Really need to 'tighten my belt'. What are your tips?

[Maza]

Like many of us at the moment, I'm having to be more cautious than ever before with money (DH job not secure). I'm sure I waste loads in all areas of my life. How do you all cut back? Any tips welcome! x

[cupcake22]

Me too as I may be losing my full timer. I am going with do I need it or do I just want it.

Cupcake22

[Kiddleywinks]

I make a shopping list, and then STICK TO IT :laughing: If it aint on the list it aint coming home!
(I have a list on the fridge and if I run out of anything, it goes on the list to replace)

Shop later if possible to get the reduced stuff

Check out your gas and electric supplier use something like uswitch to compare costings - I did that and then called the cheapest supplier and got a further reduction :clapping:

Shop around for any insurance - car, house etc

If you have food left over - freeze it rather than bin it, I have loads of 'meals for one' that my own two eat when they don't want to eat 'early' or have the 'meal of the day' or at weekends when I really don't want to cook :laughing:


HTH :thumbsup:

[Velleity]

I've found what's helping me, because I waste money terribly and am in loads of debts is that I write down EVERYTHING that I spend each day now. Can seem like a really dull person doing this lol but honestly when I look back on it, I can see exactly where all this money is going to -and- it makes me less likely to spend money because I don't want to add yet another thing to the growing list!

[mummyof3]

I'm currently having a clearout and putting things I haven't used/worn/need on ebay to get some extra money.

Round the corner from my house they have opened a quality save and I looked through my bank statement and last month I spend just under £200 in there :eek: I am no longer going to be 'nipping' in for snacks as I end up spending £30+ on rubbish every visit :blush:

Shopping online for food shop always saves me money I only buy what I need and then I go back through the basket and remove any items I don't really need!

[AgentTink]

I have found some easy savings when food shopping for buying the next brand down for example 48 Weetabis is £4.50 whereas Asda's own are 48 for £2.99. And there really is no difference. I have done this with loads of food.

I went through all my bills with a fine tooth comb and checked sites like moneysupermarket to make sure I had the best deals on things like electricity, etc.

I rang sky and stopped paying £10 a month for HD as we forget to watch programmes in hd, and while i was on the phone to them they reduced my bill further.

I also have a monthly food and petrol budget. I find this helps me keep on track.

I have a £100 a week to spend on bits and bobs like extar bits of fruit, milk, swimming, trips out etc. I take this out in cash each week and i have found now that i am far more aware of what i am spending as i can see the cash disappear as appossed to using a card.

[AgentTink]

I've found what's helping me, because I waste money terribly and am in loads of debts is that I write down EVERYTHING that I spend each day now. Can seem like a really dull person doing this lol but honestly when I look back on it, I can see exactly where all this money is going to -and- it makes me less likely to spend money because I don't want to add yet another thing to the growing list!


:thumbsup: I also do this in my diary, so every month i can account for every penny in and out of my account. It has stopped me spending loads on resources as i relaised just how much i was spending each month because something was on offer

[AliceK]

I have a spreadsheet of all DD's. Then after I have left that amount in the bank whatever is left I can divide by the number of days left in the month before the next payday and then draw out the cash for the week. If I have to pay by cash it makes me think about whether I need something or not. I don't use my cards as it's not real if I pay by card. Oh and I do online banking every day to keep on top of it all.

xxx

[PixiePetal]

I'm currently having a clearout and putting things I haven't used/worn/need on ebay to get some extra money.

Round the corner from my house they have opened a quality save and I looked through my bank statement and last month I spend just under £200 in there :eek: I am no longer going to be 'nipping' in for snacks as I end up spending £30+ on rubbish every visit :blush:

Shopping online for food shop always saves me money I only buy what I need and then I go back through the basket and remove any items I don't really need!

I do this with my online shop too - see the total then take off what's really not needed :o

I check out Lidl for some of my shopping before I do the online one - don't drive so online saves the bus fare ( I pay £5.99 a month for as many deliveries as I like from Ocado - bus fare is £3.60 return just for one trip to town) I make sure I do all my shop 'jobs' on one day so one bus fare. Iceland too for loo roll and big blocks of cheese :thumbsup:

Luckily I have just got 2 new mindees so feeling more flush :clapping: even buying treats for a change - has doubled my income in fees :thumbsup:

[BuggsieMoo]

Do a spreadsheet of all your monthly incomings and outgoings and decide which ones you really dont need i.e. magazine subs.

