Living cheaply

[Samsamsuperman]

I'm sure people must live way cheaper than we do. What are your hacks?
FYI family of 4, DC 1&3
Both of us work FT
Shop in Sainsbury's which I know is meant to be expensive but honestly don't seem to spend much less in alternatives...
Are places like Costco, home bargains, B&M worth it?
How else do you save?

I imagine shop around for childcare, see if you can work round each other, shop around for mortgage and utilities, maybe use public transport if cheaper, second hand clothes, cooking for rom scratch, free/very cheap days out, no gym membership, £5 phone contracts etc

I've recently discovered Savers so pick up most toiletries from there now, always seem to be a lot cheaper than boots/superdrug.

Use soap and shampoo bars in the shower. Cheaper and last ages.

Bnm is very cheap for cosmetics, soaps etc compared to Sainsbury's. I've switched m food shopping to Aldi which I find is saving me £100 per month. Costco I buy toilet rolls and alcohol as it's cheaper.

Sounds daft but I've stopped buying stuff I don't need. Used to order clothes online, particularly in sales, but I didn't really need 2 new T-shirt's just cause they were £5 instead of £30 etc. it soon adds up. Shop with a list, meal by meal planned and stick to it, don't be sucked in by end of aisle offers. It's this reason I shop in aldi as bogof and 1/2 price temptations aren't there for 'bits and bobs' I don't really need. The only exceptions to this is laundry powder and fabric softener, dishwasher tablets, toilet roll which I stock pile if 1/2 price or on Lidl Super weekend deal. Definitely shop round for insurance and gas/electric every single year. I buy end of day reductions and freeze them but they to use it up with a 'freezer week' every 4 or 5 weeks. Very importantly - don't be brand loyal!

My weekly shop at Aldi is £60 for 2 adults and a toddler without being overly frugal or conscientious / went back to Sainsbury’s last weekend, £116 Never again!

@OnlyFoolsnMothers Does that include any alcohol or purely food?

Don't drink to save

The thing that saves me the most money is eating the same dinner twice in a week. So I cook 2 portions and put one in the fridge then eat it a few days later. So each week I cook 3 meals and have 1 pizza night 😊

Aldi is great!

We don’t need an evening meal every day. As in a sit down meal. We’re on the go a lot.Sometimes we have chips with a toastie. Its fine for us. Or just beans on toast. Chips fish fingers and beans are lush!

Aldi and Lidl way cheaper than Sainsbury’s. Home Bargains, pound stretchers etc will save you a fortune if you are prepared to make the effort. Ditch all the cleaning products and stuff that advertisers make you think you need, but you don’t. Don’t waste money on wipes, fancy shower gels etc.
Re-use leftovers. All past their best veggies go in soup.
Bulk out Bolognese/chilli with lentils and use half the meat.
Grow your own herbs on the windowsill.

Sainsburys is SO expensive

Less meat
Own brand rather than branded
Do you have expensive TV packages or mobile phone contracts
Cutting out cans of pop and bags of crisps when out and about saved me a fortune I was easily spending £20 a week

I find you have to go to several different shops to get the best value in everything. Hard when you’re working full time and have DC. I used to just shop in Asda thinking it was a cheap supermarket but can’t afford to anymore so my weekly shopping consists Lidl, Poundland, B&M, poundstretcher and then maybe some last few bits in Asda if I can’t get them anywhere else cheaper.

Meal plan. Write shopping list and bring it with you.

Buy less stuff: don’t go shopping for leisure, unsubscribe from marketing emails, don’t follow brands on social media. Same for the kids - break the pester power cycle so you don’t have to keep spending money on stuff.

Walk or cycle instead of driving, particularly for short trips, to cut your fuel bill.

Once a fortnight, have a store cupboard dinner where you eat the random odds and sods from the freezer/cupboard.

Up your earnings: can you retrain, take on more hours, or do extra work?

Oh and smaller portions. Unless your current meals are all being ate with no waste.

Eating and drinking out is the quickest way to spend your money: that's coffees, lunches, even bought water, also takeaways. You save a fortune taking packed lunches and drinks- even a £3 meal deal every day for 2 people works out £120 a month. It doesn't even feel like a treat.
Meal planning works, also not buying stuff you don't need - keep away from the shops!
If you do need things, consider second-hand . Car boot sales are fab for children's clothes and toys.

I was given Anna. Jones' cookery book for my birthday. It's vegetarian and arranged seasonally. I need to cut back on both food bills and waste and I think this will do both. I've made a few of her recipes and have my eye on quite a few more. They are delicious.

Get rid of the car. Cycle, walk everywhere local.
Stop eating out, make and prepare all meals, snacks and drinks at home.
Free activities. Local park, museums.

Cycling, if you can, is also a good idea for cutting costs.

Can one or both of you do compressed hours at work so you work all hours in 4 days? Can mean you go from 5 days childcare needed to 3..... saves us an absolute fortune

Yes, get a bike! A cargo ebike like a TERN is xpensive to buy but actually brilliant for schlepping kids around quickly and cheaply. Better for the environment too. It’ll pay itself off way quicker than you think!

Meal plan, check your cupboards.
My freezer is full of tomato sauce I’ve made and I use that to make various meals.

Now I try and do a ‘big shop’ at a big supermarket one week and the next week I go to Lidl and just top up.

Try to avoid shops at all costs! I popped into town and spent £70 last week!

Plant silverbeet and lettuce in your garden. Easy way to save on the cost of greens and on plastic packaging.
Buy hard soap instead of pump soap and body wash. It lasts longer.