Gotta get Debt Free

Fire_Fox

You are crossing stuff off that list at a rate of knotts: soon you will need a new moneysaving list!! :T

Knitty78

The new list will be for me to list the cupboard full of items I've been meaning to put on ebay for the last 12 months

All of the stuff on the above list is still outstanding, but I'm in tonight so should be able to crack on with it. I may even find my electricity meter. :rotfl:

I know that £300 is still high for gorceries, but if I can stick to that we're making a start - we never knew how much we spent and I know it's more than that which for two of us is disgraceful. Especially as a lot of it ended up in the bin. I'm tempted by the grocery challenge, but my 'month' starts on the 24th of each month which is payday for me. S*d it, I've signed up for September. If I'm going to do this I may as well do it properly.

I shall look into making a lot more of my meals from scratch. I like the sound of making hobnobs but I'm not sure it'll work with the diet. especially as my weigh in showed a gain of 3.5lbs this past week.

lauhen

im on a diet to, i just need to shift a few pounds, i find that with the biscuits i dont eat as many as i would if they were say rich tea etc, i have maybe one or two and not every day, they are filling and delicious, it is my only treat at the minute, i seem to be living on ryvitas at the moment, yum yum yum. I have really cut down on what i eat, and it is so hard, the kids are eating nice chocolate and i find myself sniffing them before i give them to the kids, but i have resisted, its so very very hard. I did think about joining weight watchers or somewhere like that, but i am going to try and do it on my own first, i weigh myself once a week on the wii fit, and then i do the workout on the ea sports active for the wii, i am going to sign off now as it is exercise time, bye for now.

Knitty78

I've had a kind of wobble this morning. I woke up grumpy checked my banking and thought I can't be bothered to sort out breakfast/lunch so I'll just buy it. Grabbed a sandwich on the way in and wished I hadn't as the sandwich was vile - Boots meal deal so waste of £3.49 :mad: On a more positive side I got paid for one of my mystery shops and I've bought a skirt into work with me that I panic purchased before a party and needs to be taken back tomorrow if I want my money back. It hasn't been worn at all as I went with an existing outfit. :rolleyes: Also, I got my email confirmation that my library books are in for collection. :money:I've taken some haddock out the fridge so dinner will be that plus some stuff I already have in, just need to get some salady bits. Tonight I'm going to meal plan so that I can go to Aldi tomorrow and get some bargains. I'm hoping to leave OH at home as he is terrible for putting 'extras' in the trolley.

So my to-do is looking like:

Toluna/Check email for surveys
[Strike]Scratchies[/Strike] Did this morning before work!
Sort out paperwork/file
Washing (this is ongoing, I hung one load out to dry this morning and I need to catch up!)
Take a water meter reading
Find electric meter
Take electricity meter reading
Think about setting up Egg Money Manager to make it easier to check my accounts
Cancel leisure centre gym membership (needs to be done this weekend so it doesn't roll into next month!
Collect library books
Meal plan
Take skirt back
Collect dry cleaning

lauhen

Have you tried mysupermarket website, I have read on here that for some the shops on there can be cheaper than aldi for certain things. I use it every month for the big shop and every week to compare the little shops, although I don't get the little shops delivered. For the past 4 or 5 months, sainsburys has been the cheapest, about £10-£15 less than asda, £20-£25 less than tesco, and £50+ less than ocado, it's worth a look at least, to see what deals there are. Some of the basic range is nice also, not all, but some.

Knitty78

Every time I've had shopping delivered the food goes off really quickly I even had to complain to Ocado as the tomatoes they sent were mouldy and they were in date. I just don't trust having my food delivered any more, the Sainsbury's near me has loads of flys in it (so bad that my OH now refuses to go there too), the Asda near us is horrible and I hate Tesco. The Aldi we go to is opposite a Morrisons though so whatever I don't get from Aldi I can get from there.

lauhen

yes that would be off putting, although it doesnt necessarily come from your local supermarket, but i see your point. Although with sainsburys they now give you the option to check all your fresh produce, they will tell you if something is near its sell by date or use by date, and then they give you the option to hand it back to the driver, well mine does anyway, or maybe i just have a nice driver. Shop where ever suits your needs, as long as you are happy with it then thats all that matters.

Knitty78

Yeah, I think it all comes from a warehouse. I think I shall stick to going and handpicking my food. I may even see if I can find a nearby farm shop (I think there is one about half hours drive away which is the same time it takes us to get to Morrison).

J_pink

Hi Knitty 78,

Well done for paying a nice little chunk off this month, and for looking at all options to save money.

I wondered what the £200 a month on entertainment was being spent on? Not to criticise just to look at other saving options for you?

The hair cuts we need as women - i just negotiated with my hairdresser as i have a crop style which they wanted to charge me £32 for?! I said i could afford £25 (she is a vidal sassoon trained stylist) and she said sure!
I also negotiated a cheap colour - but to be honest i could do a home kit in future.

I was like you and spending £350 for the two of us on groceries.
I swapped to Lidl and now spend just £40-45 a week! It is superb quality. Just very european style packaging but don't let that fool you. They have delicious wine for £3 a bottle, and milk, cheese, veg, fruit essentials are all much cheaper. £45 gives me a trolley load of stuff.

Good luck, keep at it!
J_pink

Knitty78

Again, like the groceries, I guestimated £200 entertainment. This is just 'me' money really and I'm keeping a spending diary of what I'm spending it on.

I was thinking about Lidl at lunchtime. There is one closeish to home I could try, although it's not close to other supermarkets. I spotted the £5 off voucher on here and if I get a paper on the way home I may give this a go.