# How do you spend less?



## Breeze (1 Apr 2004)

Hi, Just looking for any pearls of financial or common sense wisdom. Thanks to someones suggestion in one of the forums I've cancelled my rental of my phone from eircom and am switching to their options scheme. I think this should save me about €100 a year. 
Just wondering if anyone has any other suggestions for taking small practical steps to keep the money in my pocket instead of theirs?


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s (1 Apr 2004)

*Re: How do you spent less?*


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## Gar123 (1 Apr 2004)

*Re: How do you spent less?*

if you are living or renting with someone buy all teh household stuff and things like Pasta together

if you head out a lot go a bit later, have the first few drinks at home saves a lot?


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## temptedd (2 Apr 2004)

*Re: How do you spent less?*

Shopping around for all your annual insurance policies will save you a lot of money every year.


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## fatherdougalmaguire (2 Apr 2004)

*Re: How do you spent less?*

Doggedly pursue an agenda of heat and electricity efficiency in the household. Switch stuff off/unplug it as opposed to putting it on standby. Only boil the amount of water you really need. Turn the thermostat down 5 degrees or reduce the CH timer by 10/20 mins. Don't by a newspaper unless you read more than 60% of it's content. Watch less TV and listen to the radio more. Bring a packed lunch to work. Try a yellow-pack brand of item a week.

Communal baths/showers. Don't put carpet down - just buy enough for the soles of your shoes and tape it on. Push your car/double-decker bus/DART to work. Brew your own beer. Make your own bread. Build your own house.

Maybe I should listen to myself more. Or maybe I shouldn't ...


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## stobear (2 Apr 2004)

*Re: How do you spent less?*

From last nights classic episode, I'd say to dont listen to yourself more Fr. D


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## elderdog (4 Apr 2004)

*spending less*

If you want to take this on as a competitive sport then have a gander at

[broken link removed]


'living below your means'



eDog


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## Tiger (4 Apr 2004)

*budgets*

First step is probably to figure out what you're spending your money on to begin with.  Can probably figure out the major items, but for the small items its worth keeping a diary.  For 1-2 months carry round a small note book and write down *everything* you spend (even the papers and coffees add up).  Saw this suggested elsewhere and it worked for me.

Next step is to budget your money each week or month, allow yourself a certain amount for entertainment etc. withdraw it in cash at the begining of the week, when its spent, you have to wait until next week...

Depends on how far you want to take it.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s (4 Apr 2004)

*Re: budgets*

These budget spreadsheets might be of use in that context...

[broken link removed]
www.askaboutmoney.com/clu...udget1.xls
www.askaboutmoney.com/clu...udget2.xls


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## Joker (7 Apr 2004)

*re*

after having a bath use the water to wash your clothes then use that water to wash the floors and finally use any left over water to put round garden for weed control it should kill off any thing at this stage
2 )   keep all used paper napkins for using in the bathroom ask the family and friends to save them for you


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s (7 Apr 2004)

*Re: re*

This topic is turning into an episode of Viz's Top Tips now ... :\


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## daltonr (7 Apr 2004)

*Re: re*

Top genuine tip,   Pay yourself first.
Open a Credit Union account, and each month when you get paid, tranfer a few quid of savings into it, before you do anything else.  Say, 5% or 10%.

This will leave you with a bit less towards the end of the month, but you'll adjust to that, and the Credit Union is a little less convenient for getting at the cash, so there's a psychological barrier to raiding it.

You'll be surprised how quickly the savings add up.

-Rd


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## cushtie (7 Apr 2004)

> Credit Union is a little less convenient for getting at the cash



I have a CU account in my home town but live and work about 60 miles away, every month standing order from bank account into CU account on payday. very hard to get at without actually taking time off work, it does add up


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## Breeze (7 Apr 2004)

cheers, interesting replies, keep them coming. I like the idea of "paying yourself first" heard the term before. Isn't from some self help book?, anyway I have a small SSIA which I intend to use as a nice treat, new golf clubs or the like in a few years, but will probably go on something else. I do try to analyse what I spend money on. 
I do wonder how some people manage, buying lunches in pubs everyday, smoking, dninking etc.
Is it my imagination or is this county just living on credit and hoping for a lotto win or insurance scam?

Also did anyone see that bankrupcy programme last week on ITV with Trevor McDonald. Will the government be forced to introduce the same legislation here as well? I don't think it stressed the consequences of going bankrupt enough. My wife was saying sounds like a good idea until I explained the consequences.. oh well back to the penny pinching..


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## sarahhurray (22 Apr 2004)

I found lidl very good, €100 did us( a couple) for two weeks with hardly any shiopping in between. Having said that I'm absolutely diabolical with money and is my partner, I think it's an emotional thing.


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## G (23 Apr 2004)

*What is the options scheme from Eircom???*

Thanks


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## richus maximus (23 Apr 2004)

*spend less*

ok- with petrol-
look at www.irishfuelprices.com, find the cheapest petrol you can and go fill your tank. then try and make the petrol last as long as you can, as if it was the last tank of petrol in the world, see how many miles you can do on the one tank using your resettable counter, and when you run out, repeat this process but try and beat the number of miles you got out of the last tank of fuel. I am currently filling up every 2 months...  it teaches you to be economical with fuel- there are numerous ways...


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## Syphon (26 Apr 2004)

*Works for me.*

Next time you go in to the supermarket have a look at the "Display until" sticker on the fresh products. Usually on the day the unsold items are marked down considerably. Depending on the branch of the supermarket this can be in the morning or in the evening. Tesco has a 50% off sirloin steak offer at the moment so I have filled my freezer with choice pieces.


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## Baz (26 Apr 2004)

*.*

"try and beat the number of miles you got out of the last tank of fuel"

I don't know much about cars, but how would you go about doing that?


