Well I am amazed. I have discovered so many blogs out there from like minded people who are so incredibly clever and have read so many brilliant ideas. I really admire these thrifty people. The main change I need to make I think, is forward planning and organisation. No matter how hard I work to save money I really only plan for week to week and think I need to look ahead. The other problem is organisation, every year my new years resolution is get organised which is of course far to vague and never seems to happen. I need to keep records and stick to the plan.
A few years ago I bought Elizabeth Craig's 1000 Household Hints published in the 1940s from our local second hand book shop which has a marvelous 10p box outside.
In some ways it is more helpful than modern books as it was written in a time before people expected to enjoy luxuries. There are lots of tips on cleaning stains and even how to skin a rabbit. (I think I better hide that chapter from our rabbit Louis!) There is also a section on money management which gives a real insight to the time. It divides household income after tax into tenths
Two Tenths : Housing
Five Tenths : Food And Operating Expenses (Including Utility Bills)
One Tenth : Clothing
One Tenth : Personal
One Tenth : Health Insurance And Savings.
Straight away I can see our proportions are different to those set in the 1940s as our mortgage is four tenths of our income but I am definitely going to study this over the next few days and work out a long term plan as there are lots more tips in this book I'm sure will be helpful. That with all the clever tips I have read on blogs will make for a much more organised life. I'll will share how I get on. I'm off to Wilkinson's today to buy a new cash book, and it's not even New Year!
