Can I have your best frugal living tips please?

[MushroomTree]

I'm nearly back on my feet after leaving an abusive relationship and I'm looking to move into my own flat with DD (13 months).

I can afford it but money is going to be tight so could I please have your best frugal living tips? TIA

Also search fb for a local freecycle page. We have an amazing one in our area people give away so much - furniture, clothes, toys

Giff Gaff are everyone's first choice for cheap mobile phone but there are even cheaper out there. We're with TPO and dh pays just £3.99 a month. Check money saving expert for up to date information in the best deals.

Agree about making cards. We have always done this. I buy plain cards and loads of stickers etc. We are always prepared for birthdays etc. My dds think buying a card from a shop is a bit strange now!!

I make all our own scrubs, lotions and soaps here but if that's a bit far for you defo try things like soap bars instead of liquid hand wash. Scrub can be so easy made with olive oil and sugar with a drop of essential oil.

I also add essential oil to the washing so you get a nicer smell without fabric conditioner (which can be replaced with vinegar as I don't really smell the detergent on its own.

Drink only water and tea or coffee with no milk. Its good for you and cheap. Fill a drinks bottle up everytime you leave the house for you and DD and take snacks.

Batch cook and freeze. Like a healthy cheap ready meal.

I find shopping at the greengrocer, butcher, fishmonger etc better value for us. Although it seems more expensive I get more for my money and better quality than supermarkets. Plus I'm not tempted by all the treats down the aisles!

Walk wherever possible

You can bulk out (and it's tasty) with lentils and grated courgette & carrot.

We use any leftovers like this cheaptastyandeasy.wordpress.com/leftover-bread/
or
cheaptastyandeasy.wordpress.com/bubble-and-squeak-in-the-hole/

Make soups and bread, my kids love them.

Put a cheap fleece blanket under the bottom sheet - wonderfully cosy in the winter.
Definitely use a slow cooker as much as you can, or a pressure cooker if you're in a hurry.
Bars of soap not shower gel/liquid soap.
Washing powder (halve the recommended amount) and a quarter of the amount of fabric conditioner works just as well.

Decant the washing powder into a pasta sauce jar or whatever. Put the big box out of sight. I find I'm happily doubling about a teaspoon into the drawer and the big box lasts weeks and weeks.

Diluted Zoflora in a spray bottle last weeks.

Yy to bar soap children are less wasteful with it. Tesco lemon soap is really nice.

Shop religiously at Aldi and Lidl. Aldi is cheaper. I was lazy and went to Morrisons - £57 for not even a weeks shop it terrified me.

Figures out cheap treats. Ours is pancakes kids adore it and that's our Saturday treat.

When we lived rurally I used to put the summer duvet under the bottom sheet. It was so cosy.

Some good ideas on here OP. I wish you well going forward.

@Biologifemini I never knew about kids shampoo being sulphate free!! I have a kerastraight treatment and whilst the shampoo and conditioner come with it for aftercare, I’ll definitely be buying kids shampoo when this runs out. Thanks!

Extra large halal chicken from Morrison for £5.
Roast it - then cut off every scrap of meat however small & into a big Tupperware to see see for 3 meals:

Bones & skin - boil into stock.

Meal 1: roast chicken, mash, frozen veg

2: chicken risotto: onion, garlic, arborio rice, your homemade chicken stock, frozen peas, squirt of lemon & parmesan if you have those in the fridge

3: chicken stew: onion, garlic, grated carrot, any leftover veg, stock cube, frozen peas, tin of chickpeas/canned beans/lentils,/value baked beans, tin of chopped tomatoes, bit of bacon if you have it. Serve with a 49p value garlic baguette

Best wishes for a good future op

I am vegetarian and it saves a lot of money not buying meat. Packing own lunch, walk instead of taking bus, high street make up instead of high end (if you read reviews there is a lot of good cheap stuff out there), use trial free or discounted periods and then cancel. Returning stuff when it’s not good (rotten fruit/veg before the best before date, milk), Giffgaff rather than contract for mobile, free events, aldi, lidl for shopping

Haven't RTFT but if you are on any benefits don't forget to apply for social tariffs. Warm home discount gets you £130 or £150 off your fuel bill over the winter. If you get in debt with the water company DWP pays 50% and you pay the other 50%. BT basic has a phone line which is £15 per quarter. There might be a furniture scheme near you and your council should have a local assistance scheme for white goods. You can search for grants for household goods and sometimes children's clothing on Turn2us.