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## Repaymentator (27 Apr 2004)

*Re: .*

Avoid the use of the brakes & accelerator - coast from A to B.


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## cooler55 (15 May 2004)

*re*

Divorse the wife evict the kids shoot the dog and ring st vincent de pauls for a meals on wheels


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## Nicky (15 May 2004)

*to spend less*

Buy a wind farm, put it under your house, get free
  electricity bill and sell your energy to the neighbours


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## oilean (17 May 2004)

*Free 7 year holiday*

It would be cheaper to shoot the wife (and divorce the dog) and live rent free for 5-7 years in the big house

Plenty of "man" love and 2 injected meals a day

Do it soon as Mountjoy is getting fuller by the day


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## Dr Moriarty (18 May 2004)

*Re: tip-top "top tips"...*



> This topic is turning into an episode of Viz's Top Tips now ...



...You called?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If a small child is choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a jug
of boiling water down its throat and hey presto! The blockage is almost
instantly removed.

Manchester United fans. Save money on expensive new kits by simply strapping
a large fake penis to your forehead. Your allegiance is now clear to all.

Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone
else to hold them while you chop away.

Keep the seat next to you on the train vacant by smiling and nodding at
people as they walk up the aisle.

Weight watchers. Avoid that devilish temptation to nibble at the chocolate
bar in the cupboard or fridge by not buying the f**king thing in the first
place, you fat bastards.

Save on booze by drinking cold tea instead of whisky. The following morning
you can create the effects of a hangover by drinking a thimble full of
washing up liquid and banging your head repeatedly on the wall.

Make bath times as much fun for kiddies as a visit to the seaside by pouring
a bucket of sand, a bag of salt and a dog turd into the bath.

Recreate the fun of a visit to a public swimming pool in your own home by
filling the bath with cold water, adding two bottles of bleach, then
urinating into it, before jumping in.

Girls. Too old to go on an 18 to 30 holiday? Simply get pissed, lie in a
sand pit in your garden and shag every bloke who looks at you over the
fence.

Don't buy expensive 'ribbed' condoms, just buy an ordinary one and slip a
handful of frozen peas inside it before you put it on.

X-Files fans. Create the effect of being abducted by aliens by drinking
two bottles of vodka. You'll invariably wake up in a strange place the
following morning, having had your memory mysteriously 'erased'.

Don't waste money buying expensive binoculars. Simply stand closer to the
object you wish to view.

Putting just the right amount of gin in your goldfish bowl makes the fishes'
eyes bulge and cause them to swim in an amusing manner.

Save time when crossing a one-way street by only looking in the direction of
oncoming traffic.

Thicken up runny low-fat yoghurt by stirring in a spoonful of lard.

Anorexics. When your knees become fatter than your legs, start eating cakes
again.

A next-door neighbour's car aerial, carefully folded, makes an ideal coat
hanger in an emergency.

Hijackers. Avoid a long stressful siege and the risk of arrest, imprisonment
or death by simply making sure you book a flight to your intended
destination in the first place.

An empty aluminium cigar tube filled with angry wasps makes an inexpensive
vibrator.

Olympic athletes. Disguise the fact that you've taken anabolic steroids by
running a bit slower. - B. Johnson, Canada

Manchester United fans. Avoid an asymmetrical bulge in your right arm by
masturbating furiously with your left arm too.

Avoid arguments with the missus about lifting the loo seat by simply pissing
in the sink.

Weedy fellas. Develop a right forearm like Arnold Schwarzenegger by buying
one of those Cindy Crawford workout videos.

Smokers. Save on matches and lighters, by simply lighting your next fag from
the butt of your last one.

Vegetarians coming to dinner? Simply serve them a nice bit of steak or veal.
Since they're always going on about how tofu, Quorn, meat substitute etc
'tastes exactly like the real thing', they won't know any difference.

Invited by vegetarians for dinner? Point out that since you'd no doubt be
made aware of their special dietary requirements, tell them about yours, and
ask for a nice steak.

Spice up your sex life by trying a bit of 'rodeo sex'. Take your missus from
behind and, holding on tightly to her jugs, call her by the wrong name.See
how long you can 'stay mounted' for.

Before attempting to remove stubborn stains from a garment always circle the
stain in permanent pen so that when you remove the garment from the washing
machine you can easily locate the area of the stain and check that it has
gone.

Give comics that 'Pulp Fiction' feel by reading the last frames of cartoons
first, then reading the rest in a random order.

High blood pressure sufferers. Simply cut yourself and bleed for a  while,
thus reducing the pressure in your veins

Heavy smokers. Don't throw away those filters from the end of your
cigarettes. Save them up and within a few years you'll have enough to
insulate your loft.

Motorists. Enjoy the freedom of cycling by removing your windscreen,
sticking half a melon skin on your head, then breaking red lights and driving
the wrong way up one way streets

Create instant designer stubble by sucking a magnet and dipping your chin in
a bowl of iron fillings.

Convince neighbours that you have invented a 'SHRINKING' device by ruffling
your hair, wearing a white laboratory coats and parking a JCB digger outside
your house for a few days. Then dim and flicker the lights in your house
during the night and replace the JCB unseen, with a Tonka toy of  the same
description. Watch their faces in the morning!

Have all your sh1ts at work. Not only will you save money on toilet paper,
but you'll also be getting paid for it

Nissan Micra drivers. Attach a lighted sparkler to the roof of your car
before starting a long journey. You drive the things like dodgem cars
anyway, so it may as well look like one.

A mouse trap placed on top on of your alarm clock will prevent you from
rolling over and going back to sleep.


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## Guest (18 May 2004)

Excellent! I had given up on the humour content of this topic but it has now been redeemed in an instant!


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