How would you save £2,000 a year?

Oh wow expatmaggie. Now I feel inadequate!

I don't buy anything for my grandchildren. They get their bikes etc for their birthdays and we give money towards it but their parents provide for them. I buy a few sweets or an ice cream when they stay with us.

Before My first GC was born, I noticed whining children, wanting this and wanting that and trailing around, obviously made unhappy by their everlasting needs. I decided that I just would not start. So they never regard me as someone who pays for things and leave me alone -and are happy and good tempered when staying with me. To bring children up not to be materialistic is the best thing for them as the future is not bright and they will need their reserves.
As to saving £2000, we are careful with money and save monthly for holidays and when its spent its spent. We could do without this if we had to.

We could save 2 thou by not buying things for grandchildren certainly. But the other day I worked out that having a little drinkie in the evenings and going out for breakfast several times a week comes to just as much if not more. I'd prefer to keep on doing the former and save by cutting out the latter but DH feels the opposite.

..not buying things for granchildren lasted all of 1 hour due to trip into town...

I'd save the 2grand a year by not visiting my grandchildren in the States, and spending up a storm whilst I'm there...

That's not going to happen...

Yes - you are all so right. I spend a fortune on my lot - but I enjoy doing it. Food, things for the house, clothes for the GCs, baby equipment........ I must try not to be so compulsive in my spending (having said that I bought a dolls house for Christmas for one of my GDs this morning - but it was half price and well made - not plastic!). Our children always thank us and appear to be grateful, but they know it can't continue. I would rather help them now when they need the help rather than when we've gone - who knows, there will probably be nothing left by then

Now I feel guilty as D has bought a car seat for our car so that I can pick up GS from nursery and also given me a cheque each month so that I am not out of pocket on fuel going up to them once a week (75 miles) to help out with nursery collection. So I think there is an awareness of our situation but they seem so profligate (?) in their own spending - I dare say my parents thought the same a long time ago.

After reading these posts I have just worked out how much I have spent on my daughter and her children over the last year. I was horrified. DH has no idea but often wonders where our money goes. I really must stop. She is separated from her partner but earns enough ( know this because I do her wages) I think it's just because I've always done it. Must stop and there would be my £2000 a year saved.

I don't spend as much on my grandchildren as I used to, partly because I don't think my daughter and her husband have ever noticed how much I do spend. I know when I read the baby book for the first grandchild there was a record kept of who had bought what for him, but I was hardly mentioned even though I bought something almost every week. Does that sound awfully petty of me? I've got to buy a car seat soon in case the weather turns nasty and I have difficulty walking back from school on childminding days, but no one will offer to reimburse me. Energy bills are the big problem for me and I'm hoping mine have come down throughout the summer. Cameron says perhaps they should get the energy companies to lower their prices..there's no 'perhaps' about it; they've made record profits and people are having to use their savings or pay on their credit cards, with no extra income for things such as holidays, presents etc. How can we get out of this recession if no one has any spare money to spend?

Harrigran - you are a gran after my own heart. I was horrified to see Grandson's baby clothes being bagged up for the charity shop (Oh they're worn to death, Mum - as if!) especially as D is expecting no. 2 grandson soon. Many of the things had perhaps been worn once, White Company etc etc - at least some hard-up mums might benefit. We have 3 daughters and they all wore hand me downs - even the eldest when friends with older girls had outgrown their things. We too knew the poverty of living on a single income so that I could be at home with the children (and not wishing to start a discussion, still think it was the right thing to do) and so feel we deserve a few pleasures in life at our advanced age! I also use Waitrose or Ocado and being berated for it by D who earns a fortune as does her husband, did a price comparison with another "cheaper" supermarket - out of about 60 items, just under 1/2 were cheaper, just under 1/2 more expensive and the rest the same!
I think we are all in agreement about having earned the right to put ourselves first for perhaps the first time in our lives - but it is hard to kick the habit of picking up the tab for lunch isn't it?

