SAVVY LIVING
WORDS JILL FOSTER PHOTOGRAPHY TERRY BENSON, CHRIS BLOTT, GRAHAM SAVILLE HAIR AND MAKE-UP OLIVIA FERRER, STEPHEN MCILMOYLE
KEEP A SPENDING DIARY
Would tracking every penny she spent give Donna Lambert an insight into where all her money goes each month? Donna is a receptionist and is engaged to David, a firefighter. They live in Billericay, Essex with their three children Jack, Beau and Amelie.
the cost – £7 on ice cream and drinks, a £10 teddy… ‘I kept dipping into my purse to buy food and drink on a whim. When I went to the park on day eight, I paid £7 for two coffees and a babyccino for Beau, and then on day 10, I shelled out £7 for coffee and cookies.’
THE CHALLENGE: ‘Although I’m good at keeping an eye on household bills, I know I’m bad at saving the odd £5 here or £10 there. My partner David is really careful with money and always says I waste it on things. By day two of writing down every small expenditure, I could see he had a point. I took the kids to the zoo and while the entrance fee was expensive, it was the extras that really upped
CONCLUSION: ‘Suddenly I’ve realised just how much money I spend spontaneously. What shocked me the most is how much I waste on snacks, drinks and toys. I’m going to be making more packed lunches in the future. I’m a busy working mum so I buy coffee to give me a caffeine hit, but I worked out I could be spending £500 a year on coffee alone. I’m not sure how easy it will be to break the habit
but I’m going to try. It’s been a real eye-opener, and I’m definitely going to change. I won’t stop buying occasional small treats for my children, but I’ll be cutting back on wasteful drinks and snacks.’ DONNA’S TOP 3 DISCOVERIES: • ‘ Taking drinks and snacks from home on days out saves a lot.’ • ‘ Monitoring my spending was a massive eye-opener!’ • ‘ Presents for the kids don’t have to be expensive.’
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