Mumsnet Talk

After he festive blowout and considering ive got some big bills in January, (MOT, car tax, insurance) I have decided to try a no frivlous spending month. There is nothing i really need to buy, (apart from new school jumper and coat for DS) .
So I will be taking my lunch to work every day,
I will avoid costas,
and i will limit my self to one bottle of wine per week
I will aim to spend £200.00 on food shop for the month
I will not go for leisurely stroll to the shops during my lunch break.

Any one else want to join in. ?

I'll join. Unless we have a big dumping of snow and I hoard food and buy snowboots then we can get by on the bare minimum next month.

What I really need to do is spend all month sorting out things to e-bay and car boot in the spring.

I want to have one day at least a week when I spend nothing at all.

I'm in too.

sparkling, I agree with at least one day a week without spending anything at all. Though i think with discipline i could achieve more.

I think it's possible corine. Especially if I concentrated on the weekly shop more. I buy a newspaper every day but think I will drop that.

I'm in. I'm taking some unpaid holidays before my maternity leave starts in February so we have minimal money. Still have to buy a few bits and bobs for baby though.

My maximum food allowance will be £160 for DH and myself. It has to include at least 5 portions of fruit and veg.

Before I had my first maternity leave I did loads of bulk buying of washing powder, cleaning stuff etc and non perishables. It made things a lot easier.

I'm in too .

I crashed my car, and think that the insurance company's garage will just happen to have to do lots of repairs .

I need to meal plan. I hate the idea of meal planning, but I think that I have to do it.

Me too. I've just been out on a (free) bike ride this afternoon instead of mooching around the shops and so I feel very pleased with myself.

I've been reading Economy Gastronomy, which has reminded me that I need to get back into the habit of cooking in bulk and freezing stuff, and then actually remembering to get it out of the freezer and eat it rather than throwing food away.

Signs up.

We might need to buy a car this month as our old one is falling apart (it has done 210,000 miles though!)

Also need to pay for 3 school trips (Thanks school, just what we needed in January)

I'm in too. Incidentally on my blog you'll find menus and meal plans which might help.

www.austerityhousekeeping.wordpress.com

Count me in - my first vow is to stop going to the supermarket less - I pop in for milk and come out with a trolleyload - three or four days a week. It would be cheaper to shop at the corner shop! I might try online shopping to avoid impulse buys

err, that should read "my first vow is to go to the supemarket less"

Can I join too.

Totally brassic now so I really need to be strict with the spending.

I will be back on 'resourcefully cook' for meal plans as my food bills are creeping up fast since I stopped using it.

Ds1 birthday on the 24th too so that will be a big dent in the funds!!

I'm in too. We need to save up a deposit for a new house.

I am a big fan of weekly on line shop and will be starting that again.

I'm going to stop with costa fortune
1 bottle of wine per week (health wise too)
Cut right back on eating out/take - aways
Get on top of budget

I have to give up costa too

Do you think that even with the delivery charge a weekly online shop is less expensive than a weekly shop you do yourself? I have never done an online shop.

I think it must be, at least for me, because I just can't stick to a list when i am in a supermarket

I am going to start cooking double and freezing it - less going to the shops and so less temptation.

Count me in too, my resolution for new year is to manage the household budget better, so need all the help I can get.

and try to save something - anything! - every month

I am really tempted zookeeper. I do need to stay out of the supermarkets. I also pop in for a loaf of bread and get well and truly sidetracked.

serin I have a car for sale if you are interested.

One thing I am tempted to buy is a new fridge/freezer . They is some very good deals in sale. My current one has a really tiny freezer . So not so good for batch cooking. Technically I should try and make do until I can actually afford one but by then they will have gone up in price .hmmm