I do pay the car tax, insurance, etc etc in one lump sum, for precisely the reason you mention - it's cheaper. But in terms of budgeting, to keep spending under control, I put a sum aside each month equal to 1/12 of the cost of last year in order to meet each of these bills, and then account for them accordingly. I get paid monthly, so does Mrs. Tree, so it makes more sense for us to budget on a monthly basis.pay em in one its cheaper.
theres an expert on glass residing on this very forum, he's had documentaries made about himself and the boys, a legend with his own loufer. get a rate?
and the garden...
In some mild seriousness there is a war on not just in Ukraine, a long time ago it was 'dig for victory' and 'waste not want not', the days of cheap and easy energy are over, green levies, colossal tax breaks for exxon and bp, and the audacity to want warmed through food means cost, cost, and cost.
Spending on one-off bigger items gets accounted for the same way. Buying a new mobile phone? Divide the cost by the number of months you expect the phone to last, budget accordingly, start saving towards the next one.
My sister in law is the typical early 20s type of consumer who HAS to have the latest iPhone on a tariff of about £40 per month, whereas I have a £9 per month sim-only deal and buy a new phone outright if/when I need it. Her last purchase was the latest iPhone six months ago, my last one was a Motorola costing almost £400 about 16 months ago and it's still fine. Her outgoing per month on her phone is higher than mine, but I earn more than her. She's just choosing to spend more.
I think the big difference-makers for most people must be children (we're trying for our first now) and mortgages (ours is virtually paid off).
