Thursday 4 January 2018

Some have frugality thrust upon them

Why is it that nothing ever goes to plan?  I'd expected January to be a minimum spend month.  Christmas is over, everything to be paid this month was planned for and I had few needs.

Except I have to buy a car.  This is a major headache.  I need a specialised vehicle and can't just spend a tedious afternoon trawling local forecourts.  Instead I have to travel considerable distances to view used wheelchair accessible vehicles.  This costs money.  I always have my cars professionally inspected before I buy.  That costs even more money.  And although I got a fair settlement from my insurers I decided that it would be sensible to buy something a little newer so that has cost money too.  Grr.

But Grr isn't enough.  I have to trim my spending, maybe delay a couple of things, look for extra cash wherever I can so that I can rebuild my reserves.

So this month I'm being super careful.  

My first target is grocery spending so today I've decided to make bread instead of buying it.

My subscriptions to three organisations are due this month but they could be delayed until February.  I'm normally very well on time but this year subscriptions will have to wait a month.

And I've decided to make a tinned goods list to encourage me to use a few more of those.  


8 comments:

  1. I am so sorry about your car. Buying cars is no fun under any circumstances and I really do like doing it. Hubs is making new car noises and I just cringe. I look forward to seeing a pic of your new purchase!

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  2. There is always something to throw a spanner in the works, cars are one of the worst offenders. They are a bit like teeth, a trouble to get, a trouble to get rid of and trouble all the time you have them. My January is going to be a "stretch it as far as possible" month and so is February.

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  3. Unfortunately just when everything is ticking along nicely then along comes that banana skin and woosh floored. One emergency fund disappeared.

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  4. Thanks for the support. I had been feeling quite proud of how well I had coped financially with Christmas and I hadn't realised how much an enforced swap of my car would cost when travel, inspections, tax and insurance are taken into acount. I can cope but I don't like the feeling of precariousness which seems to be hovering over me. The little bits and pieces of economy will help but a "root and branch" appraisal is needed. Grr.

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  5. We’ve bought two used cars last year. What a mess! You will do better then us, I am sure of that!
    Debbie

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  6. All the best for your new car. I have money saved in an account to get a brand new one when I retire (now 21 months away) and that will then last me out God willing. I'm on a voluntary "fiscal famine" this month so will see how that goes.

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  7. It would appear that everyone is having a fiscal-famine/stretch-it/super-careful month.

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  8. Yep. What is it about January? Vacuum cleaner has died.

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