I am not comfortable sharing too many personal details about my finances on this blog but I’m nearing a milestone and it is something I’d like to share: I’m about two months, maybe three, from paying off my final credit card bills. My entire working life I’ve been very good at retirement saving but horrible at savings of any other kind. In fact, I can’t remember anything I’ve actually saved up for since my first car (which, incidentally, cost less than my first month’s rent post-uni). Soon, I’ll be free of debt for the first time in more than a decade and I will have the opportunity/challenge of managing my savings.

My parents have the kind of retirement that seems impossible for my generation. They were teachers on modest salaries, but because of a commitment to saving and sensible spending (plus good market conditions, the fact that they stayed married and probably a certain amount of luck), they were able to retire a few years early and now average three serious holidays a year. Saving for retirement has been drilled into me for as long as I can remember and it’s about the only thing I’ve done right with my money.

I got into credit card debt by living just outside of my means and in expensive cities for years. I’ve never been very extravagant but I don’t say no to myself enough – and I like to travel. A lot. The idea of being completely free of this debt is amazing, but I suspect it takes just as much commitment to maintain as it does to lose. Rather than making a big transfer to Visa each month I can soon divert those funds in directions of my choosing. Will all that extra money make me feel like I can spend, spend, spend? How do I force myself into good habits?

I think the place to start is with goals. I set out to finish paying off my debt this year and that goal is now within reach. I’m not especially disciplined, but setting goals usually does help. So here goes:

• Contribute an additional £100 each month to my personal pension (I may already be doing enough, but why not avoid more taxes?)
• Establish an emergency fund of £3000.
• Create a travel fund to get ahead of our holidays. £1000 is probably fine here but it will need to be refreshed fairly often.
• Start saving for the near- to mid-term future. This is the big one – saving for our family plans, owning a flat or house someday, starting a business (this is a fantasy right now, but who knows?) Basically all other freed up money will go into this fund, so there is no end goal here.

I’d love advice from all you savers out there on how to stay motivated once you’ve become debt free!

Yesterday I got a lovely little bit of recognition for the blog by none other than The Times! I was incredibly pleased to be included in the Top 20 twitter accounts to save you money by Laura Shannon. The Times website does cost money now, you know, so to save you some I’ve pasted the whole entire article into this post.

This blog takes a lot of time sometimes and while I really enjoy it it is nice to have someone come along and give me a pat on the back like this. Yay! And I’m in such good company too.

Read on for the list and for goodness sake go follow these tweeters if you want to save some money!

Guest post by Simon Moore, Managing Director at Computershare Voucher Services

More than one in three parents has considered giving up work because they feel unable to cope with childcare costs, according to our recent research at Computershare Voucher Services.

For me, it is worrying that many parents believe it is more cost effective to stay at home than pay for childcare – especially because in my experience many parents aren’t fully aware of the cost savings available to them. I think that this demonstrates explicitly that more must be done to raise awareness of what’s available to parents.

I believe – and I know it’s what you’d expect me to believe – that Childcare Vouchers are one of the most crucial money-saving options offered by many employers. As a salary sacrifice scheme, they are advantageous to both employers and employees, as neither party pays National Insurance on salary exchanged for the vouchers.

Saving money with these vouchers is such a simple process. All working parents have to do is request Childcare Vouchers from their employer to pay for registered childcare. A proportion of their gross salary will be exchanged for the Vouchers, which can provide parents with the equivalent of 31 per cent* saving on the first £243 that they spend on registered childcare costs per month. During the course of a year, Childcare Vouchers can thus provide a saving of up to £904* for a basic rate tax-payer.

I’m also a parent – so I shuddered, the same as everyone else, to hear from the Daycare Trust that the cost of a nursery place is rising at twice the rate of inflation. Added to that, the government will remove child benefit for higher and additional rate tax payers from 2013, money which many parents may rely on to pay for their childcare needs. To me these are further incentives to save costs wherever possible.

Surprisingly, many parents do not realise the extent of the flexibility of the Childcare Voucher system. They can be exchanged for care for children right up to the age of 16, not just for nursery but for pre-school care and various out-of-school or holiday clubs. I find that parents are often relieved that the vouchers can help them look after their older children too.

At Computershare Voucher Services, we offer a postal service for voucher delivery, but we are increasingly seeing parents switch to our e-voucher service, which has the convenience of being exclusively online. More information on the options available to parents can be found at our website: www.computersharevoucherservices.com.

