With bills going up again — where are you all cutting costs?

[CrispsandChips]

I feel like I’m really struggling at the moment and I don’t quite know where to turn. I’d genuinely love to hear how people are managing to save money right now because everything just keeps going up and it’s starting to feel unmanageable.
My household bills alone are going up by around 22% this April… and I just keep thinking, if only my wages were increasing like that too. It feels so unfair and honestly a bit scary.
What are people actually doing day to day to cope?
Where are you shopping at the moment? What does a typical weekly shop look like for you? Are you going to multiple shops to try and make it work. If so, where are you going?
I’m trying everything I can think of just to claw back a little bit, I’ve swapped out all the lightbulbs, I’m cooking / washing clothes outside of peak hours, but it still doesn’t feel like enough. My water bill alone is going up by 18%… and I’m sat here half-joking thinking, what next, do we just stop showering?
If anyone has any tips at all, even small ones, I’d really appreciate you sharing them. I feel quite desperate just trying to keep on top of everything right now.

I’ve started cutting condiment bottles in half and scooping out the bits that get stuck around the rim.

Not sure what other choice she has at this stage. Still, if there was ever a good time to move to renewables it’s now.

It needs to be pragmatic and both.

I’ve just checked with DP and he reckons it’s £2-£2.50. He says there is a difference in energy efficiency between EVs (he works in sustainability engineering so he’s full nerd about this sort of thing), so there’s some nice research for you 😊

I recommend the PetrolPrices app for drivers without electric vehicles. Today diesel at my nearest Sainsbury’s was 160.9 vs the BP a mile away at 179.9, a significant difference.

My dream is to have solar panels that charge my electric car, heat my water and power my house. But it’s the high initial outlay that shatters the dream.

Looking at bills we’ve reduced our electricity consumption month on month 2024/5 by using the air fryer and pressure cooker, being more mindful about the immersion heater for showers (45 mins heating and 15 minute showers rather than leaving it on all weekend) and doing three full loads of washing a week. The rest can wait for next week.

Take advantage of all supermarket offers and know the base cost of everything you buy. Things like the same toilet paper can be 2€ less when on offer, so we stock up. And “ Get a Second Easter egg half price” means you’re being taken for a ride if you only want one. Don’t drink alcohol, vape/smoke or eat out of season food. Scale back on Christmas and seasonal money spinners like Halloween.

WFH means my good clothes and shoes last longer, I don’t buy tights and I can live in trousers and Birkenstock. I have enough good clothes to last me until the end.
I appreciate that at 58, I’ve had enough time to buy everything for our home so we don’t need to invest in furniture or expensive maintenance. The HOA means the building is well maintained and we’re warm. This apartment and location were chosen with retirement in mind.

Having only one car to tax, insure and run (DH retired) and using public transport in the city has saved a LOT.

Be generous with your time rather than your money. Call the grandparents and send them a photo, play with your kids and involve them in activities outside the home. Find a creative hobby and gift your creations. Use YouTube for DIY advice.

I’m at the point where I should probably start skipping meals. No unnecessary subscriptions, no tv licence or expensive mobile plan. No nails, don’t drink, don’t shop in m&s.

I just had toast tonight

Grow veg if you can. A courgette plant or 2 in a pot will produce until you are sick of them. Broad beans are also good in pots. Golf ball carrots, salad leaves and spinach grow quickly - sow some every week for a continuous supply. Strawberries in hanging baskets. Look for the bulk (often seasonal) deals. Gather and freeze or bottle blackberries. Swap bulk deals and gluts. We are still eating carrots, parsnips and spuds bought just after Christmas heavily reduced.

Cooperate with people. Share resources, BOGOFs. Give lifts to train stations to save taxi fares and ask for lifts when you need to. This makes it easier to manage with fewer cars between you - we shared a car with another family for a few years which saved us a heap of cash. 1/4 of a car per adult instead of 1 car each.

Layers of natural fibres to keep warm. Rewear clothing to save laundry costs and prolong fabric life. Line dry as much as possible. A massive box of laundry powder is a LOT cheaper than liquids, tablets and pods. Use half of the dose in the machine. Soak stains beforehand and reduce the washing temperature.

