How do you save on monthly outgoings?

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I can't do much yet, but when My phone and a few other contracts are up, I'm thinking of trying to cut my outgoings substantially to save for a house, or simply be able to afford a mortgage that would cost more than my current rent.

One thing is you can get mobile phones for nothing on a cash back option, although the phones aren't the the newest, I could save £30 a month here.

Another is to downgrade from Telewest to freeview TV.

But how do you guys keep your monthly bills as low as possible.

Do things like energy saving light bulbs actually affect your elec bill more than a few pence.

Do things like cash back credit cards, give you a substantial amount?

So what tips and tricks have you acquired to keep costs down?
 
yep, Making a shopping list, would be good for me.

I am looking for a new job, but I'm not going to do a job I hate just for more money. Been there done that, never again.

Realistically I'm going to need to save around £250-300 from my current monthly expenditure. Although A mortgage deal is likely only to be around 150-200 a month more than my rent. The bills would go up as I would be buying on my own.

Beer is my downfall, however it's a big part of my life, so I might try cutting down on the amount I drink on a night out, But I can't stop drinking. I like it to much and it's a big part of my social life.
 
Gonzo0 said:
Dare i say it.....dont go on your power hungry computers :eek:


actually, that is one thing I've been thinking about. I need to get one of those plugs which tell you how many KMH your using.
 
LordSplodge said:
Drink less and that should help. No point living like a nun though is there? ;)

yep, I am planning to cut down, I don't drink Sunday to monday anyway. but i can spend £80 + on a normal night out. So I should be able to cut that down to £30 If I buy cheap drinks and stop buying rounds (I drink to fast = more rounds paid for by me)

LordSplodge said:
Shop @ Lidl or Aldi as their food is good quality and cheaper.

Aldi have just opened a shop up, near my work, so I will def give that a try, Currently shop at sainsburys and apart from cereal and bread, I cook most things from scratch.

LordSplodge said:
Get a pay as you go Mobile.

I'm going to get a cash back contract, that way over the year I spend £0 :), But still got about 6months left on mine :rolleyes:

LordSplodge said:
Ditch the pay TV.

Yep def thinking about this, or at least ditching phone line as we dont use it.

LordSplodge said:
TURN ELECTRICAL ITEMS OFF!
Does anyone actually tested with a electricity monitor and worked out how many KWH a month they save by doing this?

LordSplodge said:
Switch car, home, life insurance and so on...

I'm going to cancel my life insurance, I dont need it, it's only £6 a month, but it's something.


car is a annoying. Usually I only need a small rubbish car, but I probably do 1 long trip a month taking friends, so I have a big saloon, the spare parts are exspensive and it drinks fuel. Not sure If I can do much as I can't afford a new car. Unless I can buy something, with the money I can sell that one for.

LordSplodge said:
How much you want to save depends on the lowest standard of living you can put up with and how much willpower you have. :eek: :p

yep, At the moment I'm thinking of practical solutions, that will save money that wont affect living standards and see how much I can save just doing that, then maybe taking it further.

does anyone use cash back credit cards, or online sites that save them money?

William said:
Don't buy worthless crap.

I think I read energy saving light bulbs save a huge huge huge huge increadbily HUGE amount of money, I figured it at somthing stupid like £500 a year in our house.

Maybe for a mansion, I can't see it being that much, I agree with the worthless crap, But I don't want to change things, if it's going to save me 20p a year and inconvenience me. If however it saves me a few £ a month, then it's worth the inconvenience.
 
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dirtydog said:
Btw Acid don't you drive some sort of gas guzzling American classic car? I imagine that is quite expensive to run?


It's still under a very slow home restoration, so at the minute doesn't sink much money, well pretty much nothing. other than some grinder discs and gas bottles for the welder. Metal I just find old filing cabinets in skips ect and cut them up for sheet metal.

Edinho said:
Well I would rather be saving for a house than drinking it all away. If your social circle cant understand that maybe find some who can. Do you really want to look back in 20 years time wishing you hadnt spent it on beer?
I'm going to cut it down by a big margin, I'm not looking to save up a huge deposit and I'm not looking for a good house 70-90k mortgage will do me(run-down or small flats in not so good areas). I just need to find a few hundred extra a month. I'm pretty sure it's doable, without drastically changing my way of life.
 
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divosuk said:
I have a list of 100 money saving points if you want them all.... .

That would be very interesting, There hasn't been any obscure ones in this thread yet :p...

Also other than rightmove, is there any other decent sites for looking for properties?

Trying to get a good idea of what is and isn't affordable.
 
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