One thing I feel parents opting for Childcare Vouchers should know is that the Childcare Voucher scheme is changing for new applicants in 2011. From 6 April all new users of Childcare Vouchers, regardless of how much they earn, will receive the same income tax relief as basic rate taxpayers. I must stress, however, to any existing users reading this blog, that these alterations will not affect them.

* Subject to individual circumstances. Higher or additional rate tax-payers may save more.

Guest post by Jade Moon, yummymummyfashion.com

Pregnancy is one of the few times in your life that you can justify an entire new wardrobe of fabulous clothes that you will probably only wear for six months.

Now, for the thrifty among us, that sounds like a bit of a waste when money could be spent more wisely elsewhere, like on the enormous list of expensive things that you need before the baby arrives.

But, you don’t have to compromise if you know where and when to shop for maternity clothes and you really can stay stylish and feel comfortable on a budget by following some simple guidelines.

Turn yourself into a habitual bargain hunter and don`t be scared of shopping for clothes alongside your groceries. The three biggest supermarkets all have their own clothing ranges, including maternity wear and they are a revelation if this isn’t your regular choice for bagging the latest fashion.

They sell everything you will need for a decent collection of maternity clothes, including work wear, dresses, coats and all the basics you are going to need at great prices.

If you’re a designer label devotee this may fill you with horror, but if you want to cut costs without compromising on style, get your basics such as maternity jeans, trousers, leggings, wrap tops and tees more cheaply and you can still team them up with something indulgent and no-one will notice that you`re wearing a supermarket maternity top.

Don`t be shy about borrowing from friends or visiting a charity shop either. If you’re lucky enough to have a friend or relative that has had a baby recently, then this is a great opportunity to have a dig through their maternity clothes before they pack them away.

Charity shops are brilliant for maternity coats and jackets and they often look like new. There is usually a good selection of maternity wear in second hand shops and because it isn`t worn for very long it will still be fashionable. In more affluent areas you may be lucky enough to pick up designer labels at a fraction of their original price as well.

Ask the staff which day new stock is put on the rails and if, for example, you’re specifically looking for a black maternity trench coat, bring it up in the conversation. If one comes in, they may be kind enough to put it aside for you.

The high street is always a good choice for bargain basics and most shops have a decent fashionable maternity range. The smartest way to clothes shop is online and you can quickly compare prices and check deals between stores.

Voucher codes are a marvelous tool for the serious bargain hunter and most major retailers have caught on to this relatively new idea. You can save a heap of cash simply by spending a little time looking around special voucher code websites to see which shops have the best money off deals. They often show which stores are having sales as well.

You can get a substantial percentage discount, free delivery with an order over a certain amount or any combination of buying something to get something else free at a lot of maternity clothing websites, but keep checking back as offers change fairly quickly.

It`s not just the ordinary maternity ranges that benefit from discount codes, you can even get a good selection of tall and petite maternity jeans from plenty of online retailers. One of the few advantages of having to buy so many new clothes is that you will most likely be eligible for any free postage offers.

The Resourceful Cook is a new meal-planning website and I’ve been meaning to check out the site for a while now. I just used the site’s calculator to find out how much it can save me and it estimated £1117 by avoiding waste and controlling costs. Wow!

I’ve written about meal planning sites before, but what I love about The Resourceful Cook is how customisable and detailed it is. Even if  you don’t want to fully commit to a meal planner, I can see how it could really make your life easier (and save you money!) Plus just reading it makes me hungry and excited to cook.

You choose your family size (one, two or four), what type of pantry you keep (basic, typical or cook’s) and the supermarket you frequent. Then choose from a range of menu plans, from home take-aways (fish & chips!) to Mediterranean medley (king prawn paella) to low cal and great value options. I chose great value and narrowed it down to four meals for the week that we’d cook in. The groceries would cost me £17, according to the site. You then have the option of adding more things to your list (biscuits? toilet roll?) before finalising and creating a printable version.

There are other options too. Really busy? Pick a quick shop menu and you’ll instantly get a shopping list for three meals. You can also plan dinner parties for up to eight using the site.

Meal plans only ever use fresh ingredients in amounts that match the pack sizes available in the shops. According to the site, that means no waste, ever. Plus you get a price per person for ever recipe, which I love. I’m assuming they base that on where I indicated I shop most but I’m not sure. According to the company, prices are based on an average between a range of typical supermarkets but soon they will have it updated automatically according to specific supermarkets.

I haven’t cooked anything yet, but I’m impressed. If it could magically base the menus around what’s on sale at the supermarket  plus what I’ve got coming in my Abel & Cole box it would be even better, but you can’t have everything!! I recommend The Resourceful Cook a look.

