PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

£45 per week housekeeping

Options
13468912

Comments

  • WeegieWumman
    WeegieWumman Posts: 325 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts
    edited 15 August 2018 at 11:37PM
    I love how MSE members invariably respond to requests for help. It restores my faith in human nature. You're all heroes!
    People like JackieO know how to stretch out a penny until it begs for mercy. I was born days before the end of the war in Europe and like Jackie I remember food rationing which didn't end until I was 9 years old. Housewives didn't waste a crumb of bread.
  • wannalot
    wannalot Posts: 186 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    ceegee wrote: »
    Thank you all for your ideas, much food for thought there, excuse the pun!

    No alcohol, no takeaways, no eating out. If I need to buy something "over and above" such as tights, it leaves me struggling. I have no budget for things like clothes and haircuts, if I did, we wouldn't have even the £45 for housekeeping!

    I think that the constant struggle gets on top of me sometimes. Sometimes I remember the well groomed and well dressed woman that I used to be and it does make me feel down sometimes.

    I know it might seem that I am being a bit cagey about my circumstances, I don't want to appear that way, it's just that, at the age of 62 and having worked from age 15 until 61, I now find my self in a rotten situation. I shall take all suggestions on board and re -double my efforts.

    Many thanks for the thoughts and kindness! !!!55357;!!!56397;

    CeeGee, please know that it is absolutely fine to post as much or as little info as you wish. There are lots of great people here who have been in similar situations, and they have great insight.

    I’m here often now, looking for advice! Although things are going well for me at the moment, That is very likely to change in the next few years, as technology is likely to eliminate my job.

    It’s an uncomfortable thought, but I’m trying to be proactive, cut costs and get some savings together. My food bill is horrendous, so I’m trying to cut out takeaways and cook more.

    I’d recommend you take a look round your local supermarkets. Take a list of the things you eat most often and compare prices. Also, go in at different times and see when they discount food. For example, my local Tesco does big reductions at 1pm on a Saturday and if I am lucky I can find lots of nice fish and meat for the freezer, at half price.

    Also, are you lucky enought to have a decent market nearby for fruit and veg? These tend to be much cheaper than the supermarket, as long as you can get there easily!

    Good luck. Things might seem tough now, but things are always changing, and easier days might be ahead. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!
    2025 goals
    GC: April £100
    Savings: save £6K (or move house)
    Health: Lose 3 stone
    Mind: read at least 24 books
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 17,413 Forumite
    10,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped!
    I love how MSE members invariably respond to requests for help. It restores my faith in human nature. You're all heroes!
    People like JackieO know how to stretch out a penny until it begs for mercy. I was born days before the end of the war in Europe and like Jackie I remember food rationing which didn't end until I was 9 years old. Housewives didn't waste a crumb of bread.

    :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:I love streetching out my cash, not because of being miserly just because I prefer to spend it on things I really enjoy .Tomorrow morning myself my youngest DD and family all go off on our annual August holiday to the Isle of Wight This is helped to be paid for by both mine and my DDs frugality and careful managment throughout the year

    We have two weeks in August in a rented house, and a week in the spring in a caravan,always on our beloved IoW as we all enjoy it so much.We take some basics stuff with us, tea, coffee cereals etc and then do a big shop when we get there. We don't go without on holiday and always have a nice evening meal out on our last night as by then all ,as a rule extra stuff has been used up.

    In the morning I will make a big flask of coffee and DD makes the picnic bits and when we get to Sothampton tomorrow mid morning we have a picnic and let her two dogs have a good run around after the journey before we board the ferry. Red funnel food is far too expensive,plus with two dogs its not practical as we would have to eat in shifts:)

    I pay for the house and DD gets the food there are a total of seven of us on holiday and in the middle weekend my dgd and her OH and baby will come over for a few days as well so its a big family,plus we have family over there who visit us for BBQs etc.

    It really is an old fashioned type of holiday and we have done this for the past 15 years .DD and the boys go fishing a couple of times and we have actually eaten what they have caught We have an apple tree in the garden and blackberries in the field next door ,all of which get used and eaten :)but we don't scrimp on holiday we just enjoy lots of gorgeous fresh air,clean beaches and family time together Both my DD and my son-in-law work full time so our holiday is important to them as its time to enjoy getting everyone together.So if you see a large family anywhere around Yaverland beach or Appley beach its probably us (both dog friendly beaches for the summer holidays :)

    You really don't need a great deal of cash to have fun.If it rains we do have a treat of the cinema,:) but we are not bothered as the house has a good wi-fi connection so we can download stuff.

    By budgetting throughout the year ,even down to Grannies 'road kill tin' which my DGS all donate their findings to, often pennies or 5ps found on their way home from school :)They think its a hoot that folk actually toss coins away in the street. One year we had almost £80 from the 'ice cream and treats' tin in my kitchen:D

    I shop at most now twice a month and do my best to use every thing I can, and have cut wasteage down to almost zero.

