your top tips for money-saving and a more frugal life..

[amigoingmadhere]

Right - having until now led a relatively good lifestyle, am about to be single with 3 young dcs and very little money (not going to go into background here as it's depressing and will only get me down on this sunny morning).

Rather than sit here terrified, I would like to gather the collective wisdom of MN to see how I can immediately live a more frugal life and preserve any little money we have for a house and the dcs' future.

So, here's what I can think of to start with:

• get a new Boots card (old one is connected to my stbxh's email account)
  
• get Tesco clubcard
  
• get Nectar card
  
• always scour the internet etc. for vouchers / codes etc. (do this anyway but in a more random way)
  
• only ever buy presents in sales
  
• when moving house, try to get as much as possible from charity shops / freecycle etc.
  
• use library more
  
• see if Surestart still exists (a while since I used their services)
  
• start looking for any local free/cheap gym / sports facilities
  

There must be more that I'm not thinking of.. would be grateful for your ideas! - shopping / cooking / kids' activities / house furnishing etc.
I'm starting afresh on a new and wonderful life.. but it's going to be hard.

thanks :)

[Fluffycloudland77]

Asda do frozen chopped onions.

Dont buy a fighting fish crack, we had a lovely one with real character and he died, I never got a fighting fish to have a long life and it made me really upset when they went.

I even mourned when the clam died. You cannot get less interaction from a pet than a clam.

[Frontpaw]

How could you tell if it was alive or dead anyway?

[Fluffycloudland77]

It opened up. They dont do that when alive as it has a muscle to keep it closed.

It still makes me a bit sad now.

[Badvoc]

:(
Never thought I would feel sad about a dead clam....

[Frontpaw]

Did he have a name?

[crackcrackcrak]

Aww the clam!
The plan is to buy a tank and some nemos - yes I know they are called clown fish
Dd loves them and always goes straight to them at the aquarium. There is a helpful man at the garden centre up the road who quoted me for setting the tank up etc etc

Mind you dd also really likes rabbits and we had a lovely time playing with babies at an agricultural
Show on sat but I don't know if I'm just making huge amounts of work for myself when what I rally want is a cat

[Fluffycloudland77]

Cant you have a cat?

No the clam didnt have a name, we didnt have that sort of relationship. He did his thing and I did mine but we had an understanding.

[Frontpaw]

Well, I hope he had a decent burial.

[HardlyEverHoovers]

Lots of people have mentioned ebay, I also find it great for getting a bit of money in case I need/want to buy something not budgeted for, or making ends meet if it's a tricky month!
I get most of my clothes from ebay or charity shops. Also have very fun 'clothes swap' parties with friends, where everyone brings things they don't wear, everything gets put in a big pile and you have a rummage. It's a good night and I normally come away with lots of new things!
Shopping-meal planning saves SOOO much money, we shop at the local market for veg, about 1/3rd price of supermarket (we normally spend under £10 on all out fruit and veg for a week for a family of 3), and shop in REALLY cheap shops, the type with lots of freezers in that you get in the cheap end of town, for other stuff. They tend to buy in stuff that other shops have bought too much of and can't shift, from what i can gather, so you get good brands very cheap. For example today we got big slab of mature cheddar for 1.95, large tub margarine for 80p.
We also get alot of other stuff from the market now, cleaning stuff, spices, and it's all cheaper than any shop I know of.
We don't have a TV, we watch stuff on iplayer and the other catch up websites, as long as it's not live you don't need a license,
Most other things we do have already been mentioned. What I would like to add is that living on a budget doesn't have to be depressing. It can be a challenge sometimes, but quite fun to go scouring round and making the most of things. See it as a shift to a less material way of living!
Hope you and your DCs settle into your new way of life and are very happy.

[crackcrackcrak]

I can I think - ll just said no to a dog but no cat flap. I took dd to see cats at a rescue place and she was quite keen but they wouldn't let me adopt before I've had the new baby. Again it might be too much to take on just now. Anyway I really want a Siamese. I might treat myself when I get my divorce settlement

[pookey]

I have used supermarket bagged frozen onions and they are really watery and don't brown even if I microwave first, does it help to defrost them for a few hours? Idea of an organised freezer filled with home chopped fresh veg is very appealing (mine is full of stray peas and fishfinger crumbs )!

[pookey]

Hope your doing ok amigoingmadhere?

[LieInsAreRarerThanTigers]

I agree about avoiding supermarkets when trying to be frugal: my latest discovery is the 'no time' shop - if you only need one or two things go when you literally HAVE to be in and out in ten minutes - before school run, an appointment or whatever. This works for me - got just the milk and whatever the other item was and dashed out again. I felt quite a sense of achievement.

I have been a frugal liver (sounds disgusting) for years, mainly through being an eco-nerd, now I have fallen on harder times with marriage breakdown and unemployed ex, I am grateful for the savings I built up over the 'good' years. I'm not sure how I do it but I do a lot less washing than most people, have low bills etc, just by being careful. Change beds, towels etc less frequently, especially if nobody is looking! Don't iron. Always used cloth nappies, sponge/Mooncup, second hand baby stuff, kids' clothes, toys, books etc.

