What are you adjusting to save yourself money?

[flyingdream]

I'm hoping we don't eat go out to eat as much as we do or order food in. It's just a really bad habit. But we can never stick with it it. Paying 8.50 for a pizza (12 inch from local takeaway) is a large amount and I'm ashamed it's taken recent price increases to make us think.

Also hoping we don't turn on the radiators as much as we do.

I cancelled prime.

I'm timing the tumble drier, washing machine and dish washer to come on back to back when our solar panels are generating. It then is zero cost.

If it's a dull day I'll delay laundry but still use the dish washer.

So far I've cut 100kwh from my monthly bill so it's working!

We’re meal planning more strictly again. I’m cutting my take away coffee habit for more at home ones.

I have reduced the number of journeys by car to go for a walk with my dog, we do have lovely walks by us but unless I have other reasons to travel to other nice places we mainly walk from home.

[quote Leah2005]@Grapeflavour oooh which Internet provider have you gone with? What speeds are you getting?[/quote]
Hyperoptic. Hopefully will be getting 500mb for £30pm instead of 200mb with Virgin.

I went through all my direct debits in January and found all those that I was out of contract with and phoned them wanting a deal. I got a reduction from Sky tv, talktalk broadband and found a cheaper rate with the National trust. I aimed for 10% off what I was paying but got 25% off with sky and no loss of channels and 18% off with talktalk with no loss in service. So totally worth it for little effort.

Takeaways is a good one. They aren't even all that nice if I'm honest, except coffee which I prefer from a coffee shop . I've massively cut back on buying clothes and make up, which I've been doing for the past couple of years (since covid) really. That has saved me a lot of money. I'm walking to work to save on petrol and parking and I've stopped Netflix. I'm also selling things on Vinted and have made a decent amount on there over the past year or so

İm trying to cut back on takeaways by stocking up with frozen pizzas. ASDA do a deal where you get a sky movie with two pizzas for a fiver. İt feels like a treat! İ get so tired as a single mum that İ hardly cook fresh food like i did pre parenthood. İf i was superwoman i would be cooking fresh food all day, entertaining my DD non stop so we could keep the TV off and exercising in between to stay warm and keep the heating off. Alas, i am merely human though and it costs money to be sub par.

Oh yes and I now have a sim only giff gaff account for my phone which is only £10 a month.

I’m now running instead of going to the gym as much. I’m actually preferring being outdoors.

Trying to keep the heating off as long as possible during the day (I'm WFH, so trying not to turn it until everyone is in from work/school).

Going to stock up on non perishables to get ahead of the price increase (loo roll, pasta, detergent etc).

Try and use the car less for shorter journeys.

Once the weather is warmer, I'm going to dry clothes outside instead of the tumble drier (used to always dry outside, but have fallen into bad habits).

@shinynewapple22 that’s up to you. I can’t bear bear a dirty house, it takes me six hours to do it myself and I run my own business so it makes no sense to lose almost a full day of pay - or a weekend day, when I want to spend time with my family - to cleaning. Alcohol, on the other hand, makes me fat and anxious. I know where I’d rather spend my money but appreciate an in a privileged position to actually make that choice. I feel a great sense of responsibility towards my cleaner too- If everyone sees her as an easy cut back she will be screwed.

R.e. toilet roll, groupon do a big bundle for £13 and kitchen roll too.

Stop using the tumble dryer
Start shopping at Aldi again rather than Tesco deliveries
No jacket spuds unless something else is cooking

DD2 is back in nappies at night...she went through a dry spell but was back to weeing every night and I can't be putting a wash/dry on every single morning with the bill that just came in, never mind with the next round of increases!

Jumpers and thick socks when WFH.

Car share with DH when i have to go into the office.

We already don't eat out or get takeaways.

Jack Munro's stocktake shopping method for less waste

Have been
*less tumble although the airers out every day drives me insane

• turned 2 rads off. One being conservatory which is an ice box even with radiator on so was pointless
• using car less. So if go to local ish shops I walk. Good excercise and less fuel.
• trying to buy less at the top up shops. Stick to the list.
• buying some cheaper versions of things.
• turning lights off we'd previously been known to have every light in the house on! Despite 1dc in bedroom And us in lounge yet were all on?!

Still to try to do.

Buy less diet coke.
Less take away.

[quote MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler]@shinynewapple22 that’s up to you. I can’t bear bear a dirty house, it takes me six hours to do it myself and I run my own business so it makes no sense to lose almost a full day of pay - or a weekend day, when I want to spend time with my family - to cleaning. Alcohol, on the other hand, makes me fat and anxious. I know where I’d rather spend my money but appreciate an in a privileged position to actually make that choice. I feel a great sense of responsibility towards my cleaner too- If everyone sees her as an easy cut back she will be screwed.[/quote]
I agree with you! There are many things I would cancel before my cleaner!

My greenhouse is my luxury. I did have the thermostats set for heaters to come on at 7 degrees, but have switched to 6.5 and may take it down further. Luckily it's been a mild winter, so the heating doesn't come on in there every night, but if I let it get too cold I'll lose some of my precious specimen plants.

I'm trying to drive more efficiently - more gentle acceleration and a bit slower.

We've cut down on takeaways. I've cancelled Disney and Audible, which were underused and no loss. We have been more mindful about heating, dropping the thermostat from 21c to 19.5c and nagging the kids when they are arsing around in the shower being more conscientious about electricity usage.

We've just sold our old caravan which wasn't getting the amount of use it once was now the kids are getting older and buying solar panels with the money.

The changes are all things we were dragging our heels about but the increases have brought into sharper focus.

Only buying if really needed, probably no couple of days break away, have cut off £10-15 off food shop buying the cheapest brands but keeping decent meat and survey sites to save up vouchers for son's xmas and birthdays.

Turned off the radiators in the rooms we hardly use : conservatory, front room, spare bedroom. Turned the thermostat down and adjusted the timing. I've cancelled all my magazine memberships and we've stopped eating out altho Starbucks doesn't count apparently !. And I've cancelled the 10 days in Greece.

I inherited a property on the Dorset coast from my grandparents and was planning on using that for our holiday but if this refugee crisis really hits I guess it will be commandeered by the local authority for emergency housing. So, two weeks sunning my arse in the back garden. At least I'll get two weeks this year.

Tumble drier has broke and I haven't replaced it. It's been a bit of a pain but has cut down a lot on electric.
We do eat a lot of takeaways. So I am trying to cut down and have bought a cheap slow cooker to help as well as doing shopping online to prevent impulse buying.
Switched to pay as you go on my mobile instead of contract- this is a massive saving.
Also switched tv and broadband provider.
Not sure how much this is going to help as just had a letter this morning to say my electric is going up around £950 a year and my gas £700 a year

@FaceLikeASlappedAss have you tried the Lidl own brand cola? I was skeptical and I hate the taste of rola cola but the sugar free one tastes like Pepsi Max to me.