To ask how you cope when you're skint?

[2BottlesofWhiskeyfortheWay]

How do you do it?
I've got about £8 to buy a few bits tomorrow (loo roll, bananas). Trying to run cupboards/freezer down so as not to buy much. I can eek a few things out/be inventive for a day of two.
We've had some unexpected bills & because of a problem with car (essential as DP works far away, has to travel for work) we'll be in the same position next month. It will also be dc2 first birthday:-(

How do other people cope when every penny counts?

Love the idea of the box filled with balloons!

Also old toys of older sibling wrapped back up worked well at Christmas when my DD was little.

It's rubbish being skint.

Going veggie -ish definitely a good tip. Checking if you have any loyalty points saved up and putting them to good use.

If it's warm do a picnic at the park take a long a ball you can get character ones from £1 shop and few friends they will have a fab day

Jam tarts
Sandwiches
And big bottle of juice

Won't cost you more than a £5 fab birthday

Oh I have a slow cooker saves me loads can do cheap cuts of meat and it only uses as much energy as the kettle

The massive box with balloons is a genius idea.

He may be too young to appreciate it, I don't know. But you can do simple things for his birthday like make a sandwich and cut it into the shape of an animal, or even a star.

Young kids don't care how much something cost. They can turn their noses up at an expensive toy, and then play for ages with a large box.

One of my really happy memories is when my mum let us play in really heavy rain, in bathing suits. We had a whale of a time.

It gets much harder when they are older and do care about expensive things.

A few people have mentioned ebay but for a quicker (although often lower priced) turnaround, if you have bits and bobs you are getting rid of-baby's old clothes for example-I find local Facebook selling pages really useful. No
Faff of PayPal for a fiver and no need to go to the post office! I put a few of my old work dresses (from about two stone ago...) on there this morning and they are already all gone and collected and I'm £50 up. Well, I'm fat too so I need to spend it replacing them but you get the drift!! Good luck OP, things will get better

Carryman

Sorry but I do think it depends on the child we actually have a lot of difficulty getting our teen to wear anything with a brand he likes plan clothing and is very found of a certain primark tracksuit
His name brought him a £140 Nike tracksuit and it's still hanging in the wardrobe with the tag on

My son is 16 btw he also has beat head phones saved up for a year for them he never wears therm opting for my pink £6.99 and I am left with these bloody massive things

There have been several really good threads about this.

Have a good rummage in advanced search.

It might be worth including 'Christmas' in the search terms as there was at least one really good long thread about how do cheap presents and celebrations (like really less than a fiver budget cheap.)

Sadly some of the threads with the best advice were ultimately deleted when it turned out that the OPs were fishing for money and handouts, but have a good look, some will have stayed up.

I agree with local selling sites on Facebook - I have a jar and any cash from selling stuff goes in there and I use it when I need to buy (2nd hand!) clothes for the kids or for emergency cash!

I sell stuff kids have grown out of etc or unwanted gifts

Home Bargains is amazing for cheap treats such as 25p name brand chocolate bars, and store cupboard foods such as tinned tomatoes, noodles, tomato puree, even cheap quinoa. Also for cheap generic medications (paracetamol, ibuprofen, hayfever tablets, cystitis remedy sachets (less than £1 in home bargains, compared to over £4 in boots, same packet), tins of vaseline, tampons. Just dont be fooled by their £1 garden tools, very bendy trowels

Try Aldi own versions (normally as good or better than big brands) and in big supermarkets try buying the value ranges in the supermarket. We challenged ourselves (ie made a game of it to avoid feeling depressed at being really stretch for money) and were pleasantly surprised by how good somethings are. I seriously regret never trying this when I was a student years ago, I kick myself thinking of how much money I could have saved.

We try everything once, and if the cheapest version isnt nice we don't bother with it again (not a fan of very cheap tinned sweetcorn, and will never ever go near the bargain basement sausages again). However we have discovered so many good products that are no different to ones costing £s more.

