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.

You need to increase the money coming in. Can you do a evening job a few days a week or something where you can WFH. Otherwise can you pursue promotion or change jobs?

Don't necessarily blame yourself - money is really tight for a lot of people these days who aren't doing anything "wrong". Fwiw I think you're right to put off decorating until you can afford it comfortably. Ps I was shocked how much I was able to save by not buying any kids snacks. I'm really careful with meals, but I was actually spending more on snacks! So now the only snack the kids have is toast (or maybe a crumpet if they're lucky).

@Lahhdjdknwbjshdhb

Costs are going up sharply and I’m afraid to say will not be coming back down. It’s going to be tough times ahead for a lot of families. If you can’t cope now, I would say that long term you need to look at a) increasing your income significantly by getting a new job or side hustles b) moving to an area with cheap housing.

Those are your options. Refining your already tight budget is just tinkering and is not the solution.

I know you have 6 in your family and cannot change that now, but I would say this is why I would choose not to have a family or 6. It’s harsh to say, but unless you’re on very good incomes a large family isn’t really affordable in this day and age .... and does risk you falling into poverty. We are however lucky to live in a country where you will not starve if you fall below the poverty line- but is incredibly stressful and traumatic.

I would look at protecting your family and reducing housing costs if you can

Good luck- I really do feel for you x

She might not have planned to be six.

My parents most certainly didn't but still ended up with four of us after having twins.

What I ridiculous thing to post on here.

Can you get more money in? Take extra hours/overtime. Get an evening job or something internet based. Could you provide a service to others, ironing, dogwalking etc.
Reduce meat consumption and do 1/2 meat 1/2 lentils in Spag Bol, Chilli dishes.
Ditch branded cereal and make porridge for breakfast.
Grow veg at home.
You can get roll end lino from most flooring shops at cheap prices. Easy to lay with contact adhesive (see Screwfix or Toolstation - far cheaper than B&Q)

@Moneysavvymam

Vegetarian is a good idea though, Although I know Dh will complain

Or DH could act like a responsible grown up. Eating less meat is healthier and better for the environment anyway.

One way to cut costs could be to reduce the amount of meat in each meal and replace with veg and pulses.

Eg a pilaf with one chicken thigh per person, sliced up, with spinach, chick peas and onions in too, plus a dhal and a vegetable curry to go with it.

Or a chilli with a small pack of mince and at least the same amount of beans and peppers and onions.

Unplug all appliances at the wall when not in use.
Unplug internet overnight and when out of the house for long periods of time.
Shower less often-for example 2 showers per week and the other days a full wash with a sponge.
When you shower have shorter showers and turn the temperature down a few degrees.
Are there any jumble sales you can do? Ive found a lot of stuff that I couldnt sell online was sold at car boot sales.
Limit screen time to reduce electricity use and play board games or read books instead.
Only use washing machine and dishwasher when they are full.
Try to reduce washing machine use by using clothes and towels for a bit longer before washing. Ie instead of washing your jeans after 2 wears wash them after 3.
Put a bit less washing powder in the machine with each wash to make it last longer and stop using softner all together.

"I didn't even replace all of the uniform this year" leapt out at me

With 4 children, there must be loads of scope to pass down uniform. If you think that you should be buying new uniform for all the kids every year, I wonder if you are in the habit of spending £ unnecessarily, or trying to keep up with the Joneses

Also, "a few takeaways" for a family of 6 would be a lot of money that could have ben directed elsewhere. If you want fish and chips, you can buy from eg Tesco. Not the same as a proper takeaway, but a lot cheaper

I'd suggest keeping a proper list of all your income and expenditure. You could do it on spreadsheet, or just a notebook

Take cash to the shops, not a card, to make yourself stick within budget

And alcohol is really expensive, so if you drink, that would be another way to cut spending

How about babysitting? Before the pandemic, DH and I used to use the agency Sitters a lot and most of the babysitters had their own children. While you are sitting in someone else's house, you can use price comparison sites! Win win!

@Moneysavvymam We're currently being 'skinted' by nursery fees but these are a few things that have helped us since buying our home a couple of years ago:

• Do your food shop online: We used Lidl thinking it was cheaper but the quality of the fruit and veg was appalling so we'd always have to do a top up shop anyway. We now use Morrisons home delivery. We plan what we're having for the week and only buy the ingredients specifically for that. As time goes on, you'll spend less as you'll already have the spices etc.
• Buy a big pack of mince and do two teas from it. Eg. Spag bol the first night and then the next night, add beans and chilli powder.
• Supermarket Own Pizzas: We prefer these to takeaways and so much cheaper. Morrisons are £1.79 and frozen so can keep as you need them.
• Childcare: Can you claim tax free childcare? That's really helped us.
• Instead of buying a new kitchen, buy some cupboard paint and paint it. We did that with ours and had so many compliments.
• When you say the floor is unsafe, what do you mean? Could you buy some rugs off Marketplace and put them down for the time being?