    I treat my household expenses and running costs the same way I used to run my business. Utilise every penny and make it work for you.Look for bargains but also use what you have to the best advantage

    Re your big box of soap powder If you buy a bag of ordinary washing soda crystals for a pound shop use half of your normal amount of soap powder and half soda crystals you get the same amount of cleaning power and your box of powder will last twice as long.

    Bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar will clean mostly anything. A paste made of water and bicarb will clean anything, and if you make some and leave on the inside of your oven for 10 minutes then wipe off its a darn sight cheaper than Ovenmate

    White vinegar is brilliant as a softner instead of conditioner in your washing machine It doesn't leave your clothes smelling like a chip shop either and helps to keep your machine clean as well.

    I use white vinegar and an old newspaper to clean my windows as well.A bottle of white vinegar will cost you leass than 50p and saves you a fortune.

    Lentils ,oats or baked beans will 'extend'a pound of mince brilliantly adding herbs and spices will brighten up almost anything you cook.

    Small savings can be made in almost any corner of your house, a cosy throw over you legs in the evening will keep you just as warm when the weather turns a bit nippy instead of turning the heating on But I don't sit and freeze either :)

    As said before we are all here to help and I have had lots of hints and help over the past few years and often its the daftest ideas that often save you the most :)

    The folk on here are amazing and there is no such thing as a daft question Some one will always come up with either a solution or point you to somewhere that you can get an answer

    We may only be 'virtual' friends ,but friends we all are

    Good luck and happy 'frugalling' nip over to the Love Food, Hate Waste board and say Hello, great recipes and help there as well :):):)


    Cheers JackieO xxx
  • JackieO wrote: »
    ...Re your big box of soap powder If you buy a bag of ordinary washing soda crystals for a pound shop use half of your normal amount of soap powder and half soda crystals you get the same amount of cleaning power and your box of powder will last twice as long...

    Many thanks for the tip. I can only buy very expensive washing powders, basically anything unscented, as I am very sensitive to the perfumes that are used.

    Just ordered some soda crystals online* to mix in with my powder so many thanks for the tip :T

    *I live in the middle of nowhere so no pounds shops near me.
  • bertiewhite
    bertiewhite Posts: 1,904 Forumite
    1,000 Posts
    We spend an average of £250 per month on food etc (in Aldi) for a family of 2 - one week in the month it'll be £70 when we need toiletries, ketchup etc. but at least one will be just a £30 shop when we're running down the freezer.
  • One of the things I do is to 'steal a meal'. So take your normal ingredients for a meal and reduce them every so slightly.

    For example, I was recently batch cooking. Instead of using 4 carrots I used 3 and 1/2, 1 & 3/4s of a leek instead of two, 1 less potato on so. This was not enough difference to the main meal I was cooking for it to be noticed.

    To the 'stolen' food I then added a onion, black pepper and a bit of cheddar cheese and made some pastry. I managed to get 8 vegetable pasties from this food and popped them in the freezer to be eaten later.
  • Some thoughts on toiletries:

    -unless you are very sweaty or spend your days rolling around in a farmyard, you need much less washing powder than you think. Too much gunges up the machine anyway.

    -bar soap lasts significantly longer than shower gel. Dove always seems to be in £ shops.

    -you definitely don't need to have separate "kitchen cleaner, "bathroom cleaner" etc. Marketing nonsense. Wilko general cleaner will do everything.

    -use washable rags from old towels/flannels for cleaning and stop wasting money on kitchen roll

    I also put tights on wearing gloves as I'm clumsy and got sick of ruining brand new pairs; I don't even have long nails.

    It can be wearing constantly watching the pennies; perhaps view it as a challenge that will stand you in good stead come a zombie apocalypse?!
    They are an EYESORES!!!!
  • We live on £175 a month, which covers food and cleaning products. It doesn't cover treats and snacks, but it's ok for the mains. Helps that we don't eat much dairy and meat, I think.

    As for washing powder, I usually get a cheap one from the Co-Op for about £1.60 or so. Lasts us about a month.
    Signature Removed by Forum Team ..thanks to somebody reporting a witty and decades-old Kenny Everett quote as 'offensive'!!
  • Katieowl
    Katieowl Posts: 185 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    No food suggestions but if grooming budget cuts are getting you down, I cut my own hair now ;) DD was cutting her own and it looked very nice and she said she was using a Lee Stafford technique (from Cosmopolitan I think it was?) which she'd found a video for on the internet. There are loads of DIY videos for other cuts. If you have mid length hair its worth a look. I also colour mine because I cant afford hairdresser any more, I've done it sensible colours at home all my life, so I'm very comfortable with the process. I've been bleaching it and doing crazy colours now for a few years.
  • Katieowl
    Katieowl Posts: 185 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    JackieO wrote: »
    The Shirley Goode cookbook can be found often in a CS she was brilliant as well
    JackieO xx

    Which one of her books are you recommending? More for your Money or The Shirley Goode kitchen?

    Tks X
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 244K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.3K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.