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

GreyQueen

taplady wrote: »

thats just what I thought too! some very helpful tips there GreyQueen:T

Thank you, Frugalista and Taplady, I feel all warm and fuzzy:rotfl:

babybakey

Im finally getting my head around all this mortgage free wannabe stuff and so figured you guys might be my next step ive read through lots of posts but im really not sure what things i should try really .
We have very fussy children so cooking from scratch is only good for about 3 meals. i batch cook things for me which i reheat regularly which i know saves me a fortune.
my husband works 12 hours a day and commutes for 2 hours a day too so cant do too much on his side of things besides he doesnt really spend on anything other than fuel at about £250 a month :-(
I do all the food shopping etc which i really need to start sorting out as im so dissorganised its unreal i can do a £100 shop and then find ive missed a few things off so nip back to shop and sometimes get seduced by things and end up spending another £40 :eek:
we have 3 very small children 4,2, and 7mths. ones at school other 2 at home , i run a asmall cake business which is going ok but not busy i spend most days online when i can promoting it and doing what i can. i find im either working or sorting the children out so im wondering how ill find time to work these things out to save money.

are there any quick sure fire things i can try which may help us a little i need to cut back by £400 a month to do what we'd like with the mortgage .

can anyone help us? where do i start , how can i get my head around all of this without it going straight over my head as most of it has so far.

shelly x

ChocClare

What do your children eat for the other 4 meals (I'm assuming you mean "dinner")?

Young kiddies can be very fussy and can want to eat only certain things (and go through phases) but you'll be making a rod for your own back if you don't knock that on the head soon!

Things like chicken nuggets and pizza can be home made VERY easily. We just had HM pizza for dinner tonight - batch of dough in the breadmaker, tomato puree, onion and cheese on top plus the various toppings the individual family members like in their "corner" of the baking tray. Chicken breasts can be chopped into bite-sized pieces and dipped in HM breadcrumbs (thus using up your leftover bread) and baked in the oven. Then your kids aren't eating carp either! (I'm not suggesting you're a turkey twizzler sort of mum AT ALL by the way, just wondering if you do this already.)

Even if you don't want/don't have time to cook from scratch at every meal (and we all have days when we'd rather give the little terrors fish fingers and oven chips if that's what they really want), perhaps you could make a start by planning your menus for the week and then buying just what you need? Do you find yourself throwing food away? It's amazing how much less you actually need to spend if you plan out rather than thinking oh I'll need cheese and butter and oh, three or four vegetables and some fruit and then the cheese and butter may get used up but the pears rot in the fruit bowl and the broccoli has gone yellow by the time you get round to using it :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: (do you spot my mistakes showing here at all? )

You say you get seduced into spending £40 when you nip back to the supermarket (and we've all been there) so perhaps that would be a good place to start. Shop online or make sure you ONLY shop once a week or if you've forgotten something, leave your cards at home and only take enough CASH with you to buy the item you've forgotten (you can go online and check the price of it).

Perhaps it would help to start with if you list the sort of things you and the kids are eating/buying? We could maybe suggest some nice/cheaper alternatives then.

You're already doing stuff yourself so you're on the way - you go girl!

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi, well done for making a start! Meal planning is the key. I sit down once a fortnight and plan our main meals for the next 2 weeks. I then shop for the ingredients I need to make these meals. I dont buy anything else except like basics like bread, milk, ham, fruit, cheese, etc. If we run out of something I try and manage without until the next shop.

Cut everything non-essential out of your supermarket shop - ask yourself if its really necessary?

Downsize a brand. If you buy Heinz try Tesco own. If you buy Tesco own try value ranges.

Try to have a long term aim of not buying anything ready made that you could make yourself. If necessary get down to the library and borrow some cook books for inspiration or look on here, there are some great ideas.

It takes some practice working out how much of everything you need but stick at it and you will soon become an expert. I reduced my food shopping from £100 a week to £65 this way and I could cut it further if I really had too.

Kids are fussy when they are little like yours but you have got to put your foot down. Its surprising how many things they will eat if they know there is nothing else. This is hard but soon pays dividends. I refuse to cook different meals for different people - everyone eats the same in my house or goes hungry! If you dont do it now you could have real problems later. Pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets, fish fingers etc can be made from scratch easily when you get going - and are far healthier than the bought stuff. Start with this kind of food and work from there.

