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

ChocClare

If you have room/cash flow, keep an eye on special offers because they come round very regularly - and you can work them into your shopping plan if you know when those offers will be.

For example, Tesco is currently doing Bold Lavender & Camomile (which is the one we all like) - 42-wash boxes at £5. As their "normal" price for a 28-wash box is £6-something (not that I EVER pay that), this is a bit of a double result. So I bought two boxes this week and two boxes last week - while it's on special offer. I won't now need to buy washing powder for a L-O-N-G time - certainly not until it's on offer again.

The special offers come in cycles. If you go online every week to My Supermarket or the individual supermarket sites - even if you don't shop online - you will start to see the offers coming round - most are on 3-month cycles, but some are more often.

I never buy tea, washing-up liquid, dishwasher tablets (though I don't buy those often anyway), washing powder, tinned tomatoes, baked beans, pringles, muller corner yoghurts or Olay Total Effects (the only moisturiser which seems to suit my skin) UNLESS they're on offer. I stock up when they are. I can't remember the last time I paid full price for any of these.

The other side of the coin is to go online and see what's on special offer that week - and plan your meals around that. If you've been planning to have fried chicken but you go online and find chicken breasts are at full price but pork steaks are half price, then obviously it makes far more sense to have Wiener Schnitzel this week - practically the same ingredients and cooking method, but using a cheaper main. Similarly, don't overlook things like turkey mince or pork mince - the former makes very acceptable bolognaise or shepherd's pie (though it does need more seasoning than beef as otherwise it's a bit bland) and the latter makes the best meatballs in the world - and cheaper than beef mince.

Of course, once you start, you'll be padding your mince out with lentils anyway, or foregoing meat in favour of cheaper veggie options - this stuff is addictive!

esmf73

One tip which I will start as from tomorrow (promise!) is to read this board with a pen and notepad nearby, so that whenever I see a good tip, I can jot it down as you can bet I'd never find it again. Roll on tomorrow.

Doom_and_Gloom

• Always go for the cheapest insurance that you can get that covers exactly what you need.
• Use slow cooker to make huge amounts and freeze extra. This also works for meals made on the hob or in the oven.
• As another person has said knitting is good to do - my partner and I have taken up knitting recently and instead of being on our laptops (1 each) we knit instead. He's addicted to it already and can't wait to finish his first scarf :rotfl:.
• Reading for a few hours a day instead of putting the TV/laptop on saves us quite a bit.
• Join a library if you haven't already so you can borrow books instead of buying them.
• We draw out the months food budget right at the start of the month so that it's basically impossible for us to spend more than what we agree on. We also go around adding up what we put in the trolley when shopping. When you see the numbers going up you are less likely to put in so many treats that you don't really need.
• I also have to agree with the penny jar idea. We have a huge jar that we put 1'ps and 2'ps into and it does add up rather fast - we easily have over £10 in ours. Just make sure you take it to a bank to get it changed and not one of those machines as the machines charge you unlike the banks.
• If you enjoy good coffee buy it in bean form and grind it yourself. You get more coffee out of grounds rather than instant and if you grind it yourself you will use less grounds to get the same taste (pre ground coffee that you buy loses it's taste faster so you usually end up using more as time goes on).
• Get clothes from charity or simular stores.
• Make your own bread - it's cheaper and more filling than shop bought.
• If you buy cakes usually bake your own instead as it will be cheaper.
• Use energy saving bulbs. They really do save you money over time and can be bought rather cheaply now.
• Build up a food store cupboard - species, herbs, flours, sugars, tinned foods etc and rotate it so things don't go off/get spoilt.
• Don't leave lights on in rooms you aren't in and in the same line don't heat rooms/don't have the heat on high in rooms you don't use at all or all that much.
• If you don't have one buy a steamer attachment for your saucepan or even buy one that comes with a saucepan part. This will save energy cooking as all your meal can be cooked on one hob ring.
• If you travel on the bus or train find out what the cheapest method is to get to where you are going and back is. For example a bus day saver ticket for your area may be cheaper than the return ticket to where you want to go. On the train see if getting the ticket in advance will get you a discount, see if getting split tickets will save you money or if going to London will it be cheaper to get a a day travel card etc.

