Emergency Cost Cutting

Well with the double barrelled shotgun of unexpected unemployment staring us squarely in the face this week, steps have had to be taken to stem the flow of money that seems to flow with increasing speed from our accounts. What has struck me more than anything is the fact that we have had money leaving the account that we had forgotten about - mad I know, considering we are supposed to be aware of our spending these days, those 'one off' yet somehow ongoing subscriptions that magically renew themselves every year etc, simply because we are too lazy to cancel them when we should.

So far we have managed to make a good start, (see below), but without more funds coming in its difficult to say just how we are going to pay what's left, I'm just keeping everything crossed that something comes our way soon.

• Virgin TV Package - Pared back to the minumum.
• Virgin Internet Package - Pared Back to the minimum.
• Mobile Phone Packages - Reduced
• Magazine Subscriptions - Cancelled
• Audio Book Club Subscription - Cancelled
• Money Transferred to Savings - Pared back to minimum.
• Charity Donations (Direct Debit) - Cancelled
• Changing from School Dinners to Packed Lunches
• Window Cleaner - Cancelled
• Milk Man - Cancelled

Some of these cancelled and reduced payment are really only £5 a week, but when you put everything together it adds up to almost a weeks grocery shop that we are saving.

Today is my son's 6th birthday, and whereas last year I arrived at school with a (bought) birthday cake and bags of sweets for all of the children in his class, this year I made home made chocolate and banana cakes/muffins for everyone, including his teachers. Other than the hour spent  in the kitchen making three dozen cakes, rather than being on the lap top working, I saved at least £10 by doing it.

We even - after a LOT of searching, managed to buy him his first bike for his birthday, for half the price it should have been, rather than buying the first thing that we saw that he would like - whatever the cost. 

There are a lot of learned behaviours that we need to change, and I'm hoping that when we are back in gainful employment that we can maintain some of our new cost effective behaviours as I am sure that they will help over the coming years.