Help need your money saving tips to help survive - you guessed it - the credit crunch (and can anyone think of another name for the credit crunch while we're at it?)

maybe I have lost my mind completely, but I have this plant in my garden - it is from the same genus as the soap nut tree...the internet says of it...

Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis, herb uses

Soapwort

Soapwort, common name for a group of herbs containing a compound called saponin that lathers in water. Until the late 1800s, when fat-based soaps became widely used, soapwort roots and leaves were boiled to make a soapy solution for bathing and laundry. There are about 30 species of soapworts, most native to Europe, Asia, and the Mediterranean

you think it might work?? (mind you now you kno why the user name includes both mad and sad ;))

Why not set up a food co-operative? With a group of friends you can order your dry goods (and wine!) for about two thirds of the price in the shops. I do mine through www.suma.co.uk and get great savings on baby wipes, olives, apple juice, cabernet sauvignon ... You need to spend at least £250 but between four people, a shop for a couple of months is easily done.

Definitely ditch the gym and take up jogging, or go to a pay per visit yoga or aerobics class. Or take up cycling or tennis (everyone thinks it's a posh sport but it's way cheaper than a gym, in fact lots of councils have free courts now).

Set up a babysitting circle with friends instead of paying babysitters - it's what most of our mums used to do.

Basically, do what our parents/grandparents did...

In other words, back to Netto with all you peasants!

I have to say it did occur to me reading this thread, and the other thread about false economies that some people have decided to "forgo" the luxuries of eating a particular type of food (ie don't buy value tinned tomatoes, they don't taste as good) - blimey I like my good (tasting) food as much as anyone else - but when it comes down to it if I have to eat value pasta with a sauce made with value cheese, or with value tomatoes - then I will!

Colditz I suspect those people are not the Sunday Times' target audience - newspapers and magazines were one of the first 'extras' to go in our house.

I'm going to put a right downer on this thread but...

The people who are going to struggle to survive the credit crunch are the people who don't have all this 'little' luxuries in the first place. If you are only surviving by going round the cheap shops and reduced cabinets anyway, there's not a great deal to shave off.

Not read whole thread, apologies if repeating but...

Go through bank statement and interrogate every single direct debit- do you really need it, and if so, is there a cheaper supplier? We did this a few months ago due to 'reduced circumstances' - cancelled all fripperies (gym, mag subscriptions etc.), and reduced costs on everything else (saved £30 a month switching contact lens by post supplier alone). In all we saved £300 a month If only we'd done it sooner...

Make friends with cheap local butcher, go regularly, be friendly and explain what you need. Go around closing time and you're more likely to get a few freebies. Yesterday £5 got me neck of lamb (2 nights worth), leg of beef (2 nights worth), a huge pack of bacon, dozen eggs, and a boiling hen. (DS helped by flirting and looking skinny and hungry so butcher said he needed feeding up hence gave us extra 6 eggs and the hen for free. Ha! He didn't know how much DS had already eaten that day!)

Walk everywhere. Don't need the gym, don't need fuel, kids go to bed earlier due to being knackered. It's a winner!

Withdraw a pre-decided amount of cash to last for a set amount of time, put it in an envelope and every time you take some cash out of the envelope, write on the envelope how much is left and how many more days you have to make it last - it concentrates the mind...

Tidy out your wardrobe. It's as much fun as going shopping, and you end up so much better dressed afterwards.

Trawl mumsnet for cheap recipes - mn'ers scoff at 'feed your family for a fiver'!

Bulk buy packs of birthday cards, Primark fab for this as is the book people.

Pick up presents in the sales/ from book people for kids parties and Xmas pressies. i bpought a load of swingball bat and ball sets in B&Q the other day for £2.50 each and stashed them fpr parties

Agree re Money Saving Expert site - I've only just discovered it and it's fab!

