I spend alot of my SC time on the mommy board. There's a thread over there about tips for people living on a budget. Alot of what they talk about doesn't apply here in the UK and Ireland, so I was wondering if anyone was interested in starting a thread here to share ideas about:
- Cooking on a budget (recipes etc)
- Where the best bargains are
- How to get value for money and make it last
- How to trim down expenditure
- And, any kind of other money saving ideas
Our money situation always seems to be semi-tight, although we earn good salaries! We always seem to have just about enough but we are terrible with money - it seem to slip through our fingers. We have drawn up a budget and from next month we will be sticking to it! Now that we have two mortgages and a child and are hoping to conceive again soon we need to learn to be more frugal and I would love to draw on other people's skills in this area. I'm sure if we were more careful and disciplined we'd be in a much healthier financial position.
we are in the same position, dh went for a pay review and only got £200 extra after 18 months. He took a pay cut to get the job and i have gone part-time, so money isn't the bst at the moment and we are having to set up a budget too.
My first idea was to buy my grocery shopping on-line so i wan't tempted to splash out, and i am starting to buy all my fruit and veg in the market as i got 3 bags of stuff on saturday for about £7, would have cost about £20 in the supermarket
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Name Carrie, married to Steven for 3 years, Age: 31
DS Dylan born 10/06/07
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The best website I have found is www.moneysavingexpert.com -Martin Lewis is a lifesaver! Do his budget planner (you can download it on the website) and it is FANTASTIC! It basically takes into account annual, monthly and weekly expenditure not just monthly like most budget planners.
Money is always tight for us- sometimes I have to go round the supermarket with a calculator adding up everything in the trolley- sounds silly but it really does help and makes you think about what you are buying. If I go over my bank statements I can see where I have been wasting money- for me its spending money on the little things that add up, e.g. stopping for coffee, drinks in pubs etc etc.
By taking stock of our financial situation (I only did this when I was pregnant- before I just used to spend whenever I wanted) I have realised that we are a lot richer than I thought but we just WASTE our money!
Do go on moneysavingexpert.com and go onto their forums as they are soooo fantastic and the people on there have some fantastic tips that you would never have thought of!
__________________ Naomi 24, Chris 28, DD Lola
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was just going to suggest moneysavingexpert too!! We usually have a calculator for our food shopping, and try not to put in too many 'extras' . Shopping online is good as well, we usually do a big shop once a month, but try and resist the bogof etc offers as they add up too. Then top up shop every week. Stores own are good for a lot of things too -toilet roll, etc.
eva
oh ............ home cooking, too if you have the time. I can make a bit batch of bol sauce/ or curry sauce/ pies etc freeze lots too. and defrost through the month. Works out cheaper.
eva
and what a coincidence coz i was JUST this afternoon setting up a budget spreadsheet for my hubby and i coz we just got married and although we dont owe anything post-wedding (phew!) there are a lot of things that we have put off whilst saving for the wedding and now need to sort out.
im afraid i dont really have many tips for people ..... apart from things that have already been said...but i just wanted to say hi and thank you for the advice!!
i find it so hard to do a 'cheap' shop coz im always trying to buy so much healthy fruit/veg etc which always seems to add up. i think i will try to go to the grocers on a weekend now i hopefully have a bit of free time post-wedding!
one thing i do which i find helps, is my hubby and i save our coppers! and 5ps! and then every couple of months we count them up and use them for a treat or to pay a bill or something! its amazing how it adds up when both of you are putting the spare change into it.
xx
__________________ Chatterbox xxx
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I know some of these might not float your boat but...
Shop at places like Aldi and Lidl - they have some really nice speciality Germanic items (as they are German supermarkets and in Germany don't have the cra* reputation they have here) which are a lot cheaper than in the regular shops/supermarkets and they also have some nice non-Germanic stuff... like lasagne, pizzas, fruit juices, cheese, cold meats, pasta, sauces, tinned products - soups, sweetcorn, tuna, cereals, fruit and veg that are cheaper too. It's worth a look!
These two only work if you buy stuff you actually need - don't buy stuff just because it's cheap or on offer to then find you spent loads of money on stuff you don't even need:
1. I buy reduced items in Tesco or whatever supermarket I happen to be in. If it's something I am going to eat for dinner that day and it's reduced then I get it, or if it is something I would normally buy and I can freeze - like meat. I also think buying reduced bread is good because you can just freeze it. Sometimes you can get a nice seeded loaf for 10p!
2. Buy stuff on special offers - like Buy one get one free, 2 for the price of 1 or things like X amount for a set price (3 for £1) etc. This is especially good for cereals, pizza, cans of soup, cheese... I have also managed to buy a whole side of salmon in Tesco which was on special offer half price at £5.99 - I then cut it up into portions and froze them so I had loads of individual salmon portions. Also, check out the special offers in Holland and Barrett and stock up on healthy items/snack foods (nuts and seeds) as they continually change their offers. I also find this good for stocking up the store cupboard for cooking my own healthy muffins, granola bars etc.
