FLY money saving tips

[Jas]

I'm going to cheat and start by cutting and pasting some of th top tips from an old debt free thread.....

• Decent food budgetting/planning -
• uswitch
• s/o for savings AND a s/o for treats
• Work out the birthdays that will be coming across the year and make sure I put aside enough each month to cover the hell months.

BUDGET
Work out a spreadsheet for your monthly/weekly spending. Spend a couple of months tracking every penny you spend ? you will be able to see where your money trickles away to!!!

SHOPPING
*Shop online if you make a comprehensive list (it will cost more if you miss lots off)
*Menu plan ? easier to make a stickable to shopping list

• Use Quidco to get money back on shopping
• If you can be trusted to pay it all off before the end of the month, do your shopping on a Tesco credit card to get the points to use elsewhere
• Eat before you shop
• Buy extras like milk and bread at the corner shop ? what slight extra you pay for the milk, you save on not seeing tempting offers!! (4 pts of milk is actually CHEAPER at my corner shop than Tesco Express)
• Sign up for anything that will send you free vouchers
• Pay at the self service machines in Tesco as they accept all vouchers regardless of purchases
• Avoid gift/cleaning aisle in shops ? you buy things you don?t need FOOD ? Menu plan! It can be a 2 or 3 week mix n match type thing, but have some plan to help you shop ? Work out which foods can be economised on, and which are just not worth it ? value mushrooms are just an odd shape, value mince is more fatty, but if you strain it it is fine, but frozen mince tastes like disintegrated cardboard ? Cook bulk meals and freeze ? 2 packs of mince can often make 3 meals, where as 1 pack makes 1 n a bit ? Bulk meals out with lots of veg ? again, a Bolognese sauce goes a lot further if its filled with peppers, grated carrots etc ? Take drinks out with you so you are not forced to buy ? Get Fruit and Veg at markets

GIFTS
? Keep a list of birthdays with you so you can buy presents as you spot bargains
? Save for Christmas NOW ? Use a club or a separate savings account with a standing order - don?t wait and see what you can afford at the end of the month ? you won?t be able to

GENERAL
? Save up spare £1 coins and coppers etc ? You can get it changed at most Sainsbury?s in a machine ? it does take some of your money in a charge, but I never get it changed if I have to take it to a bank, so it makes more sense.
? Claim back you bank charges if you have them
? Cut up credit cards ? If it is not a matter of starvation or eviction, it is NOT an emergency
ITS NOT A BARGAIN IF YOU DIDN?T NEED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!

Buy own brand bin bags, cling film, kitchen roll, loo roll, dishwasher tablets etc

Multipacks of birthday cards, or get the children to make them.

Tips from GrouchyOscar...

Free fun trips with the kids. EG I take Ed to see the donkey up the road, cost, 2 carrots and an apple.

Minibeast hunting in the garden, Worms, ants, spiders, woodlice etc.

Bird spotting
Rambling walks (If it's nice and you're up for it).

Hand me down clothes are brill and charity shops are a lifesaver. Ed would have no clothes at all if we didn't have them. Plus it's good for toys for putting away towards birthdays. I've notice U5s are more impressed by volume rather than cost.

I don't wear make up, I don't use beauty stuff. Aqueous cream is my cleanser, witch hazel my toner and aqueous cream is my moisturiser (all over)

Peg out or use a clothes horse rather than the TD. Only use the TD to 'finish off' the drying. Wash at 30 degrees not 40+

Dylsmum....

sell what you no longer use on ebay
list things on e-bays 5p listing days (unlike me who reads her emails the day after the said listing day blush)

so i guess you could add to that read your emails everyday!

And Bewilderbeast....

hand me down clothes, cot, toys, highchairs etc - they are barely used anyway unless the hander has a lot of kids
buy everything for kids for the next year in the sales.
buy a whole chicken and joint it yourself
make a shopping list and meal plan (and stick to it blush)
change electric/gas provider
use a blanket before you switch the heating on
intravenouscoffee how do you make your own babywipes??

Things To Do

If you can afford child membership to local leisure centre then you can get swimming, softplay, various clibs like tumble club included. This means over the course of a year you save money and also you always have something to do on a rainy day.

Use Tesco Clubcard vouchers for days out and for meals out. Costs 1/4 of the normal price and you get a treat.

Use your local library. They often have baby song times or story times for older children. They have DVDS, CDs and computer games as well as books now.

FOOD
When you meal plan make soup later on in the week as you can use up all of the veggies left over which might otherwise get thrown away.