You have got your hands full and all this sounds hard work but the strange this is that once you get into a routine it makes life so much easier. I have got a list of about 15 main meals that I can make easily and I just rotate them around.

Get your OH on board, it sounds like he works really hard but its nice to have his support and always nice when someone appreciates what you are trying to do.

Sorry for the rambling, I just know that I was like you once and I thought life was difficult enough without trying to scrimp and save on the grocery bill. This forum really opened my eyes.

Hope it helps!

BitterAndTwisted

Your kids are at exactly the right age to be trained to eat what they're given. Try and offer them the things they think they like best only on the weekends, for example.

One of the easiest ways to cut down on your shopping bill is to plan your meals and only buy exactly what you need and nothing else.

Examine how much meat you're buying and remember that for health a person really only needs to eat a couple of ounces day and children even less especially if you're including dairy-products, fish and pulses. Never, ever buy chicken breasts! Just buy a whole chicken and plan your meals around that.

Buy a little note-book and write down every single penny you spend on housekeeping for a month, keeping the receipts. This can be a huge eye-opener and just looking at it can suggest things to exclude or replace.

Don't be seduced into thinking that you need a specialised cleaning-product for every single task at home: you just don't.

Try using half the recommended dosage of laundry-detergent, fabric-conditioner and dishwasher tablets.

rosie383

I think you are on track OP. Half the battle is realising that you need to do something. I feel like tearing my hair out at times when family and friends just stick with the same car insurance company, buy the same products all the time without looking for bargains, waste loads of food all the time etc.
My sister is getting used to my OS ways a bit more now, but she reacted in horror when I was telling her about the great fish Whoopsies I got around Christmas time. She thought I didn't have enough money for us to eat! I was trying to explain to her that I love to get a bargain, and hate paying full price for anything. She still doesn't get it.
I'm glad you started this thread. There will be others having a nose around who need the answers too. Including me. I love the OS board, but have noticed a big difference in my grocery spending this month because I didn't do a meal plan. Now I will have to do a sort of 'store cupboard challenge' instead. That'll teach me!!!!

Penelope_Penguin

Welcome :beer:

babybakey wrote: »

We have very fussy children so cooking from scratch is only good for about 3 meals. i batch cook things for me which i reheat regularly which i know saves me a fortune.

I'd start here everyone is allowed to have one or two things that they don;t like, but for the most part your chikldren need to learn to like the things you cook They won;t starve, so offer them the main meal, or they can have a slice of bread with some cheese or ham

Try the Grocery Challenge (a sticky at the top of the first page of OS :j

There's a thread here designed with new posters like you in mind (I'll merge this later). There are lots of tips for you there.

Good luck :T

tootoo

Thank you for posting this, I'll be watching with interest!
I really need to watch my grocery bills - they are getting ridiculous and are set to get worse from what i keep reading.
I try to meal but have been finding it hard so I really need to make more of an effort!
My little one has just turned one and I'm trying to get her used to our food, some days are good, others not so good but we'll get there eventually!
I switched energy suppliers so save us a little bit, rung sky to cut back and they offered me a great deal so saving there too.
You mention that you have a 7 month old - Asda have the baby event on at the mo, I've got a small grocery order coming today (free delivery from discount board!) and have ordered 2 boxes of nappies which will keep us stocked up for a while.
Tootoo

rosie383

Have a look out for little things like the basics range of baby wipes from Asda and Tesco. They do them on offer sometimes for just 17p for a pack of 80. They are perfume-free and don't irritate the skin at all. My kids have eczema and have no problem with them. Stock up on things like that that you know you will use. you may pay more one month, but less the next, IYKWIM. And don't go shopping when you are hungry. Your trolley will end up with more treats and fast food type things.
I take my budget for the month out of the bank (£240 this month) and put it in a wee purse that is too small to hold cards. I don't take my debit card out with me at all now, whereas I used to just hand it over without thinking, and was easily spending twice as ,much as I do now. Now I know that, because I haven't meal-planned this month, I just have £30 or less to last me the rest of the month. Does make me a lot more careful!

Butterfly_Brain

• Meal planning is a great way to start and write a shopping list and stick to it
• Check prices on my supermarket to find out where it would be the cheapest place to get your food.
• Only take cash with you and any left over at the end of the week can be put in a pot towards bills or Christmas.
• I only use stardrops, caustic soda and lemon juice for cleaning

Have a good look on this site because there is so much help on here such as
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/235198

You will find nearly everything you need to get started on there