The Money Diet

[Tia Maria]

I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that I need to budget. We weren't extravagent in the UK, we didn't have exotic holidays, we didn't shop every weekend in fact we didn't even own a car!

But with the costs of emigrating, buying a house, buying a second hand car, taking about a 40% paycut and having a third baby I've accepted we've just got to bite the bullet.

I'm only going to metion things I have done rather than things that I plan to do, as I think saying you've given up cream cakes is more relevant that saying you plan to.

I'll try to consider it a change in lifestyle rather than a diet. So all changes must be possible in the long term. No use using candles, if I only end up going on a lightbulb binge later on!

I'll also try to be very specific, so those others can make the changes if they want.

So yesterday:

1) After much research into economy nappies (the economy ones in New World bought him out in a rash), I decided on Loving Touch from Foodtown rather than Huggies.

Huggies: 96 pack: $49.87 ($0.52 a nappy)
Loving Touch 160 pack - $54.99 ( $0.34 a nappy)
Roughly saving $32 a month

(also at the moment buying Loving Touch bulk nappies comes with free food delivery - saving $10 a month)

2) Finding cheaper Houes & Contents Insurance. Switched to the bank I had car insurance with and made an overall saving of $160 a year (partly because their quote was cheaper, partly because they gave me a discount for holding multiple insurances with them)
Saving $13 a month

Although it does now look like my car insurance might be a bit high! But that's not up for renewal for a little while.

So anyone going to join me????

Cheers

Tia

PS Please only new budget changes, I don't want to know how back in 2001 you gave up wine and managed to fit into size 12 jeans, well not unless its a really good tip!

[jubjub]

Nappies, after his first year in huggies and reaching the size that cost over 65c each, we changed to cosies, they are still a quality nappy, at just over 40c each www.babyonline.co.nz, free delivery within auckland too. Dont even want to entertain cloth ones (yes I know the environment and all that.... ) they will send you samples so you can choose what suits best.

Takeaways, one a week, eat out once a month, but we have even cut that back so we have some extra cash for our Ozzie trip, so hubby cooks on Sat instead of us buying takeout.

Cash, we have taken an allowance each, and thats it for the month, sometimes I even have some left! That has to buy my coffees, entry fees to things like lollipops and music, and the odd snack at lunchtime. Hubby always runs out, as he eats out a lot more than I do (he then takes sammies instead!)

Booze.... hmmm *hic* we have limited that too, only buy it on Thurs and it has to last all weekend, if we run out, tough. Or we buy any extra out of our own cash.

All our insurances are together to take advantage of group discounts.

Home baking/cooking, no pre-prepared meals (except for babyfood sometimes)

Due to this lot we have shaved nearly $400 a month off our spending!

[Nathan]

Can't you switch insurance policies any time? Here (States) I can switch whenever I want and I get a refund for the unused part of the policy. Can you do that in NZ?

[sarahw]

Tia,

You can save a fortune in nappies (and a huge load of landfill) by buying washable ones - we use Fuzzibunz - we saved $800 on disposable nappies for our daughter by using these since she was 4 months & will continue to fit until she's 18 months old (longer if your baby is petite sized) They cost us $400 for a system. We do a whites wash every night anyway having a baby in the house & the nappies go straight in there - hardly any extra work & no soaking.

Quite a few of our friends use them too & I'd thoroughly recommend them. Jub jub you'd be surprised I reckon - they're just like disposable nappies to put on & take off your baby & come up like new every time you wash them plus you save a fortune on nappies again if you have another baby or can sell them at half price on trade-me after you've finished with them - oh that means we've saved $1000 - not bad! (you use disposable/flushable liners in them so you don't have to 'deal' with nasties!!)

[Junnifer USA]

Here are some of the things we have been doing...I want to save for a vacation!

We negotiate a bulk purchase of meet from the Mad Butcher. It comes vac packed to our specifications. We save about $50 per month.

We just negotiated a new phone deal with telecom...yeah..they will negotiate.

Jen

[Ana&Steve]

Awesome thread, Tia! I'm taking notes from all the replies....
Ana

[Moorf]

I grow as many veggies as I can and bought a soda stream sure saves on bottles of fizz/ginger beer (and the trips to the shops to get more) and makes great soda for cocktails!

[nippa&pippa]

Tia,

You can save a fortune in nappies (and a huge load of landfill) by buying washable ones - we use Fuzzibunz - we saved $800 on disposable nappies for our daughter by using these since she was 4 months & will continue to fit until she's 18 months old (longer if your baby is petite sized) They cost us $400 for a system. We do a whites wash every night anyway having a baby in the house & the nappies go straight in there - hardly any extra work & no soaking.

Quite a few of our friends use them too & I'd thoroughly recommend them. Jub jub you'd be surprised I reckon - they're just like disposable nappies to put on & take off your baby & come up like new every time you wash them plus you save a fortune on nappies again if you have another baby or can sell them at half price on trade-me after you've finished with them - oh that means we've saved $1000 - not bad! (you use disposable/flushable liners in them so you don't have to 'deal' with nasties!!)

Very easy to use it. I use bambino mio and had it since my first child..cost nothing to you when next child(ren) come along because you already got it! Big saving

[nippa&pippa]

Use public transport if you can, save money on petrol and parking fee etc. Cost me just $1.80 with bus pass for three of us as children under 6 is free to city and no need for parking fee. You can get bus pass called metrocard from bus exchange in christchurch to save you 70c each time. Also with card, you can use many bus in 2 hour for $1.80, even if you return back home within 2hour too. One day I use six bus in two hour, save me $12.50 with pass

Homemade your foods save more money than pre-packaged. Search around as some foods in farm shops or butchers is cheaper than supermarket's.

Takeaway, have it once a month or buy one-off pre-packaged foods that you can just heat it at home.

Use cloths nappies as mentioned above.

Use special cloths that clean your house without use of chemical to save money on chemicals...I find out the name of brand for you if you wish

Look out for special offers, like banrock station at pak'n'save usually cost nearly $10, brought two yesterday for $5 each, we used to pile up stock of wines everytimes there is special offer so we don't pay full price every time we need wines. Stock them up special offers if you can, but only buy what you do really use it.

[incredible hulse]

We swapped from Contact to Genesis for electric and the estimated savings are quite significant. Also turned off water heaters at the fuse box and just turn on 10 mins before needing it, use internet sites for nappies (don't worry about the environment jubjub as there's supposedly nothing in it -http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4559665.stm ). We compost everything, buy on deals.
Other than that simple things like wearing 3 jumpers in winter and going to bed at 7pm with all the lights off. If we still can't get the monthly bill below 3K I'm investing in some of those head torches and plan to use them and candles