Set yourself a budget each week - so if you have £200 spare a month after bills, then you spend £50 a week, nothing more.

Only buy what you really need - a good way to do this is to write a weekly menu planner and stick to what is on it. Therefore only buying what you need.

Freeze items that have a short life on them. Bread for instance can be taken out slice by slice.

Check your utilities - are you on the most cost effective plan?

Check your mobile phone - again are you on the most cost effective plan?

Hold a garage sale/ebay sale etc and sell anything you have not used or worm in the past 6 months - likelihood is you wont use it again.

Do your washing overnight when the electricity is cheaper. You can buy a timer that plugs into your plug socket that can automatically turn the machine on for you.

[LauraS]

I used to use Microsoft Money (have got out of the habit now, must restart :o) and it's really good. You put in all bank accounts, debits and credits, all financial details and and spends - and all spends can be categorised into things like mortgage, utilities, groceries, personal care, eating out etc. You can also input budgets (for example, budgeting £50 per week for leisure, then if you went swimming you could input a debit of £20 against your leisure budget and it would take it off the running total for leisure and also off the account you withdrew the money from). I found it really useful when saving for a holiday we went on a few years ago because you can project your finances over the coming months and years, so it shows how savings will build up over time using graphs. It's also sobering sometimes to look at the amount you have spent on the more frivolous categories.

The one thing that makes a big difference to our outgoings is online grocery shopping. It's so easy to go into the supermarket (as I did on Sunday!) for bread and milk and spend £85 on, amongst other things, a Brave Doll, a packet of top trumps, some storage boxes, a t-shirt for the baby, a bottle of wine and two boxes of cream cakes :blush: that we didn't need. Even on a good day I end up leaving with half of the ingredients for each meal and still have nothing in the cupboards. Shopping online stops me buying random stuff and means I can properly meal plan and ensure I have everything we need.

For some more hardcore moneysaving, I suggest moneysavingexpert.co.uk - particularly the 'old style' board.

[kel1983]

We shop online so can see how much we have spent before the checkout We just cut things out if we go over budget. We get our shopping delivered out of peak time when its cheaper. Also if an item is out of stock they do great substitutions which are charged at the same price as the original item. We dont get branded food. The cheap stuff is just as good.

The freeze left overs and batch cook. All meals are cooked from scratch.

We shop for fruit and veg at the market as you get much more for your money. Milk from Poundland or Icelands as it is cheaper and usually just pop into these places when passing through town.

We are looking into getting a full pack with sky (tv, phone and internet) as at the moment we are paying 3 different suppliers.

We take days out to free places. The woods, local parks, just a walk around the town etc. We also get an annual membership to a local open air museum which has so much to see and do and make sure we go there atleast twice a month. Can easily make our money back in 2 visits.

We looked at changing our gas and electric but unfortunately in a contract so gonna have to live with it for now. Car insurance in due for renewal next month so gona look aroud to get cheaper deal.

I do online surveys in my spare time. I know this doesnt earn me lots but so far this year I have earnt atleast £50 of vouchers which I have put aside for christmas presents.

Oh I have also sold a lot of suff which is no longer needed. I have moved away from using ebay and sell mostly on a local Facebook selling page. No postage fees as everyone collects.

Can you make money from a hobby? I bought a set of second hand pine drawers which needed a bit of tlc. I sanded them down and painted the main section and varnished the top. They look like new and are really nice. I enjoyed doing it so much I have just bouught a pine dressing table and another set of drawers so do up and sell on.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Before I go shopping I make a menu for the week and work out what I need. I then only buy what is on the list.

[VeggieSausage]

don't buy craft supplies use only recycled stuff - toilet rolls, bottle tops, tinfoil, yoghurt pots etc - I only buy glue and paint.....

Make good cheap healthy meals such as bean stew, lentil soup, veggie curryor stew and rice......

go to the park for free instead of taking lo's to anything organised.....

[kel1983]

don't buy craft supplies use only recycled stuff - toilet rolls, bottle tops, tinfoil, yoghurt pots etc - I only buy glue and paint.....

Make good cheap healthy meals such as bean stew, lentil soup, veggie curryor stew and rice......

go to the park for free instead of taking lo's to anything organised.....

that is a brill tip. We are members of our local scrap store. It amazinf what you can pick up there.