Stuff that we regularly buy (usually in Asda) include 20p tins of potatoes (mash, roast, use in corn beef hash, spanish omelette and never get wastes from being left sat in a bag to grow tendrils like other potatoes). Tescos value cheddar and Asda cheddar are both (imho) better than Cathedral City (I had cheese on toast every day during my pregnancy, I became a bit of an expert, tescos was cheaper, asda better melting). Asda value fish fingers, and golden rice are as nice a big brand ones. Our family gets through gallons of sparkling water a week, guess what...asdas 17p for 2 L.

Aldi Gin is excellent!!

And Primark for clothes.

I mend my clothes and rarely buy new ones.

A lot depends on how long the £8 has to last you?

If it is any consolation, I have no kids myself and I would be so pleased and flattered if someone asked me to make something for their child's birthday.

In fact, I'm often shoving plates of homemade gingerbread men at people, even without being asked.

Please don't be too proud to ask friends or family for help.

I bought a lot of stuff for DC second hand, boot sales etc, even for birthdays and xmas
Sold stuff on eBay, lots of £5 sales soon mount up, just made £120 in last few weeks from old clothes, shoes and handbags
We spend very little on food, live by the reduced counter and freeze it for when times are hard - this week I bought 2 joints of beef, burgers, sausages, steaks and some salmon, spent £13 for approx £65 worth of food
I am the master of inventive cookery, I look at what we've got in, and see what I can do with it!!

Thank you all so much, loads of ideas!
Definitely love the box of balloons idea

Been to Aldi this morning & got a few bits to keep us going. Phoned mil to arrange to go visit tomorrow and she'll do a bit of a mini roast for us.
Having a raid of clothes now as I have plenty that no longer fit & will get them on our local Facebook selling page.

Feeling much more positive this morning as you've helped me realise that it's all totally doable. We can make an awesome birthday for baby without having to spend a lot. Also I need to remind myself that this won't be forever if I can suck it up for a few months.

We already do 75% of our shopping in aldi/go for own or value brands but looking for reduced things & freezing sounds like s great way to keep costs down & still feel like we're eating "decent" food.

I really appreciate all the replies

Sorry to hear you are struggling. Also find out if you have a local food bank. I have contact with ours and lots of people who work need to use them when times are tough. I Agee about gumtree and facebook selling. I have made £40 this month - even sold some old trainers!! Look out for any outgrown baby items you have, I sold a baby Bumbo that was given to me for £12. I kind of get a kick out of it! Good luck and keep your chin up! Feeling in control a bit more will help and hopefully it will get better soon

Well in regards to food, always have the freezer full and cans.

my income has never been consistent with temporary contracts so Ihave always saved in the better times. I think part of it is building up as much savings as you can afford for things like car problems and replacing white goods etc. most, (not all) can afford to cut back a little to save up a small contingency fund. it is really shit though when you have to count everything and there is no spare. some people really do have no spare.

I am lucky to have been brought up to save and make do and mend and go without until we can save. also we never had loads which makes not having loads of stuff now easier.

as for presents. get a fruit box from morrisons and make him a car with cornflake packet wheels. you can sit him in it and slide him around the living room.

I feed us for less than £2 a day each... mainly veggie with aldi fishfingers. However, that does not factor in the cooking and fuel costs.

if you have enough to buy tins when they are reduced (in the future, not now) it is worth putting some of them by. sometimes you have to have enough money to be able to spend more in a month when things are reduced, and it is harder to live as cheaply if you have less income weekly as you are stuck with only being able to afford a small amount.

aldi washing liquid is good. their ordinary loo roll is not as good as asda but good enough. (i got fed up of kids wasting it) have not tried the value stuff yet.

look at what you spend and work out what really is a luxury you could go without, or go down a brand on. (avoid asda value pickle though)

sorry, waffling.