What can you do without?

foxblade

On the "when you reach breaking point" thread people started to talk about what they can do without. I know it is all relative to your lifestyle but I found it fascinating and started to wonder if I to could cut items out of my life to save money and clear cupboard space.

So I thought it would be nice that this sort of thing could have a separate thread so I could see what others do.

If you could let me know what you do without, but also your family situation and if you replace say 3 items with one, or if you cut it out completely.

As an example you could say:

"I do without washing up liquid but there is only me and the dog and I replace it with vinegar." or "I have a family of 5 and I never use washing powder and do not replace it with anything"

Thanks Old Stylers I think this will be a great help to me :j As it will open my eyes to living with out certain stuff that I thought was essential. :rotfl:

vanoonoo

These are not all grocery related, I hope that's ok

hair conditioner was dropped by me years ago (I am lucky that my hair really doesnt need it)
almost all makeup except for special events (I liberate freebies for that)
all alcoholic spirits (if I have a drink now its Guinness or cider sometimes wine)
magazines and newspapers (got the 'net for that)
taxis (try to arrange a lift or public transport)
heavily branded anything (own brand or ald! works for us for most items)
ready meals (unless a really amazing offer)
sanitary products (I am on a contraceptive pill - free from the GP - that has stopped all withdrawal bleeding, best money saving thing ever, even beats the mooncup!)
fabric conditioner - it actually contributed to my skin problems but now we dont notice a difference in the feel of the clothes and we have very hard water
air fresheners and plug in type things - we just open the doors and windows!
CIGARETTES! number one top moneysaving tip - stop smoking (if you do)
no buying stuff 'just incase', have a plan (including your preps) and stick to it where possible, buy what you eat and eat what you buy
most memberships - I dont pay for any clubs or groups up front anymore - husband found a pay as you go gym which suits him better and I dont waste money on paying up front for 10 of something that I only manage to get to 6 times
lunches and meals out - we have greatly reduced the amount of socialising we do because we feel obliged just because we've been asked

I'm sure I've got more but it's actually tricky to remember as it really DOESN'T get missed!

mogwai

It's just me and the OH and we do without ready meals or takeaway these days - not in an effort to save money but cos its healthier as i try and use low fat/veggies and also home made is tastier too! Our shopping bill for 2 has dropped to about £150-250 per month which is not bad for us and due to batch cooking I only cook about 3 times a week wahey!

I also do without new books, buy them from charity shops and return them when done or free download on the ipad..

valk_scot

TV/satelite. Got the PC and a DVD player.

Booze. (Well I could, OH maybe not.)

Meat. No brainer that.

Make-up. Don't use it. What's wrong with my own face?

Body/hand wash. Bar soap is a lot cheaper and far better for your skin anyway.

MoaningMyrtle

Shower gel - bar soap is cheaper
Biscuits
Magazines/newspapers
Sky TV, this went 4 or 5 years ago
Going swimming, using sports facilities (my children do sports still)
Going out in the car so often

Soworried

I gave up smoking, drinking and take aways when I went on the sick. You could say that being sick has made me healthier.:rotfl:

System

We ditched cable television about 12 months ago and bought a FreeSat box instead.

I dont use fabric softener in my wash. Havent used it for years as i find the smell so overpowering (and makes towels too soft).

We rarely eat out these days as its cheaper to eat at home. No takeaways either.

Online grocery shopping is now in the distant past. I shop, he pays and we both pack.... Togetherness

valentina

I was thinking about this yesterday in Sains' - when I go shopping in a big supermarket I visit probably less then a tenth of the aisles - I don't eat meat, buy hardly any cleaning stuff (just bicarb, vinegar, washing powder etc), don't buy ready meals, hardly any toiletries - no pasta sauces - it's amazing to think of the amount of choice we have now, and yet "my supermarket" could be the size of a market stall!

quintwins

we've got rid of a few things

fabric softener

expensive hand soap, now fill up dispensers with cheap baby bath or shampoo

hairdye i grew my dye out and i'm not my natural colour, altho i do feel sometimes it makes me look washed out.

no ready meals unless on offer

no pasta sauces, i do buy value sweet and sour and curry sauce because i couldn't make them as cheap

no kitchen roll, replaced with old cut up towels

no colour catchers, i used to buy these for new clothes now i take the risk and so far so good

no sky

no smoking

no drinking

no mags/books/newspaper, i get free books for my ipad, and we read new storys online.

branded food, with a few small exceptions we use about 90% value food.

FairyPrincessk

Tv- use the laptop to watch things on iplayers

Kitchen roll-use small cloths instead

branded food-with the exception of a few specific sauces etc. its either homemade, aldi, smart price or from an ethnic supermarket

Fabric Softener for laundry- I've got sensitive skin so I've never used it.

Air freshners/plugins- I didn't realize I was doing without this as I think they smell strange. I do have some scented candles but only if they're a gift.

A wardrobe, bookshelves and other furniture. Now this, hopefully, isn't permanent but we're making do for now until we can afford to buy the quality we want.

CDs or MP3 files. Although we both have a collection of music from earlier, we now have a spotify account and use that.

Magazines I'll buy them once or twice a year as a special treat but I buy them so rarely that I don't even have specific ones I read

lazy food--we chop our own stuff, make our own sauces (most of the time, except for red pasta sauce I'm still working on that one). I even make our own dips, marinades and spice packets.

Pretty much anything that is "instant gratification" For example, I know several pairs of my shoes, purchased in a sale about five years ago, are about to wear out. I've been thinking about what I want to replace them, and I'm saving up now for when a good sale hits.

Nice cheese. I do miss this, but its probably not healthy for me to eat as much as I like. We tend to buy it for recipes and that is it.

mogwai

Judi wrote: »

Online grocery shopping is now in the distant past. I shop, he pays and we both pack.... Togetherness

Judi, we found that doing our shopping online reduced our shopping bills! Last year we used to go Asda every 2 weeks and spend over £100 each time, this year due to OH working longer hours I now do my shopping at tesco online and even with the delivery fee it's £60-90 every 2 weeks.

So thats another thing we don't really do anymore, and I've found that's lowered our costs as well..I think it's just a case of sticking to our shopping list and not browsing, and also I'm less likely to forget stuff saving me those extra trips to the supermarket

Also phasing out most cleaning products to using diluted stardrops/vinegar mix which works better and is pennies!

Lastly, stopped throwing fresh herbs and cheese out, as now when I buy it, the first time I open the pack I chop/grate the rest and split it into tiny labelled freezer tupperware portions.