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

HairyHandofDartmoor

milann wrote: »

Maybe the spends are going up because the prices in the shops are. Have you considered the buying big bags of rice and pasta - the initial cost is slightly more but they last me ages (I know there are more of you than here) I wouldn’t go back to buying the smaller bags anymore.

Thanks Milann . I do think price rises are partially responsible. I must look into buying the bigger bags of rice and pasta. I buy wholewheat pasta and brown rice, which is more expensive, but is tastier and healthier. I could look in the world foods section perhaps and see if they do bigger bags there. Where do you buy your big bags from?

[Deleted User]

HH, do you belong to a shopping warehouse type place/cash and carry like Costco or Makro? I think they're the names of a couple but I've never been a member of one myself as I didn't qualify. I think you have to have a business but these days with so much going on online, such as selling on eBay etc, anyone could say they run their own business;). I used to go with a friend occasionally when she stocked up on bulk buys but we both discovered that they aren't always cheaper. Regular supermarkets often have loss-leaders that are cheaper than the wholesale price and you don't have to buy massive amounts all at once. I think prices in the warehouse places are VAT free but then again, I wasn't aware we pay VAT on food anyway wherever we buy it. Anyway. just an idea for you to think about. I think you have to pay an annual membership fee(could be wrong as usual:o) and then there's the cost of your petrol to factor in to whatever potential savings you might make.

HairyHandofDartmoor

foxgloves wrote: »

HHoD - I think supermarket prices are just going up. I don't think we've taken our eye off the ball with what we're buying on our weekly grocery shopping list. I think that our shopping has been creeping up largely because I haven't increased our target £50 per week grocery spend for a long time & all those little 5p, 10p, 30p+ increases on grocery items have reached a point where its noticeable at the check-out.
Re anti-histamines. I don't have hay fever but can react badly to insect bites, so I always make sure I have these in. I used to get them from A*di for about 99p, but couldn't seem to find them in our local branch last year, so my current ones came from W*lko's. They were massively cheaper than branded ones, so I wouldn't go back to those.
Your sandals sound like a great bargain. I'd quite like a new pair, but my current ones are holding up better than I thought (it's their third summer) so I might get away with it till next year unless I see some bargainaceous ones. I don't find it comfortable to walk in completely flat footwear, but don't want anything with too much of a heel or too strappy, as I like walking, so I'll see how I get one with making these last. They still look quite nice.
F x

I agree that those 10p, 20p, 30p price rises all add up over twenty or thirty items, so it is hard to keep prices down without buying less. We already avoid luxuries to a large extent. When I was buying things like cakes, biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, apple juice, squash, yoghurts, Actimel, alcohol, and all the other items we've stopped buying I was spending about £120 a week for five adults :eek:, so it has gone down a lot from those spendy days. We are doing a teeny bit of stockpiling due to Brexit, I didn't actually need rice and pasta for instance, but I'm worried about future price rises so want to keep a reasonable supply in stock.

I hope your sandals last the summer. I like flat ones but need a cushioned sole or my feet can't cope.

redofromstart

Makro isn't great for bargains, has really gone downhill in recent years. I buy the odd thing on offer - bulk bags of frozen prawns, and kitchen towel/toilet roll but only if I am passing. Not worth the petrol.

Costco I have looked at but you have to buy a lot of 'bargains' to cover the membership fee. Supposed to be good for random things on offer (like tyres).

I bought some huge bags of pasta from approved foods years ago, which is when I found out that the mice really like pasta. I now buy 56p a bag tagliatelle from the co-op, one at a time, which lives in a plastic box. £stretcher do a box filled with 15 packs of instant noodles at £3, my boys like the noodles as a cheap snack and I like the storage boxes for rice and pasta.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Noella wrote: »

HH, do you belong to a shopping warehouse type place/cash and carry like Costco or Makro? I think they're the names of a couple but I've never been a member of one myself as I didn't qualify. I think you have to have a business but these days with so much going on online, such as selling on eBay etc, anyone could say they run their own business;). I used to go with a friend occasionally when she stocked up on bulk buys but we both discovered that they aren't always cheaper. Regular supermarkets often have loss-leaders that are cheaper than the wholesale price and you don't have to buy massive amounts all at once. I think prices in the warehouse places are VAT free but then again, I wasn't aware we pay VAT on food anyway wherever we buy it. Anyway. just an idea for you to think about. I think you have to pay an annual membership fee(could be wrong as usual:o) and then there's the cost of your petrol to factor in to whatever potential savings you might make.

Thanks for the ideas Noella .

redofromstart wrote: »

Makro isn't great for bargains, has really gone downhill in recent years. I buy the odd thing on offer - bulk bags of frozen prawns, and kitchen towel/toilet roll but only if I am passing. Not worth the petrol.

Costco I have looked at but you have to buy a lot of 'bargains' to cover the membership fee. Supposed to be good for random things on offer (like tyres).

I bought some huge bags of pasta from approved foods years ago, which is when I found out that the mice really like pasta. I now buy 56p a bag tagliatelle from the co-op, one at a time, which lives in a plastic box. £stretcher do a box filled with 15 packs of instant noodles at £3, my boys like the noodles as a cheap snack and I like the storage boxes for rice and pasta.

Thanks for that info Redo . It's really useful that you've done some research into this already.

I keep everything in plastic boxes now. I've got a ten litre box from Mr T for a fiver and I keep 2 x 1kg oats in there, plus 1kg of pasta and 1kg of rice. It keeps them safe from mice and means I can stockpile a bit. When I open a bag to use I put it into a smaller plastic box that will hold 1kg. I'm obsessed with storage atm but it does make life more organised and easier .

Sunshine_girl2

Hi HH hope you are feeling better today. With regards to rice and pasta , I work in a predominantly Muslim area and we have a big cash and carry in the area. The rice , pasta and spices are very reasonably priced. The spices are amazing , also I use halal mince occasionally. Maybe you have an area near you that has great food shops like this one.

It's raining here so just reading the afternoon away before getting ready for a concert tonight .

HairyHandofDartmoor

I do feel a bit better thank you Sunshine .

I'll look out for those types of shops, we have a Chinese supermarket in town but I'm not sure about other types of shops. We have a tiny Muslim population in the SW. The thing is whether we pass those places as I don't think the savings would be worth a special trip and I couldn't carry large bags on the bus very easily.

I hope you enjoy the concert .

[Deleted User]

Do you have one of those 'scoop shops' anywhere near you? Even our small town has one but I've never used it myself so can't advise if they work out cheaper for bulk buys of staples. Everything is in big 'bins' and the customer scoops out just the amount they need. I assume these sort of shops are ideal if people want small quantities of something. DH regularly drops in to our local one and treats himself to copious amounts of pistachio nuts (his favourite) which he says works out a lot cheaper than the pre-packaged ones in supermarkets.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Noella wrote: »

Do you have one of those 'scoop shops' anywhere near you? Even our small town has one but I've never used it myself so can't advise if they work out cheaper for bulk buys of staples. Everything is in big 'bins' and the customer scoops out just the amount they need. I assume these sort of shops are ideal if people want small quantities of something. DH regularly drops in to our local one and treats himself to copious amounts of pistachio nuts (his favourite) which he says works out a lot cheaper than the pre-packaged ones in supermarkets.

I've never noticed one but I'll keep an eye out .

milann

I buy the big bags of Basmati rice in Asda world food aisle and big bags of pasta spirals but it’s not wholemeal or brown rice. I can’t remember how much I paid as they last us a fair amount of time. I decant into a large jar on my countertop and have a large clip style box in my cupboard for remainder. No good to you though if you use brown and wholemeal.