MF - Getting started

greent

Hmm - my post wasn't meant to sound as bumptious as it does!! 2 years and a bit ago when I joined MSE we were spending £650- 750/ mth for 5 of us. I waste an awful lot less food now (last week it was 1 slice of mouldy bread and 1/2 bowl of soggy cornflakes that DS2 refused to finish - ooh, and a couple of crusts from sandwiches (literally a couple) My freezer is full of odds and ends of food - I have to keep an inventory to make sure I use little bits up. It does result in some strange things and once a week I try and have a 'leftovers' night to use stuff up wher we usually all have something different (but with minimal hassle, as mush is already done)

Thriftyknickers

We have a couple of 4 year olds and our budget improved enormously when they finished with nappies and pull-ups. Before then, I tried to buy in bulk where possible if there was a particularly good offer on - I was a 'Pampers' girl and found Fixture Ferret useful for keeping an eye on this. Back then, I aimed to pay around 10p/nappy. So potty training is a very good thing!

I still bulk buy on offers of things that I know we won't downshift on and have a long shelf-life - eg. Ben & Jerrys, Diet Coke, McVities Chocolate Homewheat, Walkers crisps. Its a bit like stocks and shares! I 'buy' when Walkers crisps are around 10p/pack! We also do a 'big shop' at Costco every few months for washing powder, dishwasher tablets etc etc. I try to buy big pots of yoghurt etc rather than individual ones and mean Mummy that I am, I never introduced my girls to the 'special' Kiddy ones - or any kiddy food products really.

I buy meat on offer and freeze it if I find a good deal or something 'yellow stickered'. When I'm cooking I normally make extra to freeze for future use. All of my mince dishes are bulked up with veggies to try and increase the number that my children (and DH!) actually eat but this also makes it go further. So my beef crumble will contain onions, tinned tomatoes, baked beans, a pepper and some mushrooms. We also have a bread maker which makes lovely bread (not sure if it actually saves us money as we eat a lot of it!) and pizza bases. We're big fans of home-made pizza! I also 'discovered' cheaper cuts of meat like brisket and shoulder of pork which are really tasty when slow cooked and fabulous value. I work 3 days a week, so some of these can just be popped into the oven on the timer - brisket in a casserole dish with cheapo red wine and an Oxo cube etc.

I don't think any of the family feel hard done-by and we still have lots of treats - I'm now a big fan of the M&S Dine-in for £10 offer on a Saturday night. Well, a girl needs a break from cooking from time to time, feels special and its cheaper than eating out!

Hope some of this helps. I try to keep our food, drink and cleaning bill around the £400/month mark.

Nikfs

Well, just off to tesco so will let you know! Yeh, I stock up on stuff thats on promo - ONLY if its stuff I use anyway, eg loo roll, nappies etc. I think good food is just our one love - it is pretty much what got me & hubby together, so better not be too thrifty with it!!! Anyhow, have been very good this week so far - all home made for the girls & us! Identified a few areas I can cut own - big pots of yoghourt rather than little ones - things like that!

Re mortgage rate coming down (mark5) - we fixed 2 years ago at the "wrong" time when people thought rates were going to go up & ended up fixing high & not benefitting when they dropped. We now have a large deposit (joining up with the mother-in-law in a house with annexe) & can get a much better interest rate. Looking to fix for prob 5 years at that rate, by which time we will no longer be paying childcare, so if rates have gone up a bit we will cope. Potentially may fix for 10 years, but all the info on the net at the mo seems to suggest 5 is the best option. Have done some sums & over the 5 year period we would save more than on a 10year, but its just whether rates are as good in 5 years time ... anyone got a crystal ball?

will keep you posted!

N

gallygirl

Hope the shop went well and you got some bargains. I still remember the day I ran out of soap powder & Morrisons had no offers on :eek:_pale_:eek:

Nikfs

£93 this week - including lots of nappies that were on special, cleaning stuff on special, stocking up on stuff. This will also form the main part of next week as we're away at weekend - will only need fresh fruit & veg. Not bad!

N

Nikfs

Just reading through all your comments - thanks very much - & I am not sure where our £ is going re shopping - I dont throw stuff out, make stuff from leftovers, dont by much kid stuff - fruitpots & yogs (but only when on special offer) , eat mainly veggie, etc etc ... dont by biscuits, cakes, cook from scratch mainly .... but all these thoughts above are helping me - I think the meal planner is definitely key the problem is I write one, buy the stuff then dont stikc to it! But I use everything up in some variation. If I have stuff looking like its going to go off it gets made into a meal & put in the freezer, so nothing is wasted!! Arrgh! ! I too only buy nappies at under 12p each etc ... will keep trying! Pleased with this week's effort!

*Jellie*

Do you have big stockpiles of cleaning, stuff, toiletries, food etc? I find it useful to do a store cupboard challenge once in a while. I concentrate on using what I already have for the month and buy as little in as possible. This works for me anyway!