Going through a massive money-saving overhaul

courteen

Hi MSE peeps, I just wanted to document the fact that today marks my big challenge to save money in any and every way possible. The goal is to save up for a house deposit because my gf of 6 years has worked very hard to save up for one herself and I feel somewhat behind.

Everything from ditching the car for walking on short trips and cycling on slightly longer yet local ones are on my agenda. I will be scanning through the forum to see how people are generally being "thrifty" too. I even think the presents may be homemade this year too so any suggestions would be appreciated.

What sparked my motivation was when I walked into a local Sainsbury's last night and realised how expensive pre-made things were. I looked at a basic tomato and cheese pasta from the lunch area and noticed it was £1.10 and thought to myself I'm sure that if I bought everything raw and made it myself (except making the pasta from scratch) that I could beat that £1.10 per 300g portion - a test I will be trying out next week. I just figured if I cut out all the pre-made stuff and prepare everything then I'll be on target to save my wages better towards this house deposit.

Because she lives about 30 miles away and I venture to see her once a week, I opted for a diesel over a petrol to get more mpg. Problem in the past is I have been lazy and driven everywhere which will stop now for the healthier, money-saving option.

Anyway I'm going off on a tangent. All I wanted to say was that it is great to be a part of this forum and I will be sharing what big money-saving experiences I have so others in a similar situation may benefit.

My first tip is make a big veg and turkey soup/ stew and separate it into freezer containers. Tastes good, it is nutritious and can be warmed up in a microwave.

My recipe: 4 turkey breasts, 2 sticks of leeks chopped up, 4 carrots chopped up, a brocolli chopped up, an onion sliced rather than diced, long beans, one veg stock cube, one chicken stock cube, and a load of water. I left the lot to boil in my slow cooker and added black pepper plus 6 bay leaves after about 7 hours of it on low heat. I left it for 2 more hours and removed the bay leaves completely. Tastes good and keeps me warm on my lunchtimes at work with this cold snap!

richardw

courteen wrote: »

... I walked into a local Sainsbury's last night ….. I looked at a basic tomato and cheese pasta from the lunch area and noticed it was £1.10 and thought ... I'm sure that if I bought everything raw and made it myself (except making the pasta from scratch) that I could beat that £1.10 per 300g portion - a test I will be trying out next week. ..

…and it'll probably taste much better!

fairy3

Hello and welcome!have you looked at the fiscal fast thread? basically its a 7 day challenge of spending as little as possible. Might help as your motivation is so high at the moment? I agree about the nasty plastic pasta stuff and most of the prepackaged food at supermarkets the mark up is massive and generally tasteless.

Good luck with your overhaul

F x

sKiTz-0

It sounds like you have a really good grasp on what needs to change. Food is a massive place you can cut back if you put your mind to it - and you sound like you have the right mindset. It is suprising how many people moan at the price of food when all they eat is pre packed, processed, microwavable rubbish. Granted you need a good store cupboard, but once you have the basics you could say buy one different spice every week with your food shop. Before you know it you will have a cupboard full and will be able to knock anything up from scratch. Bulk buying is another of my tips for food - check out your nearest asian cash and carry. Spices are dirt cheap, you get ten times as much as at a supermarket. The veg is cheaper too. Meat is much cheaper, mine has offers on the already cheap prices like £4 a kilo os 3kd for a tenner for example. I just buy the meat in bulk and bag up in portion sizes, label and freeze. I live on my own and bought a 20kg bag of rice a couple of months ago. It was £19 I think, so a big outlay at first, but will probably do me for 2 years, and I eat a fair bit of rice as I'm into my asian food and curries etc. I just decant from the bag into a 3kg size tub. If I bought my rice from a supermarket, or even worse those microwavable 1 portion packs that are about £2, over 2 years it would be much more than £19.

Meal planning is a top tip also. Means I always have something defrosted and ready to eat so hardly ever have takeaways. I also cook in bulk - might as well while you are cooking anyway. I'll cook for 4 or 6. 1 portion for my tea, 1 portion for lunch at work the next day (saves spending £25 a week in the local butty shop) and whatever is left is portioned up, labelled and goes in the freezer. I either use that for lunches at work, or on a weeknight when time is short so I don't want to be cooking. Quick, easy, microwavable, healthy, cheap tea. I have a list on the side of the freezer of what is inside to help me make the next week's meal plan. I'll base it on what I have in and just top up with milk, bread, whatever fresh fruit and veg I need for the week. Makes a cheap weekly shop and also makes it easier to resist impulse purchases if you are sticking to a shopping list. I budget £85 a month on food for myself. No pets or anything. That is for food and cleaning supplies/toiletries. Alcohol comes out of a separate 'disposable income' pot I have. Apart from the odd beer or bottle of wine here and there.

Home made presents is a good one too. This year I am giving out hampers with various combinations of plum and chilli chutney, plum sauce, plum jam, blackberry jam, rhubarb jam, chilli jelly, strawberry vodka and elderberry wine. Plums from my friends' plum tree. Blackberries foraged from bushes. Rhubarb off a friend at work, traded for a couple of jars of the jam I made with it. Elderberries picked and made into wine last year. Not only is it fairly cheap to make, it takes some time and thought, which a lot of people appreciate. It is also something that will get used, rather than buy the usual Christmas tat which will inevitably sit in a drawer gathering dust.

I could waffle on, but you're in the right place on old style to start reading and learning. Soon, the little changes will become habit. Until eventually you will look back at the person you are now and think "how did I even live that lifestyle??" Life is so much more fulfilling somehow when you are not endlessly chasing more money to fund your lifestyle, but changing your lifestyle to live within your means, and enjoying it so much more at the same time too.

courteen

Thank you for the kind feedback everyone! I will be trying out some of the tips you have provided. Planning is definitely key to success in this respect and I do find it much cheaper to eat healthily rather than eating processed foods. I'll take a look at that 7 day challenge, cheers.

joedenise

Soups are a brilliant idea but in your example you used turkey breasts it would have been much cheaper and just as tasty to have used turkey legs! They're absolutely huge and are great when slow cooked.

A cheap meal I sometimes make is a Spanish rice which is risotto rice with some cooked LO chicken (or you could just cook a chicken thigh and chop up) and a small amount of chorizo, which you can buy from Aldi for less than £1. I only use about 35g for 2 of us. The chorizo makes it really tasty - it would be very bland with just chicken.

Denise