Shopping on a very tight budget

Hi i am splitting from my husband,and taking on the mortgage myself :eek:
I am going to have a very tight budget for food,for a while, around £130 per month,myself and two children of 10 and 6.
Could anyone offer any advice on how to make this a sucess :eek:
I am going to have to be very particular and careful re every penny :o
Any advice,much appreciated tango
Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.
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Comments

  • lynzpower
    lynzpower Posts: 25,311
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    hiya tango

    Sorry to hear about your split, onwards & upwards!!

    this is definatly the right place.

    As you can see by my sig, we fell off the wagon last week ( feeding one hungry OH is I reckon more expensive than 2 kids!! ) but it CAN be done

    My tip is
    think of all the meals you normally make, & what cleaning stuff you usually buy - menu plan for a week. Then price up using your supermarkets website
    Some meals you already make will be cheaper than you think ( for example, home made burgers, shepherds pie etc for example)
    If you are buying anything ready made, meals, frozen garlic breads whatever, stop doing that & make yourself- much cheaper
    then look down you shopping list, can you get anything cheaper by switching brands down, trial & error here, but for example I cant tell the difference between tesco value ginger nuts & tescos own)
    Think about shopping in Aldi/lidl/ netto, at least for your basics & snacks, squahes, juices can be cheaper.
    Use up whats in your cupboards ( when I started this I had 10 packs of pasta & rice, all unopened!!)
    Dont waste stuff. Some people keep bread in the fridge or freezer to make it last longer, and if veg is lookig like its on the turn, blanche & freeze, so you have it for another day.
    Markets- I got a punnet of strawberrries in the market yesterday for 40p, no supermarket is that cheap! So shop around!!

    Have a look at the cleaning threads, what you cant do with a bottle of white vinegar and a bottle of stardrops isnt worth doing by the looks of it, and a bottle lasts a while!! Be creative. I heard yesterday I can use some conditioner I didnt get on with as fabric conditioner watered down, saved me on F cond this week if nothing else!!

    And good luck!!!
    :beer: Well aint funny how its the little things in life that mean the most? Not where you live, the car you drive or the price tag on your clothes.
    Theres no dollar sign on piece of mind
    This Ive come to know...
    So if you agree have a drink with me, raise your glasses for a toast :beer:
  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129
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    Hiya :)

    We have a number of tips on shopping, including quite a few on budgeting in the link here:-

    Shopping and budgeting


    And then our monthly grocery challenges, where people challenge themselves to shop to a budget are full of not only good tips but help, support and advice.


    You can find these in Monthly Challenges via my signature any time you see it or...

    ..you can use the Monthly Challenges link in the Blue Bar at the top of every page which looks something like this:-


    pagetop.gif



    Lots of reading there, and the best advice I can give you is to start as gently as you can and let Old Style grow on you :)
    Hi, I'm a Board Guide on the Old Style and the Consumer Rights boards which means I'm a volunteer to help the boards run smoothly and can move and merge posts there. Board guides are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an inappropriate or illegal post then please report it to [email protected]. It is not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Any views are mine and are not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
    Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.
    DTFAC: Y.T.D = £5.20 Apr £0.50
  • researcher
    researcher Posts: 1,539
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    One tip that helps stretch the the budget is to ring companies if you ever have a product which is not as good as you'd expect - or under performed. I rang the company who make the washing powder I buy, as two tablets hadn't dissolved and I'd had to rewash a load of clother - they sent me £7 in vouchers that can be spent on a whole range of things apart from the washing powder. If ie your biscuits are half broken, if a tin of fruit contains mostly broken/mashed fruit, if the toilet roll is all mashed up - let them know. They like it if you have the original packing - as they want product codes. Companies really appreciate honest feedback - it helps them improve their product.
    Just because your living on a tight budget doesn't mean you have to put up with anything that's anything less than in perfect condition.
  • Spendless
    Spendless Posts: 24,081
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    Check out the freebies board too. I've had sample packs of washing powder,DW tablets, fab con etc. It all helps.
  • tango
    tango Posts: 13,110 Forumite
    Wow, thanks for replys,i will action all of them,i know that feeding me and children will be a challange,but as i am in control now,i think it may actually be easier to see where everything is going,thanks again tango
    Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.
  • tina68
    tina68 Posts: 461 Forumite
    Hi Tango
    do it for yourself, you will manage alot better than he's hoping you will,
    Tina x
    on this day 23/05/1430
    Joan of Arc captured and delivered to the English
  • tango
    tango Posts: 13,110 Forumite
    tina68 wrote:
    Hi Tango
    do it for yourself, you will manage alot better than he's hoping you will,
    Tina x
    Thanks tina,money has been a big bug bear for years :rolleyes:
    Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.
  • satchmo1
    satchmo1 Posts: 2,729
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    Hi Tango

    Good luck, and last thing at night try and remember something good that happened during the day - a hug from one of the children?

    One of the great ways to get the children to "buy into" keeping food costs down is to have a menu planning session with them once a week (before your weekly shop). Ask them for their suggestions - you may be surprised at what they suggest, and at how adventerous they can be. Get a couple of cookery books from the library (why buy when you can borrow for free), and pick things out together.

    My biggest bargain is a 2 kg bag of onions from the local market - they last for about 2 months. I make soup once a week from whatever veggies are left over before shopping day. A big bag of lentils is another bargain which also thicken the soup.

    Hope that helps
    x
    What would you get if all you got was what you were thankful for?
  • tango
    tango Posts: 13,110 Forumite
    Satchmo,what a great idea,re including the kids,it can be a battle to get them to eat healthly.and cheaply,its spag bog tonight,am raiding the freezer at the mo :D
    Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.
  • All that has been said holds true. I shop for one for about £10 per week and only occasionally go over that when a large restock of any particular item is needed, but, you will not do it all at once so don't try to. Cut yourself a little slack and learn your way into frugal living, you will surprise yourself a probably teach us lot a few tricks too.

    Here are my tips.

    Do a meal planner for the week. (But don't cast it in stone)
    Take cash (But only enough for the shop in hand)
    Eat before shopping
    Shop wisely (reduced items, bogofs, end of line stuff)
    Use the net (This site, Fixture ferrets and mad about bargains are good starting points)
    Remember "Use by dates" are only a guide and made by over cautious manufacturers.
    Just about everything freezes regardless of what it says.
    Learn the difference between need and want.
    Use the contents of your cupboards first.
    Always try to go shopping "tomorrow"


    I made a decision several months ago to live on Bogofs and bargains, it took me about 3 months to get totally restocked on stuff that I LIKE to eat, NICE to eat is a waste of money so that is saved for high days and holidays(currently got some Lidl prawns at 69p per 100gram) When I see something I eat a lot of I buy loads of it (maybe 20+ cans for instance) Milk is bought by the case full too. This saves fuel and shopping trips (and impulse buys!) Remember too that life is for living so do allow for treats for yourself and the kids, welcome to a new life, I have been where you are now going and after a while it is good fun too. Good luck.
    The quicker you fall behind, the longer you have to catch up...
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