please help with my shopping bill. desperate housewife!!

[bumbleandbumble]

I only have maybe £50 a week for a family of four...most times less.
Please help me save on shopping...I just cant seem to do it. Maybe just food, but not when I add loo roll,washing powder,shampoo etc.

What are your top tips? Who really has the cheapest prices?

Note..I have no car, a broken oven that I cant afford to fix, and I can barely afford my oyster card, so I cant go too far to the big bulk discount shops.

If it is the element that has blown in the oven then they are very easy to replace. I had replaced a few and I am not the best at diy. It's just a few screws and a clip to replace it.

Just a thought, are you aware of a scheme called water sure? My DS has eczema as well, and his dermatologist had to sign a form which we sent off, we now get capped water rates. It is dependent on getting certain benefits though.

what is water sure? i dont understand?

I did get a quote from a smeg repair guy. He said they don't make the parts anymore for the clock that is broken. Smeg oven doesn't work with out clock? He said he could fix it for £200 but couldn't be sure it would stay working?!

Not to mention that I dont have 1p to spare to get another repair person.

Water sure - If you get certain benefits, you may be able to get reduced or capped water rates IF somebody in the house has an illness that requires a lot of water in some way - so DS' eczema counts because he needs medicated baths. DH found out by contacting our water provider

What about eggs? Scrambled, omelette etc with baked beans or cheese on toast. Cheap & quick. You can add whatever veg you have left over.

Dried noodles are quite cheap and good for using up any left over veg or chicken from a roast and making into a chow mein.

Sausage & mash is another quite cheap meal to make. You could make a cottage pie filling in a pan and serve with mash instead of making it in the oven.

Snack wise I stopped buying branded kids snacks. Mine get chopped up apple, carrots, bread sticks, cheese.

For cheap 'puddings' for the kids I buy packet jelly and make in plastic cups. Value ice cream too.

we dont get any benefits...my husband refuses, but thats a whole other story.

oh jelly, I like that idea. I dont buy branded snacks.

Peter- thanks for the quote people. the online quote said £131... I just dont have it :(

Your husband is ridiculous. He should put the welfare of his family before his pride!

Hang on, are you not even claiming child benefit?

How can a husband stop a wife from claiming benefits to which she is entitled? Does he lock her up with chains or is she in some kind of obedience relationship where she has no choices?

yes I get child benefit, but thats it and that money only covers my direct debits...so it equals out to zero

Don't bother with meat - pulses are a much cheaper form of protein, and I'd rather eat no meat than cheap meat, IYSWIM

Chickpeas, lentils etc - tinned in Lidl or dry (if you have time etc to soak and cook) are v good value

yes but my toddlers refuse lentils and chickpeas...I love them.
i will keep trying but its not easy with little ones.

Definately ask a charity such as the Heart Foundation to contact you if they get given a cooker. Although, if your husband refuses benefits I expect he'd refuse something from charity too.

Someone mentioned free school dinners for infants from September, but I think that only applies to England, not Wales or Scotland, so it depends where you are.

My DC love homemade pancakes for 'pudding', they can be quite cheap, and they're filling.

You are going to have to chat about the benefits with your husband though and make him see sense, put the children first.

I've bought kids snacks in Poundland before. Healthy-ish stuff like Annabel Karmel Apple Crisps, fruit flakes etc fraction of the price of the supermarket.

Buy big bag raisins from the supermarket bakery isle and put small portion into little pot for snacking - less expensive than those little boxes (paying for packaging).

Have little tubs (I use the little weaning pots with lids) to do your own homemade little snacks in which is cheaper than pre packaged: cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, cheese cubes (regular cheddar cut into little squares), fruit that needs using up cut into little cubes (apple, pear, strawbs etc), banana slices, peeled and segmented orange/clemintine pieces, little florets of raw veg, raw carrot sticks etc. The trick to kids being satisfied that it is an 'acceptable snack' is not the packaging, its the small finger-food convenience :). And I always pack homemade squash drinks in their drinks bottle for the journey home.

Do you have contents insurance ? Your cooker should be covered under that. If not, what about a second hand shop or try applying for a crisis loan from SS for a replacement.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/

www.gov.uk/qualify-tax-credits-quick-questionnaire

My sister was without an oven for 6mths there is her n partner and 4 children all under 8 and she couldn't afford to fix or a second hand one n had to save hence 6mths.

She got a cheap slow cooker n made lots of new meals she googled n joined a Facebook group for slow cooking she had some amazing meals n all cheapish and saved her time as well she now has an oven but uses slow cooker alot.