what more cutbacks can you make to combat increasing gov cuts and price increases !!

seeking_happines

my family has three kids two of them autistic and we are looking at benefit cuts and price increases accross the board :mad:

i am trying to buy my own home so that they have some security when im gone and a roof over their heads becuse the government arnt going to be helping us :cool:
so we already have cut right back and penny pinch but the quiestion is how to cut back further and not loose our home :eek:

sjprmc01

The only benefit I get is child benefit

But I must say, previously when shops were going bust left right and centre I was all like 'oh what's all the fuss? Recession? It's made no difference to me!'

However since The beginning of this yr I'm finding things tougher which is strange as I am earning more than ever!

Tbh though, I do mindlessly spend a lot of the time, and can still (just about) afford a summer holiday so I guess I'd cut back on things like that and be much more strict with the spending

missindecisive

We are a family with kids aswell. The type of cut backs we have made are; no meals out, no family days out (unless its the park and its free)no takeaway meals, second hand clothes that are either hand me downs or from ebay. I colour and cut my own hair. Shop in lildl or aldi. Ive sold my car.
Holidays will dissappear next...wouldn't mind but we only go camping anyway. We just about make ends meet at the moment but have no savings whatsoever, nothing really fun happens anymore for the kids...trying not to get too depressed just keep plodding on.

good_advice

Evening every one
Cut backs is one thing every one does not like but are necessary as the cost of living goes up.
Here are some idea's =

Cut the house insurance so you drop accidental cover which is extra @ renew date.

Cut tv from Internet, phone and tv package. You could watch free view only.

Stop paying football pools man (argument here!)

Compare you are on the cheapest fuel tariff for gas and electric

Cut out buying magazines and use Tesco tokens instead.

Check your bank statement for and unknown payments going out.

Stop buying just more stuff and ask yourself if you really need it?

lemontart

since been off ill, I now eat max of 2 meal a day often just one, avoid going out unless have to so as not to use petrol, stay in bed if I do not have to do anything apart from dogs walk to keep warm and not put fire on. Selling odd and sods to keep wolve from door - means what savings I have got will last longer as having to top up ssp to cover bills, once they run out no idea what I will do.

sjprmc01

good_advice wrote: »

Cut the house insurance so you drop accidental cover which is extra @ renew date.
I could probably review my contents insurance but I can't see me finding it much cheaper
Cut tv from Internet, phone and tv package. You could watch free view only.
I don't have a land line phone, I don't pay for my tv package, but I do pay for my BB
Stop paying football pools man (argument here!)
N/A

Compare you are on the cheapest fuel tariff for gas and electric
Probably not but its a relatively cheap monthly payment and I'd rather not muck that up

Cut out buying magazines and use Tesco tokens instead
I don't buy magazines often, maybe 1 or 2 when I go away somewhere which is about twice a yr

Check your bank statement for and unknown payments going out.
I NEVER have unknown payments, keep track of every penny (even if that is every penny leaving my possession)

Stop buying just more stuff and ask yourself if you really need it?
I REALLY do need to do some more of this though!

Not sure this quoting but adding to it will work but I shall see....

pinkypig

I agree that even when you try really hard things just seem to get tougher. We are lucky in as far as I have a job but Mr PP is seriously ill and is unlikely to be able to return to work any time soon. We have two kids who are very understanding because serious cuts have had to be made.

Initially non essentials had to go. These included Sky tv, eating out, socialising that costs anything ( we now have friends round for meals and have renewed our love of walking), takeaways, big birthday parties, running two cars and weekends away.

This helped but having got the OS bug we pushed ourselves to look at every aspect of our lives. Cooking from scratch, meal planning and the GC has reduced our grocery spend by 50% and I am aiming to get us to £35 a week which includes all our meals, packed lunches and snacks, cleaning products, toiletries and catfood. We now shop at Aldi with a few bits we can get cheaper at HB and Mr M.
We collect every bit of free firewood and kindling we can and have managed to heat the living room and all our hot water since Sept on £122 worth of coal. We only put the heating on for and hour in the morning and evening when it is really cold. We tend to camp out in one room but at least it is a nice cosy room.
I also only ever use the 20min 30 degree cycle on the WM and never use the dryer. Everything goes on the line or the airers.

I still feel we have a long way to go as some people on here achieve amazing savings but I also know we have come a long way.

