HELP! Have cut back all I can but am still over-spending!

Lucy_Lastic

I've just read the whole thread and well done S&S, you have taken all the good bits on board. I'm sure I've learnt a lot from reading all the suggestions too.

Try not to let the annoying ones get to you. People should be nicer to each other.

I think you deserve a nice big glass of wine (yes, on a Thursday)!

:beer:

ash28

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

Suki, I watched a documentary about how branded items in Poundland were actually more expensive than supermarkets because they reduce the weight of the packets or have 'offers' that are actually not good value for money at all.

We don't have a B&M. It would be more time consuming for me to seek out different shops and do individual shopping. I guess that's why I buy so much from the supermarket because living out in the sticks, going into town can be a real hassle and the nearest cities aren't very near. It just seemed so much easier to get everything we needed from Asda.

We live out in the sticks too, I tend to go to our nearest town and use 3 shops - Aldi, Lidl and Tesco or Sainsburys. The 2 supermarkets are relatively small in comparison to a lot and don't carry much in the way anything other than food.

Before we moved here I used to use much bigger supermarkets and usually ended up spending a small fortune - I often would buy stuff other than food. It was surprising how much I spent on non food things.

We live in a growing area so I buy potatoes by the sack and they last for weeks kept in the garage - same for onions - I bought some around November and we are still using them.

I would imagine with a little care you could feed all of you quite comfortably for about £100 (if not a bit less) a week and have a bottle or 2 of wine and a few tinnies.

I would go with a list (if you physically want to shop) and only buy what was on the list. I have a pretty good store cupboard and freezer and tend to only replace what we've used.

I don't go shopping looking for reduced price items, however if I see something that's reduced that we will use then I will buy it. We like fish and it normally costs around £5 or £6 to buy fish from the fish counter - if I'm in Tesco and there is fish in the reduced cabinet I will buy it from there - I've had a couple of bags of reduced cod or haddock for about £3. So I look in the reduced price cabinet first. Mostly it's stuff we don't eat.

I buy cheese from the deli counter - they often have nice cheeses on offer and the prices are usually less than the chill cabinet anyway.

I also discovered Aldi Super 6 at the weekend (I know) - 6 types of fruit or veg for 39p a throw. Up until the 9th Feb they are - a savoy cabbage, 1kg carrots, 3 lemons, 350gms brocolli, 3 large onions and 500gm beetroot. I bought the first 4 items, I already had onions and beetroot and all for less than £1.60. If you bought all 6 items they would be £2.34 and those same items in Asda would £4.72.

Some things I don't compromise on and they're fish, butter, coffee, tea, squash, meat, I buy value or basics mince for the dog, but I do buy value or basics peanut butter for us - we prefer it to branded.

I've found the jam in Lidl to be as good as any brand. The cheap tinned tomatoes in Lidl come with a really thick juice and cost the same as supermarket value. Wafer thin ham is very nice too, not horrible and slimy it has no added water and costs the same as value ham for a 400gm pack. Something you would be happy to feed to the kids.

I got a pack of 2 romano peppers for 99p in Aldi at the weekend in they would have cost £1.99 in our Tesco.

My advice would be to shop around a bit and be prepared to try things from places other than the big 4, I know it's a pain but you can save yourself a small fortune for stuff that's the same if not better quality. Don't impulse buy (this from the original impulse buyer), take your list and stick to it.

I generally go to Aldi and Lidl first and then the supermarket for anything I've not bought in either of them.

bess1234_2

thats been a wild ride. The poster would have got a lot kinder treatment on the debt free wannabe board, as it would be a normal kind of posting, but guess old style is tell it like it is.

Dont give up and dont get disheartened. THe good news is you can turn it around and have spare cash, and have an occasional special meal with very nice wine. Try and treat it like a game. Premier inn sales get you a room for four for £19 if you keep an eye on the weekly email and they perfect for a stopover. Have targets and fun pots and whatever does it for you. When you have to choose what to spend your non essentials on, it feels so much more special.

Dont overcomplicate meal planner . A list of seven days meals is all you need, and dont buy anything else. And Friday night make a batch of bread dough, let it rise once, roll it out, put tomato ketchup on it and let the kids choose whichever leftovers they want to add, wih a bit of cheese. I once treated mine to a takeaway, and they were horrified. apparently there is nothing in the world better than home made pizza to wash down your beer. And costs pennies.

I think I was in the same position before I became an MSE addict, and now I look back and think, oh how we used to spend it without really valuing every penny. So don't take it all too personally ( although it has been quite blunt at times) . You'll probably feel the same in a years time. And enjoy Orkney what a fab hol. Im sure Scotland had all the good weather last year.
Apologies for appalling grammar, am rushing as turns out Ive been sat on this flipping site again, instead of getting todays masterpiece ready- Sliced potatoes, cabbage bacon onions and cheese all cooked and then layered and put in oven. sssooooo late now ADDICT

ScrimpingandSaving

Stop being nice or I'll cry!

Fruball yes the gas does sound high doesn't it? That is for the winter though, during the summer it comes right down. We have a 3 bed and I'll put the heating on in the morning for 2 hours. Then not at all until the evening for maybe 5 hours. It's not on at night and some evenings we don't have it on at all, we light the fire instead.

Not sure quite how it got that high but have now turned the thermostat down and made sure that the radiators in the kids rooms are turned off.

I like the sound of halving everything. That's a good one! I might top up shampoo, washing up liquid, softener, etc with water. I mix my washing powder with soda crystals to soften our water and make it last longer, I also don't put much in.

I am going to overhaul everything we do, all our habits etc and make some real changes.

