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lemma1968

mummy2mygirls wrote: »

wish it was the one to many!! lol it was the kids moaning at me to get off here!! .....guess i should get of now......

I really know where you are coming from with this one.:rolleyes:

kathrynrobson1011

Hi lemma - have seen how much you have paid off your debt. Congrats!!!! Can I ask you how you've done that???? Any tips????? Kat x:rotfl:

joolsybools

Hi Kat,
Well done for taking the first step. Try not to panic too much and spend a few hours around the forums and the main site. You will get loads of ideas. Its up to you to do the hard work of cutting down though. Good luck with it - you can do it.
J x

Smamfer

well done for popping in.. your life will never be the same now lol

May i give you one tip?..... Buy a slow cooker!

Throw everything in the night before or the morning... voila tea is ready for the evening and much more healthier than any ready meal! I do everything from braising steak to a whole leg of lamb in mine!

Good luck and keep at it x

Elsas_mamma

Hi Kat,
Your grocery bill should be nearer the £300 mark.
As Smamfer says, get a slow cooker. Plan your meals a week in advence, buy what you need and nothing else.
We have 3 adults( my daughter is almost 18),2 children ( 2 boys,16&10 and can they eat!!!!)and a dog. My budget for the month is £350 and most months I have some left over. I work full time hours over 2 jobs, hubby is in full time education as are the children. Alot of it is about careful planning. It is really hard work at first, but after a while it come naturally. Maybe post your SOA and people may be able to help you further.
Good luck
K

chris761

Hi, I'm new to the site and searched for slow cooker and got this thread. I've been recommended a slow cooker to help me cook proper meals while I do 3 school runs. Can anyone explain why it's cheap to use. Surely being on for 6 hours outways 2 hours in the oven (which I refuse to leave on while I'm out) for chicken. If anyone can help I've found ASDA has a morphy richards one on sale for £25 which I don't mind paying if it works

lemma1968

kathrynrobson1011 wrote: »

Hi lemma - have seen how much you have paid off your debt. Congrats!!!! Can I ask you how you've done that???? Any tips????? Kat x:rotfl:

I have cut right back on everything.

I spend about £200 a month on food for a family of 4, that includes cleaning stuff, loo roll and toiletries etc I meal plan, I check the freezer before i do the weekly shop and i only buy things that will make up a meal.

I do big pots of things like chilli, stew, spag bol etc and freeze so we get a few meals out of them. Means i can come in, grab a bag out of the freezer, defrost it in the microwave and serve with rice, bread, potatoes etc

We have soups for lunch, not home made but still cheap, tasty and filling.

I freeze my bread and get out slices at a time to defrost for brekkies, sandwiches etc.

I take a flask and snacks, lunches etc to work, as does my OH and dd.

I NEVER buy from vending machines any more and always keep something to snack on in my bag to stop me making impulse purchases.

I do a daily scratchcard, I have sold some CD's to Music Magpie.

We don't go out, anywhere. Its boring but i take the view it will be time limited.

As far as MSE is concerned, I do payment a day to overpay on my debts (*it really adds up), i put money in my change jars and put that to the debts.

Blimey, i don't know what else.

I do have a good job but it pays intermittently. Its feast or famine. So i try and throw some extra cash at the debts when i can.

I hope that gives you some ideas.;)

One_Day_Rodney

chris761 wrote:

Can anyone explain why it's cheap to use

Slow Cooker 0.33kW for 6hrs = 2kwh or 2 units of electricity
Oven 3kW (typical) for 2hrs = 6kwh or 6 units of electricity

Same goes for using an electric steamer for the veggies (as opposed to electric hob).

Steamer 0.9kw for 20mins = 0.3kwh or 1/3 of unit electricity
3 Hobs each 1.5Kw for 30mins = 2.25kwh or 2¼ units of electricity

If you think about it, it takes at least 10mins to bring an average cold pan of water to the boil before cooking can even start.

The steamer also uses a lot less water.:D

These figures are only 'typical'

Pollycat

chris761 wrote: »

Hi, I'm new to the site and searched for slow cooker and got this thread. I've been recommended a slow cooker to help me cook proper meals while I do 3 school runs. Can anyone explain why it's cheap to use. Surely being on for 6 hours outways 2 hours in the oven (which I refuse to leave on while I'm out) for chicken. If anyone can help I've found ASDA has a morphy richards one on sale for £25 which I don't mind paying if it works

Chris
in case you've not found your way to the OldStyle board yet:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?s=&daysprune=&f=33

I've been using my slow cooker for 35 years and it's one of the few things that I would replace IMMEDIATELY if it broke.

It's easy and turns cheap meat into great meals.
As for running costs, I remember the book that mine came with said it used the same electricity as leaving a light bulb on.

merseyminx

Hi,

Just when i was feeling reassured that i was on the path to recovery with the CCCS (who have been fantastic) it seems at least two out of the four creditors have informed CCCS my repayment plan isn't acceptable and they're selling my debt on. I'm back to utter panic now, does this mean I'm with a loan shark type of company? Will the interest just keep going up and will they send people around to my home? I feel I've taken a giant leap backwards. Can someone please advise me on this? I stayed in bed all day yesterday feeling so sorry for myself, it's not how i want to be spending my precious days off! I have a total debt of £9,000, I'm paying back £100 a month split over 4 creditors. It's LloydsTSB who have refused, and they are owned by Halifax (i think) who are also on my list to pay back, so it's probable they won't accept the plan either.