[gegele]

when i know things are tight i get most my shopping from Lidl and when i go shopping i go with cash so i can't spend more than that and believe me that helped me cutting bill £20 a week...

but then when it gets a bit better it all go out of windows and i use card and....:blush:

then we're back again!"!

[Twinkles]

I have had many times when I've had to work with a really tight budget. I had 4 children and was mostly a SAHM.

As has been mentioned Lidl is good for value shopping - there's a lot of snobbery ( not on here of course ) about shopping in Lidl's but when I'm in France or Spain it is THE place to shop !

Iceland has great deals sometimes and were the first people to promise not to stock GM foods.

As CC said , make a menu for the week and use the shopping list.

Food is one area where it is relatively easy to cut costs quite dramatically.

[singlewiththree]

I'm living out of the cupboards at the moment as 2 children have left and 2 are term time only so hardly worked this summer.

I advertised for summer holiday children through facebook and got a couple of days work there.

I have gone through the house and selling everything we don't need.

We are taking all our food out with us, tap water in our bottles.

I'm going to plant some winter veg like spinach, brussel sprouts to keep us through the winter.

We are doing lots of baking for treats.

I also take cash when I'm out and add it up as we go along and make sure I'm under by at least £5 as I am a terrible counter and its always more when I get to the till.

[Daftbat]

Menus for the week and a shopping list based on it really helps.

Think about why you are buying something - if you actually need it or just want it.

Look for the basics brands in supermarkets. Try it and if its ok keep buying, or if not just go up to the next price range - no need to buy branded goods all the time although sometimes only a brand will do!

Use the back of your shopping list to add up as you go round the supermarket - it not only makes you aware of the prices (and makes you look for the best deal) but improves your math skills and helps keep altzeihmers at bay!

Look at your income from minding and try to disregard perhaps one child's income and work your budget from that. Not only does it provide a way of saving but it also means that should you receive notice from a parent its possible you can bring that other money in to the buget until you fill the place. (I understand this can be difficult if you are not especially busy but its one to bear in mind for the future).

Make sure your utility bills are being paid by direct debit so that you get the discounts. Pay your TV licence quartlerly or monthly. If all the bills are split into months its easier to budget.

be realistic about how much you spend on things - eg petrol, going out, clothing etc. Sometimes in the past I have vastly underestimated them and it bites you on the bum.

Money saving expert has a great calculator on it to help with budgets.

[jumpinjen]

make yourself a 'resources embargo'. I stopped spending two and a half months ago on resources and instead wrote down everything I would have bought if I hadn't banned it.... so far I've saved £165!!!!! And I've got into the habit of being more creative with what we have instead! :clapping::clapping:

[lynnfi]

I recommend having a look at the free "Flylady" website, full (I mean really full) of excellent (fun) tips on money and general organisation at home. Really worth a look.:)

Also before buying sth, have a look on Utube at a few of the "voluntary simplicity" clips, some are very inspiring.:)

[FussyElmo]

Only take cash out with you no debit cards credit cards it stops the impulse buying.

Do a budget what you have coming in and going out. It will show you where you are overspending/uoverspending

[lynnfi]

I'd give a penny to know your general shopping budget for the week (an average) as I find mine really high.

Part of it I guess comes from the fact that DH is the one to shop and so hummmm you get the picture... (He loves it and I don't, so bit stuck although online buying sounds like a good option to me:rolleyes:)

But, to come to figures, we are 2 adults and 2 children and spend around 150 a week for food and basics... We also have 3 mindees for lunch everyday and 1 in the evening.

Are you all within these figures or way under????

Would be grateful for some comparison as I have no idea!:blush:

[~Grasshopper~]

I'd give a penny to know your general shopping budget for the week (an average) as I find mine really high.

Part of it I guess comes from the fact that DH is the one to shop and so hummmm you get the picture... (He loves it and I don't, so bit stuck although online buying sounds like a good option to me:rolleyes:)

But, to come to figures, we are 2 adults and 2 children and spend around 150 a week for food and basics... We also have 3 mindees for lunch everyday and 1 in the evening.

Are you all within these figures or way under????

