Grocery Shopping budget thread

lilac_lady

Try and start a emergency fund, no matter how little you can throw at it. It'll make you feel a lot better if you're not down to your last penny.

A job isn't worth your sanity.

katylou6180

if i was to stay out of work( I have just been offered a possible "lifeline" by an ex boss but am hesitant to take it as I mustve left there for a reason!! although right now my head is swimming and I can't work out quite what it was...and the job is stressy sales) the £150 p/m would be money after every bill in house was paid, I have two clear credit cards that I have stupidly not cut up in case there is a dire "emergency" altho with £150p/m i dont know how i would pay anything off! Maybe I should cut those up so there's no chance of me using them!! I was a smoker but I have not had a cigarette since I finished my packet on thursday when I left- so in short I need to make £150 cover food, household maintenance, clothing (and no I dont keep up with latest fashion, we buy clothes when clothes wear out, I pride myself with mending a small hole- but if it's got to a stage on the washing line where i'm going "oooh, look at the state of that...I WILL chuck it or use as cleaning cloth) Prim"ani" is a haunt of mine and I normally get things like trousers for son for £1.50 a pop and t shirts for hubby for £2, there is no excuse for having raggedy stuff at those prices, just gotta keep your eyes peeled. I think we may be able to do £150, but that doesn't account for "oh we need a haircut" "oh theres a school trip" "oh the hoover has broken" "oh the washing machine has leaked" I know we can't live life worrying about what's around the corner but these at this point ARE the things worrying me, as before I have always been able to go " ok washing machine on credit card" and in two months it's paid for....

katylou6180

Cuddles....laundry liquid....I was under the impression that it wouldnt store in a bottle or kinda pour out, whats your recipe?? I live in a terraced shoebox (altho it is mine and Im hoping to keep it that way) and dont have a lot of storage...do u have to make it in HUUUGE vats or can you like do 1 bar soap 1 whatever rather than grating whole packs and swimming in it? I am now calculating things online and getting soooooo cross also that because we have worked and paid taxes....our lovely department of work and pensions will tell me to foxtrot oscar lol grrrrrrr

cuddles123

My recipe is on the other computer, but I will post it. You can make a whole, half or quarter batch and I store in empty milk containers in my downstairs loo.

You need some bars of soap (from cheap shop) Borax and Soda Crystals.
Less than £3 to buy all of them and that quantity lasts me months.

katylou6180

brilliant....thankyou so much cuddles

cuddles123

Laundry Liquid

FULL BATCH

2 litres Water (boiling)
2 cups/16oz Bar soap (grated)
2 cups/16oz Borax
2 cups/16oz Washing Soda

20 additional litres of water


HALF BATCH

1 litre water (boiling)
1 cup/8oz bar soap (grated)
1 cup/8oz Borax
1 cup/8oz Washing Soda

10 additional litres of water


QUARTER BATCH

1 litre water (boiling)
1/2 cup/4oz bar soap (grated)
1/2 cup/4oz Borax
1/2 cup/4oz Washing Soda

4 and a half additional litres of water


Add finely grated bar soap to required amount of boiling water in a pot, on the cooker, gentle heat, stir/whisk until soap is melted.

Add the Borax and Washing Soda & Stir well until all is dissolved.

Pour into bucket
Add required amount of additional litres of warm/hot tap water, stir until well mixed.

Add fragrance if desired, I use baby powder but only because its my favourite
Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry or bottle. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel but will take approx 48hrs).

Chipps

Hi. I would agree about the tumble drier - if it goes, don't worry about replacing it, as it is expensive to run. But equally would not like to do without a washing machine! The suggestion to put some money away in an emergency fund is good. Even if it is £10 a month, that will soon mount up... as long as things don't break too soon!!!!

Lily-Lu

I've had a home shopping catalogue for about 13 years now. It's rarely used, but good if I'm stuck when something major bites the dust and I just don't have several hundred pounds to spend on a new one. They do tend to be more expensive than paying cash, but you get a longer time to pay it off, and cash-back on all you spend. Sometimes, they'll do offers like £x off when you spend £xx. Like I say, I rarely use mine, but they're great for an emergency

tori.k

Consider joining up with you local Credit Union, we save our small emergency fund with them that way if things go bang i have the savings or can draw a loan at a tiny interest compared to a bank.
I second the laundry goop i just make 5 liters worth and keep it in a couple of old ice-cream tubs under the sink (no-ones even cottoned on yet that ive stopped buying washing powder).
Planing is key, when i first started living to a budget i gave myself a daily cash allowance at the end of the day i empty the change into a jar that went towards Birthdays/Christmas.
I would be realistic in your budget tho dont set it too low to start with, reduce it each month till you are were you want to be.
Best of luck

zippychick

Hi Katylou:hello:

Welcome to OS . Sorry to hear you are under such pressure at the moment. I really do understand. I had to take a drastic pay cut and cut my hours in work a couple of years ago, for circumstances beyond my control. I spent the next year living on my old income, then a fair while paying off my overdraft from living outside my means for far too long. I have now been made redundant and am claiming benefits for the first time in my life, so when I say I understand, I really do. It's just me to pay my bills and mortgage, no one else.

The important thing to remember is, at least you are in control of the situation. You seem to have a bit of a handle on it, and know you need to make changes . You have that foresight. A lot of people don't. You are on a good footing to start with.

My brain is tired and trying to think of what threads to find for you..... Let's see how we go.

Grocery budget shopping thread

The OS starter pack

Debt free wannabe board

You could post up a State of affairs (on DFW) and see how other people objectively view your outgoings etc. This is still useful, regardless of what happens with your job. You would be amazed what other people spot in your finances (that you may not )

March 2010 Grocery challenge - to follow other people budgeting and maybe get some inspiration

Entitledto.co.uk - to check entitlements (yes, you're right, it does speak for itself:rotfl:)

Freecycle - join your local area, and see what other people are offering. In the past year I have got ( for free - well, a small gift) - a widescreen tv, a raleigh bike, a brand new foot spa, a MASSIVE Leon framed picture, £200 of tropical fish for one of my mates , a lovely shelf, a black and decker drill. Thel list goes on (although it is now called freegle in my area.....)

Since you mentioned laundry......

Radical laundry reduction

Help with laundry , ideas please

Most importantly, keep hanging around OS, and you will learn pearls of wisdom every day This site (and its users) has taught me more than I can explain

Ill add your thread to the first linked thread later. That way we keep all the information together:A

This post isn't as neat and tidy as I'd like, and I should really have read the other responses before I replied

Cheers
Zip