Buying on special offer can also apply to buying toiletries, baby products etc in places like Boots. Consider shopping around for the best price as well, I will walk to Savers, Wilkinsons, Superdrug and Boots just to check out the prices on something if it's slightly on the expensive side and I really want it - because I don't have a lot of money and I find it's saved me quite a bit sometimes as the prices do vary a lot (as do the special offers).
When buying in bulk or on special offer go to somewhere like Poundland and buy their freezer bags - they are so much cheaper than in the supermarket and of the same quality. Then you can freeze or store as much as you like.
Consider using a generic product rather than a brand - I just bought "buy one get one free" facial cleansing wipes from Wilkinsons for 88p... and because it was 2 packs... I got 50 wipes in total - they are really nice and work fine to just clean my face when I don't have time or am too tired.
Buy Value on things that don't matter - like Tesco's Basmati Rice.
Once a week set aside some time to make some things that you could use - e.g. I make a big tray bake for my family and I usually take some of it to work as a snack instead of spending money on individually wrapped energy bars, cake bars, biscuits etc. I make things like granola bars (fancy flapjacks), fruit/bran muffins, banana bread, date bars... anything I fancy. Some of the recipes I find by searching online - you can also find lots of low-carb and low-fat recipes that way. My dad bakes bread pretty much every day using a bread machine - you can add your nuts and seeds to these loaves too. We get the bread from a wholesale flour mill - it's organic and not expensive at all.
When I am being really good, I make big batches of spaghetti bolognese, soup, tagine or curry and freeze them. If you work and have a dish with rice, pasta, quinoa or cous cous one evening, then cook an extra portion of the carbs and use it to make a tasty salad for work the next day. Most of the food budgeting comes to being very organised and thinking ahead. Vegetables and fruit from the market are great, but also growing your own is even better - or get DH to do it! (or in my case my dad)
I buy cheap t-shirt/tops in Matalan, Peacocks and Tesco because I always get stains on them and I don't feel so bad then - unlike if I spent £20 on the top. I also have bought knickers and socks in those places as no one knows, plus I always treat myself to a couple of nice sets from somewhere like M&S or Debenhams... but every day wear - it really doesn't matter.
Get your haircut done on standby - my stylist usually charges £34, but I get the same cut for £18 because I call in the day before and ask if I can have a standby appointment for the next day.
Check out companies like call18866.co.uk - I saved a massive amount in phone calls after joining up with them and there is no contract so if you decide you don't want to use it then you don't have to worry.
I could go on and on... how embarassing!!!
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Me, Vicky-Louise: 28 ~ BF: 27
Furbabies: Millie, Yorkie, 3 years old
Auntie to 3 furbabies: Cleo (Rescued dog), Asher (Papillon) & Pippin (Rescued kitten, now a big lazy cat!)
I am a pescatarian and on a low-calorie, healthy diet trying to incorporate as many low-GI and low-carb ideas as possible. I am also excercising - mainly by doing workout DVDs and walking our 3 dogs.
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I always used to try to christmas shop throughout the year, but it seems they save all their offers for the few days running up to the big day, so the past few years I have waited til then.
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Started Lighter Life 07.07.08
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Also dont know if its been mentioned but join freecycle. The aim of freecycle is to keep things out of landfill- and basically what happens is that people give things away for free. So far Ive got a baby changing table, baby swing, bed side tables, 2x chests of drawers, childrens garden toys, a box load of girls baby clothes, books, computer stuff, bathroom taps...... loads of stuff! All for free!
Its great if you need things but dont have loads of money- and also people want good homes for things that they dont use any more. Ive given away stuff on it too like a tv and vcr and various bits of furniture that we dont use. You dont get money for your things but the people come to your house and pick it up so at least it saves you a trip to the tip if nothing else!
__________________ Naomi 24, Chris 28, DD Lola
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Great thread & great ideas!
We are so crap with our money, I want to live the life I'm not yet accustomed to. I'll definitely check out the websites listed. And I'm thinking about shopping online as we tend to comfort shop & buy things we fancy rather than what we need. Does it really work out cheaper?
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Great thread & great ideas!
We are so crap with our money, I want to live the life I'm not yet accustomed to. I'll definitely check out the websites listed. And I'm thinking about shopping online as we tend to comfort shop & buy things we fancy rather than what we need. Does it really work out cheaper?
Yeah definatly- when Im in full money saving mode I do all my shopping online. Search the internet for a code and you can often get up to £10 off the bill and free delivery too. Plus you only buy what you need. I will do a big online shop about once a month and fill the freezer then just do a small top up shop every week for fruit and veg.
__________________ Naomi 24, Chris 28, DD Lola
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Budget minded? Share some ideas... 
We usually have a calculator for our food shopping, and try not to put in too many 'extras' . Shopping online is good as well, we usually do a big shop once a month, but try and resist the bogof etc offers as they add up too. Then top up shop every week. Stores own are good for a lot of things too -toilet roll, etc.
Here's some ideas... 