Guest post by Deborah May, freelance writer & mum

Price comparison services provide a convenient listing for consumers on the varying prices of specific products. In the UK particularly, these services have been doing quite well over the last five years, gleaning anywhere from £120m ($185 million US) to £140 million ($216 million US) in revenue, with an annual growth rate of between 30 to 50%.

These shopping portals evolved in the late 1990s, responding to the influx of people who began to use the internet as a shopping source. They worked in the same fashion as the American Yellow Pages initially in that retailers paid a fee in order to appear on a list of very specific product genres. Subsequent technological advances have forced these shopping portals to become more comprehensive as they search and retrieve data from each retailer site rather than utilising aggregate data provided by the retailers themselves.

What are some of the things a consumer can save money on with these shopping portals? Five important areas include hotels, insurance, travel, energy and holidays.

Where hotels are concerned, you can use Asda Discount Codes and Asda Discount Vouchers to gain discounts on more than 65,000 hotel rooms. Make sure all of the specific terms and conditions specifically stated in any discount code or voucher are met, and watch out for expiration dates and/or minimum spending requirements.

According to Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com, comparison shopping sites only partially cover the car insurance market. In order to examine a decent cross-section of providers, at least three sites should be consulted in the following order: Moneysupermarket.com, Confused.com and CompareTheMarket.com.

It is important for the consumer to note that estimated price quotes from Moneysupermarket are based on a short form while those from the other two sites are actual quotes. Consumers should seek quotes by plugging in every conceivable description as the wording can make all the difference. (For example, a lawyer could be charged less than a solicitor even though they are both the same thing).

For home insurance, Martin Lewis recommends four sites: Confused.com, Moneysupermarket.com, CompareTheMarket.com and GoCompare.com.

Many other products are simpler to find on comparison-shopping websites. For example, switching an energy provider is easily accomplished by going to where the suppliers are listed. In the UK they are: Energyhotline.com and uSwitch.com. You can also earn a £15 cash-back bonus if you access Energyhelpline.com via Moneysavingexpert.com. Those seeking to switch energy providers might do well to check the website energywatch (http://www.energywatch.org.uk), which publishes complaints against each supplier. Remember too, that with energy providers, the best price does not necessarily indicate the best value.

Some of the best travel and holiday comparison shopping websites include: Expedia (http://www.expedia.com), Trivago (http://www.trivago.co.uk/), Travel Supermarket (http://www.travelsupermarket.com/), Travelocity (http://www.travelocity.co.uk/), SideStep (http://www.sidestep.com/), Hotels Comparison (http://www.hotelscomparison.com/), Cheap Flights (http://www.cheapflights.com/), Cruise Prices Compared (http://www.cruisepricescompared.com/).

Comparison shopping websites can save you as much as £50 ($77 US) on some items, but like any tools, you must know how to use them effectively in order to achieve maximum results.

I have been avoiding this because I know we spent too much on groceries during the period I tracked but I reckon it’s time I actually finished off my month for on this blog.

But first! Here is the finished quilt top. Now I just have to figure out how to sew the whole thing together. The back is the same as the border here (red, blue and pink pinstripes on white). Someone reminded me after I bought the fabric that that won’t stay white for long if it actually is used as a baby quilt, but oh well. It’s really quite warm, we tested it on our laps!

So on to the painful bit! At least I know the figure to beat. So what am I going to do about it? Well we’re keeping the Abel & Cole – we just really like it and we’re eating loads more fruit and veg. So that is about £100/month. After that I think we just need to plan ahead more and stock up on basics and things like chicken breasts during sales. I’m thinking of starting a price book too. I haven’t been tracking since this ended but I’m going to try to pick it up again properly in October.

Total: £204.69

15th September – £20.72 – Abel & Cole delivery
14th September – nothing!
13th September – nothing!
12th September – £5.50 on stuff for massive curry
11th September – nothing!
10th September – nothing!
9th September – nothing!
8th September – £3.97 – Abel & Cole delivery (you get your fourth box free)
7th September – nothing!
6th September – £3 for three boxes of cereal
4th September – £4.37 for pizza toppings
3rd September – nothing!
2nd September – £3.36 for two boxes of cereal
1st September – £26.25 for Abel & Cole delivery – fruit and veg, milk and eggs, plus pork mince for burgers (plenty will be frozen for another time) and more bread flour
31st August – £6.29 for massive block of parmesan (went on last night’s courgettes and pasta)
30th August – £4.25 for goats cheese (half off! to go on beetroot salad and baguettes) and £.89 for the baguette
29th August – nothing!
28th August – nothing!
27th August – nothing!
26th August – nothing!
25th August – £23.73 for Abel & Cole delivery, which included salmon and mussels (but we had a £10 off voucher)
24th August – £3.20 lunch stuff
23rd August – £28 misc lunch and dinner stuff (E didn’t save his receipts so this is an estimate)
22nd August – £5.20 baking stuff for chocolate chip cookies
21st August – £37.24 (guessing again here, as I also lost my receipt. argh!) mainly on fajitas stuff and also rye flour which we will someday use to make sourdough starter
20th August – nothing!
19th August – nothing!
18th August – £20.13 Abel & Cole order – fruit and veg, milk, eggs and bread
17th August – £5 on 2 x 500g steak mince, £1.50 on 2 x 750g tomato sauce
16th August – £1.80 on stirfry stuff for dinner, £.98 on cereal
15th August – nothing!

