Simple Savings war on debt
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Support
Forum Name: Budgeting
Forum Description: Want to save before baby arrives? Struggling on one income? Found some great ways to make your dollar go further? Share your thoughts & tips here.
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=37885
Printed Date: 03 May 2024 at 12:33am
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Topic: Simple Savings war on debt
Posted By: MuppetsMama
Subject: Simple Savings war on debt
Date Posted: 05 February 2011 at 7:20pm
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Is anyone doing the Simple Savings war on debt calendar?
I am the one who does the finances in our house, and although I have done a budget we don't have any leftover money and I don't understand what I am doing  I use Quicken to track our finances, which is great, but I still don't get what I'm buying that is so flippin essential!!
I've decided to bite the bullet and follow the Simple Savings calendar for this year, as it makes me feel sick to my stomach that we should be able to save and have stuff/be able to do stuff that we want, and we are not. 
Is anyone else following it this year, maybe we could help eachother? |
Replies:
Posted By: BriAndOlisMum
Date Posted: 05 February 2011 at 8:46pm
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Never heard of it, but off to have a look now.
Saving would be great. -------------  http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: jaycee
Date Posted: 05 February 2011 at 8:48pm
Wow! Had never heard of it but just had a quick look If you can do it, it would be great! -------------   
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 05 February 2011 at 10:44pm
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I'd be keen. Do you need to be a member of the vault? ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: MuppetsMama
Date Posted: 06 February 2011 at 5:21pm
| No you can find it on the 'free things' page, but apparently there is a lot of great stuff in the vault....it just takes so much time to trawl through it all... |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 08 February 2011 at 5:19pm
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Ok I've printed out the calendar, so am joining you.
DH needs a smack around the head with his spending. I spoke to him the other night about not spending anything extra than we need, I then see he went to the supermarket on the way to work, yes ok but $12!!, I use his vehicle last night...chocolate wrapper & other junk wrapper in the bag with his apples! Obviously what I say isn't going to work so am going to sit him down & make him fill out a budget tonight & look at the calendar to see what his goals are. So am going to do both January & February this month. So posting this and turning the computer off until after we've done the budget. TV has been on today cause of the wet but the kids don't need tv so that will be off all the day now too. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: QTMum
Date Posted: 08 February 2011 at 10:27pm
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That looks like an awesome challenge. I'm definately going to try it out ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: MuppetsMama
Date Posted: 09 February 2011 at 9:02am
I'm trying the February challenge - no spending on unnecessary things! This is a big one for me, as when I'm out and about with the kids I often buy things if I see them on a good special....and it sure adds up! So far all I've done is get out some dvds (we have $1 8 day movies at our local, so I get out Dora ones for my DD - means I don't have to listen to the same thing over and over!) and I bought some clothes for DD that were on special ($7) as I am trying to stock up for next year. I'm also trying to be more organised - if I know I'm going out the next day, I'm getting the car and everything sorted the night beforehand so I have time to make sandwiches etc to take with us.....I suck at organisation so this is a challenge!! 
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 09 February 2011 at 9:14am
| I have just been checking out the challenges, not sure how well I would go as some I can not go without. |
Posted By: T_Rex
Date Posted: 09 February 2011 at 8:20pm
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Just curious Jazzy, what can't you go without?
I had a look, but we do most of those things regularly anyway  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 10 February 2011 at 1:20pm
If we had to there are a couple of things that we could downsize or go with out. Sky TV, we pay just over $100 a mth, but when I break that down it is around $25 a week for entertainment. We go out very really & a relative will babysit but thats maybe once a yr. So we don't spend money on movies, babysitters & we don't hire movies. We very really have takeaways maybe once in awhile as a treat for the kids but I am trying to meal plan & use everything I buy in the shopping. Our ph bill is high as we are on a big BB plan but then DH does lots of stuff with, study, work, on-call etc. We could drop down a plan & watch what we use & that would save us $120yr but if we went over it could cost double the ph bill, but it is there to done if we need to. I don't know how you could do a $21 challenge unless you spent a couple oh hundred $ prior & stocked up. I am interested in reading more about it & looking at what I can implement. I am interested to know if anyone on here is having success with it & what realistically you can expect. We need to save money & I know we have the opportunity to do that & I guess some of it is breaking old habits. |
T_Rex wrote:Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 16 February 2011 at 10:58pm
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I meal planned this week, right up to monday next week, go shopping on a tues with my WFF money.
