What are your top tips for spending less?

[Chocolateporridge]

What would be your top tips for new parents or parents of small children for spending less in general? I'm a SAHM and we have a very limited budget so would be interested to hear what other parents do.
Thanks

Something we do that I havn't seen suggested on here is some of us from a toddler group have a fruit and veg co-op, we buy weekly from a wholesaler and then share it out. I pay £5 weekly for all my veg and for that i probably get double what i'd get in a supermarket.

TheresASpareChairOverThere - we have a 2nd hand school uniform sale in school, its not much work to run and if you run it you get first dibs and it raises money for the pta

For everything OTHER than food, petrol, bills and the like me and DH allow ourselves £30 each week to spend on ourselves/DCs.

It stops us using debit card and really makes us think about what we're spending on.

So if I want to go for a coffee with a friend on friday I have to budget for it from the beginning of the week.

If the DCs want to go for an ice cream on thursday and I've already spent out on toddlergroups, softplay etc and there's no money left then hard cheese!!

We've SAVED a fortune doing this and its such common sense really

Something very little, but I have started putting any sweets that come home in party bags straight into the swimming bags. The children always ask for sweets from the conveniently placed vending machines at the swimming baths and handing them something little from the bag, that cost me nothing to start with, eeks out the treats and saves a bit of money/moaning.