Please can u help me

mummybearx

fairyface wrote: »

Re: the vouchers, do the supermarkets still take the ones you print off at home, I heard they stopped this?

I've never had a problem with any vouchers being accepted. Almost every voucher I use I print off myself (at work lol)

I know that some shops ie Ald1 and L1dl don't accept vouchers, but the big 4 do. I have heard about some people being told they can't use vouchers, but personally I have never had a problem x

bargainbetty

Following on from GreenQueen, if you really can't manage one completely veggie meal, learn to 'pad' meat dishes.

If you usually use one pack of mince to make a Shepherds Pie, use half the usual amount and put in extra veggies and lentils. Make two pies, freeze one, and you've just halved the budget for a meal.

Good luck

PipneyJane

Hi Fairyface.

I've found five things help me a lot to keep on top of my money:-

1. Writing down everything that I spend and adding it up as I go. (Actually, I do it in reverse order. I give myself an allowance and deduct my spending so that I can see at a glance what is left.) Nothing keeps me honest like knowing I only have £x left to last me until pay-day. I currently use a page in my Filofax, but in the past I've used a spiral bound notebook. A sheet of lined paper is just as good (and cheaper).
2. Not shopping or going near the shops. I only do one big grocery shop a month and shop to stock up my freezer and my pantry, since we tend to use the same ingredients a lot of the time. We eat a hugely varied diet, but it's 99% prepared from scratch. Also, I have stopped being a recreational shopper.
3. Planning. (Can't get away from it, I'm sorry.) Not jut meal planning to work out what to do with your ingredients, but planning in advance to ensure you've always got something to take to work for lunch. Or a cold drink and snack for the football. And that you've got something to eat on the way to "that meeting tonight*", the one where you can't go home first and won't get home until 10pm after it.
4. Time outs. When I've got a really bad attack of the "I wants it", I force myself to walk away for a few minutes. This usually strikes when I'm browsing on-line for something, so I'll leave my computer and go make a coffee. Sometimes, I'll spend 10 minutes browsing the whatevers-that-I-already-own and decide I don't need anything else. I also keep a list of things that I really want that I've decided to save up to buy - I'll add the item to the list and tell myself I can buy it on pay day - by then, I've usually forgetten why it was that I wanted xxx and it no longer attracts me.
5. Pay the debt first. Every payday, I have a standing order that pays the credit cards first. This means I can't spend the money - it's already gone. Note: to avoid problems with late payments and slipping statement dates, etc, I have my credit cards set to pay the minimum by direct debit every month. I consider that payment a bonus payment, while my main debt-paydown payment goes out on payday.

As well as the Grocery Challenge, this board has a Fiscal Fast Challenge going on. You might find that helpful for moral suport.


* Insert your favourite option here: rehearsals, choir practice, PTA, etc....

lizzywig

Something that I do is compare prices before I go to the shops. You might not have time for this so perhaps you could try it for just a few things which you know will be expensive. Shop around and give places like Aldi and Lidl a try too. Say you had a list of 30 items you might find that it's cheaper to buy some things in one shop and others in another. We do a big monthly shop and go to about 4 or 5 different supermarkets and then we do a weekly shop where we only get things like milk, bread etc. That way we only buy what we actually need.

Another tip is to stockpile. Buy things that don't go off when they're on offer - toothpaste, shampoo, baked beans, tea bags etc. For example Heinz beans are 4 for £2 in Mr T's at the moment, usual price is £2.49. So buy purchasing say 3 packs now they will list you until they are on offer again (depending on how much you eat), you would pay £6 instead of £7.47. That's a saving of £1.47. If you did that with all of your dried products then imagine what sort of saving you would make. You've just got to look out for the offers. Also know which offers you do need and which you don't.

Ameyturtle

Hi there FairyFace,

We've just started doing something similar in my house. I got so sick of going into the big supermarkets and spending £40 a time and only ending up with enough food for 2 days worth of meals.

I should explain that I still live at home with my parents, my Dad is completely none the wiser when it comes to shopping, and my Mum has depression and is on occasion known to not care about food either which is both incredibly annoying and dangerous as she is also Diabetic.

So after a minor paddy from me, we've started meal planning and we only go shopping one day a week. I'm not sure if there is an exact science to this meal planning, we shop on a Thursday so our meal plan runs from Thursday to Wednesday, so I try to include meals that everyone likes and meals that can be batch cooked and frozen for nights when we go out, then once I've got a list of meals I then go through my kitchen cupboards and the freezer to see what extras I need in order to make the meals, then once that is done I then put on the basics such as milk, bread and eggs, I try to make sure we always have some cheese in the fridge too, I then do things for lunch for the week.

When we first started this plan I would use mysupermarket to compare where was cheapest, this worked well for awhile but now we use Aldi and this works well for us as when buying our shopping on a Thursday I can pick up their booklets which tell me their specials for the Sunday/Monday/Thursday and this helps me to plan the next weeks meals.

I also find that because we are only going shopping once a week it really helps take the temptation away from spending. We do have a tendency to visit 2 or 3 stores in one day which is abit tiring, but because it's all done on one day it doesn't give you time to think ooh I *need* that I'll just pop out and get it.

Sorry this has gotten abit long and out of control, hope this helps, if you need any help please ask, I'm not an expert but I too am abit new at this

auntymabel

One thing that motivates me is that the pound you save is worth much more when you pay it off your credit card; it's woth a pound plus all the interest you won't have to pay on it. Hope I make sense (There's a first time for everything!)

[Deleted User]

I have spent nearly all day on my laptop,mostly on this site, I have started the menu planned and have been checking out the freebies and coupons, Pipney Jane I have also been reading your blog and have bookmarked it, its very good.

Please keep your advice and tips coming, today I have felt more optimistic than in a long time, having someone to talk to is great, thankyou for all your help so far:beer:

tori.k

Most people may disagree with me but i think going from spending £500 to £200 effectively overnight may be setting yourself up to fail abit maybe reducing it by £50 each (month?) untill you find a happy medium

I found some days hard to get motivated so to combate this i double up and freeze when im cooking certain meals things like bolognese go just as well with Jacket spuds as pasta then we are less likely to spend £30 on a takeout.

Start keeping a list now, I kept a list of all the non perishables that we used over a year ( it's sad) but i know how many tubes of things like tooth paste we used over the year I stockpile to this amount +1 (spare) when they are on special any more is just a waste of money.

think the biggest wake up call to us was seeing how much food we actually were throwing out each week, now my freezer is my biggest friend if i need a half an onion i slice the lot and stick half of it in the freezer for another meal rather the put it in the fridge and forget about it, I found it's the little changes that are easier to make habbit

Best of luck

Smokemeakipper_3

Have you looked at the sneaky ways to save the pennies thread? There's lots of little bits and bobs on there to try. I do my shopping on a weekly basis and only draw out my budget for that week. If I see something that's very good value that will save me money in the long run I will allow myself to go over budget and use the debit card though.
I'd also do an inventory of cleaning goods and toiletries, as you might find stuff lurking you'd forgotten. If you think you need something check to see if you've got an equivalent first. For example I'm using up body lotion before I buy more hand cream. After all they are a part of the body!
Lastly try to see the positive. It's hard sometimes but if you're feeling down then try to think "at least I've got...". Mine is my husband and little boy, with them by my side I can do anything!

castleton

lucy_lemon could you possibly share your easy recipe for oven baked bread