To earn extra money this year I have had language students to stay - hard work catering and clearing up, but concentrated into short periods of time, and it is quite fun and nice for the children. I had four at once for a few days (kids can double up or younger one shared with me for short spells). Got some more coming in October and will earn £500 in two weeks give or take some extra food/heat/water etc. It's tax-free up to several thousand pounds, but I think I will have to declare it on tax credit form.

[amigoingmadhere]

Thanks for asking Pookey .. I'm doing ok. Things all moving quite slowly for various reasons. This thread has been so useful.. quite a challenge changing ways so drastically but I have already made use of a number of suggestions on here. I keep meaning to make a list of people to thank individually but haven't had a chance yet. I have found this thread immensely supportive, even though people aren't necessarily posting in any kind of personal way. I feel that there is a whole community of people rooting for me somehow, which is good.
I am determined to stay positive about everything (as much as I can) and agree with posters who have said that having little money can be a fun kind of challenge to oneself.. i just hope it can stay that way.
Keep them coming anyway - this thread has literally changed my life (albeit as a byproduct of other lifechanging events )

[crackcrackcrak]

Ami - so pleased this has been supportive and helpful - lets keep
It going
I have checked with the landlord there is no method to turn the blooming hot water down in my boiler! Damnit!

Ll has finally replaced the curtains in my living room though so at least I have some insulation this winter.

Now I am on mat leave I'm
Saving a lot in fuel. A tank is lasting me nearly 3 weeks instead of barely 1

I reckon I need to make a task list before the winter though. Does anyone do that foil behind the radiator thing? If yes is it actual foil or a special thing you got from b and q? And does it really work?

How can you save on heating in a big airy house?

[pookey]

Think your determination to get on with making changes and already acting on some of the ideas here is really inspiring amigoing.

ccc if you haven't already you could just shorten the amount of time the hot water is on for or turn it of manually and time it well? maybe you could make some of those snake things for the bottom of your doors to keep out drafts? Maybe turn radiators off in certain rooms and keep the doors shut as much as possible in rooms you want to keep warm so the living room heat isn't escaping into your hallway for example. Don't think you need special foil, its to do with the heat reflecting off the shiny foil and back into the room .

[pookey]

one (pos only) advantage of a small terrace its def warmer when neighbours have their heat on

[Badvoc]

Well I would say by doing the following...
Only heat the room you are in. I turn radiators off in other rooms if we are int using them.
We have a pn oil fired radiator in the conservatory - only use it from oct-march.
After you have cooked the dinner leave oven door open to heat kitchen/diner etc....this really works!!
Ring the number in the Mse website for FREE cavity wall insulation and loft insulation and a £30 m and s voucher! I have and they should be coming it to see me soon!
Seriously...it's free!
We have lined hevy curtains which we keep closed from about 4pm in winter!
We are also getting a door curtain too this yer fro the front door...
Keep doors closed in rooms you aren't using.
Erm....that's all I can think of for now....

[Badvoc]

Still don't know what I am doing wrong wrt food shopping...sigh.
Spent over £90 last night at tesco and asda...have to go to tesco for GF pasta etc...
Argh.
Only bought 2 x cold meat and some bacon so it's not like I buy loads of meat.
Bought potatoes and veg and fruit.
Frozen oven chips and some ice cream.
cling film, kitchen towels, deo for dh.
Yoghurts, butter, some muffins for ds2, flapjacks for ds1.
Milk, UHt milk, UHt apple juice, squash....I buy asda own brand stuff too.
come in...what am I doing wrong?
(GF pasta, porridge etc is enought to last for the month btw...)

[boredandrestless]

How many people are you feeding Badvoc?

Amigoingmadhere - Glad to hear you are still here, this thread really took off didn't it! I think just making a few changes at a time is a wise idea, will give you chance to gradually adjust.

I have door curtains, and when I lived in a house with single pane windows in rotting frames I lined all my curtains with fleece blankets that I bought very cheaply. I just safety pinned them to the tops of the curtains and they made a huge difference.

I have a large immersion tank heater, and another (combi?) heater. I have the immersion tank one turned off permanently at the wall, and the combi one just heats up water as I need it.

[blackcatsdancing]

i like the idea of fleece blankets being used to line curtains! My DC is off to uni soon and worried about thin curtains in new acc. I'm worried about the cost of getting heavy lined ones to keep out the light and keep place warm. that sounds good (especially no sewing bit)!

[boredandrestless]

Yes pinning them up means you can remove them in summer. I'm in a double glazed house now so don't need them but they really helped in my previous house. You could really feel the difference.

[Badvoc]

Sorry...me, dh, ds1 and ds2.

[racingheart]

badhov, the GF stuff is soo expensive - that's what's hiking the price up. Can you have more potatoes and sweet potatoes, or buckwheat pancakes, and cut out the bread and pasta? I wanted to get some and it was nearly £3 a packet! We had baked spuds instead.

[racingheart]

Another tip: always look at cost per kilo. I just bought organic broccoli in this week's shop, as it was on offer far cheaper than the 'basics' range. Same with several other things. never automatically buy basics ranges. Shop around.