As a bit of a follow up from yesterday I thought I would post about something else that I am making a very conscious effort to do.
Live within my means.
My bf and I decided before we went on holiday in November that we fritter and waste too much money. We just do not think of the little day to day things that we buy as spending. So, we have been using a basic spread sheet as our budget planner and it is going pretty well. We mark what goes in and out and on what date etc, etc.
We were also guilty of just going to the nearest place and buying the thing that we wanted - I was not up for looking about and doing price comparison. Not anymore I am the comparison queen now. We were buying a real tree in December to decorate and we spent an entire afternoon going around garden centres to find the best deal. I have switched from Tesco to Asda for our weekly food shop and I have noticed a huge drop in what we spend.
It is my bf's birthday on the 12th January and I have spent almost a month now researching the gift and then getting it at the best possible price. I managed to get it for a fair bit below the RRP and it had some accessories thrown in! I am not going to go into any more detail as I want it to be a surprise.
Me being the kind of person that I am when I make an effort to do a thing I do so whole heartedly. I now can not justify throwing food in the bin I turn veg into soup, left-over dinner into packed lunch. These are all things that are easy to do and that make my budget go even further - as will the Subway that I will be having for my lunch tomorrow, as there is a coupon in tomorrows newspaper (which I buy anyway) for a FREE 6" sub!
But, is joining the library a step too far??
I am finishing at 4.30pm today and I am going to join and make use of the public library along the street. I read so much that I am sure it will free up even more from my budget.
I just hope that I am not going too far!
10 years ago
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6 comments:
No way is the library "too far"! The library is a great resource that I think everyone should use. What's the point of purchasing a book you will only read once? Unless I'm really set on owning a book, I'll get it from the library to read just once. Good luck with your goals!
I can totally sympathize especially now that I don't have a job I'm more conscious about what comes in and what foes out and how we can get more out of less.
No, you are not going too far. Go for it! Use EVERY avenue you can to save more money.
Just think of it this way: the more you save now, the more you get to spend if you go on a vacation. :)
--Velvet
I don't think the library is taking it to far at all. I use our library more than I ever thought I would.
If I see a book I like in the store or hear about, I research it on Amazon.com to make sure I have interest. Then I go to my library's site to see if they have it. If so, I place a request and wait until they get it shipped to the branch close to work.
I do the same thing with music I want too. I might upload the songs to my computer to save money...but that'd be illegal if I *really* did that, wouldn't it? ;)
But, waiting for the book does wonders for the instant gratification of getting books. Most of the time, by the time I wait for it to be transferred or even sit on a wait list, I've lost interest. Makes me feel THAT much better about not buying it!
Good luck!!
Thanks guys for your comments and encouragments!
I love my local library. I don't use it as often as I should but one of the first things I did when I moved house was to join it (I live in a different council area now than I did before) and I'm still a member of Leeds Libraries too.
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