Can I have your best frugal living tips please?

[MushroomTree]

I'm nearly back on my feet after leaving an abusive relationship and I'm looking to move into my own flat with DD (13 months).

I can afford it but money is going to be tight so could I please have your best frugal living tips? TIA

[user1471553214]

I use a minuscule amount of washing detergent and no fabric conditioner, makes not a jot of difference to the clothes. We use half a dishwasher tablet instead of a whole one (if you have a dishwasher, obvs )
Only small thing but look after the pennies and all that!
Congratulations on your new life

[formerbabe]

We use half a dishwasher tablet instead of a whole one (if you have a dishwasher, obvs

I do this too!

[isthistoonosy]

Also wash at 30 degrees to save on electric.
Have you checked cheapest suppliers, cancelled any dd you don't need

[FoodGloriousFud]

Surely it would be cheaper to not have a dishwasher than use half a tablet?!

[EssentialHummus]

Always take a tea/watee and snacks with you so you don’t end up buying expensive coffees and sandwiches.

[EssentialHummus]

*water

[ProudThrilledHappy]

Buy in bulk whenever there is a special offer on something you use

Buy meat in larger sizes and divide up for the freezer- eg beef mince can be portioned out and frozen then defrosted on the day, and is often cheaper in larger packets.

[Battleax]

Batch cook stews and bolognaises and freeze portions. Use lots of lentils to pad things out (very healthy).

Washing up liquid as shampoo.

Cheap packet noodles always in the cupboard as emergency lunches.

Fill up empty freezer space with scrap card or old newspapers.

Invest time in stalking ebay for the £5 furniture bargains.

Cheap fleece blankets on the sofa when winter comes.

Always be shopping ahead for your DDs next size of clothing. Make sure you know when the supermarket clothing sales are.

[flowerslemonade]

sit down and look at all your bills, make sure you're getting the best deal.

plan your food shopping and don't go when you're hungry

take advantage of deals and freeze things. you can save a huge amount of money by good deals in supermarkets (e.g. 2 for 1 etc)

maybe look at different supermarkets. i was shocked at the prices in farmfoods which i'd never been in before. i wouldn't do a whole shop there but some things were amazing, eg cornettos for 20p when bulk bought. i'd been buying them for over £1 in a petrol station. very different.

do simple things for free or near free, like go to the park, fly a kite, go to an area of outstanding beauty, go swimming in an outdoor lido, go to the beach

for me a lot of my money goes on convenience buys so i guess avoid that

things that work out cheaper long term eg get a mooncup instead of paying out for sanpro constantly

look at supermarket clothes, some of them are surprisingly nice

get a cheap hobby like couch to 5K or something similar!

good luck

xx

[elephantoverthehill]

Before every purchase ask yourself 'Do I need it or do I want it?' And well done for stepping out on your own. Oh and of course Jack Munroe food blog.

[Dermymc]

Eat as little meat as possible.

Bulk out food with veg and lentils.

Use minimal heating.

Dry clothes outside.

[Battleax]

Wilkinson’s/Wilkos for cheap crayons, chalks, paints etc.

Google a good salt dough recipe.

Feed ducks, play pooh sticks, jump in puddles, grow cress with your DD.

This is a perfect age to be doing this. She won’t remember that you were hard up.

[user1483390742]

Bars of soap rather than expensive shower gels and hand washes.

[MrsDeltaB]

Sorry to add, a quick 30'wash is an electric and timesaver, it doesn't help the machine on a regular basis. So please once in a while, sat towels or bed sheets do a 40'or 60' which cleans out the machine workings too. X

[MrsDeltaB]

Say not sat!

[SmallestInTheClass]

Stop buying branded anything, all the value brands or at least supermarket own.
Buy a big box of washing powder and use half or quarter of the dose recommended. Invest in some nappisan and put a desert spoon full in with anything really smelly!
You can wash cloths to re-use. Don't use kitchen roll, use J cloths.
Tins of tomatoes with different sorts of beans/chickpeas/chickpeas make great stews and casseroles. Invest in a mix of dried spices and you can make lovely meals. Buy meat frozen instead of fresh. Look for which veggies are in season and are cheap.
Ebay is your friend for all baby stuff, but be careful only to buy what you need.

