Help for newbies form experienced old stylers...

Old_Meanie

Hello again
Have been trying to think of more money saving OS. I make some of my own clothes - cant do knickers iam afraid but am going to try french knickers this year O LA LA I think I can do that. Learn running stitch. You dont need a machine. Look on website Guidelines for sewing - its American I think - detailed instructions for sewing. Start simple you can make a skirt with a rectangle of fabric and running stitich and elastic! Look for fabric on market stalls and ebay. Look at posh designer websites for pret a porter and copy embellishments. You can buy clothes from charity shops and embellish or cut them up and remake. Trimmings are really cheap on ebay. Go to sewing classes instead of watching telly adverts for useless stuff. Make curtains cushions and bedclothes table cloths etc. if you have children get them involved in making something for house. I started years ago with a kettle holder in felt! Its so much fun to completely let rip and create something really creative and individual. Teach yourself to knit. Collect wool from charity shops and make striped jumpers and scarves and hats for the children. My daughter made her own bridesmaids dresses years ago. you can grow herbs and salads on the window sill. Even a bit of mustard and cress to make sandwiches for work! I am sure I have seen ideas about this on the OS threads. One thing I have never been able to do and thats clean windows with vinegar and newspaper or anything come to that if anyone has a fool proof way for sparkling windows please pass it on.

lucielle

Hi Catralense

Lambs are really cheap at the auction but whether that is refelected in the supermarkets remains to be seen. Some of the lambs we sold were for £2.00 per lb so it depends how heavy the lambs were. How heavy was your lamb? Was it a hillbreed because these weigh less. Try looking on websites for boxed lamb if you think yours is expensive. We reared ours up from the bottle literally to the plate.

catralense

lucielle wrote: »

Hi Catralense

Lambs are really cheap at the auction but whether that is refelected in the supermarkets remains to be seen. Some of the lambs we sold were for £2.00 per lb so it depends how heavy the lambs were. How heavy was your lamb? Was it a hillbreed because these weigh less. Try looking on websites for boxed lamb if you think yours is expensive. We reared ours up from the bottle literally to the plate.

Hi Lucille

I don't know how heavy the lamb was...we bought it off a man that my husband works for. He has a small holding near us and sells the lambs he rears there. I've no idea if we got a good deal or not but the lamb tasted FABULOUS!!! I'll start googling boxed lamb though to get a better idea of the price...thanks for the tip!

Verity

Olliebeak

I add up my shopping in the trolley as I go along (other shoppers must wonder who the mad woman talking to herself is!) but I don't add it up 'to the penny' - I slightly round up (say two items less than 50p each to £1). That way I know that I've definitely got enough at the till. I shop with cash only (ditched the debit card a few years back after being a naughty girl with it!). I only do a major shop once a month and have to get a taxi home as we are not car owners - sometimes No1 son is on hand for a crafty lift!

Since becoming a regular on this board, I have managed to greatly reduce my food costs while also managing to cook far more 'from scratch'. I will still buy the occasional 'ready-made curry or treat' but only from the whoopsie cabinet - absolutely refuse to pay out full price for ready-mades. Those are used for days when I really don't have the time to cook a full meal or for when the grandchildren are around.

I got some of the detergent measures from the freebies board and now measure properly the amount of soap powder that I use - amazing how much I was over-using. I go by the guideline on the box of powder - mine recommends 150mls for a full load - which I don't often use. I put in 50-100mls and use the Energysave/Part Load button. I also measure my fabric conditioner by the capful and don't just pour into the dispenser - my dispenser holds MORE than a capful!

The majority of my shopping is ASDA own label stuff - and much of it is actually Smartprice. I've recently discovered the SP equivalent of 'spreadable butter' and it's delicious (I thought the ASDA version was good but this is cheaper so even better!). I will NOT compromise on coffee - I've taken years to get myself off caffeine so am very particular about having Kenco decaffeinated - I do not drink tea so the taste of coffee is important to me.

Another SP recently discovered is the toilet cleaner - just as good as the ASDA one but has a straight neck to the bottle (not a curved one). I kept my last two ASDA bottles and decant the SP stuff into them (we have a downstairs loo that my work colleagues sometimes need to use so have to be extra particular about cleanliness/hygiene in there!). I also buy the SP dishcloths and bleach them each evening and wash twice weekly.

Bargain_Rzl

Olliebeak wrote: »

I add up my shopping in the trolley as I go along (other shoppers must wonder who the mad woman talking to herself is!) but I don't add it up 'to the penny' - I slightly round up (say two items less than 50p each to £1). That way I know that I've definitely got enough at the till.

I do that, too It also makes it really easy to work out when you have been overcharged for something, so you know to be especially careful when you check the receipt

Other than that, I've got no advice I'm rubbish at OS, really

newlywed

In_Search_Of_Me wrote: »

I try to be frugal but never end up with less than £25 in my trolley!!

Don't get a trolley. If you only need £25 worth of food - take a basket. If it doesn't fit in it or you can't carry it then you have to put something back

Plus saves the cost of the gym as you are doing your weight lifting

belfastgirl23

I like online shopping personally, means I can take proper time to look at prices and compare etc. Mysupermarket.com is also good for this. You can normally get a code for eg £5 off a £50 shop which covers delivery costs too. Downside is that you have to spend about £50 usually to get the discount. Upside is that you can go back several times and take out all the stupid impulse buys which you can't in the supermarket

I also find that if I go into a supermarket I have trouble spending less than £20 so it's best to do a big online shop and then stay out as much as possible, use local shops for fresh stuff etc.

Good luck