It's not going to be easy.....

whiteguineapig

hi mrs pp
there is an ebay board on mse and the people on there are very helpful if you get stuck
i rarely sell things as pick up in person as you are limiting yourself to selling to people in your own area , if you post you can sell to the whole of the uk lol (and beyond if you want but i stick to the uk)

YORKSHIRELASS

Just wanted to say hi and well done on the progress so far.

It does take time to make changes (well it took me about a year to get to grips with it properly!) so dont be too hard on yourself if you slip up. In fact you will occasionally slip up all the way along so just keep plodding on and dont loose that determination - you will get there!

I allow £280 for food shopping for 2 adults and 2 kids. This includes one adult who works outside doing a manual job and has a big appetite, an 11 year old who is always hungry and another child who has medical problems. I have experimented over the years and this figure is about right for us but I could squeeze it down if I had to.

Keeping proper financial records made me change my ways. You have got to know exactly where you are and keep a very close eye on it which becomes less scary over time! Good luck.

MrsPennyPot

Morning!!

Its a new money saving today - although I have already spent money on a bit of food and a birthday present for my DD's little friend!! Ho hum!!:D

Won't have much time to dedicate to the debt busting today -

but can I ask.....Quidco offer...Ocado first shop - spend £90 get for £60! £15 off with voucher and £15 cashback. I personally think this seems quite good but would be interested to know what the more experienced money savers on here think??

Mrs PP. x

FireWyrm

That's ok for your 'first' shop but it's not a long term solution as we've discussed. Anything that saves you money is a good thing, but beware the sprat to catch the mackrell...

Question, is everything on your list of things to buy truly necessary? May I suggest you go back over every item and verify that you really truly need it. We all just grab stuff of shelves without really thinking about it, either because we've always bought it, or it 'seems' like a good offer, but bear in mind, the supermarket is making money for their shareholders, not in the business of providing you with a good deal.

MrsPennyPot

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!! Sadly, I have work tomorrow which I'm not looking forward to but will stop any money spending from going on!!:rotfl:

Have taken a few "baby" steps this week, managed to get my 3 meals for 4 out of one chicken!! Never done it before but actually really easy with a little no how. Thanks Firewyrm.:T

Also bought a project book with 3 sections, one for meal plans and shopping lists, one for spending diary and one for budget...progress of debt reducing.

Anyway, just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has provided advice so far and now its time for the hard work.:)

Mrs PP. x

FireWyrm

MrsPennyPot wrote: »

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!! Sadly, I have work tomorrow which I'm not looking forward to but will stop any money spending from going on!!:rotfl:

Have taken a few "baby" steps this week, managed to get my 3 meals for 4 out of one chicken!! Never done it before but actually really easy with a little no how. Thanks Firewyrm.:T

Also bought a project book with 3 sections, one for meal plans and shopping lists, one for spending diary and one for budget...progress of debt reducing.

Anyway, just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has provided advice so far and now its time for the hard work.:)

Mrs PP. x

You're welcome. May I suggest Delia Smiths Frigal Food book...it has lots of great ideas. It was originally written back in the early 80s, but it is still relevant today. I aquired a copy a few months ago from Amazon so I know you can get it.

With regard to making stuff go further, remember, you can substitute half your meat for vegetables and not be under nourished. Investigate pulses and slow stews. With a slow cooker, even the worst scag end piece of meat turns into tender loin after a few hours. Pizza is quick easy and cheap. I've just done two large fully loaded pizzas for dinner tonight and I don't think I paid more than £4.50 total. There was enough pizza for all and some left for breakfast tomorrow. Use your labour saving devices so if you have a bread maker tucked somewhere or you get given one, don't throw it away...dough for pizza and daily fresh bread and rolls is a staple of our diet.

Find the local Chinese cash and carry...you can buy lots of thing far more cheaply than in a supermarket. Yes, allot is in Chinese, but don't be afraid to ask someone for a translation. The proof of a good shop is whether there are natives walking around who don't seem to be working there. Our local one is always full of local Chinese people, so I take that as a good sign. Most are also incredibly helpful and I've learned more about Chinese traditional cooking from random people in the shop than I have from books.

Chin up...you'll get there. It's about changing lifestyles as much as changing lives.

saterkey

Hi well done on your tackling your situation. Just a thought i searched the house the other day for gold and a small sovereign and some chain links off a watch netted me £100, might be worth seeing if you have anything of value you dont need anymore to pay off your smaller debts.

Sepa74

Hi Mrs Penny,

I'm a voyeur from the MFW board, but enjoyed your positivity. Keep it up! I'm sure you will succeed.

I just wanted to add to Firewyrm's comments about adding veggies to meat... when I make shepherd's pie or spag bol I always add a grated carrot and a tin of kidney beans to pad out the meat. Tasty and cheap! In winter I eat lots of soup with tins of beans added to pad them out, and in summer I make lovely salads with either cous cous as a base or barley - which is nicely al dente.