New start

frankiebeany

Hi All,

Just a quick one looking for advice.
I've had to downsize from a house to a flat due to a relationship breakup. I've never had to pay the bills all on my own so looking for some advice as to how to keep the costs low! This is about everything! From gas and electric to simple things. I'm quite good with money and was always the one to juggle the bills but i just wondered if there were any great tips out there that I can use!
I have my mortgage fixed at a 1.69% rate for 3 years, but want to be able to live my life seeing as i am now newly single.
I've started by recouping some of the wedding costs by selling items on ebay to drum up some cash.

Thanks!!

spadoosh

Difficult to know what youre asking.

As an example i could answer 'bulk buy cheese, it has a long shelf life'. And chances are it isnt hugely relevant or will be that beneficial especially if you already know this.

Basics. Use comparison sites. Sign up to the weekly mail (reminds you to check certain things and covers a wide basis).

Might be best doing a statement of affairs so people can rip it apart and tell you where you can cut expenses.

frankiebeany

Where can i find a statement of affairs to order it up nicely?

Upsidedown_Bear

frankiebeany wrote: »

Where can i find a statement of affairs to order it up nicely?

Here:
http://www.stoozing.com/calculator/soa.php

You can format it for MSE at the end if you wanted to post it on here

Ebe_Scrooge

A few ideas :


Shop at Lidl/Aldi instead of Tesco/Asda/etc. The difference in price is substantial.


Things like tinned food/toilet paper/cleaning products ... anything that has a very long shelf-life - keep an eye out for discounts, then buy in bulk. I know that in my local Lidl, every so often they'll massively discount toilet rolls and baked beans ( that's just 2 examples I personally took advantage of ). Only problem is that you've got to be quick, they sell out in a couple of hours !


Cook from scratch, rather than buying take-away or ready meals. A favourite trick from my student days was to make a stew, using a relatively small amount of meat, bulked up with tons of vegetables (veg being a lot cheaper than meat ). It still had a nice meaty flavour, but was cheap.


Keep an eye out at the supermarket toward the end of the day for vegetables that are reduced. You can get loads of veg for pennies. They're nearing their "best before" date, but you can see if they look ok. Use them within a day or two and they're fine.


Take this to the extreme - bulk-buy a whole load of discounted veg, make a huge batch of the aforementioned stew, divide it into portions in either freezer bags or tupperware boxes, freeze them. You've then got a whole load of cheap home-made ready meals that you can either microwave or boil-in-the-bag. And it has the added advantage of being very quick to heat up for those evenings when you can't be bothered to cook. Bung on a portion of rice or pasta to go with it and it's a substantial meal for pennies.


Try to cut down heating costs. If there's a room you don't use ( e.g. a spare bedroom for instance ), turn the radiator right down low, keep the door closed and put a draft excluder ( or just a rolled-up blanket ) along the bottom of the door. It's worth going in and opening a window to air the room every couple of weeks, just to prevent any problems with damp.


Turn the thermostat down a notch or two and wear a jumper, rather than wearing just a t-shirt and having to keep the house at a higher temperature.


Have a look at USwitch or similar to see if you can get a better deal on your gas and/or electricity bills.


Those are just some ideas off the top of my head - I'm sure others will come along with loads more.

FreeBear

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Shop at Lidl/Aldi instead of Tesco/Asda/etc. The difference in price is substantial.

Lidl/Aldi are cheaper for some things, as are places like B&M - However, for most fresh fruit & veg, I generally find that the local market and smaller shops to be as cheap (or even cheaper).

One thing I would say - Contact your local Credit Union (see http://www.findyourcreditunion.co.uk/ ) and start saving a regular amount each week/month. It doesn't need to be much, just a few pounds will do. Then when you need emergency credit, you won't have to turn to one of those payday lenders with their extortionate interest rates. Credit Unions also give better interest rates than most banks.

ST1991

A Smart meter on your gas/electric is a good idea. Lets you see what you are using and how much is spent each day so you can find ways to cut down.
E.G instead of doing small load 2-3 times a week, just do one a week (obvious this is dependant on the amount of clothes and size of washing machine!)
If you have a dishwasher, rinse plates and leave until full to switch it on (or hand wash).

Don't boil the kettle, leave it, then come back and re-boil it. Speaking of which, i have heard that a kettle on a gas hob can be more efficient than an electric one?
Sounds like pennies, but if you have a cuppa a few times a day it adds up.

Agree with putting on layers. My husband always moans he is cold whilst sitting in tshirt and shorts. No wonder! Invest in some snuggly pj's and slippers which makes it more fun!

I use topcashback for all online purchases, that way you get a few extra quid back for things you would buy anyway. Sometimes it is only 50p or so, but it adds up.

Shopping in Aldi has more than halved my shopping spend. I also buy ingredients and once a month spend a few hours cooking up different meals in bulk for variety. Cottage pie is a classic and a fav, but you can also go for chicken and veg, chilli, stews etc so you can quickly make different meals for very cheap (wraps, stirfrys, tacos, fajitas etc) or have a hearty meal when you just cant be bothered.
I also always buy the 'value' rice and pasta. Surprising how much the mark up is to have it in a nice package when it's essentially the same...!

Shop around for broadband/tv. We pay a small fortune each month which i despise and is the next thing for me to get around to. Lots of companies to introductory offers and sky is on topcashback too (offering hundreds back on some packages)