to expect MNers to

[homebirthmummy4]

Come together and support each other today. Regardless of income we will all be affected.
So let's all share some money saaving tips
Mine is ....
Invest in an electricity monitor. We got one last year and with 3 teenaged electricity vampires cut our bill from £135 per month to £70

Any other ideas?

that's true Riven - I was fundamentally against us tkaing the car to the supermarket as it was so close to home so I used to take the double pushchair and load that up with any bulk stuff that I got on offers. I realise this is not useful information for everyone by far.

Riven - I can't get to my local Asda, which is huge and has no doubt huge bargains, because it is an out of town site which is impossible to get to by bus. So I don't go. I really find it frustrating.

I am currently a bit frustrated because there is an Aldi near us, but it is about an hour and a half to walk each way and you would have to cross a motorway junction, the buses to get there are erratic to say the least and carrying is a problem. OH drives, and it is only ten minute drive, but I can't ask him too often, as he is really busy.

I have Makro and Costco cards, but I can get to them so rarely. However, big supermarkets often have better deals than eg Makro on brand stuff but you really save on pop/sweets etc. which have the huge mark up.

Markets are often much cheaper for fruit and veg, but worth checking you are getting a reliable service, do test purchases first. Also check which stall has the longest queue. That is often a hint of the best goods (or slowest service).

• plan meals for the week, make a shopping list of only what you need and stick to it.

• if it's practical, go shopping every 8 days instead of once a week.

I cut my shopping bill from £110 to £65/week doing this and I'm throwing away a lot less food.

@daddywillbehomesoon: Do you need a special card to shop at Makro? We have one near us but I thought it was trade only.

I am carless - can't you just call on friends to help out occasionally?

PlentyOfPockets - you need a card for Makro and you need to be a business, but your employer can join (free) and let employees have a secondary card as a perk. That's where mine came from.

Costco also are a discount store, really cheap for the expensive stuff, you need a card and you have to pay a yearly fee, which you can get back with the savings on two trays of top brand beans and some branded soap powder. They are usually business only but you can get an individual card if you are in certain jobs (civil service, police etc).

As ever, sometimes it is cheaper to get some stuff at a supermarket, but you can really pick up some good bargains.

Bath or shower your kids less to save money .

And wear more dirty clothes of course.

Get a proper thermostat for central heating rather than just turning it on or off - ours now only kicks in if the house gets below the set temperature (I have been banging on about it a bit) and I'm sure we are using a lot less gas than before.

Run only one car if poss.

There's no such thing as food waste in our house - even the fat drained from mince goes to the dogs. Today's "leftover" is next week/month's microwave meal from freezer.

Am often astounded by what people throw out in food section.

[CastIronGullet]

Trillian ours does that, and it definitely saves and if we are going to be out all day, I simply set it even lower for say, 8 hours, then it pings back into action at whatever time I tell it to

I only really use the kitchen and sitting area in the day, so if I am by myself, I switch the upstairs thermo to 16 and it comes back on around 5 or so to warm up in time for bath and bed.