What everyday goods do you now consider a treat?

Gingernut12

We have shaved at least £30 per week off our food bill each week over the last 6 months or so. We keep to a routine and shop every Friday morning. Starting at the local market to get the fruit and veg, then to Aldi to get most of the other stuff. We do finish off at Tesco for a few bits and pieces, but whilst we are there we always take time to look at their 'bargain basement' shelf. We often find cuts of meat, packs of smoked mackerel etc, where the 'display by date' is due. We often get some good bargains and get them home and into the freezer asap.

These days we take a picnic out with us if we know that we are going to be hungry before we get home. We keep a cool bag for the purpose.

Chirpychick - if you have an Aldi near you, try out their toiletries, they are very good indeed for the price. Also, I use a 'scrunchy' (gathered net wash cloth) and this enables me to get a really good scrub with lots of lather, using only a small amount of gel.

My family have just rented an allotment, and we have a few fruit trees growing in the garden, so we are going to be saving even more in the months to come. Plus my brother, sister-in-law and husband will get some exercise.

This month I paid up my catalogue and store card and cancelled both accounts, so I am going to be better off there too. We also followed Martin Lewis's advice and changed our fuel suppliers to one with a fixed rate, so at least we know we are going to be safe from increases until September 2012!!

As for luxuries and treats, we used to eat out a lot more than we do now. It was lovely just being able to leave the table and all the dirty dishes behind, but eating at home more has certainly paid dividends, not just money wise, but our waistlines have benefited too. :rotfl:

GreyQueen

Ben84 wrote: »

Thanks for this. Unbreakable sounds good. I'd originally avoided the steel ones by assuming steel isn't a good insulator, but if they keep hot for a long time that's ok. I don't mind paying £20-30, because you're right that it will pay for itself fast in comparison to buying coffee out

I've had a stainless steel 1 litre Thermos flask for years and they are really good; when my 1-pint breakable Thermos finally gives up the ghost, I'll be replacing it with a steel one.

However, I think they are marginally less efficient than the glass-lined ones at heat retention, as the liquid has to give up a certain amount of it's thermal energy into the liner before it can retain the temperature. I get around this by "warming" the flask first with boiling water (which then goes into the washing up bowl) then adding my tea.

My elderly rellies who worked outside all day on the farm used to reckon that it was better to take 2 small flasks than one big one with the same capacity as they kept the heat better. HTH.

quintwins

has anyone tried growing there own cherries? just you all mentioned them (i don't like cherrys) nut my fil said he has loads of them growing in his garden so i think i'll pinch some for the kids, we also have pear and apple tree's and grape vines (there really bitter sow ere giving them to a relitive this year to make wine and hopefully we'll get some back )

value loo roll has even got expensive it's now cheaper to get 2 6 packs from poundland

beastly

We have largely ditched "packet" cat food- I buy chicken legs when they are on offer, roast them when the oven is on for other food, & freeze. Roughly £2.60/kg, so the equivalent of 26p for 100g sachet. However, there is less water & indigestible bone material in there, so the cats eat much less. DON'T feed the bones. I also buy raw fish when it is under £3 a kg, & freeze- I put the fish out whole & raw & frozen (gives them something to look forward to). Their teeth are in great shape with the work & low carbs. I also pick up any reduced offal (kidney, liver, heart), boil & mince, & freeze as free flow, as they need about a table spoon a week each for taurine.

Cat litter- try the chunky sawdust pellets sold for horses, much cheaper, & lighter. Kitty wee clean up- I keep a 10% solution of automatic washing machine liquid in a LABELLED sprayer, stops them re using the spot, where disinfectant encourages them.

Other cleaning, ditch expensive cleaners, put bleach in one hand sprayer (LABEL IT WELL!), and 20% white vinegar and a squirt of detergent in another. The former gets mould in bathrooms, & cleans grout, and can sanitize the overflows, the latter removes limescale, grease etc on mirrors, taps, chair arms etc. Put washing up liquid in an emptied hand liquid cleaner bottle- meters out the squirts far better than using the original nozzle...Labelled of course. Clean kettles, shower heads, irons with a teaspoon of citric acid in boiling water for 10 minutes, & rinse well.

Our F&C are nearer £8 here, a major treat, if we have worked very hard!

tenuissent

We have set up a weekly treat: coffee and a shared cake in the new coffee shop in our village. £4 or £5 a time. Normally we never buy drinks and sandwiches when we are out, but take drinks and a picnic on every journey (absolutely maddening that we can't do that on flights these days). But this has become a pleasant little ritual, and helps support the new coffee shop as well. Fruit is very expensive and for years I have been steadily buying fruit trees and bushes to put on my allotment: cherries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries, tayberries, currants in three colours, plum, damson and quince so far (I already had a huge old apple tree). They are all very easy to grow and I can barely believe the price of tiny little plastic packs on sale in shops.

OrkneyStar

chirpychick wrote: »

really struggling to buy deodorant! both hubby and i have very sensitive skin and use nivea as its the only thing that doesnt make us sore! if anyone has a cheaper alternative id be grateful!

My skin reacts to a lot of deodorants, even roll-on but I now use the Cien (Lidl range), the pink one smells nicest to me, and works well. About 70p/roll on tube! There is likely a mans version too, or even one of the other smells in the range (I think there might also be a perfume free one!).

OrkneyStar

mardatha wrote: »

Fat von, I'm n expert knitter ( only thing I've ever been an expert at lol so I like saying it!) and people will not pay the money, they expect everything for £2. Tried it once and soul destroying so wouldnt do it again.

I knit lots, and have been complimented on my items in the past, but agree with this. I have never tried to sell my own things but looking on ebay you see loads and loads and loads of hand-knitted stuff just not selling, or selling for very little. Decent wool is expensive and people expect to get the items for pennies, forgetting that someone also took the time to make the items. I am making socks for myself these days (aim never to buy any more) and also make gifts for people who I know will appreciate them! Knitting is also therapeutic and relaxing but some yarns are crazy prices these days!

Callisto

Books/DVDs/CDs - used to buy these new before discovering MSE. I now use Amazon vouchers I get from doing surveys and save them up to buy the occasional new item, or I buy second hand from Ebay/carboot sales/charity shops or borrow from library.

Driving round for 'fun' - used to love Saturday afternoon drives with OH. We now live in a semi rural village, so have to drive to the next town for everything (I'm not paying nearly £2 for a loaf from the village shop!), so I try and get everything done in one trip - bank/post office/library/food shopping/trawl round Wilkos and pound shops for cheaper toiletries etc! Only visit parents/grandparents once or twice a week now due to fuel costs. If we're going to a few carboots, we usually car share as my sister and parents go quite regularly.

Coffee and cake out happens once or twice a year now. I try and replicate the experience at home though! I bought a big jar of Douwe Egbert coffee when it was on offer in December, and have loads left as I only have a few cups a week (in my designated posh coffee cup!) and OH doesn't drink it. I buy cakes that are on offer or make my own muffins to have for a treat.

I only get my hair cut once or twice a year at £10 a time, hairdresser comes to house - two or more people makes it £10 each group rate, so we try and gather a few people who want their hair cutting at once!

Rummer

Magazines and books used to be my weakness and now I use my Tesco vouchers to get magazine subscriptions and I go weekly to my local library so I do not feel like I am missing out too much.

Thats_Me_3

Definatly books, I used to be on Amazon all the time but no more! Also, any branded stuff we see as a treat, I asked my daughter for Tresomme shampoo & conditioner and dove shower creme for Christmas last year, such a treat! But no bad thing, it has certainly made us appreciate what we have!