Being a low life dayman i take the pack up my fine wife makes up for me, and i have a flask of boiling water and the necessary for tea making, only a couple of times a week will i grab a Subway or Greggs breakfast deal (parking where they are can be difficult or that could easily be daily ) because i like their latte coffees, and would rather die of thirst than give Costa or Starbucks a single penny of my hard earned.
When i was out on the road doing nights out i always tried to find a decent pub or carvery type place to park near, not just for proper food and the company of normal people, but to get away from the soddin lorry for a few hours.
If the job can’t support a decent meal when you’re putting in a week and half’s hours of hard graft then it’s time to find summat else IMHO.
Yes cars are the big drain on your money, i too buy carefully selected used cars that i buy outright and fix if they go wrong, Japanese preferably and actually made in Japan, and maintain them meticulously myself, depreciation is very small and they tend to be completely reliable so long as you avoid obvious things like automated manual or dual clutch gearboxes which have never proved reliable/durable long term in any car made yet, i’d trust my older Jap cars more than any of this new muck any day of the week.
Fuel is a set cost we all have to pay (and like everything else in life taxed to the ends of the earth), i don’t see the point in spending £5000+ to get another 15mpg when the increased complexity and rapid depreciation of the newer more complicated car will more than wipe out any fuel savings when it spits its dummy out, but then i can’t abide modern cars anyway, hateful gimmick laden things that all look the same and i wouldn’t give you a thankyou for one (save maybe this years Toyota Century if i had the means, phwoar), but each to their own, other people seem to like them and if no one bought new then the used cars i buy would be in short supply and very overpriced.
It’s a bugger when you get a big car bill, but you should divide that bill by twelve really to put it in perspective.
What people ought to do is add up how much interest and debt they are paying out per year, mortage interest car repayments credit cards even the extra they charge you to spread insurance or other payments across the year instead of a one off payment, that might be an eye opener for many.
Folk call me tight but I think I’m just careful with my brass,
I’m not rich and I don’t earn a fortune but I make my money work,
I’m a day man odd nights out but have my own truck so it’s kitted out like a trampers,
I have loads of bottled water with me,£2.39 from Iceland for a 24x500ml pack.
I have toast or crumpets before I leave work,
Then snack on olives or nuts up until lunch,normally chicken wraps or ryvitta with dairylee or pasta cooked at home.
I carry pot pastas etc just incase the day is long and I get hungry…
I have 3 cars my classic Vw that is more of a hobby
My wife has a 2002 bmw and I have a 05 passsat both reliable both bought outright for less than £4000 for both 5 years ago and give us reliable motoring,
My mate takes the ■■■■ because he says I’m tight while he is paying £320 a month on a new merc on a pcp so it will never be his car .
The fact is you need to be frugal,I love a fancy coffee and a nice bacon roll but it’s a once a week treat now.
£7 a day at a MSA 5 days a week is over £1800 a year. I doubt my pack lunches cost me £7 for the week.
My car is a 2010 Mondeo I bought at 2 years old with 38,000 miles on for just £8500, a third of its new price. Now coming up to 7 years ownership and its just clocked 138,000 miles so I’ve done 100,000 miles in it. Other than normal service items its needed only a couple of trailing link arm bushes and a DPF sensor hose. This year has been expensive though. Front and rear shocks, rear brakes, track rod end, wheel bearing so I’ve spent about £800 on repairs, £495 of that a week ago. Still cheaper to run than going and buying a new(er) car though. It is still reliable enough that it returns mid 50’s MPG, uses no oil between services and I can just put fuel in, jump in it and do a 2000 mile round trip to France without worrying about it failing me.
I’m a tramper , but I cook all my food as I have a fridge and microwave also I’m what’s called a coeliac ( I can’t eat any thing with gluten in ) as it just passed through gut to quick damaging it and I would lose weight very quick ,
Even I don’t spend £10 on food a day and the microwave , fridge and inverter have paid for its selfs
My meals are made so I can have dinner and wash up in a 45min break and still have some internet time as well
Also I drive a £400 focus that sits there for 5 days a week
I batch make rolls Sunday night and freeze them for the week ahead. £1 for a dozen rolls £1.50 pre sliced cheese, £2 of decent ham? Multipack home brand crisps and a few bits of fruit… packed lunch and a big flask of coffee for the day. Big bottle of water for 17p if you don’t like the tap water in your area. Spending no more than £10er for a 6 day week.
If you know you’ll be near a microwave cook extra dinner and have it for lunch one day.
Like everyone has said, forward planning goes a long way. If you like a fancy coffee just get the sachets and find a kettle.
Ready to eat sausage rolls and things like that also freeze and defrost fine… better than having sweaty freshly made food by the time you get round to eating it.