Would be grateful for some comparison as I have no idea!:blush:


i have 2 boys aged 2 and 5 and me and dp + mindees x 2 babies and 1 schoolie at the moment. i try to keep shopping to £100 a week but always go over and have to do top up shops. i easily spend £200 a week on food and still dont always have things for tea ( that i want to eat lol).

im now trying to stick to a menu list and buying cheaper stuff x

[AliceK]

I'd give a penny to know your general shopping budget for the week (an average) as I find mine really high.

Part of it I guess comes from the fact that DH is the one to shop and so hummmm you get the picture... (He loves it and I don't, so bit stuck although online buying sounds like a good option to me:rolleyes:)

But, to come to figures, we are 2 adults and 2 children and spend around 150 a week for food and basics... We also have 3 mindees for lunch everyday and 1 in the evening.

Are you all within these figures or way under????

Would be grateful for some comparison as I have no idea!:blush:

Yep mine is about the same. 2 adults, 2 children living here but I do feed mindees as well so in total between 3 and 6 children for breakfast, lunch and tea.

xxxx

[lynnfi]

i have 2 boys aged 2 and 5 and me and dp + mindees x 2 babies and 1 schoolie at the moment. i try to keep shopping to £100 a week but always go over and have to do top up shops. i easily spend £200 a week on food and still dont always have things for tea ( that i want to eat lol).

im now trying to stick to a menu list and buying cheaper stuff x

Oh so I am not doing too too bad!

Yes I try to tell DH to look at my menues and make a list, and he is pretty good at buying evth but there is surplus coming as well!:)

Thanks for sharing!

[kel1983]

I'd give a penny to know your general shopping budget for the week (an average) as I find mine really high.

Part of it I guess comes from the fact that DH is the one to shop and so hummmm you get the picture... (He loves it and I don't, so bit stuck although online buying sounds like a good option to me:rolleyes:)

But, to come to figures, we are 2 adults and 2 children and spend around 150 a week for food and basics... We also have 3 mindees for lunch everyday and 1 in the evening.

Are you all within these figures or way under????

Would be grateful for some comparison as I have no idea!:blush:

We are a family of 4 adults ( live with my parents and brother) and I have managed to get our main shop down to £50. We roughly spend £10 on fruit and veg and another £10 on top up food (mainly milk) so our average shopping bill is about £70 per month.

[Bear23]

We are a family of 4 adults ( live with my parents and brother) and I have managed to get our main shop down to £50. We roughly spend £10 on fruit and veg and another £10 on top up food (mainly milk) so our average shopping bill is about £70 per month.

wow how do you manage that???

[Maza]

wow how do you manage that???

That's what I was thinking! Do you mean £70 per week?

Our shopping bill is about £150 per week. That doesn't include lunch for DH in the week though as he buys sandwiches from shops near work. I know that I can get our shopping bill down and will enjoy the challenge this weekend.

Some excellent tips, everyone, thank you soooo much. x

[lynnfi]

We are a family of 4 adults ( live with my parents and brother) and I have managed to get our main shop down to £50. We roughly spend £10 on fruit and veg and another £10 on top up food (mainly milk) so our average shopping bill is about £70 per month.

How do you manage to spend £10 on fruit and veg?

Do you have tips for the main shopping?? I could do with some!! How do you manage?

[FussyElmo]

I feed a family of 6 and believe me they can eat for 60/70 and once a month stock up at a butchers abattoir for between 80 /100 a month so either 80/95 pound a week.

I like to cook and bake as well so it's not on convience food neither.

I try not to go into asda etc when I have shopped easily spend more. Lidel and aldi fruit and veg I find last longer I'd considerably cheaper.

[lynnfi]

I feed a family of 6 and believe me they can eat for 60/70 and once a month stock up at a butchers abattoir for between 80 /100 a month so either 80/95 pound a week.

I like to cook and bake as well so it's not on convience food neither.

I try not to go into asda etc when I have shopped easily spend more. Lidel and aldi fruit and veg I find last longer I'd considerably cheaper.

60/70 + 10/15 meat a week for 6????? ooo I'd like more details!!

[Chimps Childminding]

I have noticed how much cheaper Lidl and Aldi are for fruit and veg!! The other week a cucumber was 29p in Lidl and 80p in Morrisons :eek: The problem is I go in to buy fruit and veg and then end up buying other stuff as well! Then go to Morrisons or Tesco and spend another fortune :(

As I will not be working as from next week we REALLY need to tighten our belts, so as I won't be able to drive for a month anyway I am going to try out the online supermarkets, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's etc and see what I think and how much I spend!!