My next step is to learn some money saving crafts and I am going to have a go at quilting.

The very best of luck with the challenges ahead.

PP xx

lindseykim13

The sort of things we did when Dh was out of work were

no takeaways anymore
no newspapers (can read online)
cut tv/phone packages and haggle for a better deal
walk as many places as possible to cut petrol costs
grow your own
share a tea bag
water down the milk
go reduced food hunting in the evenings
check all bills to see if you can get cheaper elsewhere
double check benefits/see if you can get housing or ctax benefit
check council tax banding
cut out cleaning chemicals an use white vinigar/water only.
search for free things to do with the family (musuem trips/park visits/events) never go out near lunchtime without taking a picnic!
Take tap water out in a bottle in your bag (saves buying anything if children start moaning!)
any clothing and some shoes come from charity and car boots now
don't buy rubbish when food shopping-stick to basics and avoid biscuits/crisps/cakes/sweets ect

This_Year

A couple of years ago I would have said the recession hasn't affected me. Now it has, I've been made redundant, and mine is the sole
income to our house.

We're on the cheapest tariff for gas & electric.
We buy the cheapest food we can, yellow stickers are even better.
OH has to make a 100 mile return car journey every 2 weeks so we have to keep the car on the road, other than than we don't use it.
New clothes - I bought some for a job interview but other than that am getting nothing. Am not even looking for clothes as I have plenty.

Holidays have been put on the back burner for now, not in the mood and can't justify going away.

I am also making a wish list of stuff I want to buy when I get a job

[Deleted User]

Probably I manage quite well as I have always been a fairly frugal person The cuts I have made really are to only buy what I need, and not what I want .Sound daft, but if you take a walk around any large store or supermarket you will see lots of things to buy that you may like, but not what you need, so I stick to my essential purchases, and use only cash when I'm out, and have a strict budget with a month's worth of cash in my food purse, which I keep seperate from anything else, and as I usually only go shopping for food around every 10 days or so.
I have managed to cut my food bill by around £40.00 per month doing this.In fact this month I had just under £6.00 left over from my £60.00 food purse and that goes straight into my savings for my holiday in August It helps to pay for the grandchildrens ice creams and small treats on holiday.
It's a case of altering your shopping habits I only have a couple of pairs of shoes now, where as I used to have around at least a dozen which was daft as I only have one pair of feet to wear them
I use my own throw, or knitted blanket over my knees if I get chilly in the evenings or just have an early night and a good read (library books are free) Hot drinks and a hot water bottle helps to cut the heating bills a bit, and all my light bulbs have been replaced over time with energy saving ones I wash-up once a day (there's only my plate and cup to wash anyhow) and I always take a bottle of water or diluted squash with me when I'm out
It sound a bit daft when you write down somethings, but its suprising how it all adds up.Small changes in buying, and economies do make a difference. Lentils will pad out meat, and a few veg will streetch a meal along with some HM soup or a pud.HM soup casts buttons to make and is a lot nicer than tinned stuff and it freezes well as well.
I do have to use my car as I can't walk far, but I make sure I use it to the best advantage, and will do several things on the same day e.g. a visit to the library followed by a trip to Aldi's, and then to my History club will all happen on the same day as they are near to each other, rather than three trips out I consolidate it into one round trip.That way I use less diesel (another saving when I changed my car from petrol 18 months ago)I also munu plan for the week on a Sunday morning and do most of my veg prep at the same time I rarely have any occasion to throw food away as to me thats just like throwing money away and I certainly wouldn't do that I bake my own cakes and biscuits and forage for stuff in the summer.Even my grown up children call me Frau frugal and know what I'm like but then I don't owe anyone a penny piece and have a full cupboard with a goosd store of bits and bobs that I utilise for making my own food as much as possible from scratch as I'm not keen on 'instant or junk food'

seeking_happines

i find that the hardes thing to do of all is depriving the kids of things

they are all very good and understanding but i feel that we a slowly going back to a very poor way of life ...first its nonesentials then when it is hitting the esentials of life like food and heat , even medication is get ing hit, we dont get free prescriptions but since last year when i was very poorly i have to take pain killers etc but i find im now trying to ration them so they lase 2 monthe not just one :cool: its little thing like this that is hard,
when you have cut everything back what more is there left to cut....lokks like the spade is going to get more action this year hi ho hi ho its of to dig i go:rotfl: