What do you not buy anymore to save money?

[heartbroken22]

What's the alternative?

@TunipTheVegimal24 and @Beesandhoney123 , your circumstances both sound dire and my heart goes out to you both

Obviously I don't know your circumstances but can I offer some ideas?

Olio - its an app - if you live in a city its more help then rural. Supermarkets give their end of date food up and volunteers go collect it and advertise it. Its FREE FOOD , all you have to do is go to the pick up point and collect

Toogoodtoogo - another app, but you pay. Again works best in towns and cities , I use it when in a city for cheap eats

Search out community fridges in your area - again free, no questions asked. no referrals no need to be on your uppers . Ours opens a couple of times a week and it is ad hoc, sometimes its just bananas , other times a sausage factory can dump kilos of sausages there - nowt wrong - just over orders

Get a food bank referral. Don't be ashamed. Get a weeks groceries to take the pressure off, so there is the money for the kids shoes or the extra loaf

Talk to the schools , they also have access to funds for uniforms and shoes

Turn to the church. You don't have to be a church goer. Where I was working the local church opens its doors 3 times a week for coffee and cake, soup and sandwiches and board games and worked with where I worked where we would do coffee and games for £1 in a nice "posh" restaurant , so you could take the kids some where and not break the bank

Your local library/council/gp practice will have details of all charities in your area who can help with clothing and food

Days out with the kids? Don't need to be walks. I live really rural so our freebies may be different, but our local village community centres are always offering something . If you live in a city there's so much free stuff to see and do. Btw Im not rich ( I have to stretch every penny ) we do half price cinema , make use of free exhibitions etc. Local Facebook pages are a good source of information for freebies/low cost days out

There's no shame in being poor. Im lucky cos I always have been so Im used to it so have always managed. But I guess that when for no fault of your own, going from managing ok to OMG its bloody hell on earth

If you can cook and have access to being able to cook, there are thousands of cheap , easy, filling reciepes online. Batchcook lady ( I think ) is very popular at the moment but I personally choose to look at Indian/Middle Eastern meals for cheap as chips filling meals

@suki1964 thank you - its great tp fjnx put new things or have reminders. - our village has a Facebook page for free stuff, and a special one for uniforms.
I've had free plants, veg, glut of apples - paint- and usually made a friend.

My recipes have got weirder too. Banana and honey tea bread made with bananas, very old golden syrup, no eggs or butter was weirdly popular.

There is increase of cash instead of digital transfers too.

Life is not fun- I pretend it's fun, but it's not. I feel like a serf in constant drudgery , playing an exhausting game of survival.

No takeaways, coffees out, try hard not to go shopping (failed this month due to birthdays) very careful with energy. Still can’t break even!

Thanks @suki1964 Very useful info on there. I looked at Olio this morning and it has blown my mind! Have just sent some requests out now, so will hopefully pick up some food later today.

We live in a poorer part of a big city, so we don't do badly for things to do tbf, there's always something. We have a lot of groups we attend, for example at Children's Centres or events at community spaces. Also walks, museums, parks, playdates etc. Our children are still really little (2 and 4), so they basically enjoy whatever you do with them, so long as you all pretend you're dragons whilst you're doing it.

@Beesandhoney123 We've been utilising a lot of golden syrup in things too lol. Lots in the back of the cupboard from when I aimed to use less sugar in things! Anzac biscuits were a hit here (you can do without coconut if you don't have it in).

If you're feeling really down, maybe speak to your GP. The way you're feeling is entirely normal, in the circumstances. If there's nothing you can do to change your circumstances (realistically I know there's nothing we can change in our household), all you can do is change the way you feel about it. I'm on Sertraline, and can say I'm mostly quite cheerful and content with life, despite having literally no money at all, ever. Because my body is drugged to not react to Cortisol. I know it's not ideal, but for me it's better than the alternative. I'm not sure I'd be able to enjoy much otherwise atm. Not for everyone, obviously, but just "thinking out loud".

Whenever we used to go into town we used to buy 4 cheese and onion pasties for us and the kids as lunch from the pound bakery. Each pasty is so expensive we don’t bother anymore and take snacks until we get home.

today instead of stocking up on lollies and ice cream, I’ve used the lolly mould and trialed it out with ice. Toddler enjoyed as she’s teething. Will carry on with ice cream cones and normal ice cream maybe once a week instead of buying the magnum type lollies and cornettos etc might buy them once in a blue moon.

