Hard Times: How to cope with everyday living.

Cheapskate

This is a really useful thread - love some of the ideas! Some I do already, but so many more to implement - thanks everyone for sharing! :beer:

• I've finally bought my first SC, have used it only a few times in 2 weeks, but love it to bits! Got a SC book from the library, new, only 2nd person to have it, have bored DH to tears with recipes I've read out from it! I asked my butcher about getting rabbit and he's gone to the trouble of sourcing some British ones (he usually gets frozen Chinese ones!:eek:) for well under £5 each - looking forward to SC rabbit stew! :j
• About 20-25% of my shopping is value/basics stuff, this is work in progress although the rest of the shopping still isn't branded.
• 80-90% of our meals are cooked from scratch - the rest includes some ready-made things like fish fingers, sausages, fish in breadcrumbs, etc.
• Hardly buy any biscuits, bake at least once a week for pack-ups, suppers, etc.
• Have had a new boiler and rads recently - OK it was a big bill, but as the heating is now super-efficient it will save money over the year.
• I haunt charity shops more than ever - some of the staff know me by sight now! :rotfl: I have, however, got clothes for the kids from M&S, Next, John Rocha, and other "names" for so little, plus nice little dishes and things that I can use as containers for home made presents.

DH laughs at my £2 savings jar, but I've had the last laugh because during this year it's "paid" for bills, treats out, emergency shopping when I can't get to the bank, etc. :rotfl:

A xo

katieowl_2

They laugh at my saving jar too...but last time I looked my 'dragons and leeks' £1 coin jar had nearly £70 in it. I check my purse when I get in or before I go shopping again, and dump all the coppers and 5p's in another jar too. I usually cash it up for Xmas to buy a few treats.

Mind you I bought a £7.95 pack of smoked salmon whoopsied for £3.something last night and I've bunged that in the freezer for Xmas too.

Your idea of looking for containers for foods in charity shops is brilliant, I think I might start doing that if you don't mind me pinching your idea. We don't give a lot of pressies any more, but if I do they are usually home made.

We've been doing this 'times is 'ard' thing for many years, and even we are noticing the difference. I'm also noticing a LOT more people watching their pennies, which in the greater scheme of things has to be good?

Kate

nannygladys

Just want to say its a brilliant thread and I have picked up some good ideas. Im off the the library tomorrow to have a look at some DIY and sewing books!! Also we have local night school so I think I will enquire about sewing courses.

I also do many of the things already mentioned, and have shopped using basics, cooking from scratch etc, I find it useful to use a menu planner for four weeks at a time (im paid every 4 weeks) and batch cook different meals then freeze them, I usually end up with about 20 freezer meals and for the rest I use fish, fish fingers, sausages, eggs, burgers etc. it works for me and I have being do it for a few months now. (theres only me at home now)

Another thing I do is only take the money I need that day to work, cos I find it very easy to buy magazines or something I fancy at that moment in time!!! I have reecently started taking a flask to work, I know it sounds mad and only saves about £2 a week but with that I can still buy my monthly x-stitch mags and it also stops me buying the awful coffee that comes out of the machine, Im afraid coffee is my one downfall and I wont comprimise on the brand I still buy but I treat it as my one pressie to myself, so I dont feel deprived - well thats my logic

Will be coming on here regularly cos its full of good tips

Jxx

Hantsgal

i am loving all these threads and the tips im picking up from people are wonderful. I am dreading the winter here as i live in a rented house with no heating accept an open fire in the lounge. I am going to start looking round charity shops for more blankets and thicker curtains for the windows which dont keep any heat in at all. There was another thread where someone talked about dying their own clothes so that made me realise that even if the colours or patterns of the blankets or curtains are not to my taste but thick and warm i should simply take them home and dye them.

I also purchased larger sized hot water bottles last christmas for me and my two children and know they will be used daily/nightly here.

So many tips and ideas from people i think i should actually keep a notebook next to my lappy

rising_from_the_ashes

Hantsgal - I have a word doc on my laptop that I copy really good ideas/tips into....

There's now so many, I've grouped them into different headings so I can find things easily but it seems to work. HTH

Austin_Allegro

Here's some stuff from me. I've been:

1. Cutting hair with clippers (grade two all over) either doing it myself or getting fiancee to help.

2. If my one-month valid travelcard runs out I don't just buy a new one straight away, I wait until I actually need it (and try to cycle etc to put off the day that I do need it).

3. I live abroad, but will be back in the UK for Christmas. So as to avoid the ridiculous £50-something charge to take a case on the plane, I am buying all my pressies online (only things that have low or free postage) and sending them to my London address, or buying things like gift vouchers.

4. When visiting the UK, when going to pubs I choose carefully in advance which I go to. I use websites like beerintheevening.com to check which pubs do special offers, eg Wetherspoons, Samuel Smiths and Nicholsons tend to have cheap beer.

Hantsgal

Ah thank you, why didnt i think of that, i just hope my old lappy can handle having word open as well as being on the internet, it doesnt like to multi task to much but i will give that ago, thanks again

grandma247

nannygladys your £2 saving is £104 over a year. What could you do with that?

Bitsy_Beans

kippers wrote: »

1 tablespoon of bi-carb mixed well with 1 cup of water.

It isn't soapy and feels just like you are rubbing in water. I rinse well and repeat and it's cheap and natural..it's the first time in years my hair is clean without the shampoo aggrevating my excema on my head. #

My whole family use it now and it has also helped clear my dh's dandruff (i swear the anti-dandruff shampoos add to the problem instead of help).

This came from the Down to Earth Blog, (i am her number one fan):

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/

Where do you get your bicarb from? the places I can get it is in the baking aisle which quite frankly is more than I pay for ordinary shampoo :eek:

DebtFree2012 wrote: »

I was thinking about trying this but I have long coloured hair and it looks out of condition easily. Do you use a conditioner or can you reccomend a natural one? Thanks in advance.

This thread makes me realise how far I have come, still a way to go but thank you for your answers to the OP. I am going to have a think about where I was and where I am.

You can use Coconut oil, I find it best to wet hair, apply it and sleep on it. You'll need lots of hot water to wash it out.

margaretclare

Have only recently realised that the reason people are complaining of the high cost of food is if they live mainly on processed food. A man we see most days is always complaining of the cost of fish and chips, which he seems to eat pretty often. Any processed or pre-made food will have 20% VAT added to it. Fresh food does not. We live mainly on fresh foods which we cook ourselves. We never buy takeaways, pizzas, 'junk foods', ready-meals or anything like that. We live well and economically.