I'm also going to work harder at bringing in some extra work so I can earn some more money. Today has been a day of budgeting, tomorrow it's back to work as usual.

Thank you all again.
(No wine though, my son has just made me a cup of tea so I'm happy with that - trouble is he reckons he should get 10p for that! )

Jellybaby

I've read your thread with interest. Don't wait the month to post your results, keep posting! This is my second month on this part of the forum and I've learned sooooo much and saved a fortune!! Join the grocery challenge and the eating out of the freezer and cupboards thread and you will find making savings on your grocery budget so much easier. The recipe index is worth its weight in gold too and although I'm not a great advocate for meal planning I do a day or two in advance now and it works for me.

Baby steps but you will notice the difference!

Lindy_-_Loo

hello, I know some posters have said about joining survey sites to earn vouchers, I do this and it does help. If that doesnt appeal what about something like consumer pulse where you tell them about on food purchases. I have been amember since december and have had 2 £10 argos vouchers so far. You could see if you could redeem for vouchers where you shop.

We have cut back alot, and like you we dont smoke or go out much so we allow the luxury of virgin tv, you need something to keep you sane!! xx

Butterfly_Brain

One more little tip is to use your local market for fresh fruit and veg especially late on Saturday, that is when you are likely to get some good bargains when the stall holders reduce some of their stock .
I am sorry it has been tough on you, but at least you have taken the advice on board.
I wish you well and look forward to hear how you are getting on in a month's time x

Butterfly_Brain

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

Stop being nice or I'll cry!

Fruball yes the gas does sound high doesn't it? That is for the winter though, during the summer it comes right down. We have a 3 bed and I'll put the heating on in the morning for 2 hours. Then not at all until the evening for maybe 5 hours. It's not on at night and some evenings we don't have it on at all, we light the fire instead.

Not sure quite how it got that high but have now turned the thermostat down and made sure that the radiators in the kids rooms are turned off.

I like the sound of halving everything. That's a good one! I might top up shampoo, washing up liquid, softener, etc with water. I mix my washing powder with soda crystals to soften our water and make it last longer, I also don't put much in.

I am going to overhaul everything we do, all our habits etc and make some real changes.

I'm also going to work harder at bringing in some extra work so I can earn some more money. Today has been a day of budgeting, tomorrow it's back to work as usual.

Thank you all again.
(No wine though, my son has just made me a cup of tea so I'm happy with that - trouble is he reckons he should get 10p for that! )

:rotfl::rotfl:A budding entrepreneur :rotfl::rotfl:

ragz_2

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

I don't buy wine to get drunk. We enjoy wine. We love comparing and tasting.
We get full bodied reds from Bordeaux or Riojas and they aren't cheap. Cheap
Argentinian wines or new world wines are gross.
But we have expensive tastes so that has to stop. I can't imagine buying
cheap plonk - what would be the point? To drink for drinkings sake? Nah can't do
that. I would rather just stop.

My homemade wine is lovely. However occaisionally I treat myself to a bottle of cabernet saivignon from Lidl or Aldi and that is really nice, for less than £4 a bottle! They do other drinkable wine too, trying it out is half the fun!

Any recommendations on interactive menu planners?

Foodwise, I spend less than £450 a month, including packed lunches for 2 of the 3 children and hubby who eats a lot! I buy organic veg and only british meat and free range chicken (I could manage on £250 but I like my decent quality food and I see no reason to scrimp on food unless I have to.)
Meal planning - I shared this on another thread recently, but thought it may help you... here's how I meal plan. I have a list in my head that I run through and pick 7 meals that way, it is simple and never fails me.

One roast,
One meal using the rest of the roast (eg curry, pie or just more meat veg and gravy!)
One or two mince meals (cheap, easy... can have one beef and one lamb. Lasagne, chili, cottage/shepherds pie, chili, meatballs, spag bol)
One jacket potato night (cheap, filling, can use leftover chili or jsut cheese and beans, this can also be your meat free night)
One fish meal (frozen fish is fine, if a little watery but cook it right, white fish topped with pesto and cheese and baked is cheap enough)
One pasta meal (I don't do this any more as I low carb, but pasta bakes are cheap or pasta and pesto with added veg, a bag of frozen chargrilled veg is easy to add to things)
One meal with rice (this can double up with your mince meal if chili or leftovers meal if curry)
One sausages meal (sausages are cheap, even if you buy decent ones but very cheap if you don't. Sausage and mash, sausage casserole, sausage curry)
One 'junk' meal (something like fishfingers from the freezer/homemade pizza with chips or wedges)

notanewuser wrote: »

No contents insurance? Are you insane?!

I don't have that, am I insane? lol

pigpen

I've not read the replies but I can imagine where they are heading lol.

Stop buying wine/beer/fizzy pop for a start... I don't care if you like it, if you want to cut your spending unnecessary luxuries go first, especially ones that are not good for your health!

£650 on food!! My goodness what do you buy? I spend that for 10 of us, 6 cats and freezer raiding 21 year old who doesn't even live at home any more! Seriously need some reining in.. drop a brand or 3, stop buying biscuits/chocolate/crisps.. it is all excess spending you cannot afford. If you have spare cash at the end of the month buy some then and ration them.

Try other shops rather than big supermarkets.. approved foods for example, Aldi/Lidl etc.. all good quality products at a much more reasonale price. Shopping online stops you buying those 'ooh, I want that' buys which you don't actually need.. it may well work out less to pay delivery than petrol costs to get there too.

Are quite as many trips necessary in the non-work car? walking closer places or taking the commoner wagon is an option and may work out cheaper than driving/parking costs etc..

Before buying anything consider do you WANT it or NEED it?