All I needed to buy for evening meals is garlic! But in saying that I had been to the vege market the day before. I spent $30 all up but that included a bottle of wine & a couple of snacks for a thing I have this saturday. I then spent another $5 today to buy rice flour for homemade tortilla's. I meal plan off recipes so know exactly what i need. I also bake my own bread & I did buy yeast in this shop, plus a huge thing of toilet paper. Yes pretty much everything else is stocked up. We also don't have to buy meat as we just got 1/2 a beast in. Also had to spent $28 on Cooper's formula which lasts a week as well. We have also cut sky off for at least a month, this will save $55?? TV is also been off. Only downfall is the power I save via the TV is being used with the blimmen heat lamp I have to use for the puppy. Jazzy, what I did, is went through my recipe book & picked out 7 meals, put all the ingredients into xcel, sorted it so that it grouped all the ingredients so i could see how much I needed of each thing. Printed this out, went to the kitchen & started putting lines though everything I had. Which was everything except Garlic. Then I thought about lunches. DD has jam or marmite sandwiches, had that stuff, just needed meat for DH. Then breakfasts, wanted a specific porridge I'd run out of but told myself to harden up & finish the other brand in the cupboard first. We don't buy bread or milk. Discovered that I had 4 tetra packs of Oatmilk...but they'd been put down on a lower shelf so I missed seeing them. It's about digging in your cupboard & using up food. It also doesn't include cleaning products & things like that. We make biscuits, we only buy crackers for school snacks. Bought some pears in a can as it was cheaper than fresh ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 17 February 2011 at 8:51am
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DH & I redid the budget. So now he knows where the money goes & if he wants a holiday & things then we have to save or budget for them.
Our sky is $110 a month, we have HD & 2 decoders with sports & movies so can cut down if need be but $25ish a week for us for entertainment is ok as we don't go out & spend $ on it. We did the grocery list with everything we need & want & it came to approx $600 for a fortnight. I usually budget in $400 & spend more on extra trips which I don't count. So I am going to do 1 trip tonight & then put $50 away for next week to get milk & bread & fruit. This shop has $110 for meat so will see what is on special, $45 fruit & veg fresh, $50 frozen foods, $186 pantry, $50 dairy, $40 cleaning & personal...that comes $481 so far & $50 next week...also want to do PnS xmas club. I have planned meals to the ingredients & baking as well. I make pasta once a week so can make crackers at the same time. This is one of my favs for recipes sites http://www.kidspot.co.nz/baby-kids-children-family-easy-food-recipes.asp - easy recipes & am going to try the LCM bars & puff pastry fingers & more mmm I am going to pay the bills monthly instead of fortnightly 1/2 payments so the money will sit in my bill account till then. Have opened 2 new accounts, 1 for bills, 1 for kids & have 1 for savings (big stuff) & 1 for everyday. Because of the set up we have we don't turn a lot off at night so DH is moving the wireless back to the computer points as it is with the entertainment, so we will be able to turn all that off at the wall, tv, sky, ps3, xbox, wii, dvd, amp, speakers so may save something there. We use a lot of water & don't know how I can cut that down. We are going to use 1 car only & I am walking everywhere I can. DH is going to get a scooter for work as it will only cost a few $ for petrol & won't have to pay parking & I don't think you need to warrant or reg them & it not far to work on the same road basically. He is also on the bus route & if we both want the car it is not a problem for me to drop him at work before school/kindy. I can even walk to his work form home, so we don't need 2 cars. If we stick to the budget we should have a good amount to save...the things we need to do know is a couple of things on DH's car, get a scooter, sell my car. Last yr my dryer packed a sad & never got a new one, I am planning on getting 1 this winter but am wonder which is better a dryer or just making sure we have more clothes. The kids need an extra school uniform each in case I don't get them dry so 3 sets each & DS3 starts school in 4mths. I am planning on walking even in the rain (like we used to). So my main reasons are to save to update our car next yr (cash), for everyone to eat better & get fit & healthy. We want to go on a holiday & day/weekend trips & give the kids adventures & get them into clubs & sports. We don't use credit cards & don't want any or loans. Also need to save for our retirement. Has anyone read the $21 challenge book? DH wants to know why it is $21 & not $20
I think this site really makes you think about what you spend money on & can save on. |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 17 February 2011 at 8:54am
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wow that was long
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 17 February 2011 at 9:48pm
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Ahh Jazzy, you buy the item & then cook to that, I get the recipe & fit it to what is in my cupboard.
