Cost cut

[ThisRedBee]

I’m feeling very pessimistic about the UK future economics and job security, so I’m trying to cut all unnecessary costs this year. Energy bills, water and council tax aren’t negotiable and are set to rise again, so the only areas we can reduce are holidays, household essentials, clothing, and food. Right now, I’m aiming to keep our weekly food budget between £60 and £80 for two adults and two children. I am not sure where I can make further cuts. Any suggestions?

Whenever I need to buy clothes for myself or for the kids I always check on Vinted first rather than immediately buying from the shops.
We only have 1 car. Which saves loads on insurance, maintenance and fuel.
We carefully choose expensive days out with the kids, and don't do many of them during the year. Thankfully they are still at the age where different parks, beaches and forests are fun for
them.
Reduced out TV subscriptions and use free versions of Spotify/YouTube etc.
I batch cook soup each week so I always have a stock of different varieties in the freezer which does DH and I for lunches on week days.
Buy fruit and veg that are in season.

I'm not sure £80 is doable to be honest.

I'd be looking to decrease the holiday and clothes budget which you may well have to anyway.

Olio is worth a look. I haven't bought bread for a year. And charity shops for clothes. There's always new or nearly new stuff once you get your eye in.
Ensure you don't just auto renew insurance. And get the cheap sim cards for phones. There's loads of help on money saving expert.
Sorry you're having a tough time of it, it's not getting easier.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I think the idea of batch cooking is brilliant! We also didn't subscribe to TV but do need Internet service and mobile phones which are around £50 per month.

I shifted the main supermarket to aldi - it can help us just fit into the budget. We don't drink wines or beers so that is probably another saving we can make.

Also look at your broadband, mobile and streaming costs, you can make significant savings on these.

Plus you can reduce the cost of utilities if your current deals are uncompetitive or you don't use them as efficiently as you could b.

Have a look at Moneysavingexpert.com and do everything that is relevant. A few small savings can make a significant difference. Also question whether you need each spend at all. Some households pay for multiple subscriptions when most could be happy with one or two that are switched between every few months.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/money-help/