my new home

[MiniN]

me and my partner are in the process of buying our first house. we both have good jobs but know money will be tight.

does anyone have any good money saving tips or ways to be thrifty?

[sammy snake]

Make sure you are on the cheapest deals for gas / electric.

Try and pay biils by direct debit so that you don't pay a charge for non DD payments.

Thats just two from the top of my head - there are lots of tips on here, some of them would make Scrooge proud!

[nabob]

Don't eat out, unless its a really special occasion! If you try you will find you can cook almost anything and enjoy the results! You also know what exactly has gone into your food>

[Gok Wan]

Cook everything you can from scratch and don't use convenience food. Me and my other half spend lots less money shopping than I used to do on my own but the food lasts longer.

Now I have to buy a whole cabbage rather than a bag of pre-chopped cabbage and a block of cheese rather than ready grated cheese.... Also we buy Tesco Value stuff for things like chopped tomatoes or baked beans or cornflakes.

Most things don't taste any different from the real thing but are half the price, try them!

[Buenchico]

This is the website which the BBC and national press seem to refer to almost daily:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

My main tip is to examine how much you're spending on food. It's easy to spend far more than you need through buying convenience food (which you could cook from fresh far cheaper), buying sandwiches for work (rather than making them yourself) or eating out (when you could take sandwiches or eat at home). When I had a regular income I probably spent about �30 a week on food. (I know people, who eat out a lot, who spend at least 3 times that). Now that my income is not as stable, I've found that I can survive on �5 per week for food and eat well on �10 per week.

Also check that you're not wasting money on heating. Make sure that your room thermostats are set to 20 or 21 Celsius, not above, and ensure that you only heat rooms that are in use.

The most important thing though, is to make a list of your current expenditure. Review it and set yourself targets for future spending. Then maintain a record of all your expenditure, and check that you're meeting your targets.

Chris

[B00]

I was also going to add the link that Chris has, it's a great site and full of amazing (and sometimes oddball!) ways of saving money.

[MiniN]

thanks for all your money saving advice.

it is much appreciated!