Money saving ideas for family of 6

lilly81

I'ld advice trying the old style board for cheap homemade recipes. Bulk buy food, and batch cook meals- put extras in the freezer.
If you go to the debtfree wannabe board there's a tab at the top for ideas on upping your income.
Have u tried switching gas/electric to the cheapest supplyer?
I hope this helps
Lilly X

Pollycat

Adi123
Here's the link for the SOA template:

http://www.makesenseofcards.com/soacalc.html

It might be quite difficult to complete in your situation as you have (possibly) a couple of children of work age, so it depends how all your finances are tied together, but it's worth looking at.

If you do complete it, I'd suggest posting it on the DFW board as there's loads of clued-up people there who'll give you great advice, especially if you have some debt.

Tesco have recently been doing energy saving bulbs at 98p each with a BOGOF.

Agree about the OldStyle board, lots of ideas on cooking in bulk (althouh 6 portions to me IS 'bulk' but for you will be a normal mealtime ), cheap ways of cleaning rather than using propriety brands etc.

got-it-spend-it

My biggest tip is meal planning, writing a shopping list and sticking to it. Shoppoing online can also really help prevent impulse buying, particularly if you can get a free delivery code. Definitely check out the grocery challenge on the Old Style board.

Also check out the cashback sites (Quidco and topcashback are the two I use) to see if you could be getting free money for the things you already buy.

mark55man

Couldn't see from the posts above

Are your kids paying their way?? Perhaps you can persuade them to get a bit of bar work - rather them than you!!

I have a family of 6 (2 adults + 4 9-14). We did:

got an OWL energy monitor - you can do without, but its a constant nag to switch stuff off (and you get to know when things are on say in an upstairs room)

monitor your money - on line spreadsheets or notebooks - whatever, amazing where it all goes

look at the threads for cheap meals on Old Style - if you can do a meal for £1 for 6 rather (can be done) than £1 each you save a fiver each time

drive more economically - not sure if you commute, but I saved £10 a tankful just by being careful (and driving was more relaxing)

buy own label stuff - especially cereal and beans (not together) is not bad

shop on-line and bulk buy houehold items (note even 50% off branded products can be more than own label - but if you gotta at least do it half price)

watch the heating

as mentioned above - quidco - surveys - from the up your income board all helps - with 5 of you, you could do a car boot bigtime

kick the older kids out and get some lodgers/tenants (sorry)

consider switching energy supplier/tariffs - I saved 6% (£10 a month) and stayed with the same supplier

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL : Make your own lunchboxes, and keep them lean - I saved £1800 a year by doing this for me my OH and by binning school meals. I reckon I save £10 a day for 1/2 hour doing this

Good luck

Adi123

Wow the level of frugality here is astonishing

I'm not the father! I'm the 24 year old son!

I'm doing this to help out the family.

There are some great tips here thankyou all.

I think the non specific tips are useful enough without me going into too much detail about what we all do!

Pollycat

mark88man wrote: »

kick the older kids out and get some lodgers/tenants (sorry)

Bad news for you then, Adi123. :rotfl:

mark55man

ooops - shall I stop digging

Adi123 - by older I didn't mean the oldest I meant the others !!

jack*tigger

Try keeping a money diary and see where all the cash goes each day.
Things like the bills are already accounted for in your budget but cash has a habit of just disappearing so keep a diary and see where it goes. E.g. a newspapers, drinks and snacks when out, taxi fares, etc. The stop spending cash on the non-essentials.

I saved a fortune last year by taking a good look at my insurances. A lot of the time we stay with the old insurer 'cos its easiest. But if you shop around using the price comparison site and then buy through a site like Quidco you can save some serious cash.

If everyone in the house has a mobile do you need a landline too ????

How about turning the TV in the evening and have a family games night. Make popcorn and challenge the folks at Pictionary !

Plant veggies seeds now and grow your own. Even if you only get 1 or 2 meals out of it thats money saved.

The list of ways to save money is endless. You just have to be organised and a little inventive.

lolababy

How about all moving out and give mum and dad space. I bet then they will save money, lol. , Only kidding.

msb5262

Get a large thermos flask and pour any excess boiling water in every time you boil the kettle...you soon learn to boil only the amount you need, and meanwhile you have some hot water to hand when you need it.
Make sure the heating goes off before the normal household bedtime - if it's getting chilly, people are less likely to sit around watching TV, boiling the kettle endlessly, posting on MSE forums etc etc so it's an all round saving on energy!
Stop buying all but the most basic cleaning materials - look at the Old-style threads for vinegar/bicarb etc tips.
Make a family decision to air then wear again EVERYTHING apart from socks and undies. As a society, we wash far too much and if clothes are properly aired, they are fine to wear again.
Food -take turns through the week to drop in on supermarkets at mark-down time so you can buy foods you would normally get at a knock-down price, then freeze them.
When you cook meals, price everything you use...this has an amazing effect on your awareness of costs. You can also label everything in the store cupboard (eg rice, sugar, pasta, flour, pulses) with the price per 100g so you can add up as you go along.
My big food tip is SOUP - buy the cheapest in-season vegetables and make soup every day if you have time. Great for health and digestion, leaves you less hungry for less healthy foods, also great in a flask for lunch.
If you currently drive or use public transport, can you start car sharing or walking or cycling instead?
Hopefully one or two of these ideas will save you a few bob. To increase the household income, could anyone do a paper round/bar job/dog walking/evening babysitting? More money coming in, less chance to spend it!