[Gherkin]

We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children) + I have mindees who eat with me - breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner etc.
If I am not paying attention to the shopping our bill can easily creep to £180 per week!!!!!

To cut back I do some or all of the following dependent on time etc:
- allotment (currently cucumbers coming out of my ears)
- online shop
- bulk shop once per month at costco or similar - good for meat but need to be careful that you pay attention to the prices.
- Aldi - a godsend good veg and own brand and has good wine offers, nice soave for £3.39 per bottle and I need wine at the end of the week
- own brands (I was always a brand girl but when we had to cut cloth I learnt own brands are actually ok)
- buy in bulk when something I always have is on offer - washing powder etc.
- snacks change - fruit in, preprepared stuff gone.
- Tesco clubcard vouchers have been exchanged for days out voucher making time off a lot cheaper.
- minimising my mileage
- watch the pennies and the pounds look after themselves is true!

[Trouble]

i buy bulk where i can

make job lots of food and divide and freeze

bake all my own cakes etc


my biggest expense is petrol:angry:

[kel1983]

We are a family of 4 adults ( live with my parents and brother) and I have managed to get our main shop down to £50. We roughly spend £10 on fruit and veg and another £10 on top up food (mainly milk) so our average shopping bill is about £70 per month.

hahaha. Just relised I wrote month. Should have sid £70 a week. lol. Now £70 a month that would have been good.

Sorry.

We buy our fruit from the market. you can get bowls of fruit for a £1. Each bowl has about 10 apples, satsumas etc. I plan meals ahead and only buy what we need. We only have a treat if we are under budget on our weekly shop.

[kel1983]

I have noticed how much cheaper Lidl and Aldi are for fruit and veg!! The other week a cucumber was 29p in Lidl and 80p in Morrisons :eek: The problem is I go in to buy fruit and veg and then end up buying other stuff as well! Then go to Morrisons or Tesco and spend another fortune :(

As I will not be working as from next week we REALLY need to tighten our belts, so as I won't be able to drive for a month anyway I am going to try out the online supermarkets, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's etc and see what I think and how much I spend!!

I compared our weekly shop at each of the supermarkets that offer online shopping. Asda was cheaper delivery but overall their brands cost more than Tesco so didnt really save much. Also we get club card points from tesco which are very handy for cheaper days out. Just been to legoland this weekend cost us £35 for 3 adults using clubcard vouchers.

[FussyElmo]

60/70 + 10/15 meat a week for 6????? ooo I'd like more details!!

We have a really good abittoir where for £20 I can enough chicken fillets for 5 meals. 3 ham joints for £6. You get the drift. Also my dh loves kebabs so they do shesh kebab a tray for £5and go to the fresh naan shop 3 for a £1savings are huge.

I shop at lidal and I buy there brands for for cereals, biscuits, chocolate. The only time we have named goods is for washing powder or if on special offer.

I buy a sack of potaties for £3.50 which last the month.

Plan your menu and stick to it only go into a supermarket if you really have too else you will be suckered into the special offers,

The only luxary we have is our tassimo machine and thats because i havent found a cheaper option.

I never do a full food shop at tesco or asda because it doubles the amount I spend :thumbsup:

[Ali56]

I have had many times when I've had to work with a really tight budget. I had 4 children and was mostly a SAHM.

As has been mentioned Lidl is good for value shopping - there's a lot of snobbery ( not on here of course ) about shopping in Lidl's but when I'm in France or Spain it is THE place to shop !

Iceland has great deals sometimes and were the first people to promise not to stock GM foods.

As CC said , make a menu for the week and use the shopping list.

Food is one area where it is relatively easy to cut costs quite dramatically.

