Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

beanielou wrote: »

However busy they are it is no excuse to play with people's lives.

I agree.

beanielou wrote: »

I think food is just getting more & more expensive sadly.

It is

HairyHandofDartmoor

carbootcrazy wrote: »

That was really sweet of you, HH, thinking about your DS's ill friend and the person who lost his Mum:A. You can't really worry about the cost of that sort of thing.


As for trying to get food costs down, I think we're all fighting a losing battle:(. It's like running just to stand still. We economise by cutting things out and down-branding, but then the prices of whatever we do buy go up again:mad:. It's so tiring sometimes having to be so vigilant all the time.

It is frustrating but I won't be beaten. When the prices go up I just try and cut something else out of the food budget. We all tend to buy more than we actually need.

If I could cut down on my diet coke that would help. I usually eat value oats with skimmed milk for breakfast, a cheese sandwich with a satsuma for lunch, a banana for a snack, and a vege burger with baked potato and value beans for my dinner. That is what I eat most days. I'm not sure what I could cut from that apart from the diet coke .

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

It is frustrating but I won't be beaten. When the prices go up I just try and cut something else out of the food budget. We all tend to buy more than we actually need.

If I could cut down on my diet coke that would help. I usually eat value oats with skimmed milk for breakfast, a cheese sandwich with a satsuma for lunch, a banana for a snack, and a vege burger with baked potato and value beans for my dinner. That is what I eat most days. I'm not sure what I could cut from that apart from the diet coke .

That sounds like a pretty frugal diet, HH.

I wouldn't cut down too much on the diet coke HH unless you spend £££ on it every week. Everyone deserves something they enjoy, especially you who does so much for everyone else. Do you drink the big brands or the supermarkets own version? I don't drink much diet coke nowadays but I found most of the supermarket cheaper versions pretty dire. I'd rather drink one 'real' diet Pepsi/Coke than 6 of the others.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I spend about £8 a week on Diet C0ke which is a lot . But the cheap stuff is pretty dire so I can't enjoy that and I used to spend £4 a week on cider which I don't buy at the moment.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I get 24 cans of c0ke for £8 in Mr T so that's 3.4 cans per day. But that's £32 a month just on coke.

WannabeFree

I agree I do drink Diet coke and the cheaper brands just don't compare. Unless you get to the point you need to choose between food and your drink then I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. We all need a little bit of something we enjoy.

I hope you're okay and dropping by with hugs (not dodgy ones :rotfl:)

x

beanielou

We do all need a little something that makes us happy

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

I get 24 cans of c0ke for £8 in Mr T so that's 3.4 cans per day. But that's £32 a month just on coke.

Mmm, that does seem rather a lot:think:. But, as I think I said before, you need some pleasure in life and not drinking alcohol must have saved a bit recently. Could you maybe cut down to a couple of cans a day, maybe an extra one at weekends? Do you drink tea, water etc? Our tap water tastes horrible but I filter it in a filter jug(although I need to factor in the cost of the cartridges but buy generic cheaper ones anyway) and I drink quite a lot of it nowadays. Plus my tea of course, I'm a real tea addict but I use Morrison's Everyday tea which is as nice as the big brands (to my taste anyway) with a small amount of semi-skimmed milk and no sugar. I drink plenty of them each day. I don't suppose the cost is all that much. Not much room left for diet coke, I only tend to drink it in the hot weather.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I do drink value tea from Mr T which I like and only costs 25p for 40 teabags, so much cheaper than the coke.

Perhaps I could try and follow your suggestion and cut down to two cans a day. It will be easier now the weather is cooler as I can't drink much tea when it's really hot. I could put the money I save in a jar and try and build to up a small emergency fund.

enthusiasticsaver

Would it be cheaper to buy it by the large bottle rather than cans so get maybe 2 or 3 bottles a week? That would cost less than £8. Restrict maybe to 2 glasses a day.