Saving

I think I am perhaps a bit unusual for my generation, in that I really don't like spending money. I know that there are still a lot of things I can do to improve on this front, but spending money, particularly large amounts of money, is something I find particularly stressful. You may read this and think, hey large amounts of money, that stresses everyone out. This is true I think. But for me a large amount of money would be anything over £20.

£20 being considered a stressful amount of money to spend makes any number of situations stress in point:

• Doing the grocery shopping, while this can come in at £15  or less it's likely it will be more
• Paying rent, as I've only done this once so far, and will only have to do it 3 times over the course of the academic year, I can say this stressed me out no end. Fortunately it included Utilities in the cost.
• Buying a textbook which I NEED for Uni, £50

I think this has to do with the fact that I am at heart a saver. I've been saving my money for as long as I can remember. I think I must've been about 8 when I started putting my birthday and Christmas money into a savings account to 'reduce my Uni debts'. It only took me a little while to realise that the government would give me that money without questions to fund my studies, and then all I'd have to do would be to repay it.

So the purpose for my savings changed. It became my 'house deposit', in many ways this is laughable as although I always saved about 90% of all the money I got for birthday and Christmas I've never been in a position to save anywhere near the amount I would need to be able put a deposit on a house.

I guess I am a homemaker. Because the only big purchase I really want to make is a house I can call home. I hope that dream will come true one day. For now though, I've started a new saving initiative;

A Penny Jar!

Rowen