Oops, Over-Reached myself! Back on the Thrift!

Datchet

Put cash aside, ring fenced, for the kids. Then an unexpected big bill looms... I don't want to 'Break the savings' so - here we go again, belt-tightening.
Cutting out unnecessary stuff.
1. Eating out/ wine. Decimated.
2. Unnecessary car journeys.
3 next big expenses -the hard ones: holidays, Christmas...

Suggestions & Help please.

Silly me

Artytarty

For me, it's the wee extra treats that somehow make it into my shopping trolley that all add up.
A new bit of makeup- when I've got enough, just fancy trying it
A cheap supermarket jumper,as above
Fancy beers for the lads- because they look interesting and I like to spoil them.
These are the things that send my bill soaring.

Try "free"meals, ie risotto from leftovers, I made pasties from left over spaghetti Bol mix thickened up and h.m pastry. Rather lovely they were too.

[Deleted User]

Just stay away from shops for as long as possible They are there to tempt you to spend your money.
Unless its really urgent (and most times its not ) wean yourself away from them and keep saying to yourself I do NOT need it I cannot AFFORD it and I am not going to BUY it.
Good Luck I am now down to food shopping twice a month :):)

Nelski

Think about using supermarket delivery ...yes you pay for a delivery, I pay £5 per month for as many deliveries as I like with Asda but i easily save that every month by not being in a temptation marketing zone where things drop into the trolley.

Batch cooking and freezing

Finding the yellow sticker time for your local shops ...my lovely neighbour eats mostly marks and sparks food by knowing their day and time ...thurs 4.30

Don't assume aldi and lidl are cheaper I find Asda beats them to a pulp often

GooeyBlob

Yellow sticker times vary according to supermarket, day of the week and sometimes even which member of staff is doing them. It's definitely worth getting to know them though as a person can eat like a king for well under a quid a day.

Last year I went on an economy drive and put together a spreadsheet of all the things I buy that can't be found at the reduced section, listing the items and the price at each shop. This was around 20 to 25 items. Each time I visited a shop I'd only buy the items for which it was the cheapest and check the other prices while there. Often the supermarkets had identical prices but I could still find the odd item cheaper at B&M, Heron or Home Bargains. Where prices were identical I'd use loyalty schemes as the tie-breaker. It also discouraged me from buying new items on a whim until I'd checked the prices everywhere. Serious penny-pinching admittedly, but why should I pay 40p for a tin of sardines when the shop over the road sells them for 34p?

carrielovesfanta

Datchet wrote: »

Put cash aside, ring fenced, for the kids. Then an unexpected big bill looms... I don't want to 'Break the savings' so - here we go again, belt-tightening.
Cutting out unnecessary stuff.
1. Eating out/ wine. Decimated.
2. Unnecessary car journeys.
3 next big expenses -the hard ones: holidays, Christmas...

Suggestions & Help please.

Silly me

Hi Datchet! Feel free to join us on the DFW small things thread, where we post what small thrifty things we do each day. This week's thread is here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/74886556#Comment_74886556