I was a bit stunned until I realised it was a fortnight you are buying for. I do have to remind myself that we do not eat a huge range of fruits & vege's nor do I buy prepackaged foods & we don't buy dairy. I turn things off at the wall but don't really notice that much of a power change. Not sure why they did the $21 challenge? Catchy? The challenge isn't supposed to be a week in week out thing but more of a "crap we are lacking money this week, we can't afford to eat" so you do it on the odd occasion. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 17 February 2011 at 9:50pm
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I didn't spend any money today, tried to, but couldn't get the item I needed. Need to buy petrol tomorrow though & of course petrol has gone up!
Our petrol bill has gone up this month with the amount of running around I've been having to do to get to the vet. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 26 February 2011 at 8:19am
| I saw in the Healthy Food Guide how to feed a family on $30 a week. It had the reference to the Simple Savings $21 challenge. Basically you write down everything you have in your pantry, fridge, freezer & garden, then you meal plan. You only buy what you need e.g. if you need 4 carrots you only buy 4 & not a bag. If you run out of bread you make it. So I don't see the difference between a food budget, a meal plan & a stocked supply of basics. |
Posted By: MuppetsMama
Date Posted: 26 February 2011 at 8:37am
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AAArrrggghhh I am still overspending on groceries!!! It's so hard to cut down!
I'm sorry I havn't got time to read your posts, I'm just popping in quickly, but wanted to stick in a foot in to show I'm still here, and still trying!!
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Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 26 February 2011 at 8:57am
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Yea, I don't really 'get' the $21 challenge. As I understand it, the point is just to not spend money for a week and use what you've got in the cupboards etc. I don't need a book to tell me how to do that, honestly. -------------   
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 26 February 2011 at 9:21am
| same....& I think if you keep the basics stocked in the pantry & shop for what you need then it keeps the cost down anyway. If you were to eat everything in the pantry & not spend any the week you normally would then you end up spending more the next time by stocking up again....no point really. |
Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 28 February 2011 at 1:09pm
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Well I haven't printed the calendar or really looked at it for that matter but I did sign up for the savings vault on the weekend. It has a money back guarantee so I thought why not... so far I have found quite a few useful tips and spreadsheets and I have barely had time to look.
I am starting a massive budget crack down as we really need to pay off some debt and save some $$$. So far now that I am putting my mind to it, we are doing pretty well! |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 28 February 2011 at 1:34pm
I haven't read the book either. But it's not meant to be a week in week out thing, it's meant to be an "we don't have much money this week cause of XYZ bill" so challenge yourself to spend no more than $21. Therefore if you normally spend 100-200 then you have $79-179 of cash you don't have to find. So you can pay that bill. Then the next week you go back to normal. Or do a couple of weeks in a row. Or my case about 3 weeks in a row. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 28 February 2011 at 1:59pm
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I am all for using up stuff & being creative. I don't go in for specials much when I don't need the stuff.
I think you have the same result if you write out a list, meal plan & buy what you need, then you don't over spend & you don't wast food or money....still trying to do that one, lol
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 01 March 2011 at 8:37am
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LOL Jazzy...can't say I've quite cracked the $21 spend, well I've kinda done it but have had to buy other things so the best I've ever done was the $30. I tend to see staples on special so buy a couple extra lol ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 01 March 2011 at 10:45am
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Just noticed this month is hidden Gems.
In Palm Nth - really great source of Lamb stirfry at a good price is the muslim butcher on Cook Street $11.95 a kilo. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 01 March 2011 at 4:52pm
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wow AandCsmum you have done well
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