Changes you've made in 2009?

jammy_dodger

great to see what changes others have made

I too now meal plan and make far fewer trips to supermarket

i have reduced times central heating and hot water is on through the day

my 2 children now take packed lunch to school home made bread and pieces . saves a fortune

i now take dog on local walks from home rather than drive him somewhere then walk ..fitter and saves on petrol too

i ask myself before i buy anything do i need it or is it a "want " it usually ends up going back on shelf and wait for it to be reduced !

skintmumof3

when i get the free papers at the weekend there are always leaflets from all the supermarkets around here advertising all their bogof and half price deals.
so i know go armed with these leaflets to the shops and get all the deals which i need.
i really enjoy the challenge of only coming out of the shop with only the offers in the leaflet. i have lately seen more people with leaflet in hand going up the aisles....lol
and am saving money as well...
thanks
skint
xx

skintmumof3

....also trying make clothes last an extra day if they are quite clean..as i would usually change everyday
saves on laundry too.
even my teenage daughters now only change their clothes once a day instead of the fifty thousand times they did previously.............

jennet1

have started a price book and am amazed at the differences in price between shops! also bulk buying when something is mega cheap

Butterfly_Brain

I have decided to clean out my store cupboard completely and not buy anything else until my stores are down. I don't want to waste things because they are out of date.
I am saving £20 a week so that when it is time to restock I have enough money to go and buy everything and so start afresh for the year.
It is nearly the end of March and I don't think that I will have to buy anything else until August!
I meal plan and write a shopping list too, just like most OSers
I have a box full of named envelopes and every pay day I put money in them for Electric, Gas, Council Extortion fee, Water, Phone etc I even have one that I put money into for "Celebrations" whether I have a Birthday, Christening, Wedding or even as last year Funeral ( I had four to go to last year and I hope this year isn't as bad) in the month.
This way I keep track of everything that I have left and spend accordingly.

fedupandskint

For me the main change has been asking myself 'Do I need it?' 'Will I use it/wear it?'

Always making stock from left over chicken carcass and using it for soup and rissotto

Ssssstrrrrrretttttccccchhhhing chicken to the point of being sick to the back teeth of eating it! (like this week!)

Throwing less food away and being more conscious about what I am throwing away

Using micorofibre cloths and stardrops to clean most things with and buying no more cleaning products from the supermarket that are advertised on TV

Trying to complete the flylady list each week

Trying not to buy ready meals and cook from scratch
Refer to storecupboard list and use up what is in the cupboard as opposed to buying things in specially

Dye my own hair instead of the hardressers saving £40 ish a time

Sticking to the £100 crazy clothes challenge and thinking very hard about what to buy clothes wise and looking on ebay for clothing bargains rather than shops

Decluttering away via ebay and freecycle and not buying more to reclutter

I'm off to read everyone else's now and pick up some more tips!

angelavdavis

Got chickens recently so all the kitchen scraps go to them now in exchange for the eggs!
Stop buying meat from the supermarket
Have completed storecupboard challenges for all cleaning products
Decluttering all our junk
Using clubcard deals for holiday treats

rachbc

getting better at meal planning
using slow cooker
online shop every 3 weeks than 2 - and oddly seem to be spending the same
only going to the supermarket to look for whoopsied veg and bread not for a big shop and/ or a browse
buy fresh stuff weekly from market (been doing this since late last year but more consistently)
collecting firewood, turning heating down and snuggling up in front of a real fire - my favourite OS move
Thinking twce before I buy ANYTHING
Digging up my border for a veg plot

MRSMCAWBER

Evening all

So far I have:-

1. stopped being seduced by whoopsies -buying things I wouldn't normally or didn't plan to "just because they are reduced"
2. I now do a "big" shop once a month -which is never that big at all :rotfl: and inbetween hubby picks up milk, salad etc on his way home from work -and he sticks to the list -its saving us a fortune;)
3. never throwing anything away
4. I have planned loads more varities of salad, veg etc for the potio appotment this year -hoping to get plenty to stand or freeze for over winter:D
5. Got seriously back into my knitting and x stitch -keeps my head out of the fridge and my purse out of the supermarket:p plus Im making xmas pressies -so a double bonus:j
6. oh and using my remoska all the time -still only had the gas oven on twice in 8 months

there are more but I won't bore you all:rotfl:

purpleivy

fedupandskint wrote: »

For me the main change has been asking myself 'Do I need it?' 'Will I use it/wear it?'

Always making stock from left over chicken carcass and using it for soup and rissotto

Ssssstrrrrrretttttccccchhhhing chicken to the point of being sick to the back teeth of eating it! (like this week!)

Throwing less food away and being more conscious about what I am throwing away

Using micorofibre cloths and stardrops to clean most things with and buying no more cleaning products from the supermarket that are advertised on TV

Trying to complete the flylady list each week

Trying not to buy ready meals and cook from scratch
Refer to storecupboard list and use up what is in the cupboard as opposed to buying things in specially

Dye my own hair instead of the hardressers saving £40 ish a time

Sticking to the £100 crazy clothes challenge and thinking very hard about what to buy clothes wise and looking on ebay for clothing bargains rather than shops

Decluttering away via ebay and freecycle and not buying more to reclutter

I'm off to read everyone else's now and pick up some more tips!

What's the £100 crazy clothes challenge (and does it include handbags and shoes - she cackles hysterically !)???