Completely off the topic I know but I laughed when I read this-My son works in liddl while doing his uni degree. He says all the local upper class bring their waitrose bags to lidls to put their shopping in. So none of their neighbours know they shop in lidls :laughing::laughing::laughing:
Back on topic-I rarely buy craft stuff, we recycle as much as poss into our craft! I love car boots for 'new' toys, and I menu plan. Money is very tight for us. Hubby had a stroke last year and can't work full time, most of the bill paying is down to me so it can be tough. So I got really tough with to money. Use cash where possible and def ask if you need it or want it. :D

[Trouble]

i forgot about the dog he costs me £47.00 every 3 weeks:angry: as he has a delicate stomach:panic:

[Chimps Childminding]

I compared our weekly shop at each of the supermarkets that offer online shopping. Asda was cheaper delivery but overall their brands cost more than Tesco so didnt really save much. Also we get club card points from tesco which are very handy for cheaper days out. Just been to legoland this weekend cost us £35 for 3 adults using clubcard vouchers.

Thanks for that!!! Will have plenty of time on my hands so I'll do some research!!! :D

[fluff1975]

We use a computer program called Quicken to log all our money; in/out, direct debits, withdrawls, payments everything. We then reconcile the account every month when the statement comes. It's a bit faffy to get going but easy peasy now. Once a week one of us 'puts the receipts through'. It's all catagorised (you create your own), so we know exactly where the money goes, how much we've paid on Gas, petrol, clothes, food etc.

We buy EVERYTHING on the Tesco credit card which gets paid off in full each month. The clubcard points we get pay for our ferry each summer and extra points become days out or meals.

I plan the weeks meals, make a list and stick to it! I used to shop at Tesco but we've switched to Lidl and Morrisons which are next to each other. Lidl is amazingly good value, and well worth a try. I can do a weekly shop for the 4 of us plus mindees for well under £80. We eat healthily and really haven't had to compromise.

I switched from 'Finish' dishwasher tabs to own brand which are absolutely fine and save about £4, and swapped gimmicky washing gel for Bold 2in1 powder or Daz from the local discount store. Again it's fine, just bulky. I buy what I like when it's on offer. Consequently we have 6 bottles of Ecover washing up liquid under the kitchen sink!!!

I have friends who've asked for help bugeting but then make up excuse after excuse as to why they 'can't do it'. We have no choice, we can't afford to live the way we did!

Sorry, that's all a bit long!!

[Jods]

I bulk buy from my local warehouse supplier (Bookers) as I am a business as a childminder, At the moment its 24 loo rolls for £9.99 but they are on a bog off.
A 64 wash of Persil was £16 (but I measure it out exactly and get tonnes more ou), big tins of beans 2.2kg are £1,90 something and one tin opened and then stored in the fridge serves me a week. £7.50 for a huge box of jacket potatoes, which I ten cook in bulk and freeze.

I do my main shop in Aldi and back up with Tescos x

I buy my clothes from Primarni, use the car as little as possible x

I plan my meals a month in advanvce, bulk what I can, freeze what I can, and only buy fresh when neede (1 a week)

milk I buy monthly and freeze, as I also do my bread x

I avoid brands, and multibuy offers as sometimes they are silly, but 1 for 99p or two for 1.50 - thats 51 pence more - but do you really need it ?

I can get my weekly shop to £50 for 6 plus mindees, I also keep my 5 neds (2 and 3 ponys) for £50 month in the height of winter, my two dogs are fed a diet of free raw bones and a bulk bag of kibble, so £7.99 for two months, the cats are the same but there are 5, they cost me £20 a month x

if it helps on my webby are some menus, set up 4 weekly, they might give you some inspiration x www.samhuntschildminding.co.uk (be warned its a bit all over the place at the mo as I am updating for the new EYFS)

[zippy]

Go through every dd and see if you really really need them, once all them have gone out take your budget out in cash, and put into weekly pots. Write dOwn everything you spend even a penny on, books of stamps everything, when it's in black and white it's really easy to see where your wasting money after a couple of weeks.

[julie w]

I was spending £140 a week at Morrisons or Asda. I now go to Aldi and get huge trolley full for about £50. Its made so much difference and a lot of the food esp fruit and veg lasts so much longer from there.

[kel1983]

I so wish we had a mrrisons or aldi near us. We live in a posh city where people are so snobby. We have tesco, sainsbury, waitrose, m&s and lidl. If the market is not on we go to lidl for fruit veg and milk.

[caz3007]

I so wish we had a mrrisons or aldi near us. We live in a posh city where people are so snobby. We have tesco, sainsbury, waitrose, m&s and lidl. If the market is not on we go to lidl for fruit veg and milk.