Stop shopping at farmers' markets (sorry). Ours is outrageously expensive (considering that they're not transporting the produce long distances, have no middleman etc). If you are that concerned about the origin of your food, get an allotment.

good old fashioned budgeting and amke do and mend. helps if your DH does not have a hi tech gadget habit

menu planning

using pulses to bulk out chillis and spag bol, lentils are my new favourite thing!

using all odd bits of veg for frittata and soup

asking yourself 'do i really need this or do i just want it?'

tell yourself that you are being eco friendly by not buying stuff, rather than it is because of the --recession- credit crunch, it is slightly less scary that way !

don;t be fooled into buy two get a third free, if you don;t need the items in the first place.. same for BOGOFs etc.. buy what you need and use!

be religious about coupons and money saving vouchers, keep them in your purse, they are no good stuck to the fridge !

buying bargains out of season is not that great... a pair of reduced sandals might feel like a bargain now, but won;t be next summer, when they are not in fashion

swop baby sitting favours with friends

but do have one small treat a week, everyone needs to forget their troubles for a short spell.... buy a starbucks coffee once a week instead of every day, ditto magazines . a bar of decent green and blacks chocolate once a week . something that will make you feel happy and uplifted

probably what everyone else has said, but not read whole thread!

buy things with cash only and save all anything less than 20p.

I've saved £50 so far this year, and only started saving the 10p's and 20p's just before the summer holidays.

Use moneysavingexpert website by Martin Lewis, he's the guru!

make birthday cards, or buy a pack of nice notelets and send them instead. Cards are so expensive in shops.

use half a dishwasher tablet instead of full, cos thats usually all you need.

join a toy library

at that article- the greatest tng to come out of the 40's is a tea dress then? And not the downfall of Hitler or the end of WW"? That's me told then! And damn my lack of a hidden tattoo ,. PMSL!

For internet shoppers, a good tip is to make your menu plan after checking out whats on offer tis week- rather than the other way around and buying extras after the main shop!.

Remember to factor in the cost of petrol to the supermarket if you drive, it can make all the difference when deciding which one

School dinners haven't gone up much; a child who has eaten one only needs a tea, that is usually cheaper on balance if you don't have lots of kids

Collegesw often have cheap hairdresers etc in their training departments

It's better to spend £100 on a huge weekly shop than £75, think you've done well and then end up buying £40 worth of top ups all week long.

Check te cupboards and freezer before you shop, you may be amazed (I seem to have 6 packs of noodles in mine LOL )

Don't buy boks. Join the library.

And if a tub of ice cream (insert treat of choice and expenditure level) with your dh on a Saturday night just helps you deal with all the cut backs you have made then why not? If you can afford it. And obv. if its cheaper than the cutbacks!

I buy all the reduced bread,that needs eating that day.
It's usually £1.70 a loaf, reduced to 30p a loaf ( best bargain was 7p!), and stick the loaves in the freezer. We get through a loaf a day, and I've not had stale/mouldy bread once.It's saved me a fortune!

Also I've found the local Waitrose reduce things at about 5pm, and there are absolute bargains to be had.
I stalk follow the girl around the shop as she reduces things! It's the most thrilling part of the week I tell you!

Ignore shite like this

Make a budget and take out weekly money available for food etc. Menu plan and shop to the menu. don't spend on any debit/credit cards - just the cash taken out. Use supermarkets 'basic' ranges - lots of things perfectly good.

Georgimama - I didn't mean to be sneering.

Um, I don't wear leggings, with failing lycra or otherwise. I don't really buy ice cream either.

We don't have a Netto, not even sure what it is.

Perhaps a thread about trying to save money is not the place for you to sneer about those who cannot afford any better.

You seemed to be suggesting that the small things (such as ice cream and other small luxuries) made life so much more enjoyable that it was worth doing without bigger things, such as a second car or school fees, to keep them. I don't agree. Is that OK?

gergimama - I don't think giving up your ice cream habit, no matter how serious, will be the monetary equivalent of independent school fees for two years. That's the point I was trying to make.

If you are really struggling to find further economies, it is sometimes better to ask yourself how you can increase your income rather than how you can reduce your spending.

Shopping in Netto dressed in failing-lycra leggings to save a few quid isn't the only way to beat the crunch.