Oh **** It's all gone pear shaped!

randomer

I am so rubbish with money,budgeting the whole thing. I've been doing massive expensive food shops because I just got sick of scrimping.

Christmas is coming.....stress money the whole package.:eek:

Don't know what I want really some sort of help I guess.

Penelope_Penguin

randomer wrote: »

I am so rubbish with money,budgeting the whole thing. I've been doing massive expensive food shops because I just got sick of scrimping.

Christmas is coming.....stress money the whole package.:eek:

Don't know what I want really some sort of help I guess.

Have you tried the Grocery Challenge (sticky at the top of page 1 of OS ). There are lots of tips on there and it's really supportive :T

Bitsy_Beans

OK sit down and make a list of who you have to buy for and the budget you can AFFORD not what you'd like to spend.
Then you need to work out what food you have in stock and the meals you can make from this so that you can avoid spending more than you.

Why do you feel like you're scrimping? Were you previously trying to cut back too much? Do you not like the foods you were previously preparing. It's important to address why you rebelled against your "scrimping" otherwise you'll be back to square one.

funkymonkey849

Try and find a happy medium instead of going from one extreme to the other.

If you're sick of scrimping then when you go shopping treat yourself to ingredients for a special homemade cake, or a fancy product that you might not normally buy. Even a bar of chocolate only costs £1 and gives you a little pick me up, make sure to hide it in your knicker drawer to stop the OH finding it

That way you only spend a few extra quid instead of breaking the bank.

When I do the meal plan I think of it as a trade off - if I fancy something a bit more extravagent I try and cut back somewhere else to keep the balance. So I might buy some puff pastry for a special weekend dinner, but then on Monday we'll have beans on toast for tea to keep the balance. You won't really mind though cos you'll have had something special over the weekend.

Hope this helps

randomer

I suppose we are quite stressed and busy as a family and I think it's important to eat well.

I know I know.....you can do this economically but as we can't afford much else I just sort of rebelled and have done a couple of big expensive shops.

I am working and partner works shifts,kids are in and out so meals are quite hard going at the best of times.

I know I could be more economical and that would go towards something good e.g. I need clothes/shoes but I just sort of lost heart.:o

nimbo

we all loose the thread of OS sometimes - it might be worth looking on Ebay and charity in the new year if you can affors a few pounds, as poeple will have gotten rid of brand new clothes to make room for the stuff the got/bought at chrimbo...

it can be difficult to keep to strict lists at the supermarket - but like people have said treat yourself sometimes, and then have a tea on toast night...

[Deleted User]

OK sit down with a nice cuppa and take a deep breath, nothing is insurmountable, its just a blip and we all have them.Pop over to the Grocery Challenge board its not a competition its a jolly good support board for those times when you think everythings gone pear-shaped.We are all there to give you a helping hand and we definetly don't bite
Cheers JackieO xx
P.S. once upon a time many moons ago I was so brassic I had to count how many slices of bread I had to last us till pay day now that really was a 'Oh *** day believe me

Bitsy_Beans

randomer wrote: »

I suppose we are quite stressed and busy as a family and I think it's important to eat well.

I know I know.....you can do this economically but as we can't afford much else I just sort of rebelled and have done a couple of big expensive shops.

I am working and partner works shifts,kids are in and out so meals are quite hard going at the best of times.

I know I could be more economical and that would go towards something good e.g. I need clothes/shoes but I just sort of lost heart.:o

that's OK, especially if you feel pressed for time and stressed about it.
What realistically can you fit in to your lifestyle going forward? the big shop that you've done last couple of times what was it that you bought that you shouldn't have?
Is it feasible for you to set aside a weekend to do some batch cooking and freeze stuff into family portions so you can defrost it like a ready meal?
Do you own a slow cooker? Is it the thought of doing stuff like baking from scratch that puts you off?
I tend to view certain jobs as time consuming but you know when you actually time it it's never takes as long as I thought it did

Sorry for the 20 questions, just trying to ascertain where the best place is to help you.

foxgloves

Living within our means isn't scrimping, it's just common sense, especially with the economy & jobs being so fragile at the moment. A few years ago I wouldn't have thought I'd ever have written that as I used to be pretty dreadful with spending. I've cut what I spend at Christmas massively, but I don't think anyone has noticed because I now tend to put more thought & effort into what I get for presents. If I can manage to stay within my limits this January, it'll be the 3rd year running I haven't started the new year in big debt from Christmas. I think you've just had a blip. We all have them. Don't beat yourself up, just have a think about where you can cut back but still allow you & your family a few treats, then over a nice drink & bar of choc, sit & think about what your Christmas budget is. Don't go mad, start looking for things now to give you time to shop around. It's not always the expensive presents that go down best. i.e Last year, I bought an inexpensive handbag for my Mum (v. nice but only from the market) & filled it with lots of tiny individually wrapped pressies. She spent ages unwrapping everything & really liked it. I used to spend 3 or 4 times as much & get so overdrawn it was just ridiculous. You do sometimes get a pang when you see what other people are buying in the shops, but for all we know, they could be racking up big debt themselves so I'm going to do my thing & enjoy feeling a lot more in control than I used to. Best wishes x

Seakay

One of the ways that I pacify my spending urge is to use it to stock up the present box throughout the year.
I have a box in the attic (used to be a spare drawer) in which I keep items bought for presents. It means that if you have a day out, visit a market, go on holiday etc you can go spending without guilt, plus it spreads the expense of Christmas etc.
If you like spending on food then stick with your budget for day to day eating but allow yourself a splurge to order the ham/turkey/tin of biscuits or whatever ready for Christmas.

bluebag

I have a small bit of money each month.

It's just for me.
Sometimes I spend it, sometimes I don't.

I need it, just in case the lunaticaspendalotIdonthave monster should surprise me.