We seem to eat a lot of cereal! Here is the latest:

Running total: £174.50

6th September – £3 for three boxes of cereal
4th September – £4.37 for pizza toppings
3rd September – nothing!
2nd September – £3.36 for two boxes of cereal
1st September – £26.25 for Abel & Cole delivery – fruit and veg, milk and eggs, plus pork mince for burgers (plenty will be frozen for another time) and more bread flour
31st August – £6.29 for massive block of parmesan (went on last night’s courgettes and pasta)
30th August – £4.25 for goats cheese (half off! to go on beetroot salad and baguettes) and £.89 for the baguette
29th August – nothing!
28th August – nothing!
27th August – nothing!
26th August – nothing!
25th August – £23.73 for Abel & Cole delivery, which included salmon and mussels (but we had a £10 off voucher)
24th August – £3.20 lunch stuff
23rd August – £28 misc lunch and dinner stuff (E didn’t save his receipts so this is an estimate)
22nd August – £5.20 baking stuff for chocolate chip cookies
21st August – £37.24 (guessing again here, as I also lost my receipt. argh!) mainly on fajitas stuff and also rye flour which we will someday use to make sourdough starter
20th August – nothing!
19th August – nothing!
18th August – £20.13 Abel & Cole order – fruit and veg, milk, eggs and bread
17th August – £5 on 2 x 500g steak mince, £1.50 on 2 x 750g tomato sauce
16th August – £1.80 on stirfry stuff for dinner, £.98 on cereal
15th August – nothing!

This recurring section used to be called “blog highlights from around the web” but I’m changing it because it really is a tips roundup rather than a list of my favourite posts. Or I should say they are my favourite tips posts!

Anyway – here is a list of some of the most useful posts I’ve found in the past few weeks. The last thrifty tips post can be found here.

101 ways to save money from Monevator

The items worth buying at Poundland from the Telegraph

16 gadgets that will save you money from LoveMoney

Lessons from Toy Story 3 – Grow your pennies from infinity to beyond from Magical Penny

Avoid the pension pitfalls: Retirement experts’ top 10 tips from WalletPop UK

Make money selling cakes, jams and sweets from Money Magpie

17 alternative uses for toothpaste, from bee stings to cleaning rings from WalletPop

10 key characteristics of debt free people (of modest means) from Len Penzo

Nothing crazy yet this week but I’m really quite shocked at just how much we spend on groceries! We’re barely past the halfway mark for my tracking month! This is a real reality check.

Running total: £167.13

2nd September – £3.36 for two boxes of cereal
1st September – £26.25 for Abel & Cole delivery – fruit and veg, milk and eggs, plus pork mince for burgers (plenty will be frozen for another time) and more bread flour
31st August – £6.29 for massive block of parmesan (went on last night’s courgettes and pasta)
30th August – £4.25 for goats cheese (half off! to go on beetroot salad and baguettes) and £.89 for the baguette
29th August – nothing!
28th August – nothing!
27th August – nothing!
26th August – nothing!
25th August – £23.73 for Abel & Cole delivery, which included salmon and mussels (but we had a £10 off voucher)
24th August – £3.20 lunch stuff
23rd August – £28 misc lunch and dinner stuff (E didn’t save his receipts so this is an estimate)
22nd August – £5.20 baking stuff for chocolate chip cookies
21st August – £37.24 (guessing again here, as I also lost my receipt. argh!) mainly on fajitas stuff and also rye flour which we will someday use to make sourdough starter
20th August – nothing!
19th August – nothing!
18th August – £20.13 Abel & Cole order – fruit and veg, milk, eggs and bread
17th August – £5 on 2 x 500g steak mince, £1.50 on 2 x 750g tomato sauce
16th August – £1.80 on stirfry stuff for dinner, £.98 on cereal
15th August – nothing!