What are you doing to survive the next 18 months?

[Brown and Boris]

Speculating that we have at least 18 months of financial pain before any chance of the economy bottoming or picking up, what are you doing to make it through? Not withstanding keeping a job, are you downsizing, (takes gulp) buying a smaller more economical car?, turning the central heating down, car sharing, buying economy baked beans, not doing the lottery, cancelling all those silly insurances, cleaning your own windows.....

Unless you do all of these things and many more I am thinking it won't make much difference. An austere Chrimbo might save a few hundred quid, having a miserable wet annual holiday in Skeggy might help the wallet but not the stress levels, but overall unless you are already walking the line I can't see these kind of things really helping. Friend came at the weekend and he is switching all his mobile, internet, phone etc to save about £10 a month. Sorry, but switching my key services such as internet and phones to a provider with unknown service levels and with no guarantee of a smooth handover to save £10 a month sounds like peeing in the ocean.

Looking through my expenditure I could encourage Mrs B&B to go easy on the cleaning products, cancel the gym membership, take one less holiday a year and cut the odd weekend away. But all that won't keep me in the house if the job goes and I will by then smell, be fatter and paler when evicted.

For my part as I don't smoke and drink infrequently these days my car is my only luxury, this week I have swapped the eco-friendly hatchback for a 3 litre V6 to inject some cash into the motor retail sector.

Edited by Brown and Boris on Tuesday 4th November 08:59

[TheCaseAce]

Buying a 3L petrol car which costs £150 a month more than my last one.


Crossing my fingers.


Er... yeah, that's about it.

[Bill Carr]

I'm buying a new house and going on an expensive foreign holiday. There's only one life, live it.

[Yugguy]

Downsizing your house is almost impossible now, you lose so much equity you can't get the good mortgage rates.

[thehawk]

I have no intention of changing anything, nothing has really changed for me and anything that has (pensions etc) is far beyond my control.

[OJ]

I rent a flat in a rural area and have a girlfriend who's training with the NHS (council tax breaks).

I'm picking up my Evo 9 in a couple of weeks.

[maix27]

Eating rice Krispie cakes.

[lazyitus]

I'm upgrading the suspension on the Griff.

At least if I become skint and desperate, I'll still be able to corner faster than ever before.

[thehawk]

OJ said:

I rent a flat in a rural area and have a girlfriend who's training with the NHS (council tax breaks).

I'm picking up my Evo 9 in a couple of weeks.

That's just being stupid though.


Buy an STI instead.

[Mars]

I suppose I had better get a job. Dammit.

[richardxjr]

Started seriously economising over a year ago.

Biggest saving came from not having a summer holiday (a few breaks instead) and taking in foreign language students.

Saved/Made £6000 that way, and we're just considering now whether to do the same next year.

[s,one]

Generally not spending so much money on crap. Beyond that remaining positive and getting on with it!.

[thinfourth2]

I won't be changing one single thing in the way i life my life as the credit crunch and mortgage panic has basically zero effect on me

The main change is a bought 10K of premium bonds as they are slightly less risk then a bank

[LeeME3]

Didn't have a holiday this year - but only because 2nd daughter was born.

Pick up the RX8 on Friday.

Booked a holiday for early next year and planning the second.

Did fit an energy saving light bulb into the downstairs toilet though so I'm doing my bit!

[Xaero]

I got made redundant (volunteered for it) and am going travelling, might consider coming back when houses are cheap so I can afford one.

[NoelWatson]

Brown and Boris said:

Speculating that we have at least 18 months of financial pain

Edited by Brown and Boris on Tuesday 4th November 08:59

and the rest...

[Poledriver]

I'm doing my bit for the economy, I'm paying less tax!
I'm also doing my bit for Global Warming, I'm putting a bigger engine in my TVR this winter!

HTH

[Mark.H]

moving to Dubai is my solution!

[Zod]

I have resisted buying the DB9 I want, despite the reduction in prices. I have a feeling I may need the cash when I remortgage to reduce the LTV.

[Emeye]

Trying to get a job......

TBH I could survive for a while on my redundancy/savings, but I'm bored stupid now. Never thought I'd miss working!

Unfortunately the credit crunch has stuffed the job market for me.