HELP! Have cut back all I can but am still over-spending!

ScrimpingandSaving · 7 February 2013 at 11:47AM

peachyprice wrote: »

Have you got a pre-payment certificate for your prescriptions? It's £29 for 3 months, would that help?

No we haven't and yes it would! Thank you x

peachyprice · 7 February 2013 at 11:48AM

flea72 wrote: »

So I take it you have a prescription card that gets you unlimited prescriptions for a fixed fee? Although saying that, over the counter treatments are usually cheaper

Nasal sprays are sold in poundland, and in aldi you can get two weeks tablets for 79p

There are hayfever meds you can't buy over the counter, my DD has one because unfortunatley the OTC ones just don't work.

ScrimpingandSaving · 7 February 2013 at 11:55AM

Domino9 that is really helpful thank you!

Household maintenance - DIY stuff largely.
Electricity - yes we have one of those gadgets. Everything is switched off at night and yes everything is energy saving.
Gas - yes I do that and we have an open fire that we try to use instead of heating.
Council Tax - over 10 months, good idea to ask about 12.
No contents insurance.
Shopping - yes will cut right back.

Credit card is used to pay for ebay clothes, school bags, school shoes, uniform, etc.
Savings - we have an easy saver that rounds up what you spend on a debit car and pops it into a savings account.

Tax and NI as I'm self employed so I pay NI contribitions.

Husband loves reading newspaper during his break. He has no access to internet.

Your comments were very helpful, thanks

Lavender_Rose · 7 February 2013 at 12:03PM

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

It's not all alcohol, please don't make me sound like a drunkard.

A glass of coke costs as much as a pint of beer. 2 cokes for the kids won't get you much change from a fiver.
I have a ginger beer, which is also over £2.

Yes in the summer we do take picnics. In the winter when we've traipsed miles over fields, through woods and up hills it's nice to sit somewhere warm with a drink and have a chat. It's a pleasure. A treat. But yes, we can cut back here and simply go home instead.

Same with drinks at home. It's not all alcoholic. I will buy Schloer or Ginger Beer again to enjoy at the weekends. Again, it's a treat. Again, we can cut back on it.

How about having a go at making your own wine. We do. We go on a nice country walk and collect whatever is available for free (plums, apples, blackberries, elderberries, elderflowers, sloes, etc). Some basic wine making equipment might cost £15, plus some sugar and you can make delicious wine for next to nothing.

Lavender_Rose · 7 February 2013 at 12:11PM

By the way, AVG was voted the best anti-virus software and it is FREE!!:j

Personally, I think your food bill for a month is way too high, even for 4. I spend £200 max for a familiy of 3.

Have you thought about growing your own fruit and veg? Do you buy things that are in season and are therefore cheaper? Batch cooking also helps. Try shopping in Aldi...it's fab and the lack of choice (this is a good thing) really helps keep the bill down.

ScrimpingandSaving · 7 February 2013 at 12:13PM

We tried that pre-kids and our old neighbours make their own. It tastes like cat-!!!!, sorry!
I don't buy wine to get drunk. We enjoy wine. We love comparing and tasting. We get full bodied reds from Bordeaux or Riojas and they aren't cheap. Cheap Argentinian wines or new world wines are gross.
But we have expensive tastes so that has to stop. I can't imagine buying cheap plonk - what would be the point? To drink for drinkings sake? Nah can't do that. I would rather just stop.

I didn't think 2 bottles a week and a few beers at home was too bad but I guess coupled with the drinks in the pub it's expensive.
I don't know how much a cup of tea is in the pub? But a cheaper option would be to just come home so I'm going to suggest we all do that from now on.

Major changes and a lot less enjoyment but I guess that's just the way it is unless I get a huge break in my career and start earning a living, decent wage. £12k pa would make all the difference to us. At the moment I earn half that.

I need to find more work. Easier said than done!

Honey_Bear · 7 February 2013 at 12:16PM

There are so many cracking suggestions here that the only things I can add are the following.

If you're saving each month and dipping into the savings each month - you're not saving. And I know other people have said it, but you say you are going to keep doing so for the children. Can you look at what you spend on them to ensure their education continues as an alternative to 'saving'?

Secondly, - 'having fun' - spending money to make life worth living - whether living on a tight budget is actually living - life's not worth living if we don't go the the pub/out/have takeaways/buy alcohol - are all ways of thinking that have caught on over the last 20 years. If you feel financially insecure, you're not having fun or enjoying life. You're stressed.

Soft drinks in pubs are where the pub makes their money. The good news is that you can make your own ginger beer - google it for a recipe. If you buy one large flask, you'll find hot drinks when you are out a lot cheaper - whether it's soup, hot chocolate with marshmallows (excellent suggestion!), coffee or whatever.

Belt-tightening is something that pretty much everyone who uses this website, it seems to me, has realised they simply have to do. It's a shock to the system, but thank goodness you've had the intelligence to realise it before you go into debt, which is where a lot of people are headed because cutting down seems to be unattractive.

Good luck with it.

ScrimpingandSaving · 7 February 2013 at 12:18PM

Erm, I have AVG and it ain't free. It costs over £40 a year.

I need to be careful with my pc as this is my business. I can't scrimp on important things like anti-virus.

Yes did grow a few of our own over summer but nothing really turned out. Will try again this summer.
Yes to cooking in batches, that's what I intend to do with the curries from now on. Plus one meat-free meal every week.

Any recommendations on interactive menu planners? I have found one that seems ok but it's American so the weights are all wrong (how much is a cup?) and some of the recipes are a little unusual. It's also supposed to find the best deals in the supermarket for my weekly shop but it doesn't work in the UK. That would have been very handy.

rachbc · 7 February 2013 at 12:19PM

You coudl easily half you grocceries budget. I feed 3 adults and a child on £250-300 and we eat very well, inc the occassional bottle of wine or beer!

Aria`s_Tail · 7 February 2013 at 12:22PM

What do you do with your kids outgrown clothes, toys etc? Try selling on Ebay to offset the costs of new.
Also do you have a market or greengrocer nearby? Often cheaper that supermarkets for veg and sometimes meat too. X

HELP! Have cut back all I can but am still over-spending!

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