You need to up your income as six people is a lot to provide for and was never going to be cheap which you surely knew. Costs are only set to rise.

Agree about babysitting. Party season is hopefully coming up and parents especially with younger children will often pay a little bit more for a more mature babysitter with their own kids. Put the word out there on Facebook and I bet you’d get lots of interest.

Or similarly offer to take in ironing, then you can do it at home

Definitely go for supermarket alternatives to takeaway. The cost is probably about a third to half of a proper takeaway, even if you go for the nicer versions and no effort at all to put pizzas in the oven or microwave ready made curries.

Nothing to add to the great tips but just wanted to say, with my nurse head on, I hope your contraception is water tight. You don’t want another mouth to feed.

Facebook marketplace is great for selling stuff. (And buying too)
Have a look at freecycle. I very often see people giving away tins of paint, large flooring offcuts and other decorating supplies on there. You can also put out a request for items on there.

Freecycle. .its amazing what you can get from that!

Apparently there are certain times of day, depending on the individual supermarket, that do the ultra reduced section at amazing prices.

If you ask the local staff they will know when it is. Eg 5 pm 730 pm. Maybe you can nip out twice weekly and buy the reduced prices only from now on. Wherever possible.

It is something I could do to try out myself!

@Susannahmoody

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

^

Call another provider

Surely you can’t if you’re locked in for 18 months? Presumably that’s how they get away with raising the cost

If you work, get a better job. Round here the job market is very good so there are plenty of options.

Keep an eye on Freecycle as you might get some left over kitchen flooring off there.

Things that are generally "hidden" expenses.... Mobile phone contracts is there a option to switch especially sim only makes it far cheaper!

Food plan and reduce the amount of meat each week. You can easily do half mince half red lentils for instance and it's then cheaper. Go to an Indian supermarket for lentils so cheap also for spices. Slow cooker for cheaper cuts of meat as well such as shin etc. Check your local butchers for what they have sometimes they actually work out cheaper for certain cuts.
Lidl/aldi sometimes do a odds and sods veg box really cheap check it out.

Get a smart meter installed for keeping track of energy usage and shop providers now as its going up in Oct but the fixed deals will have a set payment before this.

Look at installing a water meter rather than paying the fixed cost it's often cheaper.
Any credit which isn't on 0% switch to a 0% long term balance card and set up a regular payment to it.

Check out gumtree, Facebook market place and sell stuff on vinted.

Have you tried Olio and freecycle?

Olio is about keeping food out of the bin so people put listings up from a half loaf of bread to batches of fruit.

Also look out for 'pay what you can' markets.

Do a benefit check and look at whether you can get any grants to help with the doing up, thinks like insulation and a new boiler might be covered.

www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-green-homes-grant-scheme#how-much-you-can-get

Are you both working full time? If one of you is a low earner you can transfer some of your tax allowance to the other www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance

Check whether you can claim anything you need for work, some professions have set allowances you can claim. Eg nurses and midwives can claim money for stockings and shoes, even if your occupation(s) are not on the list you might be able to claim some expenses.

www.gov.uk/guidance/job-expenses-for-uniforms-work-clothing-and-tools

I agree with doing online shopping, have a look at the various sites and look at costs, Sainsbury's do a £1 deliver slot of 4 hours, so if you are going to be in all day does it really matter if the shopping arrives at 9 am or 12pm?

Iceland do free delivery if you spend £40.

Sometimes there are online offers eg there was some free sparkling flavored water a couple of weeks ago from Sainsbury's.

If you are doing an online shop consider sharing with neighbours / work colleagues so one delivery for 2-3 people. Obviously you need to be on good terms and decide what to do with substitutions.

Check out your local grocery shops as well, I pay the same for meat from the butcher but it is better quality than supermarket meat.

you dont need to automatically change uniform
shop for clothes wisely
charity shops

school bags - charity shops

plenty of cheap meals
check out the evening reductions.
list what is in your freezer/cupboards.
more veggie meals, chick peas/lentils make great meals

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/4340188-Savvy-savers-sashaying-through-September

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dont be embarrassed about your house, you bought a fixer upper