Skip to main content
search
Tag

facebook

Living Frugally

By Money / FinancesNo Comments

After the Christmas period many of us feel the financial pinch. There are two ways essentially in finance to deal with this:
1. increase your income or 2. reduce your expenditure. I’m voting for the latter by attempting to live more frugally. To live frugally means:

Frugal Definition
adjective
not wasteful; not spending freely or unnecessarily; thrifty; economical
not costly or luxurious; inexpensive or meager a frugal meal
(From http://www.yourdictionary.com/frugally, Last accessed: 05 January 10)

So with this in mind here are my top tips for living frugally:

Setting a monthly budget
Set a monthly budget carefully and realistically. Consider the following:

  • Consider the amount you earn after tax and budget to that amount. If your expense is bigger than your income you need to look at what your paying out and what to cut back on.
  • Consider the real cost of things (e.g. don’t put a £30 for your mobile bill if it’s more than likely going to cost you £50)
  • Consider when writing it any one-off expenses during the month (such as people’s Birthdays, Car Insurance, etc.).
  • Consider the occasional 5 week month and adjust your budget accordingly
  • Ensure you have some “free cash” for leisure purposes.

    • Now you’ve got a budget, stick to it.

    An Emergency Fund
    Start an emergency fund in a separate account if possible. Saving a set amount a month will mean if you have an unexpected expense it doesn’t mess up your monthly budget and lead you in to getting in to debt (or more debt).

    Plan to Reduce Debts
    Most people have debts these days, however you need to keep them manageable. You need a plan to reduce your debt, ideally making more than the minimum payments each month. Budget your debt payments in to your monthly budget.

    Shop around for Insurance
    Whether it’s car insurance, buildings insurance, home contents insurance, etc shop around. Use the price comparison websites like Go Compare, Money Supermarket, Compare the Market, etc. Don’t automatically go with your previous provider as there may cheaper alternatives giving you the cover you need.

    Shop around for High Priced Purchase Items
    So you need to buy something big eh? Perhaps it’s a new TV or a Bluray Player. What ever it is again shop around. Consider Amazon and Play.com. Look at Froogle to compare prices from different retailers like you can for insurances.

    Negotiate a deal on your Bills
    Companies are going to hate me for writing this, but did you know you can often blag a discount on your bills when your coming to an end of a contract with a provider?

    For example when your mobile phone contract is coming to an end, ring up your current provider. Say that you’ve been offered a better deal else were and ask could they offer you a similar deal? You’ll be surprised the amount of times they will come back to you and offer you some sort of discount on your bills if you renew your contract with them. This is because they don’t want to loose your custom. So make it work for you. Negotiate with them (or in my terminology blag em) to get the best deal for you.

    Stop & Think
    If your an impulsive shopper like me stop and think. Ask yourself Do I really need this item? If you can’t justify a good reason don’t buy it. Think about what impact buying this item will have on your monthly budget, will it still make your budget workable? This is particularly important to remember in Supermarkets. They often have 3 for 2 offers on to get you to spend more and bulk buy. Again you need to stop and think.

    In my case I love clothes shopping. Were it can’t be justified (i.e. clothes needed for work or a special occasion) and it isn’t budgeted for I must NOT buy.

    Keeping in Touch
    We all like to keep in touch with our friends and family. However long phone calls or text conversations can be pricey at the end of the month when the bill arrives. So at every opportunity keep in touch for free via email or Facebook.

    Leisure activities, don’t have to cost…
    …an arm and a leg. There are loads of things you can do for free or at a smaller cost. For example you can go walking which is essentially free. Or rather than going on a night out and spending a fortune in pubs and clubs consider a home party which will lower the costs. You simply need to be creative here.

    I hope my advice has been useful (just little tips I’ve picked up along the way), now all I have to do is stick to my monthly budget.

    Write soon,

    Antony

    Click here to display content from Amazon Kindle.
    Learn more in Amazon Kindle’s privacy policy.

    Open content directly

    Share on Social Media:
    Tuesday 5 January 2010

    Six NOT Four

    By Life, Thinking2 Comments

    I orignally thought I had to complete four modules to get my university degree (see Back to University). I was disappointed to find out I need to do six modules. The cause of this disappointment was not only the additional time that it will take to complete the course but also the associated cost (£760).

