Lets share tips for cutting back

[Madmog]

Do try Aldi and Lidl, even if you don't want to buy everything from there you can save. If you prefer to shop at Tescos/Sainsburys, do try their value/basics ranges. If you have certain products you always use, stock up on them if they're on offer.

Only have heating on when you really need. Check if it's worth changing energy supplier.

As mentioned in another discussions, do put bubble bath in soap dispensers - I've started doing this and my family haven't noticed!

Always take a drink and snack with you in case anyone is hungry, to avoid expensive buys.

'in' should read is

Reusable nappies: some expense upfront (though they can be found MUCH cheaper on Ebay), but mean that DD costs me nothing on a day-to-day basis

Leftovers from tea become DP's bait for the following day

Wash with soapnuts - miles cheaper than laundry liquid and environmentally friendly too

Clean the bathroom with vinegar most of the time - big bottle for 23p

Use sodium bicarb to remove stains and brighten whites in the laundry - can be bought very cheaply in bulk at the market

Buy Indian/Chinese ingredients (e.g. spices, rice, noodles, ghee, paratha, chapattis, fresh herbs, etc) from Indian/Chinese supermarkets - often a quarter of the price of Tesco/etc

And get creative with left overs.

For example mine and DH tea tonight was

4 rashers of streaky bacon (Needed to be eaten as packet had been open nearly a week)
A couple of diced potatoes fried together in bacon fat until browned then about 3 large handfuls of leftover greens all mixed heated through together then topped with a fried egg.

A few years ago I would have just binned rather then used for another meal.

Your kids need loads less clothes than you think they do, particularly if you buy carefully and coordinate the colours. And though I love Boden style kids clothes, ASDA do really nice coloured skinnies for boys, H&M do lovely organic cotton stripy tops; you can copy the look for much less.

Buy to pass on. I have two boys two years apart which makes this easier, but for example younger one is slimmer and needs pull in elastic waists, so I buy jeans for the older one with these waists and then pull them in when they fit the younger one. Winter coats I buy off e-bay or similar for the older one when the older coat can just be a bit big on my younger boy.

I only buy toilet paper, kitchen towels, nappies, wet wipes, shower gel, shampoo, dishwasher tabs, laundry detergent when it is on offer and bulk buy. Ditto wine, cheese, yoghurt. I always look at what offers the best value per unit/100g etc.

Shop in Aldi for specifics that are equal in taste but cheaper, eg bread, milk, butter, chocolate, biscuits, brioche, French cheese, Greek style yoghurt, smoked salmon, pasta sauce, basic medicine.... Savers sell Tempo tissues which offer fantastic quality at bargain prices.

We buy the majority of fruit & veg from market stalls. Much cheaper, more seasonal. Though it can be hit & miss quality-wise. I don't online shop much as I like to see the offers and then fit meals around them. If I want to save money I send hubby to shop, he doesn't get tempted and only buys what is on the list!!! I also avoid shops like the plague and mostly buy if on sale.

We spend quite a bit on food but we always cook everything from scratch (and rarely eat out or use take away, though I would love too!). I make my own pizza using the bread maker for dough. Healthier and cheaper. I often let the children make their own individual pizza, shaping their dough, spooning the topping (I precook the veg in passage so it is nice and soft and I can hide loads of veg in) and then topping with grated cheese. It is a hit at play dates and takes care of all most allergies/ intolerances/ exclusion diets as I can tailor it to the child.

I like baking and I make all our cakes, including birthday cakes. Often invite friends for tea and cake rather than a meal, which is easier for everyone when young children are involved as they don't need to sit down for long and no babysitters are required. Much more casual and dirt cheap. All birthday parties are at home, I home cook all the food that I know kids will eat (no limp sandwiches), I make cocktail sausages, pizza, salami, baguette and butter, finger veg and fruit, chocolate, cake and jelly. It all gets eaten up, very little gets thrown away and even parents enjoy tucking in.

