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?)

Pay off your debts if you possibly can - don't pay unnecessary interest.

Erm, get a mistress instead of paying for expensive lap dancing clubs?(one for the dads)

There is an Aldi in Dunfermline as well.

Theres 2 Aldis near me in Scotland. One in Clydebank and one in Alexandria.

Am looking into Ebico for gas & energy. Apparently it has been the cheapest for the 8 last years. Recommended by Uswitch but they can't switch you.

Halved phone & broadband costs by telling the provider going to swap as too expensive, will get moved to the 'Retention Dept' and usually offered a better deal.

And this email was doing the rounds about how to make petrol go further - no idea if accurate.

Aldi is finally making it to Scotland! One in Paisley now, and a new one just opened in St Andrews [excited emoticon]

soap nuts are good as well and cheaper

wait until the sunday times print 15% off codes before ordering from Boden ( tip for the Coping Classes)

use half the amount of washing powder the second half being soda crystals

cut your dishwasher tablets in half
cleans just as well and lasts twice as long

bulk buy your meat from butchers and freeze

use markets for veg - cheaper and better quality

cloth nappies/ make your own baby wipes

we are going to make truffles for xmas pressies

museums are usually free to visit and often have childrens exhibitions on or special events - take a packed lunch and its a trip out

Pigsback free gifts for clicks earn vouchers for (free) Xmas presents. Entering the daily competitions on this site helps.

When shopping online go through a web co-operative first like www.quidco.com/ often cash back up to 40% particularly on first purchases! Works for car insurance/switching energy suppliers too.

I've been economising for a few years and there isn't much I can cut back on. I did it mainly through 'cutting out the only's'

ie, something you are about to buy that you don't really need or you buy from habit. You tell yourself its 'only a few quid' or that buying things in Sainsbos or Tesco is only a bit dearer than Lidl/Aldi/Market but will take a bit more effort.

I used to multiply the cost of the 'only' by the number of times I might buy it in a year, ie 4 pints milk 20p cheaper at Netto than sainsbos. One of those a day = £70 a year. Only need a few things like that to add up to an awful lot of money each year saved.

I do it with EVERYTHING, food, clothes, toiletries.

I am self employed and would rather spend time shopping round for bargains or visiting more than one supermarket, than work more hours to pay higher prices at Tesco or other such expensive 'one stop convenience' megastores.

Moneysavingexpert has a calculator thing that tells you how many more days/weeks/months you have to work to pay for unecessary repeat purchases.

exactly

damn it

Hmm, that sounds interesting.

Not exacly a money saving tip, but I have noticed that we all, including dd, drink more plain water now we have a fridge with an icemaker and cold water dispenser on the door.

i buy this stuff called Teissiere in a 500mL tin located right next to all the powders to flavour milk and Yazoos and that stuff.

it flavours litres of water.

i also just dilute fruit juice from a carton, too.

they don't ever get fizzy juice or flavoured water or squash or that FruitShoot shit unless they're at a birthday part. Dd1 has dyspraxia and i've noticed that stuff makes her muscle spasms worse.

Syrups?

Where would they be kept then? And when you say 'tin', what do you mean, you transatlantic confuser?

it's on, Johnny. almost time for 'the restaurant'.

my other tip is to stop buying squashes, flavoured waters and fizzy juice (if you ever did). many are full of nasty artificial sweetners and chemicals as well as being expensive.

tesco sells syrups for about £2 a tin that go a lot further, or try watered down fruit teas and/or slices of citrus in tap water instead.

damn, we have no sliced bread, only rolls.

Have thought of another tip though- I make a load of sandwiches and freeze them, then we have no excuse for not taking packed lunches to work.

i call it by its rightful name myself: recession that just hasn't been announced yet.

i've planted bulbs in a windowsill already.

hopefully they'll bloom in time for Xmas. i got them off Freecycle and plan to put them in pretty vases from IKEA (for about £1.70) and tie them with a pretty tartan ribbon and give as small gifts to neighbours and DD1's carers.

Ooh expat- nutella toastie! Yum.

Another name for the Credit crunch...why don't we call it a loofah?

Join the National Trust (about £70 for a couple, under 5s I think are free) and instead of expensive days at theme parks, go to country houses/parks/coastal paths - take own sandwiches. Most country houses have large parks and gardens where DCs can run around, and the grounds are mostly open in winter even when the houses are shut. We were given NT membership for Christmas last year and when we don't know what to do, we look in the NT book, make some sarnies and a flask of soup and head off.

(I'm going to get flamed by the "But We Took You to Stately Homes" crowd aren't I?)

Shop for fruit, veg, meat at a market - not the farmers sort, but traditional ones. Often loads cheaper, and you can negotiate.

Buy seasonal veg and freeze it

Bulk cook and freeze - especially things like pulses which take a long time to cook

Avoid needing to buy fast food by freezing little portions of pasta sauce, rice, curry. If you freeze in plastic ziploc bags, you can make them as flat as possible so that they reheat really fast.

Buy childrens books, toys at car boot sales, charity shops, or NCT sales. Nearly new stuff goes for pennies

Do clothes swaps with your friends to exchange stuff you are bored with/don't fit into.

Have a girls night in and exchange manicures, hair colouring, even leg waxing if your're brave !

i never meal plan, but always keep the cupboards stocked with things to spin a quick, nutritious meal or snack.

about to go and make myself a Nutella toastie before The Restaurant starts.

picnics! leave a plastic box packed with the essentials in your boot or near the door during the summer.

let the kids make their sandwich or filled roll.