jumper. All the usual things.

[Old_Geezer]

Willpower.
Think of what you plan to do with the savings, that you won't be able to if you don't show restraint in the short to medium term.

[sherrardk]

Write a meal/shopping list for the week.
Do your food shopping online (buy a delivery pass).
Take a certain amount out of your account in cash each week and only use cash, you notice how quickly you are spending it that way.
Don't buy sandwiches/coffee etc, get a flask and take a packed lunch to work.

[factor-fiction]

A regular standing order to a savings account is a good idea. And then maybe increase it slowly and keep adjusting your spending downwards accordingly

[Dinger2]

For years of my working life (I'm retired) Instead of wasting money to have lunch at work(£3-5 per day plus?) I discovered the sensible delights of making my own sarnies for work and saved a fortune ! Make a big bowl of salad on a sunday night and then you can alternate between corned beef,Tuna fish,cheese,peanut butter,tahini,sliced banana...anything you fancy... save yourself a fortune,also refill your own bottle of water (litre) and top up with fruit juice (carton)or cordial to wash down your own sandwiches made just like YOU like them,NOT those plastic sarnies off the supermarket shelf for £2-3 each !

[EDDIE51]

NEVER buy a brand name product, supermarket own label is just as good and cheaper.
I never buy any clothes new only from charity shops, same for Christmas and birthday gifts, charity shop only! Wait till the charity shop has a sale , yes they do have them! You can get items for 50p each or 'fill a carrier bag for £5' A years worth of clothes for £5 , beat that! any you don't want sell on eBay!. Last week I bought a vintage train set for £4.99 at a charity shop , sold it on eBay for £58 3 days later.

[maggiebee]

If you see something you like, ask yourself. Do I need it or do I just want it? Will I use it? Don't make any impulse buys, wait a day and then decide whether to buy or not.

[Hypognosis]

1. Wait for your passport to expire.
2. Stop booking holidays abroad.
3. Watch Travel Shows on telly to soak up the culture
4. Use Google Earth to look at the scenery (any night of the week, in fact).

Saving: whatever your annual spend on holidays is. You could splash out on some longer lasting items to have fun with.

Regarding food: have more family get-togethers or arrangements with friends who don't mind reciprocating the effort. Serving 4, 6, 8 people becomes cheaper, per head, due to the bulk-buy effect on the meat and veg.
Cooking for two and binning the leftovers is wasteful and (possibly) contributes to hunger, elsewhere in the world.
Cooking for one is the most expensive of all. They don't cut meat joints small enough for single people and they'd shrink to nothing if they tried.

[stan79]

Decide on a goal. That which you are saving for. Put a picture... sketch Photo... description of it. Look at your goal for saving at least daily

[Maydup]

What most often temps you to spend your money Jacob?

[boxtops]

How do all these sound to you, jacob? It's a very sensible question to have asked us.

[1ozzy]

Don't know about Jacob...
But I hope these suggestions work for me :-)
Shall be trying some and encouraging my kids to do likewise.

[saintpeter48]

Loose change ........... Whenever I go out shopping or socially on getting home I put ALL my loose change in a large savings tin (you can buy them in the £1 shop), I also make sure I NEVER use a £2 coin to pay for anything, I put them in the tin, (sometimes I have 4 or 5 £2 coins at the end of the night), but they still go in the tin. Every 6 weeks or so I empty the tin and bag it all up, take it to the bank and put it into a savings account and DON'T touch it. I must put in about £300 - £400 a time, over a year its a significant amount and I treat myself to a months holiday in January or February away from the cold weather, soaking up the sun in the Far East! I have been doing this for about 10 years now, its a great way to save and exciting! when opening the tins!!

[dancecaller]

Some of the answers already given make me say
Yes....but...
Shopping online with a delivery pass. Well, yes, but if you can stick to your shopping list, and if you pass a supermarket (no extra petrol), you would save the cost of the pass.
Online if you use http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/ you can find the cheapest shop for your basket, and they tell you if another brand or size would save money.
Once you have saved a bit you can buy extra when things are on offer then next time buy less/none of that, more of that weeks offer.
If you shop near closing time there may be bargains BUT ONLY buy what you will use before best use by date.
Don't throw away things just because they pass their Sell By date, use your common sense. Tins are OK for years unless dented or bulging. Veg & fruit are OK if they look OK, and may still be edible if slightly shrivelled. Meat can be dangerous if not stored carefully and fats go rancid and don't taste good, so be careful with those. Use older things first, put new shopping to the back of the fridge/cupboard.
Bulk out leftovers with veg and make another meal.
I agree that some Own Brands are as good as names, some not, so try everything once. If you can't tell the difference, keep buying it, if you can decide if it's worth it.

Think about your spending on entertainment. There are dear nights out and cheap nights out or in. It will depend if your friends want to save too, and how strong willed you are if they don't - let them know you are trying to save and limit the meals out etc either by going less often or by suggesting a cheaper alternative.

Writing down everything I spent and balancing the books weekly worked for me when we started out - I still keep records but less detailed. Because I don't impulse spend 'saving the change' wouldn't work for me. Some people find that giving themselves so much cash a week and that's it - no plastic - works. For others once a note is broken the change is frittered, so plastic and keeping accounts works better.

So you need to think what would work for you. When do you spend most.
Good luck.

[Jeza]

Will power. If you don't need it don't buy it. Served me well for years. I now have a nice little nest egg.