I spent the first 40 years of my life living frugally, i'll be blowed if I am going to make myself miserable in old age. Like everybody else I have propped up the family, deposit on a flat in London, paid off mortgage for another child so they could live abroad and keep OH in England. Bought all the must haves for babies. Bought the expensive baby dresses and seen them discarded. Paid for repairs to offspring's car when they were hit by the one uninsured person in their locality.
At the moment I think they are in desperate need of a holiday home but annoyingly we have spent most of our hard earned money on our extension, I really don't know how I came to be so selfish.

susieb ...I think we have suddenly wakened up and realised how much we do spend on our families.
Our biggest expenditure is food and I'm not giving up my Tesco direct delivery, or M&S fruit and treats.
We never go out for meals due to my Hubby's condition and he now eats very little...but I do get him nice wines from Laithwaites and he must have his Copella apple juice !!!
Again I spend very little on his clothes but have this year replaced all his trousers with jersey 'jogging''(ha Ha..he can hardly walk) bottoms and shirts with nice T shirts.
Would be a lot better off (financially)without 2 dogs & cat !!!!

I suppose food is the biggest expense but its also the joy in life. I know I could save if I had to by ditching Waitrose but I have only just got to this point after 33 years of marriage. We have almost given up on foreign holidays, only drive one very economical car and walk into town, rarely go out in the evening, DH is almost naked as he doesnt buy clothes ( I get him some) and I have stopped giving money to the children except for birthdays and christmas and have downgraded my gifts considerably. I was with my daughter on Saturday in a dress shop normally I would have paid for her purchases (£100) but I didn't - she earns well and buys lots of clothes so although it felt very odd I think it was the right thing to do. I took her to lunch instead (£20)

About 40% of appeals against these decisions are successful which just goes to show the inadequacy of the assessments carried out by Atos Healthcare. The whole process of appealing must be very stressful for those who have been wrongly assessed, but the statistics suggest that your husband would have a chance of success. Oh and write to your MP. They should be given evidence of what's going on.

Might be good to know as my OH has just had his invalidity allowance cut as he is deemed "fit to work" - he is no different from last year at this time when last assessed (liver transplant, osteoporosis, perforated bowel op and EBV lymphoma, large abdominal incision hernia, chronic bowel disease and occasional liver failure ) when deemed unable at present to seek work except that in the meantime he has also had major cardiac surgery for a large aortic aneurysm close to the heart and a reaplacement aortic valve - oh and random but frequent dizzy spells due to his medication so that he is unable to drive. So that's reassuring then.He is 64 and would love to work but who would employ a man who has an average of 1 hospital appointment per week involving travelling to London - oh and a morning of cardiac rehab once a week. Bring on the ideas as we need to save over £4K a year.

Same here have just bought DD a washing machine as she forgot to renew the insurance and then ofcourse it died on her,then DS1 wanted to surprise his GF on her birthday whilst they where on holiday so a few more £s there,and it was a surprise for me £200 lighter again.

I could definitely save £2000 a year by stopping buying so much for our Grandchildren...prams, carseats, highchairs, playpen, jumperoo, toys, clothes (often Boden/ Frugi) etc,etc and helping out with holidays.
I really HAVE to stop !!!
I have just helped out with our eldest's family break at Centre Parks and now find that my SIL has bought an ipad and new iphone and is going to buy a new Macbook !!!!!

BUT their car has just died and I know they have lots of unpaid bills !!!
I have to toughen up !!!

Yes Shysal - but what do you do when you are already on the cheapest range? and buying your clothes from ASDA or thrift shops? Actually, we eat very well using all of our home grown fruit and veggies, + HM jams and chutney. Only way we could extract £2,000 from our tight budget would be to stop SAVING. I have no idea what we are saving FOR, but DH still squirrels away around £200 per month.

In reality, the full question should be 'How is the average family going to manage with not only a £2000 drop in income but also steadily rising essential fuel, power and food costs?'

Only buy the exact amount that you need,how many of us forget that we are not feeding a large family anymore I know I do and sometime's end up throwing stuff away,multi-buy's can be shared through out the family saving money and storage,keep an eye on offer's for home service's and change to a cheaper supplier,next month my TV internet and phone come's out of 12 month contract and I will not renew unless I get the best deal going,and the best deal is not alway's advertised just be cheeky and ask can you have it at such a price or you will change and most often than not they will agree,I have done that twice with tv/phone bundle's.

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The Money Saving Expert recommends buying food one range down from usual. For example, if you usually buy the extra special packs try the mid-priced range. If those are the foods you usually buy, then chose the economy items. He claims it is hard to tell the difference most of the time.