How to cut corners when you already cut all of the corners?

[Moneysavvymam]

Me and DH have been eating into our savings recently. We have just moved so that comes with costs. Bought a few extra takeaways after being knackered from unpacking amd moving, bought a few new things we needed including furniture (all second hand though) so we initially thought that was part and parcel of the move. It costs money.

However now its been a while and the savings are still going down when they should be going back up.

We need to cut costs but we already do the following-
batch cook one pot meals mostly and freeze.
cycle or walk to cut travel costs (no car)
called Internet and got a better deal but they keep putting the price back up despite setting up an 18 month fixed price contract. eye roll.
-buy almost everything second hand
-we already shop at aldi and lidl
-we don't buy stuff for the sake of it anyway its all second hand
-stay in mostly, or local walks no days out for £££
-keep heating off and use electric blankets in winter and jumpers and extra socks

I don't know where else we can save. We were given a couple of hundred from family as a moving in present, it was supposed to go toward a new kitchen or flooring which is bare and unsafe but it just went on bills and now I'm too embarrassed to have people round because we are still living in a fixer upper when I budgeted and planned to have saved enough to have redecorated 80% of the place by now, but in reality I've put off buying a tin of paint because the money is just running away it seems.

oh and we just had a letter saying the gas and electricity is expected to rise in price. And I've noticed I'm spending more and more on food.
Is there anything I have forgotten? We are a family of 6 and I didn't even replace all of the uniform this year because I just couldn't afford it.
We still have about 2 months worth of expenses in savings but its dwindling.

I feel like we should be raking it in because we cut expenses to the bone but I'm struggling to think of where else we can cut. Any advice? I'm sure lots are in the same boat. Thank you for getting this far if you did, I know I'm a rambler when I worry.

Sell old things on marketplace

Do you sell on eBay? That saved me when my kids were little

Goodness, OP, I feel for you.

The one thing you don't mention is expenditure on phones/Netflix/whatever.

I also had to cut expenditure to the bone, so I know how you feel. However, one thing that could be pricey is phones and such like. I have a non-smartphone with a £7.50 per month contract. I have the same for my teenagers, who have iphones (though they have done this as a result of saving/earning/birthday and Christmas money etc), plus the university children do their own thing. The DC have nagged me for Netflix, Spotify etc, but the answer is no, unless they want to pay for them. I do pay for a TV licence as they watch stuff on iplayer, but I don't have a TV.

I tried the market research route, btw. It just threw up a load of surveys which kept on saying that I wasn't a good match, so I earned precisely fuck all.

As more of a longer term plan. I had a friend with lots of children. She became a childminder. She mostly only took children after school (3-6pm). It was chaos but only a few hours. She didn’t really enjoy having children all day. Do you live near a primary?

I could have written your post. We've recently moved into a fixer upper and the money we had set aside for renovation has been eaten up with everyday bills. I have more children than you (all still very young) but expect my husband earns a lot less as he is on a 40 hour week. He works from home now so transport costs are nil, we batch cook, buy reduced, shop at aldi, grow our own, etc. Prices seem to have spiraled out of control in the last few months and I'm pretty sure a credit card is the only way I'm going to finish buying Christmas presents this year (have been buying for the youngest throughout the year when things are on sale, but older ones change their minds constantly). I work part time which brings in a little extra. I have in the past signed up for survey sites, which is mind numbingly boring but does pay out in gift vouchers which helps. I also do focus groups which aren't very frequent but can earn you £30-£100 for not much effort. My husband asked the other day where all our money is going as before wfh he was spending up to £100 a week on transport and lunches. I honestly have no idea. Am sat here despairing at the news of the energy bills increase.

@canonlydoblue how can you not have any idea? Have you tried listing all incomings and outgoings into an excel spreadsheet?

Knitting, crochet, cleaning offices at night, childminding, collecting vouchers and shopping in the hours before shops close are not efforts I think the OP could make. She currently works and has to spend at least SOME time at home with her children in the evening, cooking and eating dinner, clearing away, putting washing on, ironing, getting kids to bed and food and clothes prep for next day. Even with her OH taking a turn, it leaves no time for herself which is important.