Kel - I know you live up the road from me in that posh city...lol. Did you know there is an Aldi in Havant, its not all that far and its great. I heard talk a while ago that there was going to be an Aldi in your City, but think it was just rumour x

[Blaze]

If you sell stuff on Ebay once a month (roughly) they have a free listings weekend - only list stuff then & cut down on the fees:thumbsup:

[LOOPYLISA]

I so wish we had a mrrisons or aldi near us. We live in a posh city where people are so snobby. We have tesco, sainsbury, waitrose, m&s and lidl. If the market is not on we go to lidl for fruit veg and milk.

Where are you? lol

Wouldnt be in my neck of the woods would it? Chichester :laughing:

[caz3007]

Where are you? lol

Wouldnt be in my neck of the woods would it? Chichester :laughing:

I think she is Lisa....saw an advert on a local FB page...lol.

[kel1983]

Kel - I know you live up the road from me in that posh city...lol. Did you know there is an Aldi in Havant, its not all that far and its great. I heard talk a while ago that there was going to be an Aldi in your City, but think it was just rumour x

Yes im in Chichester lol . And yes I know about he aldi in Havant but last time we went there was no where to park in the car park as everyone was parking in there to go to the town. I also rely on my mum to drive me as I dont drive. It would be great to have one in town but where will it go.

[loocyloo]

i don't have any supermarkets close :( about 15min drive to a big co-op, 25 min to a lidl or morrisons and then 45min to a tesco/asda/sainsbury.

i do alot of my shopping online, which does mean i miss out on the bits in the reduced section! and also, i don't like not choosing my own fruit & veg. we do have a market, but their fruit & veg seems to work out more expensive than getting it from the supermarket ... but then i am not paying petrol out to get it! :rolleyes: i wish lidl delivered! althoughi find that they don't always have what i need, so i end up going to morrisons as well! also , there are things i love that only lidl do, so i have to be very tough on myself and not buy them!

i work to a menu plan and also whenever anything is finished from the cupboard/freezer/fridge, it gets put on the shopping list on the fridge and it gets bought next time, unless i consider it a 'luxury' item, in which case i might 'forget' to buy it! ;)

[caz3007]

Yes im in Chichester lol . And yes I know about he aldi in Havant but last time we went there was no where to park in the car park as everyone was parking in there to go to the town. I also rely on my mum to drive me as I dont drive. It would be great to have one in town but where will it go.

I thought you lived there as saw an advert on a local FB page with the same user name. I am close to the pink pub. So in the middle and have a choice of shops at the posh place and the butlins place...lol

[kel1983]

I thought you lived there as saw an advert on a local FB page with the same user name. I am close to the pink pub. So in the middle and have a choice of shops at the posh place and the butlins place...lol

We love popping over your way. Much cheaper shops lol

[caz3007]

We love popping over your way. Much cheaper shops lol

Definately, just wish the Morrisons was bigger, ok it is supposed to be expanding but its always a case of if and when. There is a big one going in at Littlehampton, so will use that one I reckon and also the new Asda over that way too, but its a little further for you

[zippy]

Impressed - how on earth do you manage that, I would love to get a horse but always thought it was totally out of my budget.

I can get my weekly shop to £50 for 6 plus mindees, I also keep my 5 neds (2 and 3 ponys) for £50 month in the height of winter, my two dogs are fed a diet of free raw bones and a bulk bag of kibble, so £7.99 for two months, the cats are the same but there are 5, they cost me £20 a week

[tinyp164]

Thought I would input!!

I have only been open 5 months but love to save and scrimp! I used to live at uni on a £30 a week budget inc running my car and food /nights out obvs after rent etc so it can be done!!

I found this site a while ago and I havn't looked back; http://www.supermarketownbrandguide.co.uk/search.php?table=cereals&orderby=Score

For example a box of asda own branded wheatbix 48 are £2.99 but 36 from Aldi are £1.69! I now always shop at aldi ours closes at 8 and I go at around 7:25 and everything is marked down 30% off so I buy and freeze! (mini pancakes, crumpets etc) They always have offers on fruit and veg too. Since it has been the holidays I have made a casserol dish for dinners (this fed 8 of us!); shepards pie, tuna pasta bake, toad in the hole with additional veg.

