Keeping life the way your accustomed too on a budget..

I had a bit of a plan today.  I understand with current circumstances in the world today that we are all suffering from having to penny pinch in places and I wondered if you had any good ideas as to penny pinch without it effecting your life style too much...

I thought about dvd rentals today and came up with the idea to buy the latest dvd on ebay...watch it..then sell it back on there a few days later while it still has its value and then get another one you fancy and so fourth...hence not really spending any money at all to watch the latest films...

Just a thought.....

Blockbuster here has a 5 DVD's for 5 days for $5. BF and I get those now instead of going to the cinema. We each pick out two then compromise on one. The library has DVD's for fairly cheap too.

The only problem I can see with buying them off line the reselling is having to pay for shipping/ebay or amazon fees.

I'm trying to pay off all debt and save to buy a newer car. So for me it's been more of a lifestyle change. Turns out I really don't need lots of new shoes/clothes/etc. I try to see how long I can go without spending any $.

 I've paid off my medical bills and credit card and am working on my last debt - my student loans. I'm trying to pay off as much as I can before I graduate, since I don't have to pay interest on them now. 

Honestly, I think trying to live the same lifestyle on a strict(er) budget is little more than a recipe for disaster.  In my younger days I tried to do it, but in the end I wound up spending roughly the same amount as I did before I tried to live on the cheap.  I find that picking one or two not-so-huge things to sacrifice is much easier than trying to make them fit them into my budget.

Watch television instead. 

i use sights like hot uk deals, to find what i want at discount prices, and quidco for cashback on my purchases.

Watch television instead. 

I actually meant this seriously - I wasn't being snarky. If you're serious about keeping to a budget, forget about your lifestyle. You'll have to make sacrifices. That might mean giving up DVDs which, in the big scheme of things, isn't the end of the world, is it?

We've had to make some sacrifices too and more often than not it's meant eliminating some line items from the budget.

I like chary's suggestion of TV versus DVDs. 

DH and I have also gotten free passes to films (preview screenings a few days before they open in cinemas) through seefilmfirst.com- you have to have codes, but those are easily found on sites such as hotukdeals or moneysavingexperts (and once you go to a couple of films you start getting emails with codes as well.) 

i also got rid of sky and bought a free view box for £20, we gave up dvd's too.

DH and I have also gotten free passes to films (preview screenings a few days before they open in cinemas) through seefilmfirst.com- you have to have codes, but those are easily found on sites such as hotukdeals or moneysavingexperts (and once you go to a couple of films you start getting emails with codes as well.) 

That sounds great!! I've signed up!

Just wanted to add that moneysavingexpert has TONS of advice for cheap and free things to do! 

I have been checking over my bills ect recently and have made a saving here and there.  For example BT are doing some deals which annoys me that they do not notify exisiting customers but if you check with them they will put you on new plans - I have saved myself £18 per month on various bills around the home...

I don't enjoy watching telly too much...I don't normally have much time for it..only the occassional programme..

I have also been switching my food brands around a little to save here and there..

Moneysavingexpert.com is my LIFE.  Trust me, I have gotten so many discounts/deals/cashbacks & competitions wins through that website, it's insane.  Subscribing to the weekly e-mail is nice and will score some good finds, but the real gems are found by trawling the forums on a regular (I mean daily!) basis.  At the very least, go have a search around before you're going to make a purchase - there's probably a cashback deal or a code for money off floating around somewhere!

We gave up DVD's and we have saved a fortune! Instead we have the movie channels on cable and we V+ them. We used to buy loads of DVD's, but not anymore!

We have kept the Sky + as it means that we have loads of stuff to watch if we can't be bothered / afford to go out.  It gives us free internet anyway, so is pretty good value.

Joining the library is a great thing to do.  I am a big reader and own thousands of books, but I can't buy them anymore as a) I have no space on my shelves b) I am skint so going to the library for books is a great thing.  They also have a great range of CD's and DVD's, as well as tapes and videos, so it is all much cheaper than buying anything, or even renting.

Food I think is the main way people can cut costs, and there are hundreds of threads on how to save money there.

Moneysavingexpert I agree is genius.  Planning a wedding during a recession is not an easy thing, but St Martin Lewis has made it all so much more doable. We are going to be able to have a great wedding at about a quarter of the average cost.

Vicky

Oh yes, the library!  It's fab if you're a big reader and great for CDs/DVDs as well.  And for the even more geeky people out there who read a lot of non-fiction, you can check to see whether you can get a free membership of a universty library through an alumni connection- DH recently got free membership and borrowing rights to his former uni library so we have an even wider selection of books to choose from than is available in our public library.

COngratulations on your upcoming nuptials, Vicky!