My diary... becoming debt free whilst still having a life!!!

rob5497

Hi. Just been having a quick look at some posts and I suggest that you try Sainsbury's for your grocery shopping...it is a complete falacy that they are more expensive than the others!

They have plenty of "Feed your family for a fiver" recipe ideas...admitedly, not enough of them to cater for a different menu every night, but even so, with a bit of imagination I reckon you could spend just £150 on evening meals for the family for a month and have a decent, filling meal every night. They have loads of half price stuff down their central aisle too.

Another thing...try trading down...buy Sainsbury's own brand stuff instead of the big brands...you'll save at least 20% on each item. If you're not a food snob, trade down even further to their "Basics" range to save even more. Another falacy...the big brands don't make their products for anyone else...they do...they just create different company names to manufacture under to circumvent these claims! They only thing you'll lose if you switch is money off the bill.

Hope these ideas help...happy moneysaving! I've got 254 days to go before I'm completely out of debt after 20 years...not easy by any means, but I made a plan and stuck to it religiously and now I'm getting really excited!

:cool:

~Yorkshire_Belle~

Look - here we are with our ps's! :rotfl:

irishchick_3

Ruby, you are an inspiration!! Honestly!
You have made me determined to go home and sort things out!
I was unemployed from Dec-Aug and mananged to feed my family of five on £60 a week but meal-planning was a BIG help!!
Now that Im working again, on a lower wage might I add, we've slipped into our old ways of buying things at the local shop which is very expensive but convenient.
I am going home tonight to start my meal - planning again and write my lists on the cut-up cereal boxes to save paper!!

Dying to try Stardrops!!! :j

sistercas

think we are all having bad hair days certainly bad popsock days:rotfl:
great pics Belle
at work at the mo so had better be quick . I have just printed the stuff about the £120 pound rebate (£60 of which we are getting this month) and nobody knew about it!!! that will stir it up for the managers wont it
oh oh better go x

savingholmes

sistercas wrote: »

think we are all having bad hair days certainly bad popsock days:rotfl:
great pics Belle
at work at the mo so had better be quick . I have just printed the stuff about the £120 pound rebate (£60 of which we are getting this month) and nobody knew about it!!! that will stir it up for the managers wont it
oh oh better go x

The £60 is a tax rebate which only affects those in the lower tax band... I can't see otherwise why it would stir it up for managers. Is that what you meant?

Anyway hello all! I'm in credit at the afterschool club for the first time ever - I've got childcare vouchers set up and cos of Friday early finish and dropping one night for DS they owe me £33. :j So I think I will need to change the regular payment - that way I can keep hold of them in my childcare voucher account and then if I change jobs or lose my job I still have some money in the pot. I don't want to reduce the childcare voucher amount from my salary as if I change jobs I might need a higher amount again. I like the idea of saving it up in there instead - especially with being NI free - I think it might be tax free as well....

DS has come home one night a week alone for 2 weeks now - so far it seems to be working out fine, he is enjoying it... so may bite the bullet and drop another night. I thought it was costing me £7 or £7.50 a day each apparently it has gone up to £7.75!:eek: OH agrees. So I think I will give them a letter and drop another night with a month's notice. That will then save me between £31 and £39 per month depending on the number of school weeks in a month! :j It all adds up and it all helps! Quite excited by that - especially as job is insecure, and I need to pay off as much as poss as quick as poss.

~Yorkshire_Belle~

£7.75 for afterschool club!!! :eek: I pay £5.50 and grumble at that.
Hope all had good days today - am shattered - to tired to type really :rotfl:
See you all tomorrow
Belle

sistercas

savingholmes wrote: »

The £60 is a tax rebate which only affects those in the lower tax band... I can't see otherwise why it would stir it up for managers. Is that what you meant?

the managers at work make life very difficult for us getting an extra penny out of them is like getting blood from a stone

really tired off to bed soon too .day off tomorrow will probably go to Mr T's
x

rubydoiwannabee

~Yorkshire_Belle~ wrote: »

Look - here we are with our ps's! :rotfl:

I love the pics, can I be the blonde in the middle please?

rubydoiwannabee

Hi everyone,
I think I pay £5 for afterschool club, although I have to say I haven't had a bill for the new term yet so who knows what it'll be.

I am looking forward to the tax rebate, and it will be going along with DH's directly to the 0% cc that runs out in Feb 09.

I have a day off tomorrow and really want to do some xmas shopping but just don't have the funds, so I think I will go and see if I can grab any bargains. And I am hoping to buy stardrops, can I get it in Woolworths?

YB and SC I too am shattered, didn't sleep well last night so off to bed in a minute.

Irishchick, thanks for reading and for saying I am an inspiration....that was really kind, I certainly don't feel that way.

Trying to decide whether to do an online shop or actually visit the supermarket this weekend, I always seem to spend more when in the actual shop. Rob, thanks for the tips.

Savingholmes, I am so pleased it is working out for you with DS coming home from school, I remember us talking about it in the school holidays. I have to say eversince we started it with our DS we haven't looked back really and he really enjoyed the grown up feeling.

Anyway, off to bed for me. Thanks again ladies and gents for visiting and updating, I love the way this has turned into a nice little group of regulars and that new people pop in too.

Night night.

xxx
signing off from:
The blonde in the popsocks

~Yorkshire_Belle~

Nice to see you Ruby
I get my stardrops in Wilkinsons for 67p and also soda crystals to add to washing powder as advised by OS board. Hope you find some!
Belle
(who is not feeling :j; needs more :coffee:!)