    I thought about quitting and posted my intention to do so on Facebook. I got loads of comments encouraging me to continue. I then thought about the workload which has been much bigger that I had anticipated (I am currently behind but will meet my deadlines).

    In the next semester (starting January 2010) there is only one module that looks interesting and that is relevant to my practice. So after a lot of thought, I have decided to continue. But I am only going to do one module in January. Of course it means it will take longer than I had planned to complete my degree, but it is better to have a manageable workload rather than suffering burn out.

    Keeping you informed,

    Antony

    Share on Social Media:
    Tuesday 15 December 2009

    Dear Me, A letter to my 16 year old self

    By Books & Authors, Gay, History, Reviews, Thinking2 Comments

    I recently finished reading Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self. Celebrities have written letters to their sixteen year old selfs in aid of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. For each book sold a minimum of £1 goes to the charity.

    Contributors include: Will Young, Sir Elton John, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, Peter Kay, Jackie Collis, Annie Lennox, Stephen Fry, Liz Smith, Emma Thompson, John Barrowman, Paul O’Grady and many more.

    The hard-back book with glossy pages contained hand written letters, typed letters and photos of some the contributors at the age of sixteen. Their messages to themselves included: words of warning, regrets, messages of hope, reassurance that things would be ok, a need to conquer their fears and worries. The book made me laugh, cry and think about myself as a sixteen year old.

    Interestingly a friend who knew me at sixteen CS recently got back in touch via Facebook. We had a long phone conversation (over two and a half hours) and are planning to meet for a coffee.

    After a lot of thought about myself at sixteen and after speaking to CS I decided to write my own letter to my sixteen year old self. I have wrote my own letter to myself at sixteen (there a a few missed words – must start checking all my writing and edit it properly), here it is:





    I would highly recommend you buy Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self for yourself and possibly for a Christmas / Yule present for some of your family or friends. I promise you and them will love it.

    Blog soon,

    Antony

    mental-health-wisdom-banner

    Share on Social Media:
    Sunday 15 November 2009

    Where is GJ?

    By Friends & Family, The Web2 Comments

    GJ disapeared off my Facebook friends list a few weeks ago now. When I tried to ring him (to see if he fancied the cinemas), no answer. In the end I had to ring an ex-partner and ask him to pass my number over facebook to GJ. I thought that GJ may have lost his phone and facebook had played up and deleted me, but this wasn’t the case. He had read I have a date on Saturday and had felt jealous. He told me when he eventually texted me that he didn’t want to read more. My response: Well it’s your choice to read my blog.

    Sound harsh? I have often blogged about my blog being a creative outlet and allowing me to express how I feel about things. I can’t and won’t start censoring what I write to please or not upset people. GJ and I have a very complex history and relationship.

    The basics are that we have tried dating and being in a relationship several times and it doesn’t work. We end up falling out and not talking for months. I hate not having him in my life so we decided to remain friends always.

    When I realised that he had choose to delete me on facebook as a friend and choose not to answer my calls and texts it hurt. I had relied on him to always be there for me. Is that wrong? I mean after all he has no responsibility or obligation towards me. And if he met someone I’d be a little jealous that he’d have less time for me, but if the guy made him happy, I’d be happy for him. Sigh.

    We got talking again and I invited him to mine for a gathering of some of my closest friends. He barely spoke to them, sat there with his arms folded and left early. He always seems to want more than friendship. One thing I know for definitate: is that it hasn’t worked in the past and therefore the probability of it working if we attempted it again is low. Besides which a good friend of mine always says “Move on to pastures new. There’s a reason it didn’t work.”

    I reflected on the experience and to be honest, after his performance the other night and the fact that I actually like being single (selfishly I don’t have to consider anyone else) I am more than happy with a friendship with GJ. I simply wish that’s all that he wanted.

    How can I handle this situation? Any advice or answers on a postcard please, or better yet: post a comment.

    Antony

    Share on Social Media:
    Thursday 12 November 2009
    ×