As a SAHP what's the biggest thing you can control spending on?

[chris71]

I'm a SAHD with two daughters and I try to not overspend on anything. Looking for some of the best things and ideas to save more money. Always good to surprise wife with a gift at times :)

Well, things I fritter me ney on:
Top up shops. That pint of milk and loaf of bread usually cost £10!
Drinks and snacks when out and I've forgotten them
Amazon shopping
Reading MN. There are always suggestions of must haves!!

Food. I try to avoid top up shops. That means a container or two of UHT milk in the cupboard in case of emergency to get me through until shopping day, otherwise I end up with a £25 top up shop instead of £1 on milk. Menu planning keeps the cost down. Drink more water, no fizzy drinks.

Petrol. Try to walk when necessary, rather than driving. Figure out what errands need to be done during the week and clump them together, rather then driving around on 2 or 3 different days. So if I have an appointment on Tuesday, and I know I need to do something else in town this week, I'll make sure I do it on Tuesday, as I'm already out and about.

TV services. I dropped my cable tv down one level to save money. A year on, I don't miss the change at all. Small amount, but they all add up, right?

I also changed my gas/electric to meter. I found that I watch it much more closely when it's on meter, so that even with a slightly higher rate, I actually spend less, and it's easier for me to budget.

Good tips. I also try looking up coupons. some offer really great discounts on grocery shopping. I am not in the UK so don't know how it works there.

I recently realised we should have changed energy provider and if I was a SAHP I think you might have a little more time to research the best provider (however I could be wrong)

Make sure you are on top of your household budget and that you have the best cost on everything. Moneysavingexpert is great for this, from getting the best mortgage rate, to discounts on everything you buy, there's always savings to be made. Compare the price of everything before you buy - it becomes second nature after a while.

If you buy anything online, make sure you look for a voucher code, or cashback through quidco. You can get quite a lot of cashback for insurances for example.

Gas and electric is probably something you should be changing every year to get the best deal.

Rotate round supermarkets to get discounts or use Aldi or Lidl if you can - they are usually consistently much cheaper than the others even taking into account clubcard points etc. Places like Wilkinsons, Home Bargains, Pound shops are often cheapests for household goods.

Combine journeys to save fuel - eg go supermarket shopping on the way back from the school run if you do it by car.

Food, meal plan, stuff that requires freshest ingredients to be eaten first then have freezer or store cupboard meals, for us that is anything from chicken curry to salmon with potatoes and frozen veg.

I am currently using the supermarket's click and collect service. Like online food shopping but you drive to the supermarket and they put it into your car. If I am not there to see any tempting stuff I can't buy it.

Fuel, I do a school run and go straight from there to somewhere else, not come home first.

Agree about looking at your energy suppliers if that is applicable where you are, also broadband, cable/sky.

Clothing, I count clothes to know if my son needs that cute top I have just seen. Plus I buy at Primark/Asda/Sainsburys/Tesco for cheapness.

Use a loyalty card/credit card that gives back. We pay it off every month so it doesn't cost us anything but it rewards us with vouchers.

Every year Dh and I look over what we have spent in the last year. We have a full spreadsheet breakdown. Are we happy with what we have spent? Could we cut costs anywhere?

Meal plan. And shop at Aldi rather than Sainsburys. I've shaved about £50 a week off our food bill.

Use your free Ebay listings every month. In the UK its 20 so 5 listings a week, about an hour a week to sort, take decent photos and write good listings.

I buy good label stuff second hand, use and as soon as its use declines sell on - often braking even/ small profit. This works for toys and clothes. It also helps keep on top of the clutter.

Teach the children financial basics from a young age. My favorite when they where tiny that DS1 (now 11) reminded me of was one icecream at McDonalds or a whole pack of 10 or bag of doughnuts from Netto across the carpark.

As soon as they can grasp number then let them have some say in a small amount of money/ week for activites and treats so they're empowered but will learn that when its gone its gone. Next week they can vary their choices.

Find out the off peak deals at activities like kids am at the cinema (very cheap showings of not the latest release films but when they're young they don't get release dates anyway). Our local playbarn is about £6 for a peak session but at a midweek toddle its £2.50 and adults get a free hot drink (many drinks are around the £2.50 mark).

Have a few bolt hole activities in reserve for when you feel stir crazy in the house. Feeding the ducks, playpark etc all fine in good weather. Free coffee at Ikea with a family card is one of my just need to get out things. Just gettiing out with no plan can cost a small fortune.

If they're badgering you for toys agree its lovely and then take photos and then put the images on a board at home. You can build up a wants list that you can see patterns on and the can save towards things on their list or you can scour sites for decent deals and buy in advance for birthdays etc.

I meal plan always, no top up shops, just milk or water here, have cut back on processed meats which helps with weekly food bills.

I shop at bb bargains once a month for household cleaning stuff

The saying 'time is money'...

When I was maternity leave I had lots of time to run around grabbing bargains, but I don't have the time now.

For example:
I could visit different supermarkets to get the offers.

When the newspapers did the free Lego, I could go everyday to pick them up.

I keep a supply of birthday and Christmas presents/cards to keep organised.

Cooking most things from scratch saves me quite a bit of money as well as shopping in a variety of places (I combine aldi and asda).
Checking on the Internet for discount codes prior to purchasing anything online also saves me some money.
Having the time to hunt in the sales for clothes etc is also a money saver.
Having the time to come on here and looking at threads like the Christmas bargain thread can also lead to some savings.

I second what PP have said about switching from Sainsbury to Aldi. It saved a lot at the time (though some Sainsbury prices have come down a bit). At the time lettuce was 45p in Aldi and 90p in Sainsbury!!

We switched to Utility Warehouse for gas/electric/phone/broadband etc. I'm not sure if they appear in moneysavingexpert etc but they are always highly rated by Which? They also have a cash back card which gives a % off some online and other purchases.

A biggie was no cable/Sky etc, just a Freeview box. I think friends spend upto £50 a month on that. We've never had it and DC moaned once in a while but when offered Mum at home or Spongebob thankfully would rather have mum!

Days out offers on cereal packets etc (the only time I bought branded!). And take own lunch and snacks. Buying food out can double the cost.

We also holidayed off peak eg France in Oct half term. Not hot but sunny and a fraction of the price.