Own baby wipes (from another MN poster, can't remember who )

Cut up an old towel/terry nappy/ some facecloths.
Put in a tupperware tub.
Make some camomile tea and add a dash of olive oil. Some people also add some baby wash stuff.
Pour over the towel and let it soak through.

Easy! And got rid off DD's nappy rash in less than 48 hours.

grow your own veg, even if its a few tomatoes in pots on the windowsill you will save buckets (and they taste better).

go to asda/tesco's wherever late on sunday afternoon. lots of reduced/whoopsies that are fine thrown in the freezer to make meals on other days.

Tesco Value stuff is a good move

EG
Pitted black olives
Pesto (Red and Green)
Basalmic vinegar
Mayo and reduced calorie Mayo
Crunchy peanut butter
Chocolate spread
Brown sauce, Tom ketch and sweet pickle (Made by Cross and Blakwell anyway)
Biscuits and cookies (Made by Fox's as are all own brand biscuits, even M&S)
Musesli and porridge oats (too cheap for words
Spaghetti and Lasagne
Basmati Rice
Mixed herbs
Dishwasher tabs

From experience I would avoid Value wheatabix as they have the taste and texture of chipboard

If you can use stuff as the basis for recepie it make things cheaper too.

Chicken:-

Agree with buy whole and joint your own.

Freeze if you can.
Buy in bulk when there are special offers or in the reduced to clear section (don't be proud, they only put them in a skip if they don't sell)
Save the bones and trimmings and make chicken stock. (even from a roast chuck, if it's good enough for Nigella then...) Use as the basis for soup and stews

So far the Grouchy house can get 4 meals fron 1 medium roastie

Keep an eye on the Deli counter. Things like salami are often reduced. Get it sliced and freeze it. It's great for Pizza toppings Cheeses are good for this too. (Dolcelatte, Mozzerella etc and they freeze well) Every home should have a pizza stash

Learn to make a very basic bread dough. Good for pizza bases or with soups and stews. Plus you can adapt it as you get confident with it (herbs, spices, hard cheese etc)

If you pay for School meals think about switching to sandwiches. For the £8.25 per week for DS I can make good lunchboxes for 3 instead. Plus I know what's in them.

Also

Ask a Butcher for any bones. You can make wonderful stocks. Freeze them in an ice cube tray then pop them in a freezer bag for use later.

See if your school does 2nd hand uniform for stuff with the school badge on. Maybe set up one yourself.

Beans and lentils will pad out the meat in stews etc.

Batch cook and freeze (eg, onion and mince can become cottage pie, spag bol, chilli, stew and dumplings)

Fish trimmings make great stock.

Cheap fish off the reduce to clear section can be frozen for fish pie later

Grow your own herbs.

Check to see if there is a 2nd hand furniture place near you. I got a solid oak kitchen table for £40 this year.

Don't be a slave to the latest trends. Things last so much longer than you are lead to believe.

Think 'lick of paint', 'can it be fixed?' 'can it be covered with a nice piece of fabric?' before you throw something away.

And This one might be useful. Add it to your Threads I'm Watching list for the future.

Oh and here is very useful

Nasty little Tight Arsed Grouchy will leave this thread in peace now

go you say you freeze salami - can you also freeze sandwich meats?

I do, particularly if they are to be cooked after thawing. We haven't died yet

i never knew that i always throw them out! will freeze some i have in fridge now that i dont think will be used on time!thankyou

I tend to strip them up in stir fries, but you can add them to pasta sauces or bakes

Food police might kill me but the food hasn't (as yet)

have just thrown some in the freezer- if i die after eating i'm coming to haunt you
glad you said about it i've often wondered

only put your hot water on when you need it, rather than having it sat on all day just in case.

wash up as little as poss, do all the days dishes at the same time where possible

keep your freezer full as possible- it costs less to run it full than empty

if you get the trains lots get a family railcard, i got my moneys worth in 2 trips. its now cheaper for me to go to london for the day with the children than by myself. good if you can split the cost with a friend/family to as you have 2 named adults on it, so as long as you dont both want it for seperate trips on same day yor ok

anymore???

Cut open "empty" tubes/bottles e.g shampoo, toothpaste, moisturiser, make-up etc - you will be amazed how much is left that won't squeeze out, but can be scraped out. I use bulldog clips to close the tube (to stop it drying out) while I am using up the scrapings

oh thats a good one ty, will try that tomorrow with my almost gone tube of makeup- dont wear it often but having a girls day out so think i'll make some effort!! lol

Done no housework today but have mooched on MN for a bit

See you all tomorrow.

Bugger, meant for other thread