If the fuel and car bill seems too much work it out over the year add the tax back on and consider taking a pay cut and working closer? 3k of my pretax earnings are burnt in my car. You’ve got to weigh it up.
@Adam277 I think you know what you have to do, that’s not spend £10 a day at MSA’s, which doesn’t have to mean slumming it, just needs a bit of imagination, you can still have the odd “treat” from an MSA, if that floats your boat, but it means you have more money left to spend on the stuff you really want and enjoy.
As for the car, sadly the odd big bill can be the downside of running an old car, but then £500 now and then on maintenance is far less that £500pm on loan or lease costs for something that will sit at work most of the time.
Getting bills for repairing older cars is not all doom and gloom. Each part you replace has a lifespan and shouldn’t need replacing again any time soon. If you get rid of the car with all these new bits on it the chances are you will start all over again with the next one, so in the long term it will probably cost more than keeping the previous one.
My 2005 Mondeo has cost about £4000 over the eight years I have had it. It has never let me down and has cost about £10 per week over that time. You can’t buy a new car for that money.
I’m out normally Mon to Fri. Fridge has salad stuff, juice, milk for breakfast muesli. I’ll buy a fresh baguette at lunchtime and have stuff from fridge or maybe tinned tuna.
Evenings maybe eat in cab, but Routiers Restos are too tempting to ignore. Good food often home made fresh, good value and a bit of conversation with fellow drivers. Good for body and spirit without breaking the budget. We’re here to live, not to merely exist, but we’re not here to pay MSAs £4-99 for a two quid sarnie every day.
Cars? I buy older ones and enjoy playing with my spanners.
Just sold a Passat; had it about 5yrs. Cost me for front suspension, (£140 parts + my time) power steering pump, (eBay £30), tyres, battery, cambelt and brakes. 50mpg. Depreciation of £200.
Dunno if selling it was wise really? Clean test ticket apart from headlight adjustment.
Older cars can be a lottery. A good 'un you can look after yourself will be a money saver. But a dog can have you throwing money at it, before you give up and try to sell it on.
MONEY in pocket!!! WTF is that when it’s at home.
I have a house, a car, a girlfriend, an ex-wife and 4 kids to my ex-wife that I’m paying her for.
So if anyone can tell me how to have just 1 pence in my pocket, I will gladly take your advice.
the maoster:
I view being at work as a means of earning money, not saving money. I’m here for a good time not a long time so if I want something I’ll buy it, if not I won’t. I refuse to compromise living one section of my life in order to fund another section of it.
Yep.
You’re a long time dead fella.
No point being the richest stiff in the graveyard.
Couldn’t agree more.
I have plenty left over, even as a day man who plays at truck driving.
Not true about having a flashy motor sat in the yard depreciating either. You see, it’s all about intelligence (or as in the case often on here, a lack of it). My motor is worth £25k + and doesn’t lose a penny
Also I have virtually zero debt because I use the grey matter in conjunction with a bit of self discipline in order to not accumulate any in the first place As for grub, I get Robroy to buy mine for me
“What you don’t spend - is as good as what you’ve just won or earned”.
I’ve driven old bangers my entirelife. Pay £500 for one, scrap it for £100 a year or two later. I’m quids in all the way, as the depreciation on a newer car would be FAR more than the £400 for a year’s motor I’m spending otherwise. (I only buy old bangers with at least a 10 month MOT on them btw)
My mortgage is big, but cheap.
My wife doesn’t work, because her travel to work would cost more than she would earn, so a part time job is out of the question, plus there is no night transport work nearby that I woudn’t have to take her to, her not being a driver. It’s easier for this to be a single-income household.
My only vice is that I like a regular bet on the geegees.
I like a drink on my days off, but we both gave up smoking years ago.
Holidays away are impractical these days, as I keep a lot of animals who can’t really be left alone.
With such outgoings, £500 takehome per week - does me.
I’m going to be re-building the front callipers on my very old Honda this weekend, my best mate gave it to me for nothing!
So far it’s cost me £120 for two tyres (I never skimp on tyres or safety-critical parts) and the rebuild kits plus pads were £110 from Honda.
Love that motor, 157k miles and not so much as a trim squeak. That era of Honda cars were way over-engineered (as were bikes like the VFR750) so they just keep on trucking. How anyone believes that a brand-new hybrid is better for the environment than something like mine, is beyond me.
Yes the VFR750 was a well built machine, my mate has just bought this, he has swapped the seat unit for a single, it looks much better, but I can’t find the photo.
) because i like their latte coffees, and would rather die of thirst than give Costa or Starbucks a single penny of my hard earned.
.
As for grub, I get Robroy to buy mine for me 
