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

maman

bouncydog1 wrote: »

S & S - they often have good wine offers in the Co-op. We're quite fussy on wine - I will only drink Marlborough sauvignons which are usually c£9 per bottle - so I only buy the offer ones.

Me too although I did try an Aldi Sauvignon Blanc called Touraine that Jane McQuitty recommended. Not bad at £4.99.

Currently (well not now in the middle of the afternoon:o:rotfl:) I'm drinking Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc as it's been on offer in Sainsbury's (£6+ instaed of £9+).

Brilliant savings on your shop SandS:T

lacelady1

I can recommend Yellowtail Shiraz, currently on offer at Waitrose at 5.99, usually 7.99... ,,my current favourite and even better than my all time fave Pilastro which I used to get from Laithwaites before budgeting became serious :-)

ScrimpingandSaving

I can't believe I'm being recommended to Waitrose after all the stick I got earlier in the thread!

Nearest Waitrose isn't that convenient to get to unfortunately. I wouldn't mind some good Asda or Aldi full bodied red wine recommendations though. Not really too keen on new world wine, prefer oak aged red or at least a smooth Merlot. It seems impossible to get a decent wine for under £7.

suki1964

lacelady1 wrote: »

I can recommend Yellowtail Shiraz, currently on offer at Waitrose at 5.99, usually 7.99... ,,my current favourite and even better than my all time fave Pilastro which I used to get from Laithwaites before budgeting became serious :-)

I never buy that any dearer then 5.99, Asda also put it on special


Another fav is Roko, a good price is 4.99

Soubrette

I don't do insurance either - well car insurance (as high an excess as possible), buildings and travel insurance though I could care less if I lose my luggage.

Like you I work from home, I have a dog, not in a flood area, non smokers, risk factors are we are in a semi. Contents are mostly second hand or affordably replaceable.

I do have an insurance pot though and started it with cover for two expensive events in it.

I am perfectly comfortable with my risk assessment and decision not to have contents (or pets or boiler or dental etc). When I need to cover something I don't have to worry about my claim or whether it will be turned down or reduced. I don't have to worry about exclusions or negligence (say I forget to lock a window). I don't subsidise the careless or those on flood plains or areas where there is a high rate of burglaries. I have total peace of mind plus the knowledge that if my pot is depleted because of a catastrophe then I can always get insurance

Well done on the measures you have taken already, this site is amazing and debt free wannabe is one of the nicest, most supportive parts imo.

satchmo1

Hi S&S

Well done on your shopping bill, and your determination!

In terms of the Antivirus, it's worth Goog!ing regularly to find the most up to date free version. The very clever (in a bad way) programmers are always inventing new ways to cyber-attack, so everyone should keep checking for the latest AV defences. Sorry if that sounds dramatic, but I've just had my Tw!tter a/c hacked - my son alerted me when he got something that was so obviously not from his mother!

de_g.

ScrimpingandSaving wrote: »

Apologies in advance as I'm slightly number dyslexic so I know I will have got some of those sums wrong. Please don't flame me! I'm good at writing, excellent at spelling and English but naff at maths. Really naff. Quite good with economics though funnily enough. I guess that doesn't really involve any numbers.

Dyscalculia is the word you are looking for...

On free antivirus - which broadband provider are you with? If you're on Virgin Media, they provide a free security package which includes virus protection from Trend Micro.

de_g.

suki1964 wrote: »

I never buy that any dearer then 5.99, Asda also put it on special


Another fav is Roko, a good price is 4.99

Even at £5.99, Yellowtail is poor value. Worldwide it is the third biggest selling wine brand, after Gallo (Blossom Hill etc) and Concha yToro (Casillero Del Diabolo), and you're getting what you pay for - mass market, homogenised crap. It's basically the wine equivalent of Mountain Dew.

There really are some bargains on the supermarket shelves, but they are rarely to be found among the big brand names. Tesco Finest Nero D'Avola is a good one if you like big Italian style reds - it's made by a decent producer (the Cantine Settesoli cooperative in Sicily, who also make the 'Inycon' branded wines) and it's available at £6 at the moment, £6.99 normally.

gocurlygirl

Hi,have just read most of this thread-some things ring a bell for many of us,you seem to be on the right track and good luck for the future. All the tips about not reading except free papers or 20p ones,buying crisps for 20p pack and not going down certain aisles in supermarkets are great advice.I went into cashconverters-they had many dvds for £1 each and up to date ones too-worth considering for nights entertainment.
I will keep reading!:D

bess1234_2

I stretched our£5 each booze budget as far as i could go this weekend and chose badly. Enough to go and spend another £5.79 someones bin75 sauvignon blanc which was lovely. So I need some advice.
Anyone any recommendations for Morrisons white, i like sauvignon blanc types? Or Lidl, but got an endless dull headache from one this weekend.

on the insurance, now we have had plenty of horror stories, I have figured out my level. I have lost all my possessions several times over the years, and not bothered. I travel light, and love car boots, upcycling and junk, so starting again is always an opportunity for a change of style( providing you have the savings to do it). But I would be fed up with having to replaster again, or rebuild staircases and ceiling. And replacing doors and windows. Which part of insurance covers this?

Well done scrimping and saving, you are doing fab, and I hope you get to Orkeney too this summer. Just because...... why not. The weather is no longer guaranteed down south, but the big skies are always guaranteed in the north. you could have a look on the £2013 in 2013 on the up your income board for ways of raising a holiday to wherever without touching your budget.