What everyday goods do you now consider a treat?

rachbc

I'm still clinging on to butter as I loath marge but the way prices are going I might have to find a spread I can bear to eat or give up toast!

Butterfly_Brain

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

The nearest chippy to my old flat charged £6.20 for cod and £7.50 for skate. Then another £1.30/£1.80 for chips.

They weren't even that big or particularly fresh, but there were no alternatives if someone wanted a takeaway. I generally didn't bother.

I think someone had a friend who worked for the award organisation that gave them a prize for several years running, as they always completely changed their food for the week of the judging.

That is the sort of prices we have to pay down here - extortionate :eek:

GreyQueen

Cheapskate wrote: »

I know what you mean - we're rather like this and often wonder why we're different from folk we know, some of whom are STILL spending like it's going out of fashion! Our mortgage is manageable, careful with gas/electricity, change suppliers for things when renewals due, I try to shop and cook smartly - all of this and more sometimes feels like a job/hobby in itself, trying to beat the firms at their own game etc., but I get wildly excited when I bag a proper bargain or manage to save money into the savings account! :rotfl::D

There's not much I miss, as such, as I've spent most of my life watching the pennies, but it would be nice to be able to go into good clothes or homeware stores and just buy the things I liked, instead of what we can afford or (more likely) not go in at all!

Fish and chips is about £3.70 for cod and small helping of chips, closer to £4 for regular chips, can be dearer in other parts of town; definitely a treat these days. 2 helpings is enough for me, DH, DS (4) and DD (1.5), that's with the smaller chips. If the kids are hungry we add our own bread and butter, or have afters!

A xo

Seconds to that; today's activities will involve timing a special trip to a Mr M.which is not part of my regular routine which has a few things I want, to fit in with their "Whoopsie Time" in hopes that I'll score. Tracking a lot of prices in my head for things I buy so that I can know in a second what's bargainous, average, slightly steep or extortionate. Far too much of the latter around IMO.

Planning ahead for birthdays and C*ristm*s so that good gifts at good prices are made/ purchased. Keeping an eye on household stocks and monitoring condition of essential work clothes to keep them going as long as possible.

Lots of little grey cells in my brain getting a workout everyday and I almost skip out of a shop if I've scored some bargains as if I've won a prize; said prize being to live as well as possible on as little as possible. Am I sad or am I sad?! :rotfl:

goodgirl80

I tried to post another thread following on from this but I lost it so I was just musing - cutting everything back to essentials - what would you need to spend? I estimated about £400 a month for me and my OH. Cheapest rental place (+council tax, hot water) near work, and 2000 calories per day of food each. What else do you need?

Butterfly_Brain

We are lucky we have a sweet cherry tree and a pear tree in our garden
We grow our own raspberries (again horrendous prices in the shops), strawberries, damsons, goosegogs and I may start doing redcurrants and maybe start growing an apple tree next year (MIL has one in her garden so I get them from her, but it would be nice to have our own) we go blackberrying every summer and try and find some filberts before the squirrels do.
What I don't use I freeze. In fact I have just used the last of the cherries from last year.

I agree with everyone about the price of butter :mad: I got some coupons for benecol last week and it is ok, but I wouldn't pay the extortionate price (£3.34 :eek:) of it normally but I got a coupon for a free one and being OS I couldn't turn it down and I use it for baking but I prefer butter (Aldi have one for 98p so I have been buying that) .

I keep looking for reduced cream so that I can make my own.

Butterfly_Brain

goodgirl80 wrote: »

I tried to post another thread following on from this but I lost it so I was just musing - cutting everything back to essentials - what would you need to spend? I estimated about £400 a month for me and my OH. Cheapest rental place (+council tax, hot water) near work, and 2000 calories per day of food each. What else do you need?

That's cheap.. our council tax for a one bed flat in this area is £1,400 a year ( £140 pm) And you can't rent for less than £400 pm and that is a studio flat.

Cheapskate

GreyQueen wrote: »

Seconds to that; today's activities will involve timing a special trip to a Mr M.which is not part of my regular routine which has a few things I want, to fit in with their "Whoopsie Time" in hopes that I'll score. Tracking a lot of prices in my head for things I buy so that I can know in a second what's bargainous, average, slightly steep or extortionate. Far too much of the latter around IMO.

Planning ahead for birthdays and C*ristm*s so that good gifts at good prices are made/ purchased. Keeping an eye on household stocks and monitoring condition of essential work clothes to keep them going as long as possible.

Lots of little grey cells in my brain getting a workout everyday and I almost skip out of a shop if I've scored some bargains as if I've won a prize; said prize being to live as well as possible on as little as possible. Am I sad or am I sad?! :rotfl:

Well, if you are I'm joining in - we can be sad and slightly mad together, hun! :rotfl: *insert mad giggle!* Think you're of a similar age and childhood experience as me, so we've a little in common as far as being frugal is concerned - hate spending money unnecessarily, want value for money, never had much of the stuff, etc.!!

For a treat, I bought some choc caramel wafers the other day, the ones made by a well-known Scottish firm. A 4-pack was 75 pence, an 8-pack £1.55, so obviously I bought 2 x 4. Lady next to me said something and I explained the maths involved (!) and you could see the penny drop - said she'd not realised! Lots of things seem to be priced like this at the mo - bit sneaky, but if you're daft enough to carry on buying a bigger pack without checking the price, then more fool you!

jamsandwhich

When I first started reading I thought 'Oh dear, I am far too frivilous' as I still buy any food I want to as we are a very foody family - I am a bit if a tinker for my Saturday night Fillet steak and chips but our fave cut of roast beef is brisket so guess it evens out. I still spend quite a bit on food but shop around and buy when on offer etc.

Household stuff I buy when on offer - just been to Makro to stock up on looroll - velvet 18 pack £7.50 bogof - just can't make myself buy cheap looroll!

I had my hair cut and paid for it for the first time in three years last month - had only had it done twice before and they were mystery shops:D Clothes - I have only spent about £100 on myself in the last six months and they were essentials but if the girls need stuff then they have to have it - my wardrobe is dire though and I really need some new stuff!

We used to like to eat out which has completely stopped and we rarely have takeaways - fish and chips are also expensive round here at nearly £6.

goodgirl80

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

That's cheap.. our council tax for a one bed flat in this area is £1,400 a year ( £140 pm) And you can't rent for less than £400 pm and that is a studio flat.

I've probably underestimated

elona

I went to Mr S yesterday afternoon and got YS trout fillets, pork chops, fancy stuffed belly pork (the irony) to put in freezer and a lot of cauli and broccoli at a third of the price . I make a special visit now just to look for items to put into freezer at half price or pref a third of the price.

Find myself smuggling in the yellow stickered stuff to freezer in garage so DDs don't see it. Have learned never to tell them how good a bargain I got especially on shower gels, shampoos etc as they then look down their nose at it.

The veg will make a cheesy bake for lunch or a veggie dish for tea and going to use Lidl half price chicken tonight for a huge lasagne with mushrooms, onions and peppers to bulk it out and a home made cheese sauce on top. DH has managed to grow some lettuce leaves in the garden and can't wait for potatoes to be ready.

I managed to get a lot of pasta and noodles from approved food website and saved a load of money by stacking up basics of canned and dried food when they had stuff I really wanted and could use.

With five adults in the house (three daughters) we get through a lot of food, shampoo, soap powder etc so I grab anything on offer and hide it away.

Did you know Sainsbury do basic fairtrade tea bags at about 29 pence for 80? I have been filling the tea caddy with them for ages now and no one has complained;)