How to make it stretch?

sacha28

Hi guys :wave:

Haven't been on this part for a while but just need your amazing ideas to help me stretch a little bit of money a long way!!!

We've finally got a moving date :j it's in 4 weeks time but have just been asked by the agent if we could pay the first months rent a few days early as we live so far away. We've said yes but would prefer to do this now, whilst the money is in the bank, to avoid us spending it and being stuck!! We've been over our finances and, once the amount is paid, we have 3 payments to make tomorrow totaling £90 and this would leave us with £160 with another £81.40 (child benefit) due into the account next Monday.

We have 1/2 a tank of fuel but I am yet to do food shopping (me+OH+2yo lb)....how can I stretch this amount out in a way that wouldn't make us feel like we are just existing? I know we are going to need to be frugal but can you be frugal and still feel able to live?

Any advice appreciated @D

[Deleted User]

How long does the £241-40 have to last?

sacha28

30 days xx

sacha28

Actually just checked online banking again and I'm £40 less than I thought (I'd read 'balance not 'available balance'....d'oh! So will have £200 for 30 days but yet to do a food shop

Tixy

And what will you need to buy/pay for in that period outside of food?

I would work out the essentials you will have to spend on and then see what money will be remaining for food and any luxuries etc.

sacha28

Tixy wrote: »

And what will you need to buy/pay for in that period outside of food?

I would work out the essentials you will have to spend on and then see what money will be remaining for food and any luxuries etc.

This is the thing, all of our DD's go out between the 25th and 1st of every month. We smoke (but don't have to pay for any this month as a family member has given us some duty free but is refusing payment )we don't drink, we don't belong to any clubs that cost money so on paper we should be ok but £200 doesn't seem to go very far (I really need to stop the habit of buying my lo a toy car every time I go to a shop! They're only £1 each but it all adds up!!). We will need more fuel as we use the car every day to get us to work/lo to nursery.

So it seems just food and fuel but it's the fresh food that's the killer I think, fruit and veg doesn't seem that cheap any more and my lo loves his fruit!

Should I do our food shop weekly rather than monthly? If I could limit it to, say, £30 per week after doing a meal plan so it doesn't feel like I've blown the whole lot in a day?

moohound

Have you got much in the freezer/cupboards to make meals out of?

[Deleted User]

£6-66 per day seems quite doable.

-taff

Go to the Old style board. There's loads of help on there for making meals out of basically nothing, or frugal shopping/meal planning.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

atolaas

Any chance of being able to walk your LO to nursery? Nicer weather would make it an easier walk. That would save putting more petrol into the car. Try doing your food shopping at after 3pm on a Sunday afternoon. Lots of items are deeply discounted as they won't be able to sell them on Monday. I always try and pick a freshly cooked chicken from Mr T at least once a month. You can pick all the meat off it and use it in 3/4 different meals or freeze what you don't use for another day.

Monkeyballs

And on the eighth day God realised that Adam and Eve were on a tight budget and so created Pasta!

You're a month away from moving so that is a great motivator no reason for extravagances so stock up on Pasta and if you have any left over after cooking it then you can add it to a soup which just needs a few stock cubes, a few veggies (old ones can be used) and el cheapo meat Sainsburys in York have a great deal on 6 drumsticks for a quid so I assume it's national? so chuck them in the pot as it boils, give it half an hour and then remove them and strip off the meat (careful not to burn your fingers) and put it back in

Even better, the following day if you have any left then you can have the same again or squirt in some tomato puree and a teaspoon of corn flour for creamy tomato soup!

MB of G