Resources wise I go to car boots/ ask friends/family and my parents often drop off their old toys/books/games or even big cardboard boxes! We use everything! Also these sites are good as they help to think of things to do with the lo's but with items you usually have in the house;
https://www.facebook.com/stacey.preston.9#!/TheImaginationTree
https://www.facebook.com/stacey.preston.9#!/PlayNaturally
These are their facebook pages but they do have websites too!

Extra pennies: I can be a horder and store things so I decided todo a few car boots and put things on ebay/gumtree. Old toys/ extra things we dont use i.e. bags of play food as I have loads sold for £9 each on ebay and a bumbo like seat sold for £14.00 and I orignally bought it off a car boot for £8 so I can't moan. The use any old scrap paper for them to draw/craft with so if I'm printing and it goes wrong etc that goes to the childrens paper tray.

Hope some of these help! I find them useful as I'm very tight but I'm currently saving to buy my first home so I actually have an excuse not to spend for once! :) x

[Helcatt]

My big save was getting membership at Costco

Buying in bulk, so starts out feeling more expensive, but log term, there are some big savings. Also, because I spend a lot each month, I get 2% cash back and last year got £142 back

I bought an extra freezer so that we could bulk buy meat there, buy chicken thighs instead of breast, that sort of thing

I buy some fresh veg there but only go once a month, so then top up at the £1 a bowl merchant down the road

I have also been limiting my resource buying and we are plodding through the stack that I have in the cupboard

HX

[Jods]

I keep my horses on a fibre based diet, and on 24/7 grazing x

(in winter) One bag of Allan and Page fast fibre lasts my lot about 2 weeks, so at £9 ish a bag, £18 a month, I use chopped bedding as chaff which is £5 a bag and lasts a month, and if its really cold a bag of sugar beet a month £7 (so thats £30) and then 1 large bale of haylage for the lot £20 x

Farrier is £100 for 6, as only 2 have front shoes, and I get him out every 8 weeks x

I rent 13 arcres, and sub let out roughly 1/2 to others which covers my rent 100% and leaves me £100 spare each month x it is hard work at times as I have to maintain the fencing, weeds, barn but its worth my time for the savings in keeping my own.

[LOOPYLISA]

Yes im in Chichester lol . And yes I know about he aldi in Havant but last time we went there was no where to park in the car park as everyone was parking in there to go to the town. I also rely on my mum to drive me as I dont drive. It would be great to have one in town but where will it go.

I would love a aldi, know what you mean about parking its always full :rolleyes:
Will just have to shop in good old Chichester :laughing:

[nikki thomson]

Going to the supermarket at the right time of day will save you about 90+ % on your shopping, late in the evening or on a Sunday just before they close you will get bread for 2p a loaf, cold meats from the Delhi for about 5p for about 10 slices of meat, big joints of meat for £2.00, finest quiches (big ones) 50p instead of £4.50, fruit/veg 10p a bag, sausage rolls/pies etc for 20p a packet, the list is endless, as long as you have a freezer to put them in your fine, hth. X

[Trouble]

I keep my horses on a fibre based diet, and on 24/7 grazing x

(in winter) One bag of Allan and Page fast fibre lasts my lot about 2 weeks, so at £9 ish a bag, £18 a month, I use chopped bedding as chaff which is £5 a bag and lasts a month, and if its really cold a bag of sugar beet a month £7 (so thats £30) and then 1 large bale of haylage for the lot £20 x

Farrier is £100 for 6, as only 2 have front shoes, and I get him out every 8 weeks x

I rent 13 arcres, and sub let out roughly 1/2 to others which covers my rent 100% and leaves me £100 spare each month x it is hard work at times as I have to maintain the fencing, weeds, barn but its worth my time for the savings in keeping my own.
:eek::eek::eek::eek:

[Monkey26]

We buy things like clothes washing liquid and conditioner in Macro or Booker - big industrial size bottles usually on offer :) if there we often check out boxes of crisps, tins of beans/sweetcorn/tomatoes etc, multipacks of baby wipes, squash, toilet rolls and paper hand towels. Not always cheaper and you have to remember to add the tax on but always worth a look :thumbsup: as a childminder you are classed as a business so easy to get a card :) xx

[Cammie Doodle]

i forgot about the dog he costs me £47.00 every 3 weeks:angry: as he has a delicate stomach:panic:

Mmm that's boxers for you, son' s dog is the same, she can't have many treats ,bones etc because of her delicate tummy :rolleyes: