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 :)

I love my breadmaker! I actually won some Argos vouchers in a Mumsnet competition so used them to buy it (so free to me)

I think it depends on how much bread you eat. If I make a loaf, I had to make the smallest size and cut it in half. I freeze half and keep the other half out. It's only me and DS and we don't get through it before it goes mouldy (it doesn't last as long as shop bought bread). Mind you, when he's having packed lunches every day, we might actually get a chance to use it!

It is handy to have it as a back up though, if you run out of bread. Saves a top up trip to the shops...

Marking my place!

Stay strong OP! :) You should be proud of yourself for being so positive.

Check out this blog - definitely someone who is an inspiration when it comes to saving money. I try to take on board some of her ideas but sometimes it all seems like too much hardwork.

frugalincornwall.blogspot.co.uk/

Worth checking out the love food hate waste website for recipe ideas on using up nearly or out of date food.
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

Re breadmaker - dont use mine that often, it really crumbly so makes mess and the children don't like it! like getting reduced bread it lasts ages and v cheap (prob a bad sign)

I used a breadmaker once... it was a disaster! I prefer to do it the old fashioned way, and since a Very Nice Person bought me a half day course, I now make a passable loaf!

I stop DH shopping or coming with me to the shops (or not adhering to a list) as he is a sucker for sneaking half a dozen melons into the trolley (they were on special offer - only £1.50 each - bargain - we'll eat them... - fast forward two weeks and I am sneaking them in the bin).

Do you wear heels in work? If you do, ALWAYS wear flats/runners in and out.

Easier to walk, and you won't have to get your heels replaced.

One year I brought 3 pairs of boots to the shoe bar. Cost : ?45.

Since then (about 3 years ago) I've always worn runners in and out to work. All three pairs still have full heels on them.

If I had worn them while commuting (about 15 mins on concrete each end of the train journey) they would each have needed re-heeling at least once a year. So that has saved me about ?130.

For work:
I would never commute in heels these days - my oseto bill would be throught the roof!

I buy cheapo tops and long sleeved t shirts from Primark in lots of neutral colours - tie a nice scarf around your neck, and wear under a nice jacket (ah, the old suits I have dug out!) and you don't look too shabby... Cheapo jewellery (Boots so some nice bits that dont look bad at all) can make plain clothes look good too. I may be cheap but I try not to look boring!

Food from home and don't buy coffee - easy stuff I know - and stick to a budget for expenses (travel, food, even leaving cards!)

I would DEFINATELY get a breadmaker. Ours is on every day. I just use the basic, 'loaf in an hour' setting. I buy a sack of decent flour, and any bits to go in it. The two 'buys' that will save the most money food-wise is said breadmaker, and extra freezer space. Much, much nicer than the cheap bought stuff, but same price per loaf.

Fantastic thread! Don't think I can add anything useful but I will enjoy reading it myself.

I really like Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Prima mags. So I use Clubcard vouchers to subscribe to them.

marking place to read later when I have time

Eeeek as much out of packets, bottles and jars as you can. I got some jar scrapers from Lakeland and they work very well, I even open up cartons of custard, tomatoes. I cut open all plastic things carefully- toothpaste tubes, shampoo bottles, tomato ketchup etc. I leave a pair of scissors in the bedroom and bathroom so I can do it there and then. I often get quite a few days more supply.

Learn to love leftovers! I now make sure that if I have leftover pasta, rice, sauce, etc I pop it in the fridge and use it up the following day. Its amazing how much food gets thrown out.

Use Quidco to earn cash back on internet shopping in lots of well known shops, plus insurance, holidays etc. They do charge £5, but o ly take this once you've earned as much cash back.

I'm another advocate of making bread by hand, rather than using a breadmaker. I set aside an hour one weekend morning and get all the doughs started. Then just knead them periodically and bake. Yes, it means being in/around the house all day, but I do hung loads in the freezer so if I can't make it one weekend, then it's fine. Also, we have no room for yet another gadget to clog up the worktop!

Signing up to loyalty cards from brand retailers is NOT a way of saving money!

I have a little book of prices that shows very clearly that a lot of things in small shops and chemists are cheaper and of similar quality to brand names.

Remember factoring in the costs of generic town centre shopping (coffees, being tempted, other people with better clothes etc) makes going there pointless unless you treat it like a trip to disneyland where some of the loss is the experience.

Screws local hardware shop - £3 for 100, Homebase £5 for 25 for example
Boots simple moisturiser - same as own brand from local chemist
Johnson's baby soap from pound shop or similar 90p for three. Boots price circa 65p.

Its all like that.. Haagan Daaz in my local corner shop is £2 cheaper than asda..

Get with the programme!

Don't buy cheap and then bung out! - buy expensive and stretch it out eg meat - really good meat will flavour much more than supermarket meat and buy black eye peas and other drieds from asian shops and make vegetable stews.. then you get protein, flavour and much cheapness all in one!

OP, I love your attitude - looking for things to make life better instead of feeling bitter. You sound lovely and really impressive.

Don't be shy of looking on Freecycle for everything, even Christmas presents for kids. We have given away really gorgeous toys the DC have outgrown, and have been given as-new musical instruments, skateboards etc which would make fantastic presents, along with watched once DVDs etc. Just ask.

Always put a % of money aside each week, however tiny, for treats. Even if it's just a pound a week, spend it on sweeties and eat them with the kids or buy a bag of popping corn and a charity shop DVD to have a film night. Always make it a % not a set amount, so if you suddenly have an increase in money, you get a better treat, and if you're broke, you don't stop it altogether.

Make a list of things you love to do as a family (or for yourself) that are free or almost free and do them often. Take kids to choose library and audio books once a week and read them together, go to the park, go blackberrying and make a crumble or pie, go cycling, go for a nature walk, stare and clouds or stars, build snowmen etc. Don't ever feel you are providing less of a childhood for them because you can't afford things. The best stuff is usually free, we just get too tired or down to remember to do it.

When the kids are teens encourage them to get part time jobs to pay their way.

And look for ways to earn more and to get richer, don't ever feel you are trapped in poverty because your marriage didn't work out. Could be the making of you.

I've not read all, as I wanted to post this suggestion while I remember - although how practical it is with 3DC I don't know. I used to share a car with a friend - neither of us needed it for work, but it was nice to have for bigger shopping trips/B&Q or holidays. We split the MOT/service cost and the insurance 50/50 (although the car can only be owned by one person, and therefore only insured by one person with the other as named driver, which meant I didn't build up my own no-claims over the 10 years we did this; having said that I think named drivers may now be able to build their own no-claims with some insurers...?). For fuel we noted down what we bought, and the mileage we did, then at various points we'd figure the ratio of miles we'd done vs the cost of fuel we bought, then settle up the difference. This won't account for the yo-yo cost of fuel in recent times, but so long as you roughly take it in turns to fill up/use the car, I figured it was no real issue, particularly the overall saving of not having to pay for all car costs on your own. It worked for us for 10 years, during which time I started my family and had 2 kids, we only stopped because last year I bought a house 10 miles away from my friend! Car share clubs might be a more formal way of doing this, and there also used to be lift share clubs/sites if you require car transport to work. eg (never used/looked at, just googled it): www.liftshare.com/uk

Some excellent ideas here, thankyou all!

Badvoc, I am probably not the best person to ask as my slow cooker recipes are somewhat anarchic and variable in their outcomes, but try:

BEEF STEW
Cubed shin of beef, sealed in a hot pan.
Add a few sliced onions at the last moment, fry all together until they are transparent.
Add root vegetables, sliced diagonally, and/or sliced red pepper.
Pour over some beef stock, or leftover red wine, or tinned chopped tomatoes, or a mix of all of them. If you have to use a stock cube, a little bit of wine takes the unnatural taste away from it.
Add a bit of crushed garlic, a bay leaf and/or some thyme.
Cook on high for 30 minutes and then low for the rest of the day (the longer the better).
Serve with rice or home made dumplings (these can be added to the stew a couple of hours before the end) - freeze leftovers.

SAUSAGE CASSEROLE
Allow 2-3 sausages per person. Brown in a frying pan.
Other ingredients and cooking as for beef casserole but for about 4-5 hours on low instead of all day.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE
Seal random chicken pieces (can be cubed chicken breasts, for example, but best to choose meat without a bone)
Fry off some halved button mushrooms in oil (say 8oz), as well as some sliced onions.
(If you have a few porcini mushrooms this adds to the flavour)
Pour over leftover white wine and/or chicken stock and/or vegetable stock, or a mix of all of them.
Add fresh thyme or tarragon.
Cook on high for 30 minutes and low for about 4 hours.

Hopefully other MNetters will comment if these recipes can be improved - there are some hard core slow cooking queens on here.

Oh, one thing that does work brilliantly is making a load of bolognaise in a slow cooker. This is fantastic if you are having a party as it just bubbles away and guests can help themselves. It's also great for milk puddings, for example rice pudding.