what luxuries have you cut
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Brand name foods, cleaning materials etc - now all own brand or value unless on special and we need them
Always cooked from scratch but more organised now!
Cinema unless taking the wee one to Kids Am at VUE. Do take the luxury option of booking seats for £2.50 but only as one busy week they tried to make my just turned 5 year old sit at the opposite end of the cimema!:eek: But still we get in for £5 which is less than one normal ticket. Also take our own popcorn, sweets and juice.
Expensive soft play unless a real treat. We have an Ikea near us with a creche/soft play. 1 hour costs £1, you get to escape for a coffee (free including a refill Monday -Friday with your family card) wee one has fun. The money goes to charity so helping others too.
Expensive kids clothes. No point he grows too fast! We go to Primark twice a year and get a full wardrobe for little monster for £40-50 (everything from underwear up). Occasional T-shirt from Next or Sainsburys but only in the sale. Sainsbury's "Lego" kids t shirts half the price of Next anyway. :j
Shoes - Clarks outlet shoe shop in Livingston is a godsend for school shoes and trainers.
A lot more but this post is long enough!
Buy takeaways.
Go out for the evening - unless it is a special occasion (feels more of a treat when we do).
Buy magazines (very occasionally I will buy GF Magazine but only a couple of times a year).
Shop with the kids (we always used to find things to buy for them).
Lovefilm dvd rental.
Instead we spend more time actually doing things as a family which is much better :T. We have joined our local library and their film club (£40 a year - much cheaper than the £16 per month that lovefilm were charging us). I no longer feel the need to buy the kids the latest craze of books and they have found some of the old classics that I read as a child. I have started cooking from scratch and regularly involve the kids in baking etc. We don't seem to create half the rubbish we used to - our black bin was never big enough before and now it seems huge! We have even gone back to getting a weekly organic fruit and veg box and still seem to be spending much less on groceries (plus we are eating better than ever).
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Over the last couple of years we have:
- Stopped buying ready prepared food and are now cooking from scratch instead.
- Stopped buying expensive lunch food and making pack ups instead.
- For 2011, I am not buying any magazines and I actually feel happier and more content not seeing all the adverts for cosmetics/ clothes I do not need.
- Started buying value toiletries much more, they still do the same job as their more costly counterparts
- For 2011, I am only buying clothes in the charity shop (except underwear/ pyjamas) and have found some lovely things. I have also learned to alter dresses/skirts so even if they are a bit big or too long I can now alter them to fit.
No buying magazines in 2011 Challenge- Number bought to date= 0
You are so right!! I scoffed when my mum brought grated cheese, told her she was lazy! BUT then i shop in lidl and its normally cheaper to buy grated - and iits brill in cheese sauce
get mine cut & blowdryed/straightened at the college (I book with year 3 students, who are already working in salons) and it costs £6 (£12 for a colour)
they need the experience to get the qualification and I get a cheap haircut. Win-win.
Also no more Abel & Cole mixed organic boxes. I can get enough fruit and veg for £5.00 rather than the £11.00 they charged.
Fresh flowers
Wine...now make our own
Takeaway...now every 2-3 months and we now make it a social occasion with friends rather than the Friday night can't be bothered to cook version!
i do acually know where the nearest is a looked into it before, but it would cost £10 for the bus (more for the train) to get there and back and apartently it's really popular (in a dodgy very poor area aswell) and they regularly turn people away, i was considering trying one of those mobile hair dressers my hubbys done printing for a few and there prices seem very good, but then i'd have a 2 year old under my feet and i do like the whole getting an hr away and being pampered - i love getting my hair washed in the hair dressers