EXTREME money saving tips??

[user1494423075]

Ok so I'm really struggling financially at the moment. So I am having to watch every single brown penny.... it's just myself and my little girl at home. I have taken some steps to start really crunching my money ... please don't judge me....
washing my dishes in cold water (with liquid of course)
Started microwaving pastas & rice rather than boiling them...( save gas)
I have started taking big walks so that I am out of the house to save on electricity & gas...
I have cut down on the amount of times I boil the kettle for cuppas etc.
I already cook in bulk which is such a money saver..... I have lots of Freezer meats, chicken, beef meatballs etc... to use up so our weekly shop is pretty small at the moment... like today I walked to aldi (35 mins) and back and our weekly shop only cost me £11.15
Can anyone tell me any tips I may be missing? This is only short term we should be back on our feet soon
TIA X X

No very good or useful tips, but just wanted so say I hope you come out the other side soon and I'm very impressed at your weekly shop cost! Every time I think I'm doing a frugal shop I end up spending at least £40 (and that's without most of the meat!)

Do you have anything you can sell on eBay or Facebook? Maybe old toys that your daughter doesn't want anymore.

Moneysavinexpertsavingexpert.com, especially the money saving old style thread on their forum, is really good.

Biggest tip from me is note down everything you spend.

When you boil the kettle pour it in a flask for the next hot drink

Stuff that you probably already do like have a root through your cupboards, use whats there, you what you have. Cleaning stuff, tins, packets etc.

Have a tub, save every 50p coin in it, she. You get a tenner, bung it in the bank, I saved £200 last year.

Charity shop to buy cleverothes, eBay to sell outgrown clothes.

Look on Martin Lewis website, there are on line surveys to join and get paid, pay into your PayPal, this paid for Christmas for me one year as I let it build up. Surveys take a few minutes, are easy and pay small amounts but it does add up.

I do things like using an apron for baking/messy play, a specific old pair of jeans for outdoor work/messy play.

Stand up wash with a bowl of hot water on days you don't shower.
Charge anything you can in other places - phone, laptop etc.

Spend time at the library or riding the bus sightseeing if you DD is little for a change from long walks.

Any chance of getting some extra work like dog walking, ironing, tutoring , babysitting etc

Make sure freezer is full as then cheaper to run. Either buy bread going cheap or use plastic boxes of water.

When it gets chillier, close curtains early to retain heat.

Get rid of tv / licence.

Veg or vegan meals.

Fucking kindle putting whatever it wants!!!
When you have a tenner in 50p coins bank it.
Charity shop for buying clothes

Split tea bags (just remember not to drink the last bit in the cup!).

Oh and microwave your tea water, and if you are being super frugal limit how often you are in and out of the fridge amd freezer. Its a pain but we get power cuts quite often and it quickly becomes habit.

Put a stop on buying anything you don't really need (like fabric conditioner, hair conditioner, air freshener, kitchen paper ...).
Use slightly less of everything.
Use multi-purpose cleaning products.
Shop around.
Go to supermarket at optimum yellow sticker time and learn to cook inventively.
Wait until there's a big pile of washing up and do it in one go with hot water.
Grow your own salad.
Don't buy books, magazines and newspapers- go to the library instead.
Sell stuff on ebay/car boot sales.

Hope your situation improves soon OP.

Make sure you are on the cheapest possible energy tariffs, you can use the money saving expert cheap energy club for this.

Check your mobile/broadband tariffs if you have them and see if you could get it cheaper elsewhere.

Use DD's bath water after her.

Go through all your direct debits and make sure you are not paying for anything unnecessary.

Batch cook and bulk up meals with cheaper vegetables and pulses.

Find out if there are any free swimming sessions near you. There is a child and parent one near us once a week. If there are go and have your shower and wash your hair there afterwards as well as getting the free swim
Wash your clothes at 30 degrees (unless really dirty)
Foraging - collect plums etc if available to make jam
Hope it gets better for you OP, I've been there it's horrible

Oh and freeze everything! I freeze milk, bananas (for smoothies), onions, lemons, mash potato, baked potato, chilli's, peppers, cheese. There's not much you can't freeze

If the ovens on put extras in - roast veg, extra meat, then freeze and microwave to heat through. Don't waste the oven on just one meal!

All food leftovers use for lunch the next day.

Bulk out mince with soya or lentils.

Library rather than buy books.

Collect Coupons!

Enter free competitions.

Flour and water flat breads can be nice - not sure how cost affective that is with paid elec/gas though as we have a log burner.
Buying those potted salads are good to plant and regrow (just use soil from the garden).

What are your out goings and how long do you need to cut back for?
Hope it isnt too long.

Sweep your carpet everyday with a rubber broom or a stiff broom then you only need to hoover once a week or less.

Thanks so much to everyone for helping me! This is why I love mumsnet..... my outgoing bills are super cheap due to cutting mostly everything.... my only outgoings are my mobile phone, my internet which I need & my rent.

I use my slow cooker a lot as I feel this is super cheap with my smart meter. I also slow cook baked potatoes and freeze them.... I didn't know u can freeze bananas or peppers! So good to know. ;-)
I'm going to have to start buying in all my thermals/ blankets/ water bottles soon for winter I really need to keep this spending to a minimum. X

Head to moneysvingexpert and the 'Old style money saving' board.

What those guys don't know about living frugally ain't worth knowing.

Hope you and your lo get through this tough time xx

boil water in the kettle for pasta and rice. put the boiling water in the pan with the pasta or rice. bring it to the boil and turn the heat off when the stuff is almost ready. Leave in the pan and drain when cooked.
Works for veg too. It's a bit trial and error but I think stuff keeps on cooking after you turn off the heat.

rubber brooms are great. I got mine from wilko and it was the best thing ever when I had a beanbag accident.

You can get lot of things on freegle or freecycle. If you ask for something, word it properly, say why you need it and say please and thank you, and if you say you'll collect it make sure that you do.

Use whole milk instead of semi-skimmed. It lasts longer and you use less of it in tea and coffee.

Switch to own brand stuff.

Take a bottle of water with you when you go out.

We use to split milk so buy whole and mix it half half with water (or use proper condensed milk and dilute it down).
Ditch cleaning products, use vinigar etc.
Use reusable clothes for things like dusting, cleaning, nappy wipes - disinfect in the microwave

When I was really struggling I got £100 for changing bank accounts but that's definitely a faff if you don't have an afternoon to go in and do it.
Tinned food is good and batch cooking if you have the freezer space because it also saves on energy costs. Full fat milk also helped me feel fuller and I got very inventive with things like broccoli stalks. But feed your dd, don't worry about whether she's eating enough organic kale, feel no guilt about eating pasta and beans.

My sister does mystery shopping which pays quite well and she gets to keep the stuff.

Minimise the amount of meat you eat - vegetarian is generally cheaper. Have you looked at the jack Monroe recipes for budget meals?

Yep, I was going to suggest going veggie temporarily or only eating meat at weekends.

Online surveys add up - although slowly. I get £50 every six months or so from YouGov. Some of the surveys are interesting, and it doesn't feel like work.

Google how to make your own laundry detergent and use a capful of white vinegar for fabric softener.
At my local library children dvd's are free and my dc like to make " tickets".