Penny-Pincher!!

We really have to try harder in 2011 as we have slipped in 2010 due to one thing or another. These are the things I'm going to try harder with are:

-using what food we have in as priority (less waste)
-fill up flask with boiling water again in morning
-use up toiletries/cleaning stuff before buying more
-keep checking for better utilities/ins etc
-stop buying stuff we don't need
-keep on top of paperwork/scan onto laptop
-more rubber chicken
-keep more organised
-get rid of all excess stuff and sell (have already started this!)
-better routine
-keep using Quicken (excellent!)
-use the Remoska more
-use the SC more
-reduce weekly grocery spend to £35-£40
-keep lights off (all are energy saving anyway, but all helps)
-more puddings to fill up on and not snack so much
-carry on meal-planning, but may try fortnightly to get better deals
-cut down on using car-DD uses her free bus card

Probably loads more

PP
xx

Decluttering

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

-more rubber chicken

I'm intrigued to know exactly what that means!

kinkyjinks

esmf73 wrote: »

One tip which I will start as from tomorrow (promise!) is to read this board with a pen and notepad nearby, so that whenever I see a good tip, I can jot it down as you can bet I'd never find it again. Roll on tomorrow.

I've got a folder on my desktop named MSE. Inside that are subfolders named Christmas, recipes, menu plans etc. Every time I read a good tip/idea on here I just copy and paste it to a notepad document, give it an appropriate title and stick it into the right folder.

It's really handy for me because before, I'd just use any bit of paper or notepad that was close at hand and inevitably I'd never be able to find it again. I was looking through the Christmas folder this week and found a list of food that I still had left after Hogmany as well as how much sausagemeat I needed to make the stuffing and sausage rolls, even what I'd used for the stuffing (shame I forgot to add any measurements ).

If I'd written this in a notepad I'd never be able to find it or probably even remember that I'd done it in the first place.

Doingmybest2bgoodhurrah

Decluttering wrote: »

I'm intrigued to know exactly what that means!

I think it means cooking a chicken & s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g it to make it go further. Seem to remember I read it somewhere a couple of weeks ago. To begin with I thought it must be like a rubber cheque, but discovered its quite different x

Gothicfairy

I am giving soapnuts a go and so far it is working out so much cheaper for clothes washing and also household cleaner.

I am also ( avert your eyes if you don't wish to see "womens things" ) trying reusable sanitary towels and so far have saved £12 even after buying them.

I also bought a cheap single duvet and a couple of covers from a charity shop for telly watching in the evening to save the heating.

OH and never ever put the oven on for one thing, make bread or a cake or stew for later as well

LolaLemon

Gothicfairy wrote: »

I am giving soapnuts a go and so far it is working out so much cheaper for clothes washing and also household cleaner.

I am also ( avert your eyes if you don't wish to see "womens things" ) trying reusable sanitary towels and so far have saved £12 even after buying them.

I also bought a cheap single duvet and a couple of covers from a charity shop for telly watching in the evening to save the heating.

OH and never ever put the oven on for one thing, make bread or a cake or stew for later as well

I love my soap nuts, i use essential oils instead of conditioner, just to have a bit of variety , cinnamon is in use just now i remember not loang after i started using soap nuts i used lavendar, mainly for bedding, towels and nappies (with teatree) and i used it on my coats and walking through the town i could smell this lovely smell everywhere i went, was driving me a bit insane as i couldnt figure out where it was coming from, 3 hours later i put my coat back on after a stop in the cafe and realised it was me! hehehe

What sanitary towels are you using? i did use a mooncup, but since i got the coil, i cant use it anymore soo back to thinking of reusables.... not to be too gross, but how do u get the stains out?

Butterfly_Brain

Decluttering wrote: »

I'm intrigued to know exactly what that means!

Rubber Chicken is simply
Roast on day 1,
Curry, stew, pie etc on day 2 and maybe day 3
And use the carcase and any meat on it to make a soup or stock