When my DC were little i was too much of a tightwad to buy wipes. I took a wet face cloth out in a zip lock sandwich bag and a dry one as well. Also hot water bottles and sharing the bath. Slippers, dressing gowns, fleeces on the sofa - basically pretend it's the 70s!

Don't make a phone call if you can write a letter, if you haven't a printer just handwrite. I rip off and reuse any unfranked stamps and reuse envelopes if possible. Pritt stick and sellotape is your friend with this one.

Fantastic thread, so inspirational - love it.

MushroomTree well done for getting out of your abusive relationship. living frugally is a doodle in comparison to that.

Most beauty products are a waste of money. There was a TV show not so long ago and they tested 'moisturiser' - which of course is nothing other than a cream that reduces moisture leaving the skin and the one that tested best was a cheapo Nivea job. I'm in my late 40s and for years I've used a cheap baby moisturising cream on my entire body, including my face. I'm not wrinkly at all and am often asked what creams I use or if I've had something 'done'. It is literally luck of the genes. So don't waste any money on snakeoil!

Tesco/Asda/Sainsbury's etc own brand loo roll is a little bit more expensive than the absolute bargain stuff BUT, you get more sheets per roll, so the rolls last much longer. IMO the really, really cheapo loo roll is a false economy.

Try and have a little bit of money saved away somewhere for disasters. They happen to the best of us - an appliance breaks, your car breaks down etc and there is nothing worse than the cold hand of fear when you know you don't have a penny put by to get it sorted. Try and squirrel away a rainy day fund.

Do milk tokens still exist? If so bread and butter pudding and rice pudding is a filler upper. And buy a couple of tins of things you will actually both eat until you have a week of emergency food. And rainy day money i would second, the key to managing is avoiding debt. I remember the relief of looking around my home and knowing everything was owned outright even if it was third hand.

With hand writing letters remember to take a photo with your phone and obtain a free proof of posting from the post office.

Stop sending birthday and Xmas cards.

I did this when I was really hard-up. There was lots of fallout from it but, fuck it, I couldn't afford even the cheapest cards for random relatives that I saw once every three years. When you factor in stamps as well... Nope!

I found Tesco is a lot cheaper. I buy mainly value food or their own make. There are a couple of branded things I get but only when on offer. I went into a different supermarket the other day when I had to hang about for a friend who was late, I looked at their prices and their own make was generally 8-14p more an item than Tesco. I also save up my clubcard vouchers to use on a family day out.

Since I started reading this thread I tried putting half the amount of detergent in the washing machine and diluted my fabric softner with water, with pleasing results. I also started using cheap J cloths which is also proving to be a money saver as I am in similar situation to yourself.

When I put the heat on which I havent yet although tempted for an hour last weekend to dry washing I will turn it down a bit in bedrooms.

If you have a smartphone there are various apps that may help you:

Shopmium and Checkoutsmart ... both are cashback apps that have different products, sometimes you get them for free, sometimes half-price etc. I only buy the products I would ordinarily buy if it's half-price, but i will buy something that you get for free, sometimes I will use it there and then (yoghurt etc), other times I put it away in a box for extra treats at Christmas.

Receipthog - you scan your receipts, eventually it adds up. Not a huge earner but money for nothing.

VYPR - another one where you earn points for answering questions, again adds up slowly but all helps.

Also just started wearing my dressing gown now mornings and evenings are nippy instead of temptation of putting heat on. Have encouraged kids to wear a hoodie or jumper if cold in day and dressing gown if in pj's.

We've broken out the dressing gowns and slippers too, the weather's turned quickly hasn't it. Dressing gowns, slippers, fleeces on the sofa. The radiator is always off in my room because I only sleep in there and I put a hot water bottle in my bed before i go up. We all have 15 tog duvets for winter and no heating on at night. Wonder if I go too far though sometimes!

We never have heating on at night either. Hot water bottles are great aren't they. Sometimes i use one when sitting on sofa.

I actually don't like a hot bedroom and would far rather be too cold than too hot. My parents' house is unbearable like the Amazon jungle.

I do worry about the kids' rooms being too cold though as they spend more time in their bedrooms. I saw one of mine doing homework in fingerless gloves once and turned their radiators right up!

I stayed at someone's house who really did take it too far! Their face cloths were frozen to the sink and they would boil a kettle in the morning for water to wash in the sink. I'm not that bad, but if I lived alone.........

I think the washing at 30/using less powder is easier if you live in a soft water area. Good luck OP.

The Resourceful Cook website - it will tell you exactly what you need to buy for the whole week to the individual carrot so you aren't wasting money.