New Year New System?

sarah222

I have been couponing for a while and as I work from home mainly now (health issues) I have had time to bargain hunt and shop in multiple places to maximum savings etc. Also for those that know me from previous postings etc I bargain veg shop on fridays etc and cook alot from scratch etc. So I feel I am now very savvy on saving on household necessities etc. So my plan for 2013 is to try and work on saving more or stock piling so I can have a period of no spend if that makes sense! I used to have a budget of around £125 a week on food, household stuff (loo roll, washing powder etc), pet needs. I now spend around £65 so in theory have £60 spare! Obviously this never happens as we have a treat etc. Now treats are nice dont get me wrong but I would like to try and make this spare budget work better for me. I used last months spare to get some pots, seeds etc to do some grow your own therefore hopefully saving me more! But what do I do going forward. I like old style stuff so enjoy cooking etc is it worth spending a little more each week and freezing meals etc to build a stock pile so to speak or buy etc soap powder, loo roll so the following month techincally I wouldnt buy any so maybe feel the benefit every other month? Opinions here please. I have room to store stuff and I use sites like supersavvyme and beforeIshop to get coupons and deals to generally buy some stuff quarterly. How do people feel about shop saving stamps - ie Tesco or Asda? Do you think these would be a good idea a few a week with unused budget? Any suggestions welcome but please remember I like old style and also would like to encourage my daughters (11 and 9) to grow stuff etc so want fun stuff too

MrsRogers

Apologies I don't know a huge amount about saving stamps but gut instinct says no as you are restricted to sopping in that place. I believe money is far more valuable as your own.

I do stockpile when things are on offer etc so well worth doing.

babyshoes

I bulk buy things like toilet paper, washing powder, pet food etc when I see it cheaply. If you buy pet food online, this month may be a good time to buy it in the sales. Other household things tend to be on sale periodically through the year.

If you have a Costco/Makro near you and know someone with a card, it's worth going there occasionally for household products in bulk. It isn't always cheaper than the value brands, but it is cheap for the quality you get. For example, my OH will only accept certain types of toilet paper, so I buy the branded stuff at Costco for a lot less than I could find it in the supermarket, even when it's on offer. I also buy sugar there in bulk as it doesn't go off and we use it for making jams, beer etc through the year.
Washing powder I have in a hotel sized box and it lasts ages, especially if you do the OS thing of using half the ammount! It is branded again, but having had grey clothes from value stuff I like to use the cheapest brand I can find these days, especially for white work shirts etc. It wouldn't matter for pet blankets I guess...

Rather than savings stamps, how about opening a separate account for left over budget each month/week after you have done one bulk-buy purchase and your regular shopping. You can then use that money for Christmas or a holiday, or some other treat that you decide on.

Linda32

Hi,

I do use shop saving stamps. What I do is buy a stamp each time I go into a particular shop and saving them up until the summer holiday and Christmas (but not for Christmas shop, I'll come back to that)

A few weeks before the summer holiday I do our normal shop but use the saving stamps. So whatever I would have spent on food in Sainsburys say becomes cash towards the holiday which can be spent anywhere.
I do the same in December but for normal shop then this money goes towards Christmas presents.

If you wanted to go this way you could save stamps in Wilkinsons if you have one local and then spend that on Seeds/Plants etc.

sarah222

I didnt realise Wilkinsons did saving stamps I love that shop I often get my washing powder etc there as cheaper than tesco etc. I live in a welsh village so shops are a long way away so altho asda often cheaper for stuff the fuel bill zero's that out or the delivery charge unless I get a freebie. Wilkinsons I often use for household stuff when on offer and buy seeds etc there so that is a good suggestion I will look into. I have a seperate account which Ive started putting a bit into but I am hoping to be able to save around £60 a week on my budget so want to spread my options for maximum benefit. I have a macro card myself for my business but never use it as often find deals elsewhere that seem cheaper - again it some distance from me nearly 40 minute drive (each way)

rising_from_the_ashes

MrsRogers wrote: »

gut instinct says no as you are restricted to sopping in that place. I believe money is far more valuable as your own.

I do stockpile when things are on offer etc so well worth doing.

babyshoes wrote: »

I bulk buy things like toilet paper, washing powder, pet food etc when I see it cheaply. If you buy pet food online, this month may be a good time to buy it in the sales. Other household things tend to be on sale periodically through the year.

babyshoes wrote: »

Rather than savings stamps, how about opening a separate account for left over budget each month/week after you have done one bulk-buy purchase and your regular shopping. You can then use that money for Christmas or a holiday, or some other treat that you decide on.

Would agree with both the above .... after all - why let the SM gain all the interest on the money that everyone's saved with them! They must make a fortune :eek:

I bulk buy stuff when it's on offer - mainly pet stuff and I save an absolute fortune with this so def worth a hunt around if you're going to stockpile

CookieMonsta

sarah222 wrote: »

I have been couponing for a while and as I work from home mainly now (health issues) I have had time to bargain hunt and shop in multiple places to maximum savings etc. Also for those that know me from previous postings etc I bargain veg shop on fridays etc and cook alot from scratch etc. So I feel I am now very savvy on saving on household necessities etc. So my plan for 2013 is to try and work on saving more or stock piling so I can have a period of no spend if that makes sense! I used to have a budget of around £125 a week on food, household stuff (loo roll, washing powder etc), pet needs. I now spend around £65 so in theory have £60 spare! Obviously this never happens as we have a treat etc. Now treats are nice dont get me wrong but I would like to try and make this spare budget work better for me. I used last months spare to get some pots, seeds etc to do some grow your own therefore hopefully saving me more! But what do I do going forward. I like old style stuff so enjoy cooking etc is it worth spending a little more each week and freezing meals etc to build a stock pile so to speak or buy etc soap powder, loo roll so the following month techincally I wouldnt buy any so maybe feel the benefit every other month? Opinions here please. I have room to store stuff and I use sites like supersavvyme and beforeIshop to get coupons and deals to generally buy some stuff quarterly. How do people feel about shop saving stamps - ie Tesco or Asda? Do you think these would be a good idea a few a week with unused budget? Any suggestions welcome but please remember I like old style and also would like to encourage my daughters (11 and 9) to grow stuff etc so want fun stuff too

You may have already considered this, but you can make your own laundry powder, dishwashing detergent, bathroom cleaner etc really cheaply. There are lots of recipes online. I started doing this since washing powder shot up in price about a year ago and have had great results.

Also have you thought about re-using packaging to do fun crafts with the kids?

e.g. making a wallet from tetra pak,

Chopping the top of plastic bottles off to make mini greenhouses for seedlings,

decorating small cardboard/cereal boxes etc for giving gifts in, making a piggy bank or storing knick knacks.

Again, there are lots of free ideas online

sarah222

Wilkinsons no longer do saving stamps they do a saving card - it like a top up card. As for the people who say they get your money some of these firms (Wilkinsons included) give you a bonus for saving with them. Apparently with Wilkinsons once you have £24 on your card they automatically give you another £1. So it is like earning interest in a way.