Just coming into autumn here, and absolutely heaps of fruit ripening. I have been freezing/dehydrating/"bottling" ("canning") everything in sight. Yesterday I made 18 jars of feijoa and guava jelly,(separate!) and 14 jars of feijoa and manuka chutney, made with cardamon, smoked paprika, lemon peel-soooo yummy. The freezer is full of tomatoes, stewed figs and apples, soups made with home-grown sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cauliflower. Mandarines, oranges and limes coming on soon - they will be juiced and frozen, peel dehydrated, Bananas will be another couple of months, and they will be eaten raw, obviously, but the surplus will be dehydrated for snacking. I grow lots of herbs, most of which can be dehydrated. I reckon we have enough food in now from our own resources to dress up the basics - lentils, rice, pasta, to last us through till the end of the year. DH is a whiz-bang cook and can create a superb stew out of almost nothing. I've been chainsawing firewood from our own fallen trees for the woodburner-we can cook on it, we have solar hot water, and one cylinder of gas lasts 5 months to supplement the other energy sources. All this food prep has saved endless money, keeping us at home rather than going out. I also spend a lot of time writing, which will save lots of $$ over the winter, as we hunker down by the fire. Being retired, is, of course, the secret.Sorry, guys.

When I was a kid back in Ye Olden Days we had to put a bit of cheap vinegar into the nearly finished bottles of tomato sauce or salad cream, and shake them up to get the leftover sauce out. It was bearable.

Exactly, ginger. Well said

My life what a bloody miserable opinion!

Random trips to the shops!

Everything bought during the monthly shop. And then no 'top up shops' for anything other than essentials

Yes I agree. There was a thread recently where so many people wear clean socks every day. Seems wasteful to me..

They last a while in the fridge, but I just use them up otherwise you're literally throwing money in the bin!

Crudites or grated into salads. Stirfrys. Potatoes are obviously amazingly versatile. We meal plan for the week based around what we have already (2 of us).

No just raw

You must have an enormous pantry. I wouldn’t have room to store all that!

I thought blanching was essential to stop deterioration
https://www.eatright.org/food/home-food-safety/safe-cooking-and-prep/blanch-before-you-freeze

Leftover carrots - grate them while they’re still ok and freeze them. We add them to stir frys, soup, pasta sauces (fry with the tomato purée), stews.

If you've got a couple of supermarkets close together, get to know which is usually cheaper than the other for certain products. I did this years ago when we were really struggling and have more or less kept on top of it. Our choice of meat, fish, eggs, cheese coffee tea, bread, crisps are definitely cheaper for us in Lidl, there are definitely cheaper cleaning products, toiletries and cereals there as well if you know your prices, and like other supermarkets they'll have their weekly fruit/veg offers. Cans, some sauces, toilet rolls and extra choice in Tescos, as well as convenience - one minute nearer home - which is another factor. There's only two of us and supermarkets are a ten minute walk, so we pick up what we can carry when walking through the village, meeting friends - right now making a concerted effort to do all shopping on foot as it'll save a little on petrol.

Lidl will be selling their 8p bags of veg over Easter, so guess others will be doing that for anyone who wants to stock up on freezing veggies, making soups which can be frozen. Lidl's veg at Xmas were far better than Tescos, where the carrots and parsnips were quite thin.

If you've got ok walks nearby, do those rather than spend money on taking the car out. We did one the other day and took a sandwich with us. Today, we've walked up the hill - we did buy coffee and cake for £12, in the village it's £14-16 for two.

Our heating is usually set on 18c, so luckily not coming on for long in the morning and not in the evening at all. Our DD was reduced to £100 last year an we're still in credit, so milder winters are helping to some extent.

@Allseeingallknowing I rarely bother blanching. Firstly I think modern freezers are better. Mine has a quick freeze setting I use if I’m putting unfrozen stuff in there. Then they are better at maintaining a consistent frozen temperature.

Secondly the two benefits of blanching first are cosmetic (food retain their bright colours better) and hygiene (any bugs on the surface are killed before freezing). I’m not overly fussed about the cosmetics. Hygiene-wise most stuff I freeze is prepped (washed/peeled/chopped/cooked into a dish/whatever) so blanching is an unnecessary additional step.

Says someone who clearly has never had athletes foot or a fungal nail infection 🤣🤣

Everyone in my family gets these lovely two things, can’t imagine not changing our socks daily

I don’t blanch either. To be fair I just freeze big bags of my soffrito (just celery, leeks and carrots chopped up and frozen together) but they go into soups and stews and I’ve never noticed any difference in the quality.

I also presume these dirty sock people aren’t walking about. Maybe if you barely stagger between car, toilet and sofa all day, then it’s fine. If you have things to do and can’t/choose not to drive about, your socks will warrant washing!

6th economy. Bloody disgraceful.