@M4J4 to be fair I haven't, life is hectic at the moment and I keep putting off looking at our finances for when things calm down a little. If I'm brutally honest, I think date lunches with the husband might be something we have to do monthly rather than weekly, but its one of the highlights of our week and I'm reluctant to give it up.

@ChrissyPlummer I think somebody else had already suggested it!!

You are already frugal.
You need more income.
Your husband is already working lots of overtime, and you are understandably tied up with 6 kids.
Are you getting all the benefits that you might be entitled to? This is the only avenue I can think of.

Try a budgeting app like ynab which tracks your spending. It might give you an idea of where your money is going and what your priorities are. Ynab is free for 34 days and is about £60 a year after, but it is worth trying and has made a huge difference to our finances.

NextDoor is a great app and there is one in every area. Costs nothing and you can widen your search to include up to 12 local areas.
They often have part time jobs, people needing help or offering help, sometimes free. You can buy and sell and give away free. If you need something you can ask if anyone has carpet or sofa etc free. I know some people who have furnished a whole flat including electrical appliances such as fridge, microwave and washing machine for FREE after asking for help on NextDoor. She even got a new phone donated by one kind gentleman.

Break down all out goings and incoming on monthly spreadsheet, have you banking app loaded and eveytime the account is spent on record it as soon as possible. Make sure you have got rid of all unnecessary spending, is it a luxury, do you need it etc. You mention childcare do you do the voucher / tax relief option its not great but it helps believe me two in 1year apart with both working FT in standard hours it was a great help to us.
It's what I do with ours then after a month I could see exactly what we could afford living wise and what we could afford to save and if we got a bonus at work the minute the wage hit anything over and above the basic is siphoned off.

Money-savingexpert has a proforma that you can download and use if excell isn't a friend to you.
When are insurances due - shop around also look to use cash back sites(quidco/topcashback) for things like shopping especially Christmas/insurance /banking etc. Look to swap bank accounts to santander 123 lite coat £2 per month but can gain cash back on thinks like gas/elec/water/council tax etc

Shop around for cheaper deals on mobiles/broadband (especially if despite a fixed deal it keeps going up) /gas and electric unfortunately it doesn't pay to stay loyal.
If you have credit card that you pay interest on make sure you swap to 0%

Hope this helps but seriously biggest game hanger track your daily weekly monthly spend at all times

Empressofthemundane.
They are a family of 6.
2 adults + 4 children

Have you thought about delivering the local paper. My husband does this and earns about £65 a week for 3 shortish rounds.

Hello, I switched to Aldi too ! Massive difference! Also do a weekly meal plan and only buy the things you will need - can always top up milk bread etc as and when.

Sell on the things your children don’t play with anymore or the clothes that they’ve grown out of.

Make wrapping paper with paint hand prints- make birthday/Xmas cards

Wait until the dishwasher is full before you use it
Watch less tv/have less screen time.

Bake cakes for dessert rather than buy

Normal banking apps cost nothing and have budgeting tools included. No need to pay £60.

@HitMeWithYourRhythmicPrick

Goodness, OP, I feel for you.

The one thing you don't mention is expenditure on phones/Netflix/whatever.

I also had to cut expenditure to the bone, so I know how you feel. However, one thing that could be pricey is phones and such like. I have a non-smartphone with a £7.50 per month contract. I have the same for my teenagers, who have iphones (though they have done this as a result of saving/earning/birthday and Christmas money etc), plus the university children do their own thing. The DC have nagged me for Netflix, Spotify etc, but the answer is no, unless they want to pay for them. I do pay for a TV licence as they watch stuff on iplayer, but I don't have a TV.

Agree with all this. Haven't RTFT so apologies if I'm not up to speed with everything, but phones can be really expensive. If your DC are old enough to have them you may be able to save there?

I have teens and they have Samsungs from ebay (new but one had a scratch, one was returned or something, both about £80) and they have a PAYG sim from Three which you buy for £10 then it's so much a call, text or GB. You don't need to top up every so often like some other providers - all you need to do is send at least one text or make a call every 6 months. There are probably similar deals out there but you need to be careful about any top-up requirements.

DCs know not to use the mobile data unless it's an emergency - it's free to use Wifi at home or round a friend's house. They can ring me and ring off if they need to speak to me, and I call them back.

