Those of you who live on a (tight) budget..

[JustifedAndAncient]

I KNOW there are some on here.. not just me :)

So what do you do when you literally have days and days to go before you have any money again.. there is hardly any food in and you have just filled the car with petrol (necessity) knowing that doing so is going to incur lots of horrid bank charges..

There is literally no money with which to 'rob Peter to pay Paul' this week.. sent DS to school with a really crap packed lunch this morning.. hope nobody looks at it too closely, there were not many food groups represented and the lentil weavers on here would have had a field day with it!! Usually I can juggle things when we have weeks like this.. I also get a buzz out of being a tight wad when I have to and seeing how many days I can go without spending anything. But I'm going to need bread and milk and stuff.. and there are no yogurts and things like that for the kids.. I can usually juggle the money on weeks like this but this weekt there is nothing to juggle..! (Have 'online banked' DD's money from her account to mine already.. to try to keep us under overdraft limit.. and that was before I bought petrol. Will pay her straight back again when I get paid of course.. but that's how the vicious circle works, it's like having a much bigger and unaffordable over draft..)

So who else has weeks like this and how to do you manage them?

Thanks everyone and thanks Bubblerock.. fab post. :) I do some of those things.. I already do surveys, YouGov etc (still not earnt my first £50, it's taken me 3 years to get to £38. lol!) and I have signed up for Mystery Shopping with a couple of different companies.

Why don't you try getting the kids clothes from boot fairs. My mum regularly turns up with loads of lovely stuff that she has only paid pence for. The stuff that doesn't fit or I don't like, gets sold on ebay for far more than we paid for it. Do you try selling anything on ebay?

Has anyone mentioned \link{http://www.moneysavingexpert.com\money saving expert} yet? Apologies if they have, but they have researched the cheapest gas and leccy suppliers, the cheapest mortgage provider, and they have forums full of money saving tips.

Over the years I have absorbed so many money-saving tips from Mumsnet.
When I got divorced, I had to go through every speck of my finances & it was a real eye opener. I now know exactly where every penny goes. I work part-time which means I get tax credits & I get some maintenance from my ex-husband for the children. I am not broke but I am very, very careful.
Meal planning is a great idea & shopping at Asda, Lidl or Aldi can save you a fortune. I get organic products from Asda & most of my fruit & veg is organic & I don't spend anything like £22 a week. On months that I am particularly hard up - nothing is organic though, it is normal stuff to save money. I buy huge bags of rice, pasta & potatoes & then add smaller quantities of the expensive stuff like cheese and meat. I buy own brand products too, rather than named ones & that is another good saving method.
Cleaning products are very expensive & I use Custardo's top cleaning tip now of putting thin bleach (24p for 4 litres from Asda) in my cleaning sprays & it is great. Saves me loads of money & is just as effective.
There are lots of online banks who will give you better deals than Barclays: have a look at "moneysupermarket.com" for good deals.
HAve you checked that you are getting good value from your suppliers too: definitely worth checking your car insurance, household insurance, electricity, gas etc etc.
Eulalia was always good at money saving tips too. She used to take out cash at the beginning of the week & that was it. She never bought coffee/tea/ drinks when she was out as you are obviously paying premium prcies for these.
Try & save some money too, even if it is just loose change or if you could somehow find a way just to squirrel away a fiver a week.
Obviously, if you have done all of the above, then I am preaching to the converted, for which I apologise!!!!

Been through 2 pretty lean times in my adult life and these are the things that helped me stay (just about) afloat:-

• Write down everything you spend - every £10 from the cash point, every £3 on visa at local shop - in a little book. Helps you keep track of where you are, and stops you being too frivolous.

• Meal plan (using cheap ingredients, no ready meals) and do a monthly on-line shop. Then take out a small amount of cash at beginning of week for daytoday essentials like milk, bread etc. Spend only this - do NOT allow yourself to go over it (helped me to walk to shops cos had to carry it home while pushing double buggy!).

• Fruit and veg ARE mega important (and remember, veggie cooking is cheaper than using meat) so buy from farm shops. You'll get enormous bag of potatoes for about £5 which will last well as long as you keep them in a cool, dark place - cellar ideal, or garage/shed if no cellar.

Try not to get too down about it - IME this is what leads to overspending.

HTH