Please tell me crazy things you've done to cut back cost of living

[Moneyschploney]

I'll go first and share some of the lengths I've gone to.

Cut own hair.
Gone days without eating a main meal.
Stay home every weekend and make zero plans for weeks on end.
No birthday or Christmas presents for anyone, except DC.

I'm in £7k debt and need to pay this off by halfway through this year. Single income/parent household.

Bloody hell Nannyfannybanny

My late DF was registered disabled young, but there was no disability benefit in the 1950s, no work,no pay..we lived simply, rural,later,he went fishing, neighbour shooting,so fresh fish, rabbit, pigeon. Had our own chicken for eggs and poultry and grew a lot of our own fruit and veg...I still do. I didn't realise as a child how hard things were, I was fed, but apparently my DM frequently went with eating. Only rich people had phones or cars. No TVs, even in the 1980s when I was married we rented a TV and a washing machine..2 full time salaries and a mortgage rate of 16%. I'm not complaining,we all got through it,it was what it was.. when my DM told me what they went through during the war,(she lived in London during the bombing) I lived in London in the 1970s when the IRA were bombing.

@Nannyfannybanny This and your other post really puts things into perspective! I can't say that my financial struggles are nearly as bad, but it's all relative.

I grew up in a poor working household. We went hungry a lot (towards the end of the month mostly) and didn't have the latest of anything ever, but we were loved and cherished and raised to value the simple things in life. Nature, family, reading, the arts, music, our pets and garden.

I have to pay out £1k in home repairs that were avoidable - long story! I'm not sure how long I keep that at bay.

Besides trying to keep utility costs down, food is a major expense. I'm adjusting grocery shopping so that food waste is as close to zero as possible. It hasn't got as bad as needing to use a food bank yet - I would feel so humiliated if it did get to that. There's just no way we could survive on less than we already do.

What is your £/ head ( adult and children ) on food

I turned down the temperature on my boiler so the water doesn't come out as hot and noticed a bit of a difference in the gas bill.

On my gas fitter's advice, I turned my combi boiler down to the right temperature for my shower, about 40 C, and it has made a big dent in my gas bill. I also don't get scalded running the tap. Unlike turning the central heating down ❄😨 this is a no-pain way to save money.

If you have a jacket tank, don't do this. It's best to keep your jacket tank at 50 C or higher to prevent legionella from growing.

Few other things I do

I canceled the TV licence, never watch live TV and Im finding so much to watch on Freeview, ( STV is worth a delve ) I gave up watching the news just after covid

This past week Ive made use of the valentines meal deals. Lidls while wasnt so generous - no alcohol or starter - gave us the best value - fantastic steaks - restaurant quality - sold at £14 and for £15 I got the soft drink mum loves , and enough sides to do us a few days ( I mix and match with what I have on the menu ) and dessert that so far has lasted DH 3 days

Never shop in just one place. If you have Spar, Vito or Centra - look out at their weekly deals . Where I live, they come under one umbrella and bigger buying power then saisnbury I still have a case of Branston Baked beans I bought last year when it was 4 cans for £1.50, they will last till the offer comes around again, and this year the cupboard under the stairs is bulging with toilet paper, fire lighters and kitchen towel - at least a years supply of each for half the price Id be paying in the big 4

The other big saving I find, ( I do have to be in a big town for this ) is Tescos in their world food aisle , will have 10 or 15kg sacks of basmati rice, Brand you dont recognise but usually high quality rice, for half the price of their own brand cheap stuff

Keep control of the freezer space. Yes fill it with bread if sitting there half empty ( full freezer cost less to run ) but dont be afraid to dump cheaper items ( bread ) to make room for meat, fish and veg . December is great for meat reduced prices, lamb, beef and pork - all half price pr less and then all the reduced to very little turkeys after christmas..Sharp knife and a bit of time, I can usually get through 4/6 months without buying anything more then mince

@Nannyfannybanny , Im so sorry you had to live at that level. At my worse I had £18 a week to live on - and had to pay rent/rates etc. I lived on potato soup flavoured with a teaspoon of marmite or an oxo cube. Shoved toilet paper ( stolen from work ) in my knickers tp save my pads at that time of month and spent a lot of time in bed when finished work - to save the electric

Using car only when absolutely necessary. I wait until errands sort of accumulate and I can do few things in one place as shopping centre. No trips to boots for just one item etc. It needs to be something as: going to shopping centre so I can go to boots, sainsbury’s, return something etc. to make my money’s worth. I only budget 80quid for petrol and I drive suv so it’s kind of bold 😂

I asked my husband to buy me flash mop and honestly would not do it again. Repurchasing these bloody bottles. I’d rather use something as you have from b&m. My son has toy mop like this and I sometimes use it😂

I have a TV which I use for freeview, my (free) Disney+ viewing etc and never watch live telly or iplayer. (I do listen to radio 4 in the mornings though on alexa) . It has been this way for YEARS.

Whilst I know that I am within my rights to cancel my licence and save £15 a month, I'm too scared! You get people coming round your house and threats through the post.... 😭

how would i prove that I don't watch live TV on a TV that is none the less capable of showing live tv? :-(

I hope things get better for you soon OP

I think my son did this recently (he is a uni student), apparently very few uni students watch any terrestrial-type channels or bbc iPlayer any more. You have to notify the TV licensing organisation, you can get the details online. I imagine more and more people are doing that nowadays as viewing habits change…

Run hot water over the top of the bottle. Then you can pull off, top tip. I do all the time.

I've cancelled my licence in the last 6mths. I dont watch any live TV, or iplayer. It would be rare for you to get a visit, and legally you do not have to let them in. The only way you can be fined is if they actually catch you watching live TV or iplayer.. TV detection vans that used to be around never had any 'detection' equipment in them.
The majority of info the TV licencing people receive is when someone buys a new TV, then signs up for iplayer - that log in is registered somewhere, and is compared to see if you pay for your TV license... I've not had a letter, and got a refund, and certainly dont regret cancelling

An update ~ Debt is down from 7k to exactly 6.5k. BNPL/store card debt is zero. 0% CC balance is £1165, loan is at £5335.

I've moved money for the weekly grocery shop and any discretionary spending into a different bank account altogether. So far, this seems to be working. I am also saving £50pm towards Xmas costs.

That’s fantastic to hear! Can you share what have been the most successful things that you have done to achieve this?

I've taken my cards off Google wallet, so I have to use the physical, plastic card. I've put a freeze on my credit card. I'm actually checking my main bank account less (where my salary and other income is deposited).

I've managed to bring down direct debits for water and broadband, and cancelled my TV licence (I received a refund too).

Keeping grocery and discretionary spending money separate from non negotiable expenses hasn't made me feel restricted/under a strict budget, in fact it's been quite fun to realise I have a bit of money to play around with. I can spend it, or reassign it to savings or other sinking funds.

I've also realised that I don't need any new clothes and that it's perfectly okay to repeat outfits. I'm going to be saying no to more social events, by being more selective about when, where and with whom I attend. Saves time and unnecessary stress.