Tips and Quick Questions on “How To Start Being Old Style”

rachbc

my first advice would be to make sure she is getting the income she is entitled to - tax credits, maintenance from the ex etc to cushion the cut in income as much as poss.

I have to say I think £10 is really pushing it to feed an adult and toddler healthily inc milk, 5 a day etc and would suggest that there might be more budget friendly ways of socialising than a gym membership - perhaps the families board can help on that.

Other than that I second the suggestions for markets for fruit and veg, lots of pulses and hunting down whoopsies for meat etc. I'd also recommend she looks at making her own bread - cheaper and can add readybrek (weezl's top tip) to up the vit/ calc content for the lo.

joedenise

If she has an Aldi or Lidl nearby they are usually cheaper than the other supermarkets. Aldi for instance sell 4pt milk for £1.09. Iceland also do milk cheaper than other supermarkets at £1.10 for 4pts.

Jillinoz

Greetings to your friend from another single parent of a toddler who is living in straitened circumstances.

Like your friend, I have no debts, but due to my daughter's ongoing special needs, I am currently unavailable to work (and before anyone shoots me down in flames, because of my complicated circumstances, I do not qualify for a penny in benefits, other than the statutory child benefit and a small amount of child tax credit! )

As a previous poster mentioned, your friend may find that she is eligible for certain benefits and she should definitely check out the Healthy Start scheme which qualifies parents on very low incomes for weekly vouchers to buy fruit, vegetables or milk.

You mentioned that your friend is reluctant to give up her gym club membership but has she researched whether her local SureStart or children's centre offers free classes with creche places to Mums? I have enrolled for a weekly yoga class at my local centre and that hour has become my sanity saver and my daughter is also benefiting from the play session with qualified and experienced early years practitioners.

Depending on where your friend lives, some toddler groups offer free healthy snacks and/or lunches for little ones and a cuppa and a cake or biscuit for parents.

I'm not the greatest cook but I've become a champion bargain hunter (she could find out at what time/s of the day her local stores reduce their fresh produce). My little girl and I eat simply but very healthily and I tend to buy in bulk from Costco things like tubs of natural yoghurt, bags of unsweetened cranberries which I then decant into small containers for out-and-about snacks (much cheaper than the trendy boxes of raisins etc), bananas, pasta, Whole Earth peanut butter, boxes of Weetabix (according to my HV, the healthiest breakfast cereal to feed a small child, bar porridge, which mine resolutely refuses to eat!). The weekly fruit and vegetable offers at Aldi and Lidl are absolutely brilliant, too.

And remind her that a portion of beans (preferably of the low-salt and low-sugar variety) counts towards one of the five-a-day targets!

Good luck to your friend.

Jillinoz

Penelope_Penguin

As this has fallen from the front page of Old Style, I'll add it to the thread I mention above

Winged_one

Can someone please post a link to Weezl's blog? I found it one day and forgot to bookmark - but it's a great site in addition to here!

Penelope_Penguin

Winged_one wrote: »

Can someone please post a link to Weezl's blog? I found it one day and forgot to bookmark - but it's a great site in addition to here!

This one and this one

Shysarah

Hey Folks,

As a newbie here and with the whole OS way of life to a degree I was thinking.
Well no actually, I was mid fly and sweeping out my kitchen and bathroom and getting peculiar looks from my cat as his toys got swept across the room and thinking :rotfl:

I know we have some great sticky threads here about different topics which i have found useful but is there one on the basics of OS?

I have read posts referring to things and then comments like... but we all the secret to that etc etc. One I noticed was about washing powder quantities. Now I could pop a comment on and ask and know full well some kindly person would reply and enlighten me but it would be cool is we have a 'Newbie Thread'.

You know with like what Stardrops is and who sells it, The secret to making your washing powder last longer, An essential home cooks basic store cupboard etc..

Maybe there is one I don't know but it was just a random thought..

*Shuffles off hoping she hasn't spoken out of turn and goes mopping...*

S x

Penelope_Penguin

Shysarah wrote: »

I know we have some great sticky threads here about different topics which i have found useful but is there one on the basics of OS?

It#s here I'll add this thread later to keep ideas together.

Don't worry about asking questions - Old Stylers are alwats happy to pass on their knowledge

Shysarah

Oooh brill thank you so much..:j

Good job I had already made my coffee, lots to read here :T

schrodie

Please be gentle with me because I've never had to do this sort of thing before but circumstances have now dictated that I have to live off around £60 per week and as I've never had to do this before it's somewhat daunting as how the heck I'm going to manage it with respect to food and other expenses. Any pointers as to cheap but wholesome menus, food buying and how to basically save as much as I can without freezing to death of the next few months would be very gratefully accepted.

Thanks.