Now and Then:- 28 Feb - 6 March

needmoney

Now

Shop at cheaper places

Lidl more often instead of tesco

Primark for clothes etc rather than M&s Debenhams Next Wallis

Really try to use all left overs instead of merrily binning everything

Search out the offers, don’t get much luck with coupons but do use them now instead of just throwing away.

Yeaterday’s shopping trip

Present of D&G perfume with freegift (lovely)

New top in Primark £6

also Primark Pretty little bracelet £1!! Got a gift of bracelet from Wallis and it fell apart after three wearings and I know it cost loads more than £1.

Signed for M&S card (won’t use except to get free mag which I would never pay for but like to see) and got £10 to spend on wine chocs flowers in the old days I would have just said No hanks don’t want card.

Bought quite a few birthday presents in Boots beforetime! Unknown for me it’s always last minute.

Using fewer cleaning products although I haven’t tried the vinegar

Changed gas a elec suppliers after resisting for years

Saved money on car and hone insurance got tips from this site.

Really enjoy reading all the ideas and what other peole do, thanks all.

Queenie

Wow, needmoney - sounds like you're doing GREAT! Keep up the good work ... and thanks for the reminder that Primark exists; I'd forgotten they sometimes have a bargain worth having!

moggins

Primark certainly do have bargains worth having, I'm very lucky because my daughter works there and she's always telling me when the new things are coming in.

I buy all the kids clothes from there as with a 3 year old she's grows out of them faster than she can wear them out and the 11 year old boy is so hard on his clothes that even the best stuff never lasts 5 minutes.

I also bought myself a cashmere/wool blend winter coat which cost £30, it would have cost well over £100 anywhere else and I picked up one of those snuggle sacks (like a fleecy sleeping bag thing) reduced to £2.

As for socks, I swear my son eats them but at least I can pick up 4 pairs for £2 there.

needmoney

Not as great as I should be Queenie, still need to cut down more to eek out my savings which are going at an alarming rate. Don’t ever forget about Primark cos like Lidl and other cheaper places I think Primark have hit the bigger places for six. I buy things from there thinking Oh well I don’t need things to last forever they go out of fashion anyway, BUT I often find they wear very well, as good as things you’d pay top price for. I have a laugh sometimes when wearing something from there and someone says they like it I’ll say it cost me some ridiculous price and they believe it. Then I’ll say nah it was a fiver in Primark and they’ll say Yeah and won’t believe it till they shop there themselves and then they are hooked.

Moggins I bought a wool coat there for £50 in 1998 and I am still wearing it and a pair of shoes I bought for £10 are going strong and they are favoured over £40 ones in the wardrobe.

fazer6

I bought my friend who works in London a primark handbag for £2.50. She loves it and so does her boss who's quite classy. They are absolutly brilliant for bags and they're all dirt cheap. Have you tried their y-front type knickers? They're the comfiest big knickers around and really cheap.

It's just a shame that there's no primark where I live.

Pooky

This week ....

Went round and watered down all the shampoos and conditioners and crossed them all off my shopping list!!

Cooked enough dinner yesterday so that there was enough for us all to have left overs tonight.

Shopped for fruit and veg in the market rather than buying it all prepacked.

Saved all my glass jars, washed them and soaked the lables off ready to make some nice home made gifts for xmas.

Swapped gas and electricity suppliers - they say they are going to save me £120 a year!!

Started to save all the envelopes that come in the junk mail for sending kids school notes in with....26 envelopes in one week -- can't belive i'd just been throwing them away!!

Made fishcakes from a recipe on here and made pudding from scratch yesterday rather than buying shop brought.

Sent of for some freebies from avery and the like and they've already started coming in!!

Had homemade cards from the kids for mothers day and home made "promise" vouchers instead of a pressie.

Walked the kids to school.(ok so it's only a 10 min walk but it's a start)

Spent a lot longer browsing these boards and getting some usefull tips!!


Last week.....

Spent far to long on ebay buying yet more stuff I don't reall need.

Spent far to much in the supermarket.

Got bored half way through the week and had takeaway just because everything was in the freezer and I basically couldn't be arsed!

Threw all the junk mail straight in the recycling box rather than sort it.

Threw all my glass jars in the recycling box rather than wash and use them again.

Let hubby drive the kids to school.


I'm feeling almost virtuous!!!

needmoney

Y FRONT BIG KNICKERS?????? Haven't seen those.

I wear thongs and now it's changing to those silly little low knicker things.

Agree about the bags though I have enough but I usually can't resist just one more!! and at 2 quid so what;)

needmoney

Huge big Sigh

I love all this money saving etc. but just for once wouldn't we all love to go shopping and say OH I'll have that for me and that for my loved ones just cos they'd love it and not even have to think of the price, in my dreams yeah.

WARNING TO ALL YOU YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL WORKING.

If you are feeling rich take care of your money now plan ahead cos you just might live long enough to be poor:( and if you can't do that enjoy enjoy enjoy:D

Sarahsaver

I suppose the biggest change for me is telling people what I do at home to save money, and not being embarassed by it! In fact if even one person has managed to save a fiver a week by anything i've suggested then Its all been worth it.
I have stopped buying groceries online and started doing the shopping with a weekly £20 in a purse.
I have started writing a weekly menu.

Galtizz

Pooky wrote:

Started to save all the envelopes that come in the junk mail for sending kids school notes in with....26 envelopes in one week -- can't belive i'd just been throwing them away!!

If you are getting more envelopes than you need, don't forget to register with the mail preference service see here:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1107172361,61876,