I try to make meat last 2 meals. Eg roast chicken day one, chicken in cream day 2. If not quite enough (eg curry) I bulk it up with a starter or a pudding like pancakes. Soup Saturday lunch and jacket potatoes Sunday lunch. We are trying to go veggie more often and cook more with pulses though haven't quite cracked it yet.

The majority of the kids clothes and toys, especially under 5s have been bought second hand. IKEA is great for kids craft and their wrapping paper is the best quality ever. I don't use clothes conditioner. I use the library for books, though to be honest I don't have much time to read, the Saturday paper lasts all week!

Still not enough though... :(

If any of you live 'oop North' and work in NHS, fire service, police or ambulance service the The Company Shop is fab. (Also think employees of food manufacturers also can go) There's one in Rotherham/Sheffield and another in Grimsby I think. They may be nationwide but not sure.

Friend takes me. You can buy end of line food, or near sell by date etc. absolute bargains. Meat always has 50% off price on package. Then some days they have extra 25% off all chilled food. Then if sell by date is that date then pack could've as little as 50p. Each item on offer is limited to 6 per customer.

Some days we go and there's some good offers other days it's amazing!! 6pk of crisps are often 19p but then bogof. Cheese is mega cheap - boxes of crackers last time I went were 4 for £1.

I can fill a large trolley (larger than the biggest I've seen in any supermarket) to overflowing and the cost has never been more than £90 and I have been amazed at what I've bought for that.

You need to become a member and have proof of employment such as wage slip etc - as I say friend takes me so not completely sure of process.

Milk and bread can be frozen, which has two advantage. One is that it can stop you popping to the shop and spending way more that just the two said items. Two, your freezer is running more efficiently, having more in it.

Make stock from chicken carcasses or slow cook, which I find generates enough stock from joints of meat anyway.

My only caveat is that it's much easier to stretch meals when you have young children. I have teenagers. One male. The amount eaten is incredible!!

need I agree with frozen bread - we always freeze ours and only take out what's needed. Usually defrosts in about 5 - 10 mins if left out. It must be frozen on day you buy it though I think - otherwise it can taste a but stale.

I also have 3 teenagers - there's no filling them. They've taken to eating a bowl of porridge when they get home from school. Can't leave any biscuits or crisps out anywhere otherwise they would eat the lot in one go.

You don't need to be able to find an Indian supermarket to be able to get big discounts on Indian ingredients. Check out the 'world foods' aisle in your local supermarket. You'll often find spices, lentils, etc for the same price as the main aisles, but bags 5x the size.

Red lentils stretch mince, bulk out soups, etc.

Not for everyone, but having a milkman saves me money. Per pint it costs more, but I get it three times a week so never throw out off milk and, because I get milk delivered and make my own bread, I don't pop into the supermarket for bread and milk and come out with 7 other items I could have lived without.

Always check per kg prices on fruit and veg. For example, bags of carrots are almost always cheaper than loose. But broccoli is normally more expensive packaged.

Roast chicken Sunday, chicken and cheese wraps for kids packed lunches and a chicken risotto Monday, plus make chicken stock and feed the dog for a couple of days.

If I'm making pastry for a pie, I'll roll out the offcuts and turn into jam tarts or mini cheese and onion tarts for kids lunchboxes.

Buy reasonable quality clothes second-hand on Ebay, and then sell them on when your kids have finished with them. Even better if you can sell them for more than you originally paid!

for those who like a take away pizza but can't afford premium pizza prices (pizza hut, dominoes, pizza express etc) try asdas pizzas that are prepared in store and made to order. they are absolutely delicious and less than £4 for a 14" one. you pick what toppings, sauce and base you want then take home and cook yourself- better than any other pizza out there ! there are different sizes and you can also have double Decker pizzas.

I promise I don't work for Asda but if you fancy some fast food, or treat the kids or a stack of easy food for a large group of people they are really good value

(oh boy, do I want pizza now)

Totally agree with tits about the Asda pizzas. So much better than most take aways.

I always buy in bulk as often as possible
Non brand toiletries from Aldi all the way
Baby clothes my first stop is primark or supermarkets.
Take my own food to work, don't buy lunch
Always take a drink with me when out and about.
Accept any hand me downs from anyone, i'm never to proud.
I only update phones/laptops when I absolutely have too.
Always check on Cashback sites before buying.
A woodburner instead of central heating most of the time as we have access to free wood.