It's funny how my habits have changed. I have just been away for a few days. Usually I would have a nice breakfast/brunch then a larger dinner. Just automatic 'I'm on holiday'.

This week I grabbed a pastry from tesco express and then just had a late lunch/early dinner. Which we then manoeuvred to not be as expensive as it would otherwise - so, a medium glass of wine rather than a bottle shared, no side salad and a shared pizza rather than a pizza or pasta dish each. Just musing really- we would not previously have thought of paying huge attention to the cost when out for a treat few days away and typically would spend circa £70 on a meal out for two- but this time we were under half that which was a very conscious decision.

If you scale all those decisions up to a national level then there is alot of money not going into the economy.

Unironically I had to stop buying drugs and there's simply no alternative, just being miserable

With laundry i buy a good brand of powder as otherwise it's too hard on your clothes. But i keep an eggcup in the box to limit the amount. I use distilled vinegar instead of fabric conditioner but put a couple of drops of good fabric conditioner in with the vinegar for the smell. I wash all clothes inside out.

I sympathise, I've has to downgrade to cheaper fags. Also I keep an eye out for illegally imported fags 🤷🏼‍♂️ I could give up but what for? An extra ten years of penny pinching

Our nearest local supermarket is a Waitrose and we used to shop there as a matter of course. No more - ha. We go very occasionally if we're passing and genuinely need something but otherwise it’s now Aldi and Sainsburys.

I used to buy a coffee on my way to work. Again, almost never any more. The other day I was at my local train station where the waiting-room has a coffee concession. A family of 2 adults and 2 DCs were buying 2 coffees, 2 soft drinks for the kids and sausage rolls all round. I was waiting to hear how much it came to……£25. That’s just a quick pit stop on top of their train tickets and before they’d even embarked on their day out. It’s frightening.

sod overpriced coffees! 😠

I don’t buy extremely cheap handwash as the quality has gone down. It’s become watery and doesn’t do its job. Normally lasts a month but this time lasted a week. Have had to buy something that costs a few more pennies that saves money in the long run.

I’d also say, if you live in a multicultural community, yes turn to the church they can help but also look out for a gudwara, the Sikh community are big in charity and feeding the poor, likewise with the mosques. You don’t have to be a Sikh or Muslim from my understanding either

Bar soap is cheaper than bottled hand-wash and shower gel...and better for the environment.
I don't buy fabric softener,wet wipes,cling film,expensive cleaning sprays,takeaway coffees,bottled water and quite a few other things that we just don't need.

@Hedjwitch Do you mind me asking what you use instead of clingfilm? I seem to use it for so many things (wrapping round hair when I'm colouring it, putting on top of individual pudds in glasses, covering yogurt/cream pots that no longer have plastic lids!) TIA

I bought some reusable round flexi things that go over pots in different sizes. Not perfect as they’re still some form of plastic but I’ve had them 5 years now.

I recycle lids eg Pringle lids, just the right size to cover drinks,
small puddings, and left over food.
Also I have a set of small plastic pots with lids that left overs can be transferred to. Rarely use cling wrap as I usually mangle it into to an unuseable mess, trying to get it off the roll!

I’d love to use bar soap right now but with young kids it always gets mushed up. Will have to wait a bit 😂

Clothes, newspapers, magazines, fast food & takeaways, mobile phone contracts, sky sports, home decorating/design crap, gadgets, eyebrows/nails, gym membership, etc. Cut right back to necessities and essentials and a lot happier/healthier for it.

Used to wrap my hair in a carrier bag when I dyed it,but have stopped dying it now so don't need to worry about that.
I cover bowls with plates or saucers,reuse bread bags to put open packets in,or use reusable containers. Haven't used cling film in years.

Fantastic tip, thanks very much. It seems my local library also gives free remote access to premium subscription online language learning. Brilliant!

The problem with bars of soap, is mucky hands on it, from using the toilet, especially when children using it, and not rinsing it off, whereas liquid soap is more hygienic, and also inexpensive from Aldi, Lidl etc.

Excuse me ??? It’s bloody soap.

Soap - washes away germs and helps kill bacteria. It doesn’t matter that someone has picked it up with grubby hands , add hot water to the mix and you have the best product for protecting you from communicable disease

Me too, a have a box of make up, perfume, hand cream, body lotion. I'm doggedly working through it and it will take me years.

I also have a box of shampoos, shower gels etc in the shed. I don't remember buying them but I'm not allowing myself to buy anything new until the box is empty.