What everyday goods do you now consider a treat?

elona

jamsandwich

You could have a look at catalogue or charity shops for adult outfits in a material you like and then turn that into a child's top, dress, skirt etc. When my twins were small I used to get remnants of material from a mill shop online and sew into a dress for them from a pattern I got from prima magazine.

Spike

I used to get a huge turkey thigh, cook it in slow cooker, strip the meat off the bone and use it for curry, chicken pancakes etc. It used to be about £1.40 for a turkey thigh and now our local MrS only sells the herby prepared ones for about £3! I got loads of mince and froze it a few days ago- lamb mince for kofta kebabs, turkey for home made burgers and beef for huge tray of lasagne that feeds at least six people.

dandy-candy

elona wrote: »

quintwins and dandy-candy

Did you know Wyndsors world of shoes have a website and sell online?

I got some winter boots delivered last year as the snow was so bad I did not want to go out.

I also find some good bargains at amazon on shoes, boots and bags and sometimes even get free postage as well. I even found some as a surprise pressie for my DD and she really liked them so not everything that is a bargain has to be fuddy duddy.

Thank you for these! I didn't know Amazon did footwear and I haven't heard of the other website - off to check them out

OrkneyStar

I find am eating less these days, partly toothache (been to dentist but have temporary measure just now to see if it works!), and partly as food is so darn expensive! Don't get me wrong, we don't starve, but we certainly make the most of what we have. DS (nearly 4) goes through crazy amounts of milk but am finding the Cravendale, when on offer, works out cheaper than local (Orkney) milk. Lidl milk is cheap but have had bad experiences with cartons being flimsy and bursting :mad:. DH and I have a tiny treat balance (well me and DS share) but am finding we often buy nice fruit or chocolate as a treat, as we don't buy it so much on main shop! I hail from the home of Tunnocks, so my mum sometimes sends us Caramel Wafers/Logs as a treat, which is great. I bought one box of the Teacakes a while back....still sitting in cupboard for when we have a really bad day lol! I also scour for whoopsies/offers but these are harder to come by/crap more often that not these days. Local eggs Or Coop basic free range ones are fine, cheaper than the fancy packaged ones, but I won't use caged. I agree also about butter- crazy prices and we do resort to marge when we need to!
Still we are alive, we are fed, and we are probably healthier!
Clothing is treats on holiday or second hand (or presents from mum for DS!).

spike7451

elona wrote: »

jamsandwich

You could have a look at catalogue or charity shops for adult outfits in a material you like and then turn that into a child's top, dress, skirt etc. When my twins were small I used to get remnants of material from a mill shop online and sew into a dress for them from a pattern I got from prima magazine.

Spike

I used to get a huge turkey thigh, cook it in slow cooker, strip the meat off the bone and use it for curry, chicken pancakes etc. It used to be about £1.40 for a turkey thigh and now our local MrS only sells the herby prepared ones for about £3! I got loads of mince and froze it a few days ago- lamb mince for kofta kebabs, turkey for home made burgers and beef for huge tray of lasagne that feeds at least six people.

Jeez..I forgot about them.Asda still do them for around £1.50 ish...Always remember when my Dad came to visit me at RAF Kinloss,I took him to the mess for dinner & he immidiatly went for the thigh! He sat there at the table like a caveman!lol

Grapes! I used to but a bunch of them & bung half a dozen or so in my lunch box,now they are over £2 a bag,same for satsumas as well..
Marmite & Bovril are now well over £2 for a small jar.
Funny how things that are good for you are as dear as hell yet stuff that isn't is cheap as ,was gonna say chips there for a mo!lol
As to cola,I drink the Spar's basic's for 35p a bottle.I simply cannot see how the main brands can justify their prices.

CH27

I've swapped to Willow butter.
It's £1.20 for 2 packs in Iceland at the moment.

elona

dandy

I mis spelled the site - it is Wynsors World of Shoes. They have some special offers on the site just now but not a huge sale yet.

GreyQueen

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?

Hi hun, that seems awful low to me. My costs for rent and council tax (council rent on a teeny 1 bed flat and Band A tax with 25% single occupancy discount works out at £321.26 p.c.m. On top of that I have to find heating, gas, electric, water, contents insurance. Plus most people have a TV and the license will work out about £12 a month. Then there's internet, a landline if you have one, mobile(s), food, cleaning supplies inc t.p, basic toiletries, prescription meds and OTC meds, and clothing and footwear x 2. No matter how thrifty you are, these things do wear out over time. Also, there are unpredicatable expenditures and transport is a kicker; if you don't have a car you'll probably have some journeys you can't do by foot or pushbike and this will involve costs.

Furniture and basic appliances also wear out and you need to factor in repairs and eventually replacements.

I'd think for 2 people living together in a 1 bedroom flat you'd need to be looking at £600-£700 p.c.m as a bare bones minimum to sustain yourself, but it's hard to say for sure as I can't know your exact costs-of-living.

Nicoll

Driving about is now a luxury. We often used to go out for a drive about the countryside on a weekend but now can't bear the thought of all that wasted fuel

On the upside at least I'm more environmentally friendly not wasting fuel

anguk

The price of butter is my biggest bugbear, I try to buy it when it's on offer and freeze it.

I'm sort of lucky in that we live in quite a poor area so we have plenty of cheap shops. We've got a "approved food" type shop in the next town that has lots of good bargains and also at the local market twice a week there's a big stall that sells near-to-date or "didn't pass quality control" things so I'm able to pick up treats like sweets & crisps quite cheaply (creme eggs 6 for £1, walkers crinkles 8 for £1, 2 packs of French Fancies minus the box for £1 etc). We also have a catalogue clearance shop, poundstretcher & Store 21 nearby.

Eating out is quite cheap too, there's quite a few cafes where you can get a dinner & pud for about £3.50 (always packed with pensioners), fish & chips is less than £5 and you can buy a small bag of chips. Our local chinese does a kids meal where you get rice, spring rolls or chicken balls with sauce for £3.50 and it's more than enough for an adult. Even the local Indian takeaway does a cheapish deal, mixed kebab starter, chicken tikka massala, lamb bhuna, keema pilau, keema nan, popadoms, raita & salad for £11. It's supposed to be for 2 but you could easily feed 3 maybe 4.

It's what I would call basic things that are making us struggle, petrol, gas & electric, flour, butter, pasta, meat etc. It's getting to the point where it would almost be cheaper for us to live on cheap booze & ready meals! :eek:

copperboom_2

Reading this thread with interest - I would say my biggest treats are toiletries and makeup. When I think about how often I used to buy them and how much I used to spend, I cringe. I make my own face wash out of olive oil and sugar, toner out of lemon juice and mask out of honey, cinnamon and nutmeg nowadays, and my skin has never been clearer. Makeup is only ever bought when it's completely run out and I only ever buy the basics - no more fancy colours for me! I admit I still spend quite a lot on shampoo and conditioner, but I use the tiniest bit for each wash, about twice a week, and hairspray is strictly basics. It still seems a lot when people are struggling to buy food and fuel but it's a dramatic cut down from previous years!

Just as a note, Waitrose own brand butter is £1.04 for a small block or I think about £1.50 for a big one... seems a lot cheaper than some of the prices you guys have been quoting so might be worth a look!