Where do I start?

claireac

Hi,

This is a fab board, and just what I need! My dp is a roofer and his work has dramatically decreased since Christmas. I'm now the main earner as he's between 1-3 days a week at the moment. We still need to pay for our dd to go to the child minder unfortunately, so we're trying to save elsewhere.

What do I try to reduce first? For our family of 4, me, dp, ds17 and dd 2.5, we're spending £80-90 a week on food and cleaning products. I've started shopping around and going to Lidl's for fruit & veg etc, but what else can I do that's quick and easy until I get my head round all your posts here?

Thanks!

Pink.

Hi claireac,

I'm sorry to hear that things are tough for you at the moment.

Have you read Martin's article on Supermarket Shopping ? It has lots of good advice and tips on reducing grocery shopping.

I don't know if you meal plan but if not, it's a great way to save money by making sure you don't buy unnecessary things. To get some help with meal planning have a look in The Complete Menu Plans Collection.

You'll also find lots of useful links and information on this thread: Welcome to Old Style - (BRAND NEW "HOW TO FIND THE INFO" Read me BEFORE posting)

The best place on Old Style to get help with reducing your grocery bill is the Grocery Challenge thread where the regulars come up with fantastic ideas to save cash. I'll add your thread to that one later so that you can get some help.

Good luck with cutting back.

Pink

claireac

Thanks Pink! Looks like I have a lot of reading to do.

I do sort of meal plan as I'm going to slimming world, so find it's important to know what we're having so the dp doesn't cook something terribly unhealthy. I shouldn't complain about him cooking though lol!

Thanks again.

C x

FairyElephant_2

Hi Claire,

It can be daunting at first, but after a while being MS and OS become a habit (or an obesession for some of us - LOL!).

Do you have a full household budget of where every penny is spent? If not, then that is where I would start.
I have ours on a spreadsheet, with different colours for expenses which are: fixed and I can't change (like council tax), essential but semi-fixedm, where I can review and maybe change (like gas/electricity, where I could change suppliers, insurance etc.) and flexible (like grocery shopping, 'pocket money' etc, which are the easiest to change).

Another thing I find helpful is to keep a list (I'm a bit iof a list-aholic!) of the contents of my cupboards, freezer, etc, then when I am making a meal plan I know what I have got already and can make a shopping list of what I need to add to make meals (always ready to adjust this to take account of special offers and 'whoopsies'!).

The other thing I'd add is try to get your family involved as much as possible - after all you are all in this together!

You'll find a great deal of help on here, and lots of people ready to give some advice and support when you need it.

Good luck,

FE

EagerLearner

Hey Claireac - if you click my signature there's a readymade downloadable spreadsheet there to help with cutting back which may help.

Other ideas:
Join the weekly Grocery Challenges
Batch cook and then freeze food
Use vinegar, salt, bicarbonate and lemon for cleaning / general household freshners
See if you could be on a better gas / elec / phone / cable / broadband package
Make sure you pay minimum credit card amoutn at least if you owe anything on one (to avoid fees)

floss2

How about listing everything you have in your freezer / fridge / cupboards....
Then plan as many meals as possible out of all that without buying anything to add to it....
Then plan as many as you can from what's left, making a shopping list of what you need to make those meals.

Next step is to do an online shop, using MySupermarket to get the best-priced store, and have it delivered. You will save more than the delivery charge by not popping things into your trolley (saves the "ooh, we've not had that for ages" / "mum, can I have this" scenarios!).

After this, (sorry to shout, but) STICK TO YOUR MEAL-PLANS!

Make the most of the fresh fruit & veg offers in your local shops, like Aldi / Lidl and good luck!

claireac

Thanks everybody! You've all been so nice and so helpful!

Off to find out how to clean with all natural products that you suggested, I really like the idea of that.

Job tonight - make a list of everything in the freezer and cupboards. Not too much stuff hidden away really. We moved in June, and really used up/threw up before we moved because there's not so much storage space in the new kitchen.

Going to try "recycling" clothes on ebay too. Have a pile of girls Clarks shoes!

