Pennies for thought

When you look at how cheap a pizza actually is to make yourself or buy in a supermarket you should realise that takeaway pizza is a waste of money.

Not everyone would agree with this but I find decent a frozen or chilled pizza just as good as a takeaway one. Takeaway pizza is often soggy and greasy from sitting in a steamy pizza box. Although ordering pizza is incredibly easy to order by phone and Internet, it is even easier to just chuck a few decent pizzas in the freezer.

The best supermarket pizzas are around £4 or £5 which seems like a lot while your shopping but that is half the price of a takeaway pizza!

I have no grudge against Italian food although I feel it is the kind of food you would be making at home if you had no money. It is good tasting, cheap and simple food to make so why go out and spent the extra money on eating it?

In past experience I have found a good, cheap source of quality items have been bought in army stores on the high street or online. Army shops do not just sell second hand clothes, they also sell ex-issue goods aswell.

There is a respectable limit to what army garments can and can’t be worn in everyday situations and common sense dictates that!

Things like camouflage trousers can be bought for very little money and easily turned in to hard wearing camo shorts. Winter accessories like scarves are also cheap and fit with most styles of clothing. Army scarves like shemaghs have recently come in to fashion and people seem to pay twice the money for replicas. Why not just buy the real thing for less as it is going to last longer.  Overalls can also be bought for very little which have countless uses.

Three practical applications of things I have bought are -

- I use a scrim scarf to cover my mouth whilst cycling to stop dirt and insects from getting in. A scrim is a netted scarf  that allows you to breath easily through it.

- I have used cheap flight overalls to drain the oil pan on my car and paint several rooms.

- A pair of camo trousers were used for a fancy dress night and then I cut them off and used wonder web to make them in to shorts. I find them great for cycling as they are warm and have plenty of pockets.

When it comes to end of a tough week there is nothing better than going out drinking to let off some steam. As far as drinking goes, we are all unique. Everyone has drinking limits, spending limits and a rough idea of how they want the night to pan out.

Where a lot of us go wrong is to assume that drinking at home before a night out will in turn save money. This is not always true as quite often this will lower your inhibitions before even getting out and then you still just spend the money. We are a lot more generous with our money after a few drinks.

Which is fine until waking up the next afternoon and realising the extra late night stop at the cash point you made. If you set yourself a cash or drinking limit you need to be in the right state of mind to enforce it.

Another early and expensive end to a night is brought on by drinking rounds in groups. There are situations where this is unavoidable, for example if you are out playing drinking games. But in casual situations it is best to just stick to buying your own drinks (whether it be the cheapest thing at the bar or something you actually enjoy). This not only gives you full control over you own money and allows you to drink whatever you want at your own pace.

Having to go out on a budget doesn’t make it any less fun, you just need to take the right approach.