Soda crystals for cleaning and washing , stick a few drops of essential oil in the dryer or washer to add a nice scent, put a solution of it into a spray bottle for cleaning counters etc.

I stopped using fabric softener and didn't notice a difference.
eBay/gumtree anything you don't want, regularly.

If you don't NEED new, go secondhand.

Try to change your food habits. I'm addicted to fizzy flavoured water and got through 1-2 bottles every day at £1.50 for three-and I'm currently trying to learn to love plain sparkling which is much cheaper (18p for two litres or something)!

If you have a dog, re-use your carrier bags instead of buying poo-bags.

Instead of buying new towels/bedding/clothes, cheer up old ones by dying them with fabric dye.

Charity Shops! I use them to scratch my shopping itch and also to buy things that we need. Pretty much all kitchen utensils, plates, crockery can be found if you browse regularly, and if you look carefully you can get great clothes for the whole family. In fact I am a total addict.

Can get monthly magazines for free from our library rather than paying nearly £3.99 each every month.
Was given a coffee flask for Xmas and have not bought a coffee on the way to work since - that's saved me £11 a week
Grow own veg, esp salad leaves on kitchen window sill
Take my own food to work
Walk anywhere that is less than 10 minute drive

Make your own hamper. A few years ago I made a morrocan inspired hamper. Bought a cook book, looked at the key ingredients section, went down to my local Persian supermarket and bought a few things. Put them all in a handmade fabric bag. Prob cost a bout £30 including the book. I've also done the same with a fancy le creuset style cooking pot and some posh spice mixes.

annielostit & starfish 4 - I've just tried Lidl deordrant and agree it's very powdery - it's all over my top as well! Have tried Tescos own for 80p and well worth the extra 5p.

The Xmas hamper is a lovely idea

potbelly - the teen thing is hard isn't it? Like a plague of locusts decending! The porridge idea is great, I might try it in the slow cooker. DS can have 6/8 Weetabix a day, pretty much every day. Believe me, he eats well in addition too!

Haven't used fabric softener in years, DD was allergic when tiny. She's very unlikely to be so now, but I haven't missed it at all.

I buy own brand denture tablets (49p) and pop one down the loo overnight weekly to keep on top of limescale, also pop one in the washing machine when washing white undies, it seems to keep them bright (MSE tip) I also found out that a strong cup of black coffee thrown in with fading black clothes refreshes them, and the clothes do not smell of coffee.
I buy value brands for all biscuits and Clean and Fresh dishwasher tablets for 1.59 for 30 in Savers do the job nicely and have never looked back. sometimes I add a slosh of white vinegar into the dishwasher, it gets everything sparkly and helps with limescale build up.
Astonish products from Savers and the Poundshops are truly excellent I find, including the washing detergent.

Ooh I'll have to give those Savers dishwasher tablets a go, Finish are cleaning me out money wise!

Aldi do a 100 dishwasher tabs for £3.99. Doing the job very well. They don't have rinse in them but haven't had any problems with non clean/shiny dishes.

I think it's worth joining a cash back site like Quidco or Topcashback. I use them when renewing insurances and some other purchases and I save the cash in the account and spend it at Christmas. Often if you convert the cash into vouchers you get 5% more.

eBay for clothes. Charity shops for furniture house things etc. We don't have exact matching plates cups etc as I bought 8 of everything from my local hospice warehouse shop. £5 for the lot and it almost matches.

I've started eating less meat so this cuts down food bills

Air dry as much as possible.

Keep on eye on sell by dates for food and if you have leftovers, use them the next day, either warmed up for lunch or on the side with something you're having the next evening.

For Christmas don't always feel you have to spend exactly the same on everyone, just concentrate on getting them something you feel they'd like within your budget.

Lidl deodorant is mentioned above - I'm using this now and yes the first couple of uses were powdery but that's stopped now, so it's worth continuing with them.