We do have a couple of debts, but not on credit cards and I make payments towards them, so I may try and renegotiate. Gas and elec is on the best tariff available. The same with phone/tv/broadband. My mobile, wish I could get rid of that! Dp's mobile, claimed back as a work expense as he's self employed. Trying to think of other things we can do......

Hawthorn

Could you get rid of sky, if you have it?

Shop for kids clothes on ebay, charity shops - amazon do some fantastic offers on clothing too, nowadays.

For yourself, I would advise maybe paying a little extra, and buying good quality shoes etc. They are comfier, and they last longer. I paid £30 (shock horror!) for a pair of clarks sandals three years back, and they are still going strong.
Make up etc, there are lots of discount sites.
For christmas, plan well in advance, and take advantage of any sales/offers you see.
Mumonamission on Ebay has some great girls clothes - everything I've had from her has been like new, and it's really reasonable.
I'm also a charity shop addict, and if I see something that's a size too big, but cheap and in great condition, I'll buy it for later. Or on the odd occasion I see a designer item that's in great nick, I'll buy it and sell it on Ebay LOL. Best one I had was a wedding dress - bought for £8, and sold for £120
Add soda crystals to your wash powder, and use less washpowder. Works a treat, and we're in a really hard water area.
Better basics for the home, by Annie Berthold Bond is a cleaning naturally bible for me. Some great ideas in there!
Use fruit and veg that is in season - we're starting a new growing season now.....what about growing some of your own stuff? Tomatoes in particular are great. Get an outside variety if you don't have a greenhouse. You'll save a fortune and the tomatoes are SO much better than shop bought.
Don't throw anything away food wise - use it up. Just as an example, I had some carrots that were past their best last week. Made a batch of carrot and coriander soup, and that did for lunches!
At one point, they would have been for the bin.
Get a good variety of herbs/spices - these can make anything interesting.
Cut out takeaway. Pizza is dead easy to make. Indian and chinese, not so much, but definately learnable if you know how to follow a recipe.

think that's it? LOL.

claireac

Hi Hawthorn,

Thanks for all of that!

We have Virgin and are tied in our contract for another 6 months at the moment, might be worth seeing if we can reduce the level though. In a way I'm quite loath too, as we don't really go out, the only thing we regularly do is go to the gym, so the tv is our entertainment if you know what I mean.

I don't buy many clothes for my daughter as my sil has a daughter a couple of years older and has given me boxes and boxes of great quality clothes. I'm also going to become a very young and incredibly glamorous grandmother in the summer, and at the scan on Tues the baby was looking pink. Very glad I've kept lots of clothes now!

Rarely buy makeup, although I wear it everyday for work. I seemed to amass a lot a while ago, and am just using all that up! I always ask for skincare items as birthday/Christmas presents.

Hadn't heard of soda crystals in the washing powder - will def give that a go. Where's a good place to buy them??

Don't do takeaways, make me feel ill now! I'm losing weight (1st 5lb ish) and steering very clear, don't think I can stomache all the grease now. Yuck!!

Loads to look at! Thanks again.

floss2

Hawthorn wrote: »

. Or on the odd occasion I see a designer item that's in great nick, I'll buy it and sell it on Ebay.

Remember that this can be taxable income and may need to be declared....

Butterfly_Brain

Hi Claireac
Wilkinsons do a good range of old fashioned cleaning stuff such as stardrops - fantastic all round cleaner, bicarbonate of soda (box is only 99p) The same with Borax, they also do soda crystals and have regular deals on all cleaning stuff, washing powder, soaps, shampoos etc.
I always meal plan and write a shopping list - only shop once a week
Try baking your own bread.
Like many others on this site I have a stock cupboard so that when things are on special I buy lots of it and put in my stash. I allow £10 a week and use that for my stock cupboard,
Have you tried going to Farmfoods they have a lot of good deals too Milk is only £1 for 2 litres
Frozen fruit and veg is just as good for you as fresh
Above all keep looking on this site - it really is helpful and friendly
Good Luck