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?)

Blimey Yaffle do yopu live in an HE Bates novel?

Forage for wild fruit! dh and I have picked well over £100 worth of fruit (including apples, plums, blackberries, sloes, quince and rose hips) in the last few weeks and are in the process of making enough jams/syrup/fruit liquer/sauces/bottled fruit to last the year, some will go for xmas prezzies too.

Does credit crunch make anyone else think of cereal?

I think we should go with 'Cap'n Crunch'.

After all its singalongtime. Yay.

dangerous? hmm , lets sing anyway!

Oooh I am carboot novice as such.

In that I was taken to a lot as a child but need to work it out as an adult.

I think carboots may be even better than ebay, if you get there at say... 7am?

Foxy that is a good tip, I thought that earlier when someone said about machines, they take a percent after all.

But so much of this smacks of poor parents pretending it is 'fun' to save.

"Look we can go to the tip and let's play scavenge your xmas pressies yay!"

Still I betcha we could include a bit of wildlife education in same trip thus redeeming parent points.

slur - my DH is king of the car boot! We have had some fab stuff including a never used Sony Navman for £30 The guy won it in a competition/got it as a gift or something but already had a better one The kids usually get £1 each to spend. I spent £1 at teh last one and got 4 books that I really wanted to read

foxyticin - that reminds me of when my mum used to get us pairing mountains of socks for 2pence a pair We thought it was great

don't take loose change to Coin Star machine. they are a ripoff. bag them yourself and take to the bank. it also provides an evening of cheap ahem, entertainment, doing it yourself.

and it helps to develop your kids' maths / organisational skills. -

lol at you both.
I am only joshing of course.

Luby it is a good point, being disorganised leads to panicked buying of expensive gifts.

I suggest ebay!

Schneeb - aye aye I also agree, and suggest carboots as a way of getting new stuff for cheap. They don't notice anyway.

Oh and often the 'posher' supermarets are better for the reductions because you have less people who are bothered about grabbing that sort of thing. I have filled my freezer with gorgeous stuff from Booths and Waitrose many times for fab prices! Chicken shish kebabs, tiger prawns, quiches, pies etc.

slur - in my case it is more likely to be zeebeez or hot wheels but, yes the pony must be forgotten!! Just say NO!

Slur - it's not actually rotting. Just a bit soft.

Also be organised with birthdays, christmas cards and presents and sent everything second class. It's cheaper than first class and not much difference in the time it takes to get there.

Damn schneebly and I was just about to give my 4 year old their own pony as well. Gah. You saviour of sensibilty you!

This may have already been said but here goes...

Just say no to your kids sometimes you hopeless indulgers! It will make them better people in the long run and they will better appreciate what they do have.

I am guilty myself sometimes so not having a go just reminding others what I have to remind myself

Luby you are a very interesting hmm. I do not fancy coming for dinner though

DP wants a breadmaker off ebay to reduce our bread costs.

Sh'yeah like it is the bread not the wine that it bumping up the food bill.

Never throw any food out. I use our old wrinkly veg to make "Rotting Veg Pasta Sauce". It's actually one of Dh's favourite meals! Fruit that is past its best gets bunged in a crumble and frozen to have when we have guests.

we buy bread flour in bulk, ditto the yeast and it does work out cheaper for us.

Re: the breadmaker. Good Housekeeping tested breadmakers the other month. Based on the £99 Panasonic one making three loaves a week they reckoned that it would have paid for itself in a year.

'switch from champers to cava.'

i'd rather go without. cava is the boak.

Eschew expensive sex toys. A wasp trapped in a jam jar is a very effective vibrator

Codcakes - can't sack the gardener, he's in his seventies - so we are supporting help the aged as well as getting the lawn done

make your own jam.
cut up old t-shirts for dusters.
share bathwater.
install a webcam in your bedroom, and charge for viewings of your twice-yearly marital fumblings.
sell your unwashed pants online.

thanks to my MIL for the tips; at times of financial stress, it is good to see these wise words of advice being passed down from generation to generation.

sack the gardener and do it yourself

what am I neanderthal? You expect me to replace Horatio????

switch from champers to cava.
sack the gardener and do it yourself.
forget about going to fortnum and masons and try sainsburys/waitrose instead, it's really not that bad.
let out any spare buildings you have on your land/grounds.
we have let our gatehouse for a hearty amount a month, was previously using it for storage.

I don't think 50p a loaf is too bad for no-additive, wholemeal fresh bread. (But then I've had a breadmaker for 4 years so I guess it's paid for itself).

Don't use credit cards - live within your means. Abandon lifestyle pretensions.