Am I the only person out there who isn’t saving any money? A financial advisor came to see me the other day and suggested we put away some cash every month for our future. “Even if it’s only 500 pounds a month”.
Only 500 pounds?? I almost fell off my chair. We’d be lucky to have 5 pounds a month left over. So I started to try to work out where we could cut corners.
As I write Leo is learning to play the piano. We spend hundreds of pounds a year on their “activities” which include golf, tennis, ballet, musical theatre, football and guitar. The music lessons are by far the most expensive. So far all Leo really does is play Old McDonald had a farm over and over and over again. But I’m sure things will improve.
Playing the piano is one the things I always wish I could do. In fact in England I even started having lessons. I never got to the giddy heights of Old McDo but I loved it.
So what else? Well, there are life’s little luxuries like Laura Mercier Primer, matching underwear and manicures. Can I do without them? No, obviously not. What about Rupert’s golf lessons? Those we can definitely do without, he’s good enough at golf. If he gets too good at he’ll beat his boss, then he’ll never get a pay rise and we’ll never start saving.
Copyright: Helena Frith Powell 2009
Ah but saving money is great once you get into it! Even if you can only save a little bit, it is lovely to see it grow — and eventually, once you have a nice bit saved up, it can give you a kind of freedom …..
so the trick about saving is… just do it. If you wait to find the money in your budget probably not gonna happen.
Need to be the first thing you pay..yourself.
I think you’re approaching this problem from the ‘wrong’ direction. Instead of focusing on the expenditure, you must instead comfort yourself with the huge amount of money you’re saving by living in AUH. Essential grooming is so much cheaper – waxing and threading and Moroccan baths and manicure/pedicure etc are eye wateringly expensive in UK…
And as for the designer clothes clearance sales – Stella McCartney is as cheap as, but so much more cheerful than Karen Millen or Whistles
LOL at this! Does Rupert read your blog?
I\’m with Pineapple Tart- viewed as \”saving money\”, what you spend seems much better value.
Anyway, what\’s the point of saving money instead of living your life? Get out there and enjoy every minute of it, dance with life, play the piano (or golf in Rupert\’s case) with it, shop with it, etc. I don\’t think you need me to tell you that- you\’re already doing it. It\’s not a rehearsal, and it\’s important to get the most out of it.
Financial consultants only want you to save so they can recommend an investment policy, which you\’re charged administration fees on, even when it loses money.
The only saving I do is a change jar- here you buy them (oops, spending to start saving!!) and it has a slot you put coins in, with counter that updates the amount. Then you blow the lot on a treat.
Mimi is absolutely right!
I would like to know your secret to time management. How on earth do you manage to fit in kids, school runs, a raft of after-school activities, yoga, a full-time job and writing a novel????? No wonder you have no time to save money!
I have taken your advice and spent most of the day at Dubai Mall. I feel so much better, thank you!
Hx
great post, you know when sometimes i read your blog i get reminded strongly of Becky Bloomwood from the confessions of a shopaholic series you really got some similarities together
I highly recommend saving. You’ll never regret it.
I have a certain amount taken out of my paycheck automatically, and I never miss it.
The annoying thing is, as I see my income grow, the money seems to disappear proportionately…somehow. And yes, the first things I always want to sacrifice are my husband’s hobbies.
Even if you save less than what the financial planner suggested–say, 300 instead of 500–if you break that down weekly, it seems much easier to manage.
Good luck!
I would have to agree with Jennifer, but I grew up relatively poor. I’ve never had a manicure, except for my wedding, and I’ve never had a facial. I’ve always done things from home.
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