Buying a car on my credit card

smudgemanc26

Just a tip but ive found with my shopping bill the most expensive items are cleaning stuff ( iam defo a monica with ocd) and toiletries so now i am on the road to saving i went to a cheaper store which sold these at much cheaper prices then the supermarket try the likes of quality save, wilkinsons etc or if you have a local market near you theres stalls on there where you can buy these things from.

Just a suggestion but every little helps

Snaggles

Yes, I've started making a note of prices on things I buy a lot of (nappies :rolleyes:), so I can keep an eye on where is cheapest, who has the best offers etc. Providing you're not having to spend a fortune in petrol to go to various different shops, you can save quite a bit by not doing all your shopping in one store.

Inactive

SarahFx wrote: »

I HATE Aldi and Lidl but will go to Asda instead of Tesco and I'm turning into a frantic coupon collector to reduce food bill.

Thankyou for giving me reality check!

You need to amend your attitude if you are serious, there is nothing inferior about Aldi or Lidl, they are just cheaper overall.

Coupons will not solve your problems i'm afraid, they may help a bit.

Snaggles

Asda quite often let you use coupons for things you've not even bought (ie if you've got a £1 voucher off cat food but haven't got a cat lol). If you feel too cheeky asking, my tip is to take a few vouchers with you, then hand them all over, look confused and say 'I'm not sure which of these I can use, I've lost track of what I've bought'. Chances are (if you get a nice checkout person) they will just swipe them all.

SunderlandBlackCat

Inactive wrote: »

You need to amend your attitude if you are serious, there is nothing inferior about Aldi or Lidl, they are just cheaper overall.

Coupons will not solve your problems i'm afraid, they may help a bit.

Oops, hit thanks instead of quote there.

I thought you were a little harsh there. A couple of years ago I'd have probably agree with you about Aldi but all my local Aldi's & Netto have been an absolute disgrace for over a year now & the quality of the food has gone down rapidly.

I find that the own brand supermarket stuff is often better quality for a similar price.

Can't comment on Lidl as there isn't one where I live & would have to go miles out of the way to visit one.

Seaxwyn

HI Sarah,

I used to feel exactly the same as you about Lidl but I've completely changed my view. A German friend persuaded me to give them a try - they have a lot of German brands and German consumers are more fussy than Brits so basic commodity stuff is much better quality, less processed, fewer chemicals etc.

The stores feel grotty, it's true, and there are lots of unfamiliar brands, which can put you off, but for many products the quality is actually better than you get elsewhere for less money. Some things are complete bargains - olive oil and wine spring to mind. It's a great place for a pre-Christmas shop too as they have wonderful Christmassy cakes and biscuits and amazing deals on fruit.

I know it's hard to overcome first impressions but it really is worth a try.

angelavdavis

SarahFx wrote: »

The food just all looks like crap in Aldi and Lidl. Is it really cheaper? I suppose I could get toilet roll and tinned tomatoes in there.

I think you should give Lidl a chance and go there a bit more often, I would personally recommend the following:

1) Meat - the fresh meat at my store is excellent - in particular, whole chickens for less than £2, pork medallions (good for stirfries), beef mince, lamb chops (frozen), frozen legs of lamb are £6 at the moment too. They regularly sell out so nothing is ever dodgy, although others on MSE have had bad experiences on occasion - just check that the wrapping isn't broken - the usual you would do.
2) Oven chips - we don't have chips often enough to possess a chip fryer and they see good quality and value.
3) Ham. We buy the premium smoked ham for approx £2 per packet. The slices are big enough to cut in half and one pack does sandwiches for OH and me for a week!
4) Fruit and Veg - none of the food is irradiated and is very often local produce but very little is prepacked so think what you are saving the environment and the bin. However, it is a lot cheaper and they regularly have 50% off days.
5) Other cooked meats - salamis are great and bacon is usually £1.60 for 14 slices (2 x packets of 7 slices).
6) I have a bread maker as I like to make my own bread to cut down on salt and sugar. Bread flour is 48p compared to 76p in Tesco.
7) You can buy 24 cans of diet pepsi for about £4, a lot cheaper than Tesco (although sometimes they do deals)
8) At the moment they are doing two large bottles of pepsi for £1.60.
9) Bottled water is cheap too
10) I don't buy a lot of tinned food, but tinned tomatoes, baked beans, sweetcorn, etc all cheaper. Their passata which comes in waxed cartons is fab - really rich - perfect for bolognaise.
11) I know you are expecting and probably not drinking at the moment, but the Shiraz wine is £2.99 a bottle and very good and budweisers were £6.99 for ten last time I went in (usually about 9.99 in the bigger supermarkets).
12) Cornetto style ice creams are £1.20 for 10 at the moment.
13) Fruit juices are excellent value and flavour too
14) Batteries are good value, as are laundry tablets (£2.08 per box), tissues, air fresheners and other cleaning materials
15) Luxury mueslie is good and I mix it with more porridge oats as I find there is too much fruit in it for me!

OK, I admit that having the foreign labelling takes some getting used to and we always laugh at some of translations! You also have to be attuned to the speed of the tills too and take your own carrier bags!

I shop once a month in Lidl spending about £60 where I used to spend £85+ in Tesco (picking up stuff I didn't need, bogofs that I didn't need, etc). I then shop once every three months or so in Tesco for stuff I can't get in Lidl - usually spending about £80 then - strangely I find toilet rolls cheaper in Tesco. I then buy milk and the odd bit of veg local during the week when I get low (spend about £5 per week). I don't throw away half the food I used to as I am not tempted to buy stuff we don't need.

We don't have Asda, but are due to get one soon.

SarahFx

My nearest Lidl is 14 miles away which would defeat the object but there is an Aldi just opened in my local town so I will have a look at it.

Our food bill is high because I like to get organic veg, meat and milk where possible. I'd rather pay a bit more. I worry about the animals and the farmers.

Serialdieter

Hi

I understand your reservations about aldi / lidl etc. I was exactly the same (pre-lbm). Also I would like to eat local produce wherever possible too. We grow a lot of our own veggies / salad and stopped buying meat from supermarkets. We use a local farm shop buying what they have on offer (usually works out cheaper too £5 for 6lbs steak mince filled my freezer nicely:D ). We don't eat as much meat but eat better quality, it really is your choice. As for organic, personally I prefer local to organic, after all it doesn't have the airmiles etc, but if you really do want organic then check out aldi, they do organic stuff too.

Thinking about the pram / car scenario. How about going to a large mothercare and getting them to try out what pram suits your needs / fits in the car etc. Same with carseats. Then at least you will what will / won't fit before you buy. Just another thought about baby things, have you considered cloth nappies, I used disps for #1 and they cost a fortune, with #2 I used cloth and although there was an initial outlay have saved over £200, allowing for 2 extra loads of washing a week. I also got a grant from my council then sold the nappies on ebay etc. Not only good for my pocket but the environment too. Also if you have more than one the saving is even greater for #2.

jx

shell_girl

Slightly off topic sorry but going back to the Aldi debate! I find it great for most of my shopping- the only thing it's dreadful for funnily enough is loo roll- around £1.60 for 4 wheras Morrissons value is 40p for 4. It all ends up in the same place after all!

Aldi is excellent for frozen food and veg, and also the little 'luxury' bits that they do. I can do a really good shop at Aldis and have 'treat food' in the cupboard for less than I can anywhere else.

Other than that, Tesco value range and Asda smartprice range are usually the same as their ownbrand range. When you're ashopping next look higher and lower- the cheaper and equally good options are never placed at eye level!

Congratulations on the baby- keep us posted on how you're getting on!