Key Post How to cut your day to day expenditure

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]For any married couples write a letter to revenue requesting a[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]"Year of Marriage Relief Claim" for the year in which you were married[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]you are entitled to x/12 months worth of tax back within that particular year as you would have been assessed separately, so if it turns out that you would have paid less tax in that year being assessed jointly - you are entitled to the difference.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]For me I got back 270 euro - we married in October so we get 3/12 back, so its worth the effort.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There is no specific form so you must actually go and write in to the tax office with you PPSN, a copy of your marriage cert and the request as above.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Best of luck!
[/FONT]
 
Do your weekly shop one day later every week and after six weeks you will save yoursef the price of one week's shopping
 
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If you're in the habit of exchanging gifts with relatives / friends / their kids for birthdays and Christmas, set a mutually agreed spending limit for a token gift.
 
Let me start by saying that I am a butcher but since I am not divulging my location and have no intention of doing so I think I am ok with the posting guidelines.

Even when you take away the luxuries and cut up the credit cards, look for better deals on mortgages and current accounts you still need to eat. Just because you can’t go to the restaurant twice a week doesn’t mean you can’t have good, nutritional, well cooked food at home.

The average shopping bill for a family of 4 is 100 -200 per week including all foods.

50% of this is normally fresh or cooked or cured meat. 50-100 euro per week.

This could be reduced drastically by

Haggling
Special offers
Bulk buying

HAGGLING

I would knock 10% off a bill over 60-80 euro when asked (nicely), or indeed give another cut or roast to try worth the 10 % but obviously doesn’t cost me the full 10%.
I would automatically knock off or give free product to purchases of 100 euro or more. It doesn’t hurt to ask when you’re in those price ranges. But take a no as no and don’t make a scene and next time you might be surprised. Asking for a discount under 50 euro is just not a runner.

SPECIAL OFFERS

Special offers are great and a genuine offer normally means 20- 25% off. Beware of not so genuine offers. Supermarkets especially have tricks that mislead i.e. 25% off! Off what?! Off an increased price they had briefly in one of their stores somewhere around the country. They only have to prove that a customer bought said product at the higher price somewhere in their stores so they can advertise the reduction. I’m sure butchers do other knacks too, so the golden rule is compare like with like and if you don’t know what you normally pay for a product then you will never know whether the special offer is a bargain or not. A genuine offer is worth stocking up on.

BULK BUYING

With sp. offers you kind of have to know it’s on or stumble across it just at the time you require it, but with bulk buying its sale day every day!
1 or 2 hind quarters of beef is a big order, has all you favourite steaks and good steak mince and will pay for your chest freezer completely but the secret is to use up the meat speedily i.e. if your freezer is just a storage device then it’s costing you money in electricity and the threat of a power cut and eating away into the savings you made in the first place.
A bulk purchase does not have to mean big money, it more likely means no real bother or work for the salesman.
Smaller amounts are better for most people and you will get a reduction of up to 30% if you know what to buy.

I don’t want to run foul of posting guidelines, and butchers margins do vary considerably so it’s not fair to generalise but you could try something like this…..

Example at the moment lean Irish tender under 30 month striploin, (lovely for frying or grilling) is approx 25 euro a kg (regions and individual butchers vary wildly). A 6 kg striploin (not too big) will give you 30 * 8 oz steaks (don’t even think about how much 30 striploin dinners cost in a restaurant.)

6 * 25 = 150 euro 5 euro per steak

Ask your butcher for a full striploin (lean) 6 kg with no trimming cut into 30 steaks please but at 18 euro/ kilo.

It helps if you’re a regular customer, it helps if you are going to but more stuff, but most of all it helps if you are pleasant and polite.

It could go like this “ my sister bought a full striploin recently for 18 euro a kilo in another butchers , would it be possible to get that deal from you as well. “

Everyone’s expenses vary (wages rent etc) but there is very little hassle or work in that and most won’t refuse. If it’s always no then just try somewhere else

6 * 18 =108 3.60 per steak

You save 42 euro, 28% off.

You have a deal, butcher has a lower margin yes but with very little work and hopefully a repeat customer.

When you buy a full anything from a butcher he doesn’t have to worry about selling all the other bits (profit doesn’t happen until the last bit is sold), how long stuff is in the fridge, very little work, more customers like you he has a stronger purchasing power with his suppliers (better prices for you), he has a happy customer who will tell all her friends how nice the steaks were.

Look at your meat purchases. Almost everything you buy regularly could be bought in bulk saving you, I estimate 30 euro per week for a family of four.

.

Always wait for the meat to be cut in front of you if possible. There are cowboys in every industry and I’m sure there are butchers who would take a steak for the counter to cover some mythical cost after the deal is done. Its theft and disgusting. Just ask for no trimming then the weight of the steaks should be very close to the original weight charged (the bag does weigh and some loss of weight is expected. Better still if the price is charged on the cut steaks but the butcher just did himself in that case.

Happy shopping

Ps An aggressive haggler will make me batten down the hatches and not give an inch

Happy shopping.
 
They give better mileage so are still more economical if doing a lot of mileage to justify their higher price.

Another good way to save on fuel costs is to only ever fill the tank up half way - you are carrying a lighter load around when driving than if you have a full tank, and it might encourage you to walk/cycle to the shops etc. if you know you you don't have much fuel in the tank
 
Try this site [broken link removed] . Presuming a lot of you enjoy reading like myself, this is a great way to get rid of all your old books and save money. The most it's cost me to post my books is 5euro! It's Irish too.
 

Better yet, have one credit card acount with 2 cards on it. You still only pay a single account fee, but you share the credit limit and the interest. We learned that having a single credit card in one name (not sure if you can have more than one name on a card) caused a few problems if the other person needed to use it in a shop that doesn't use chip and pin! (yup, there are still a few of those about)
 
Good tip on Money Manager. I have tried a few of these products and I must say this free software looks excellent.
 
have to say i agree with the butcher that its better to buy in buy if possible not only that but i do find it cheaper to purchase my meat in the butchers rather that the supermarkets
 
Re: Top ten suggestions

colc1 said:
sorry for my ignorance but what does DVB stand for?
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digital video broadcast
free sat is getting more and more popular especially since itv and bbc lanched freesat in the uk you get all the bbc's itv's ch 4,e4,more 4 and a lot more for a once off fee the freesat boxes even have a decent epg and saves you having a monthly bill its worth looking into
 
Caveat said:
If you are male and thinning on top (like me) don't even think about going to the barbers. Your other half can give you a grade 1 or 2 in 5 minutes with €40 hairclippers.
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Its the way forward, I cut my own hair many years now and find it not only covenant but it saves a packet.

Joejoe
 

Good thinking, what would the saving be per half tank?

Joejoe
 
glic83 said:
have to say i agree with the butcher that its better to buy in buy if possible not only that but i do find it cheaper to purchase my meat in the butchers rather that the supermarkets
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Is there any butcher you can recommend in Kildare or Laois?

Joejoe
 
joejoe said:
Is there any butcher you can recommend in Kildare or Laois?

Joejoe
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im not from up that way mate so cant help you there in relation to an earlier question if you cancel ntl you wont have any channels its not like sky and freesat
 
webtax said:
Another good way to save on fuel costs is to only ever fill the tank up half way - you are carrying a lighter load around when driving than if you have a full tank
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and take a look in your car and boot - what junk are you needlessly carring around every day?
take out spare seats for those 7 seaters.
and drive around 80-90kmh when safe to do so - most cars are most efficient at those speeds.
don't vary the pressure on the accelerator & look well ahead for brake lights and ease off the pedal immediatly when you see them
 
Here is my list.

Do
-change to fluorescent light bulbs
-rent a room
-eat at home more often and avoid takeaways or eating out less
-when buying petrol check pumps.ie before you go
-switch your gas/electricity provider. Check Bord Gais or [broken link removed]. Switch and save up to 14%
-go North for shopping
-research before buying. Check few shops before spending your well-earned cash
-sell on Ebay or Buy & Sell unneccessary items
-keep and analyze your spendings. Try as online budget diary
-send sms messages from online
-take made at home lunch or at least sandwiches to job
-shop at[broken link removed] or Aldi
-use Dublin Bus Ramblers

-for more ideas visit Irish recession blog
 
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