I am going for it.....

Lilman

Thank you dancing fairy. Your comments were much appreciated. I will take a look at the comments you have added to my SOA and see if I can work through some of them. Life insurance is likely to be cancelled when I am divorced but if anything happened to my ex before the divorce (!) I would stand to gain a large sum of money enough to clear debts and put a deposit on a house. Also it would ensure that if either of my sons wants to go to uni (which is looking likely) I have a sum of money as a back up if things go horribly wrong. However I will take the plunge and cancel this once the divorce is sorted.

debbiedebt

Hi Lilman
This week for the first time ever I did my Tesco shopping for ubder £30 - £29.90 to be precise.
Lots of value stuff, porridge, flour to make pies, veg etc.
It took me twice as long to do my shopping because i had a food plan and a shopping list then had to finr the very cheapest.
Give it a try. I agree that packed lunches are expensive but I bought reduce bread abd rolls then put in freezer.
Good luck & don't give up.

Lilman

Thanks skint spice. I am very soft and my lawyer is very good but doesnt have to deal with the repercussions of papers and statements going to my ex who feels that he is hard done too. As he emotionally blackmails our youngest son it does make for an unhappy time. I can manage the debts at the moment but want my life back and want to be debt free. When debt free I will have laid all ghosts to rest as this was my life for the whole of my marriage as my ex had 44 jobs in 18 years and also a total time of 5.5 years with no work at all!!!! To be debt free will be moving away from the life I have lived for so long. Thanks again.

Merlot

debbiedebt wrote: »

Hi Lilman
This week for the first time ever I did my Tesco shopping for ubder £30 - £29.90 to be precise.
Lots of value stuff, porridge, flour to make pies, veg etc.
It took me twice as long to do my shopping because i had a food plan and a shopping list then had to finr the very cheapest.
Give it a try. I agree that packed lunches are expensive but I bought reduce bread abd rolls then put in freezer.
Good luck & don't give up.

Excellent advice, meal planning is the key to reducing your food bill, pop over to the Old Style Board, and check out meal planning thread, and they are a nice bunch overthere as they are on this board.

I went from £500 per month to £60.00 per week, includes wine:D, there is also a thread about what Old Stylers recommend and don't recommend on Tesco Value Products, sometimes its cheaper to buy tesco own brand rather than value products, but if read the thread, (I'll see if I can post a link)you see for yourself.

Debbie debt, could you post your meal planner for the week, I would be interested as I am sure others would be too, I would like to reduce my bill further and as you have done for your weekly shopping for £30, I would be interested to see your meal planner, it would help alot of us.


Merlot

Lilman

thank you thank you thank you to you all. A friend started doing her shopping on line and found she was saving nearly £180.00 per month even taking into consideration the £5.00 delivery charge because she was not picking things up she really didnt need whilst walking around the store. I take my sons with me shopping. This does immediately sound like a bad idea but unfortunately I have a dodgy disc which slips whenever I lift anything. However, this does without a doubt cost me more. I could kill two birds with one stone and have my shopping delivered (no need to lift or carry) and could save myself a fortune - certainly more than the £5.00 delivery charge.

I shall try this week and let you know.:j

Merlot

Lilman wrote: »

thank you thank you thank you to you all. A friend started doing her shopping on line and found she was saving nearly £180.00 per month even taking into consideration the £5.00 delivery charge because she was not picking things up she really didnt need whilst walking around the store. I take my sons with me shopping. This does immediately sound like a bad idea but unfortunately I have a dodgy disc which slips whenever I lift anything. However, this does without a doubt cost me more. I could kill two birds with one stone and have my shopping delivered (no need to lift or carry) and could save myself a fortune - certainly more than the £5.00 delivery charge.

I shall try this week and let you know.:j

Wait a moment, there is a thread, I'll post it here and you can get free delivery from tesco's and sometimes extra clubcard points. I'm off to find it.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=520690&page=65

Some codes work and others don't, but its certainly worth the effort of looking on several pages, I haven't ever paid for delivery yet:T , once you go to checkout, enter the code in the promo box, if you need help, let me know. Also if you haven't shopped online yet, pick up a leaflet in store about internet shopping and it did have a free delivery voucher on last time I looked, and if you have more than one e-mail address, you can use that same voucher several times using different e-mail addresses. Simply set up several tesco accounts with different e-mail addresses.

HTH

Merlot

singlemum_4

Hi Lilman Im in a simular situation. My solicitor advised me to cancel all dds/standing orders for debts not in my name that were comming out of my bank account, then just to forward all his post onto him without opening of course this went down like a lead balloon but the relief of not having to find the money far outwieghs the crap he gives me. Is this something you can do? As for the emotional blackmail (oh they are so good at that one....) I am completly honest with my two (11 and 13) so they know exactly where all the money goes and who pays for what.
As for food Im doing the grocery challenge, kids are really backing me up on this one helping loads in the kitchen. Why dont you pop over to the grocery challenge thread on os there's loads of advice. Try not to get to down, divorce is a horrid and financial settlement seems to take forever ( 2 yrs and still not settled........ Im stubborn!) Anyway good luck honey

Lilman

Thank you Singlemum and Merlot. Merlot just realised why there was a smiley face by the inclusion of wine in your food bill - not always quick on the uptake!!!!! Look forward to you finding the link - thanks.

Singlemum - thank you. Divorce is the pits and yes my lawyer advised me to do the same, which I am going to do shortly as he is acting all the time like he has the upper hand. Have had to get tough as he refused to sign the divorce papers so this week they will be served on him from a Bailiff at that point I think he will realise I mean business. I am stubborn too and would find it easier if it were not for the boys but know he drags them into the hell with a "woe is me" tale to them all the time. However I am trying to communicate with them a little better to try and explain things to them. Hopefully this will ease their path. They are 17 and 15. A financial settlement for me is a long way off but I will keep on the path until I reach the end.

Lilman

Thank you all have to sign off now until tomorrow. Thanks for the link Merlot. The 17 has just got up and is hungry for the first time in three days as he has had tonsilitis (good way to reduce the food consumption but would prefer better ways!) Must go now shepherds pie comfort food on a grotty day like today to make. Will be back on tomorrow Thank you all again.

Merlot

Lilman wrote: »

Thank you all have to sign off now until tomorrow. Thanks for the link Merlot. The 17 has just got up and is hungry for the first time in three days as he has had tonsilitis (good way to reduce the food consumption but would prefer better ways!) Must go now shepherds pie comfort food on a grotty day like today to make. Will be back on tomorrow Thank you all again.

Hoping he feels better soon. bye for now:wave:

Merlot