It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Spendless

Daughter wanted pizza for tea, so I decided to get this £5 deal  from Co op deal to fill the freezer with the extra bits. https://www.coop.co.uk/products/deals/freezer-fillers


Daughter is vegetarian and me and DH don't really eat chicken nuggets but I thought I'd either have them at some point or DS would eat when home. I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the shop to see they were offering a veggie version as an alternative. 

https://www.birdseye.co.uk/range/meat-free-mealtimes/green-cuisine/green-cuisine-chicken-free-dippers

If anyone is interested I'd say check your local store just in case it differs,  

OrkneyStar

littlemoney said:

@OrkneyStar I try to wash on days I can put the washing on the line. If the sheets stay a little longer the bed so be it. There's a good strong wind today but frequent snow snowers have made it impossible to think about doing a wash. I didn't want anything damp in the house especially as it was only 12 degrees indoors this morning and damp air feels colder.

If I go based on weather/weather forecast alone then I could probably predict what days to do more washing, and get it at least well aired (if not 100% dry) - the problem is that I live in a farming community and slurry spreading can put a spanner in the works! I know they have to do it, and I appreciate our hard working farmers, it's just that I have a sensitive nose and really cannot wear clothes or use towels, bedding etc with even a whiff of slurry on it! I often hang it out if I will be about to run it with it the minute the slurry smell appears!

nannygladys

I'm another who looks out of the window before doing the laundry, this morning was glorious sunshine but cold, so I thought I would try a quick wash cycle, and hang it all outside. The funny thing is the towels dried quite quickly but a couple of my t-shirts were quite damp still!!!! 

I've been trying a few things out today to lesson g&e usage  but will have to assess after a few days to see if I really want to be doing them, there's only so many things I will do unless they are necessary, even when I can see the smart meter galloping forward!!
Nannyg

Onebrokelady

Hi everyone, I've been reading from the start of the thread and have to say thanks for all the money saving ideas I've picked up. I am on a very low budget so looking to cut costs. Hopefully you won't mind if I join you 😊

Slinky

Having struggled most of today on and off trying to get my printer to work to print off my meter readings, I've just added some more lines to my spreadsheet and I'm now able to compare my meter readings to last year's when I started recording that level of details. We've managed to reduce our March consumption on both gas and electric by nearly 19%. I can't say we've done it without noticing the difference, but needs must.

Rosa_Damascena

Slinky said:

We've got building work going on which has been very problematic due to unexpected issues with the ground. Yesterday they planned to fill with a lot of concrete, but because of the weather it got delayed until today, when the leccy has gone up. I was panicking about how much extra this was going to cost, on top of all the other costs the issue has caused, but I've just checked and the concrete mixers used 5 units of electric, so not nearly as bad as I'd feared. I just hope the groundworks overspend isn't as bad as I've mentally planned for.

Some costs are beyond your control, and the builder's use of your power is one of them.

Vanlady

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've been on these boards, but I really need to get back!
Have really enjoyed reading everyone's  posts, some great advice here.
Theres just 2 of us now and one fluffy friend, and we always try to live within our means and not waste anything, food, water, energy etc.
We're on a water meter, which is fantastic,  infact I think we would even have saved money on water if we'd have had it when L.Vans lived at home!

We bought an 8kg drum washing machine about 5/6 years ago, still going strong, and its brill cos it means I dont have to use the washer as often, I do let things pile up (and we DONT change our clothes daily except undies, as really feel there is no need unless dirty or pongy)  until there is enough. I also check the weather forecast before I put a wash on, although that's not always 100% accurate......sigh.....

Another thing ive started doing recently, if i can get away with it, is just doing the washing up once a day, usually about 12.30 as I'm making lunch, so that the lunch things will also get washed in the same water......it works very well for me......as long as you dont mind looking at a bit of a pile of stuff to wash up that is ( evening meal and breakfast things). 
We have a combi boiler ( only a few years old) and I keep a watering can in the kitchen to drain off the cold water into it before it becomes hot ( a tip I learnt from these boards....thankyou so much) and dishes are rinsed in this in the 1/2 sink as they're used , so nothing smelly or yucky sitting there.  
 A question.....does anyone know if it would be more economical to boil the kettle and use that to wash up with as opposed to using the hot water from the combi boiler???
We dont have a smart meter so I havent got a clue about what gadgets use the most energy, and for some reason monsieur Van feels a meter isnt necessary.......ermmm.........

Oh, and ps, I hate washing up, and ironing too ha ha!!.....

greenbee

OrkneyStar said:

littlemoney said:

@OrkneyStar I try to wash on days I can put the washing on the line. If the sheets stay a little longer the bed so be it. There's a good strong wind today but frequent snow snowers have made it impossible to think about doing a wash. I didn't want anything damp in the house especially as it was only 12 degrees indoors this morning and damp air feels colder.

If I go based on weather/weather forecast alone then I could probably predict what days to do more washing, and get it at least well aired (if not 100% dry) - the problem is that I live in a farming community and slurry spreading can put a spanner in the works! I know they have to do it, and I appreciate our hard working farmers, it's just that I have a sensitive nose and really cannot wear clothes or use towels, bedding etc with even a whiff of slurry on it! I often hang it out if I will be about to run it with it the minute the slurry smell appears!

Our local farmers now use the village FB group to flag up activity such as late night harvesting and slurry spreading... we have a lot of recent arrivals in the village who have tended to complain in the past about tractors, mud, smells and noise. The advance notice and information on what they're doing and why seems to have worked well. 

sammyjammy

Florenceem said:

Been to have my yearly eye test and buying 2 pairs of cheap glasses. While there - a woman was paying £400+ for one pair of glasses. She said to the assistant - the cost isn't an issue.
Price of DK yarn has shot up in Wilk. - £1.60 for 100g. I usually buy online and pay £1 or £1.25 - depends on colour requirements but I needed yellow yarn urgently. I can make 14 chick creme egg covers with 100g of yarn - making £14 for the SA.

They still have lots of wool from a special buy a few weeks ago in my Aldi, worth a look

EssexHebridean

TheAble said:

EssexHebridean said:

My T3sco vouchers came through at £6 or £4 off £40 and I even put those straight in the shredding pile! 😂

But why? Surely you're throwing money away. £4 or £6 off a £40 spend is a fantastic saving.

Not if a I don’t need £40 worth of shopping, have a fully stocked storecupboard, and no space in the freezer, it’s not! 😉

Also - they’re the same every time, and chances are, next time they arrive, I WILL be able to make use of the £6 off £40, at least. This is the thing with these offers - so often they come round again and again. The supermarkets rely on people thinking “that’s a fantastic saving…” and so spending more than they’d planned, but more importantly more than they need to.