DD has had hers since Xmas 2019 and so far used about £2 of her initial £10. DS accidentally left mobile data on once and so has had one £10 top up in the same time. They need to avoid accessing the internet when out and about but that's not major, they mainly use wifi at home (and are glued to them and whatsapping their mates etc, as any other young teens). Saves a fortune compared to a contract, and I definitely recommend as a money saving device. In fact - DH has just switched to that too - although I like my monthly contract and mobile data (around £5 p.m. now my 24 months deal is up) so I haven't practised what I preach......

We also don't have netflix, Disney or Sky etc. DD keeps asking for netflix, and although I am conscious this might separate her out from other children, there are so many channels now that I think no-one can have everything - and there is so much choice already they are hardly missing out. Good luck.

It's free to use Wifi at home or round a friend's house

Yes, this! @Teenagehorrorbag

I don't have a smartphone so don't need to bother about that - though I do pay for the wifi at home, and have a computer to access it. I don't need to access the internet when I'm not at home. What would I do with it, other than dick around on Mumsnet or Eby?

OP I admit I haven't read every post but do sell a lot of items on line so have tips if that helps. What Lancrelady80 said about being too cheap is a good point. People just don't seem to trust a £1 start item will be any good!
Clothes - Vinted and eBay. Get the iron out, press them well and take good photos in daylight. This is really important to get the best price. Use your phone photo settings to make the pictures square so they show well across all platforms - desktop/laptop/mobile. If you want £10 upwards for something use "buy it now" fixed price, not auction. Some people are in a hurry and do not want to bid, just buy. Also weigh your item and get the postage right. Hermes is cheap.
Furniture and electricals - Facebook marketplace and Schpock are good as buyer collects.
I have also sold old videos (yes really) dvds and books. Books have to be nearly new to get a decent price. On eBay use the advanced setting and tick the sold button to see what other people have sold things for.
Hope this helps.

Can you start a loan free home business - a side hustle? This might be well worth a read - despite some spelling mistakes! www.alandonegan.com/blog/10-ways-to-increase-your-income?fbclid=IwAR0oTaqd3QvJHmTyCycs-85qbJG_v85qhrkbcT5ZdXG5wvUZMFlAIJR7CDc

Unless the OP is going to supply some hard numbers you are all wasting your time replying.

Great thread. I'm in a similar position, moved, lots of expenses, trying to get back on track, not easy! Not read all the responses but skimmed through some really great advice (and some rude comments too - oh well...)

I've cancelled audible, spotify, hairdresser's appointments. No newspapers or magazines. Books only from the library. Got ALL plants for the garden from friends and neighbours for free, not bought a single thing, and it all grows and blooms wonderfully - cheers me up.

Food:

• no cereal (porridge and pancakes instead)
• no biscuits, only home baking (cupcakes, choc brownies, banana cake and apple crumble are our favourites, all cheap), sweets only as a treat
• caged hen eggs - fraction of the price - and it's what you get in bought biscuits etc anyway. I know some people think it's cruel but if everyone would be so clever we wouldn't even have enough land in this country to feed everyone with free range eggs. No harm in my view, particularly if a temporary measure. I buy a lot of eggs due to baking so it makes a difference.
• use margarine not butter for baking
• aim at half the meat you are used to, it may be easier than you think to reduce meat, and meat is the #1 ingredient that goes bad quickly, it's an expensive waste when it happens!
• buy a full salmon fish once a month in the market, freeze half for the next month, cook a bit in the oven, and salt the rest, which will then last for 5 days or more.
• no alcohol
• mint tea from the garden, not bought tea or coffee
• no fizzy drinks or juice

Long term though, it'll have to be a job that'll get you out of this position, there is no other way. So you need to understand when you can start working, and accept that the bit right now is temporary.

My daughter has had to disperse stuff that was her late uncle's. When she mentions something on Next Door, somebody usually comes and gets it. I noticed one or two postings on Next Door where people ask for stuff and I guess that if anybody has a surplus, they might offer it - I am thinking of half used pots of paint. Maybe it would work for school uniforms. Also,there is Freegle. I stopped using it years ago as it seemed quite complicated with lots of rules - but it could be worth a try.