[bluetrampolines]

Sounds obvious but dont go to the shops. Literally just dont go in.

Do all the dishes once a day.

Start buying discount bargains for Christmas.

Two duvets on your bed.

Whenever you need to go shopping go the day after. You always find something to eat instead.

Soup and par baked bread is a meal.

[melodybirds]

I buy whole milk and water it down so it taste like semi skimmed in my cereal so it lasts longer.

[SandAndSea]

Find out where the good car boots are in your area and shop for what you want, but only stuff that looks new.

Buy less.

Make a cleaning spray from vinegar and water with a little washing up liquid. It lasts ages and I use it for almost everything.

Don't waste food. Get into making soups with leftover veg. Freeze leftover soups - can also use them as sauces with pasta and rice.

Label food properly when you first put them in the freezer.

When you open a pot of houmous, write the day on it and keep it near the front of the fridge.

[Wittow]

don't use cards, set budget of X a week and draw it out in cash and spend. Once it's gone, it's gone til next week. So easy to just spend on a card, especially contactless

[ChampagneSocialist1]

I use to get hand me downs or charity shop clothes for my dcs at that age also toys, books, scooters, bikes from free cycle saved me a fortune

[Miladamermalada]

Some of these are counterproductive though. Quick 30 washes don't get out grease or stains on kids clothes, they simply freshen them. So a waste of water to have to do them again. Buying shite cheap food like tasteless noodles is going to do nothing more than make you want to spend the next fiver at the coop on nice chocolate.
What I found when meal planning was that I became obsessive with eating, making sure everyone had 3 meals a day. We don't actually need all that food. We need to eat when we are hungry.
There is a difference between frugal and tight, and tightness means that the days drag because all you focus on is the pennies.
I pick up and save loose change. I take advantage of shop offers and have done my shop as cheaply as possible-main buy in aldi. Tesco for 3 items. Local shop for cakes and then the coop for specific items to get dividend points which save for xmas. I put loose change in the Tesco stamps to save for xmas, you get a 1 pound bonus.
I don't go shopping as I will spend money. I deleted my details from amazon and very. I never had luck selling stuff to be honest.
Shampoo which is washing up liquid should be for a dire emergency. It smells awful and will leave your hair horrible.
I buy and freeze anything reduced which we would usually eat. A bargain isn't a bargain if you'd never eat it.
Taking drinks and packed lunches is a winner though, as is walking instead of driving or bus, and not having takeaways.
I pick up the odd sale item for birthdays and xmas, this week I have a birthday and it has cost me nothing except 60p on two cards from the card factory (these would have been over 5 for 2 in the local coop).

[Miladamermalada]

And I've fled DV recently too OP so you deserve a bit of a treat when you can x

[ToadOfSadness]

I also use a lot less than the recommended amount of laundry detergent, and rarely use fabric conditioner, sometimes use white vinegar in the final rinse

White vinegar cleans many things and is cheap, windows to clean, newspaper to polish, work surfaces, bath... it also removes limescale and can be used as dishwasher rinse aid.

Do not buy cheap toilet paper, you will use a lot more because it is so thin.

Kitchen rolls , use a cloth for wiping up spills and wash it with the laundry.

Bicarbonate of soda and vinegar mixed together for grease removal (Google for more cleaning tips).

Instead of buying water, get a filter jug, the filters can work for more than the 4 weeks, you can tell when your tea starts to taste different.

[Miladamermalada]

Oh and I cancelled sky for Netflix and downgraded my mobile contract when it ended and kept the same handset. I joined cashback sites and downloaded the banking app and check this daily. I know how much I have at all times, before I wouldn't have known within the nearest 200 quid, I let direct debits go out for things I didn't use any more because I'd forgotten about them.
I put money into a saver account before anything else and use credit to live over the month, paying it off as much as possible.