Your top living frugally tips

[darkcorridors]

As the title really! I'm sure it has been done to death, but can't search threads as on my phone. What are your top tips for living frugally (as in, on the breadline fugal!)?

Try and get ahead. That is, live really frugally when you can to build up a little buffer so when something is unavoidable you can avoid a debt if possible.
Eat the same thing for a couple of days if it means you only need to buy/cook once. Eat soup. Carve rather than allotting a whole piece per person: except with eggs: one egg is a meal but if you whisk it up you need three in an omelette. Add seasonal veg to everything. Don't throw anything away. Freeze any leftovers/leek tops/broccoli stalks/ chopped leftover onions for another day. Make stock. Tinned veg are very cheap and can make a meal in minutes.
Buy herbs and spices from the local Asian grocery rather than the supermarket: half the price and transform a meal.
Wear a jumper/cardigan/snuggle on the sofa under a blanket.
If you must use the oven make sure it's full. Slow cooker great for things which take a while to cook and the same electricity as a lightbulb.

On a slightly longer-term basis, try to repair things yourself if you're capable of it. (A surprising number of people just look to 'buy new' when there might be only a simple fault in something which is fairly easily corrected.) Loads of info on the net to help you including YouTube videos.

Ooo some great tips there! Thanks for the reply. I really like the suggestion of getting ahead. It's a good positive goal, doesn't feel so overwhelming as thinking of everything as a whole and what a dire mess I'm in finances illy (recent-ish separation, no savings, PT job). If I can start getting ahead slightly I think there's hope!lol

I'm already a bit of a freezer addict, but I know there's a working chest freezer in the garage that I can also use, so I think freezing things is a great suggestion, particularly leftovers. I'm not wasteful, but I think there's more I could do with regards to freezing (stocks, veg etc).

Ooo some great tips there! Thanks for the reply. I really like the suggestion of getting ahead. It's a good positive goal, doesn't feel so overwhelming as thinking of everything as a whole and what a dire mess I'm in finances illy (recent-ish separation, no savings, PT job). If I can start getting ahead slightly I think there's hope!lol

I'm already a bit of a freezer addict, but I know there's a working chest freezer in the garage that I can also use, so I think freezing things is a great suggestion, particularly leftovers. I'm not wasteful, but I think there's more I could do with regards to freezing (stocks, veg etc).

Food is obviously a good place to start, be organised, meal plan, cook everything from scratch (or as much as possible) buy the basic ranges, shop around, buy beans/lentils/spices in bulk from an Asian store. Get frozen veg.
Bulk out meals with lentils and beans.
Make new meals with leftovers.
packed lunches wherever you go.
Just drink water or take a flask with you when you go out filled with tea/coffee from home.
If you have kids stop all but the most essential/one favourite activities - most can be done for free with you, ie kicking a football round the park, playing board games at home.
Check bank statements and cancel all non essential subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, magazines).

Use the local library
Dry washing outside and only wash what is really dirty.
Use less of everything - ie a smaller blob of shampoo.
Walk/cycle everywhere.
Use up store cupboard foods that may usually languish to make meals.
Decant cereals into containers so you can buy the cheaper brands without anyone noticing (or better still eat porridge!)
If debts are causing you to be struggling call up all your creditors and see if you can arrange a lower payment.
Go through your things to see if you can sell anything to make some extra cash.

I'm eBaying at the moment, and have sold quite a few things so it all helps. Have had a bargain trawl today, and have picked up a few really good things in the reduced section (but nothing I won't eat in the coming weeks so not superfluous purchases for the sake of a 'bargain' iykwim).

Although I am already a confirmed Aldi shopper, I've picked up a couple of snacky type foods for the kids/lunchboxes that I would have otherwise spent a little more on, and called into a local farm and got a couple of things there at great prices (50p for an ENORMOUS cucumber ).

Has anyone got any handy tips for couponing, or good loyalty schemes?

Don't take your purse out! I find if I take my purse out I end up buying something which really I could have done without from the supermarket by their school.

Go through all cupboards and make lists of what you have got. Food spices, 300 loo rolls make up.... I once had clear up and found 5 body sprays on the go! You can cut chunks off weekly shop if you only buy something you have run out of. So no buying Tampons out of habit when you got 50 already.

Keep list of prices of stuff you do use- it's easier to fogect the average price so if it's suddenly on sale at £3.50 from £5.50 but normally it's £3.99 not so much of a deal.

Consider gling shopping with friend and sitting items. It's iften cheaper to buy say large bag 1kg of carrots than to buy handful but if you can't use them all going 50/50 works out much cheaper.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/2270347-Frugal-January-everyone-welcome

The op has the old threads from years ago.

I'd add shopping apps like shopitize, clicksnap, checkoutsmart, snap and save on topcashback & shopmium. It's not always the brands you'd choose but free or really very cheap is always good. They're mostly the same company so you could have one account with each.

Hi this is a small tip that has saved me loads of money. I fit a trigger (off of eg antibacterial spray bottle) on to shampoo, conditioner,shower gel and washing up liquid it delivers just a small but totally adequate amount of product for each purpose. :-D

Ring the council and get them to change your council tax payments from 10 to 12. We did this when my DH was made redundant and it makes it £25 a month less (although you don't get the Feb/march break) but that then covers the car insurance which we couldn't afford in one go.

Lots of good advice on here already.
A few more suggestions..
-Use flannels instead of baby wipes for mealtimes.
-Haunt supermarkets at closing time, I find my local Co op is amazing for bargains.
-Buy multipack books from Book People cheap and split for birthday pressies.
-Use topcashback.com for whenever you really do need something (like insurance)
-If you have time on your hands consider online market research as you can earn high street vouchers, if you do a few surveys every day it soon adds up.
-Use your Nectar card, even if you don't use Sainsburys they send offers, eg 1000 points for £1 Gourmet Society trial (just don't forget to cancel it straight away!) which translates into £10 in their double-up events.
-Get out Jack Monroe's book A Girl Called Jack from the library for great tips on frugal food.
-Consider dropping your TV license? We just use iPlayer and plug it into the flatscreen.

I got an American Express card to do all my online food shopping - it's a cashback card and I've had a free £130 in the last year

I pay it off every month. This tip is only for someone disciplined - which usually I'm not - but I don't take it out with me and I don't use it for anything else in case I couldn't pay it off

You can only stop the TV licence if you never watch anything live on any channel on any device.

Do not auto renew any bills eg car insurance, house insurance, travel insurance etc

Each year go to comparison sites and find cheaper

Try YNAB free for a month. By then you'll know if it saves you money. It reallocates your money to your priorities. Aims to build the buffer and you get on top of your finances and get a very realistic idea of how things are. I was amazed at how well it worked.

Every time you leave a room turn the lights off.
Gradually switch to the new lightbulbs which are more expensive in the long term but last years and save you money.
Use the washer/drier at night if your tariffs means that your electricity is cheaper then. Do a cold wash for all clothes unless they are particularly dirty. The only things I wash on a hot temperature regularly is towels and tea towels.
Walk any short journeys rather than taking the car.
Use charity shops for clothes.
Cut showers down to 3 minutes unless washing hair. I allow 5 minutes then.
Let your hair dry naturally then give it a quick blast with the hairdryer right at the end.
Serve up dinner yourself and tell your family that they can only go back for seconds if they finish what they've eaten. Helps to cut down on waste.

*Gradually switch to the new lightbulbs which are more expensive in the long term but last years and save you money.

Should read:

Gradually switch to the new lightbulbs which are more expensive in the short term but last years and save you money.