economising

[popsycalindisguise]

My work hours are being reduced

Economising tips please?
Have searched the archives but I am doing something wrong - any links to threads are appreciated

I do meal planners on a rota so I know what I need to shop for every week. I shop online so I can see how much I am spending as I go along. Then I use discount codes to get free delivery.

I started using washing powder tablets as well. I know it sounds tupid but I don't get through as much as when I used the powder, because I just put the 2 tablets in and thats it instead of 'just a bit more' powder.

Really sit down and scrutinise your budget. I use a spreadsheet to keep a track of all my bills. I also now have an electric meter so there are no horrid bills.

thanks

I had thought of a meal planner - half did that when on maternity. set budget

have sat down and looked at outgoings
am going to give myself and dh a set amount of 'pocket money'

i need to cut down on my mobile - never use it to ring, just for texts

need to change my phone to that thing where you have a bt rental line but have another thingy

is your mobile on pay as you go or contract? orange are doing a great deal at the moment for 3000 texts a month for £19.99! at 12p each 3000 texts works out at £360! might be worth looking into. Most networks will match what another network can offer if you tell them.

My meal planner consists of a 4 week rota of similar foods. Like on a monday its something with mince. So one weeks its lasagne, another its cottage pie, another its spag bol and then 4th week its minced beef with potatoes and dumplings. So that way the family eats something a bit different but I still just buy similar ingredients every week

I have o2 and pay £10 per month and that is for calls, i get 300 free texts per month with this.
Im the same as you and never use moby for calls.

I agree absolutely with the meal planning, ive been doing it for a couple of months and literally spend 1/4 of what i used to spend at the supermarket.
Also recommend making big portions and freezing some. One night a week we have "freezer stuff".

I no longer buy jars of sauces, i make my own in a big pan and freeze most of it. Things like tomato sauces for pasta are dead easy plus you can throw in extra veg. When you sling it into the food processor it is totally disguised and freezes brilliantly.

Hello popsycalindisguise

I found that by buying the shop own brands really helps as well ie...
tescos own brand frostied flakes are £1 cheaper than frosties.. and the kids don't even notice own brand kitchen towels... weetabix.. toilet roll... foil..it all adds up..
also cooking things from scratch is cheaper.. ie we have home made burgers tonight, I'll make a batch and freeze the rest... same for meat balls..
spag bol...

I only use one tablet when doing my washing... a man came and fixed my machine once because it was all bunged up with powder and he said why do you use so much... and he's right the clothes are no cleaner with 2 tablets...

The menu plan is a good idea as well. I can feed us (family of 4) for about £65 a week, and thats with a really fussy daughter and a son who is allergic to dairy, nuts, and eggs.

anyway hope that helps...

how is your son now... is he feeling better??

like that idea of the same food on a monday btu a different meal - good ideA!

i have virgin pay and go....i kind of need to stick to virgin as dh has virgin too - 3p per text to virgin....

but suppose we could both look at orange
i guess i just need to have more self control lol

You could try cutting dishwasher tabs in half. Totally in love you were using far too much powder if switching to using two tablets is cheaper! Meal planning is definitely a way to go. Shop around for the cheapest gas/electricity prices. There is a website that will help you work this out. Go to the library instead of buying books. Do you have Sky? Do you use all the channels you pay for? If you eat out, go to a place where you take your own booze. I go out to the local Indian with my friends once a month. We share a starter (only so that we don't get too full), buy a curry each, a couple of chapattis each and a pilau rice to share and the whole bill including generous tip is £7 each.

rummum - thansk for asking about ds2 - yes he is on the mend and last night he woke at 10:30 for a quick feed then once at 3:20 and went back to sleep til 6:30....ssssssh

we are not going to be exactly skint - so i feel a bit fraudulent asking but need to be more conscious of what we spend if we dont want to start getting rid of cars, etc iyswim

I have O2 on the same plan as Donbean. And it is free texts to all networks including Virgin.

we use washing powder (half the recommnded amount)
dishwasher tablets - yes - will cut those in half

was thinking of lidl/aldi for basics - loo roll, tinned tomatoes etc
already do pasta sauces but need to have more of a plan
freezing meals is good - also ideal for the 2 days i am going to be working....

going to look into a virgin text bundle
also, we have washable nappies which we dont use when i am at work,,,so that will cut down on disposable expense...

right i need to look into o2 aswell then - is it a particular deal?

I have found this thread about cutting shopping bills if that's any use to you.

I think the best idea is to budget for things. Maybe try quite a tight budget at first and then you can loosen it as you get used to living with your new circumstances.

Always shop around when renewing things like car insurance, house insurance etc. Whatever company was cheapest last year is not necessarily cheapest this year. (E.g. Saved £130 on house insurance by changing insurer this year, even though last year's insurer was definitely the cheapest I could find at that time). There are some on-line search engines that let you compare lots of quotes.
Never use store cards unless you know for sure that you can afford to pay them off each month because they usually charge really high interest. Credit cards are pretty bad too. A bank loan is usually a much cheaper way of borrowing money if you really need some credit. If you have an outstanding balance on a credit card, switch to a provider offering 0% on all transfers and pay it off as quickly as you can. Don't waste money paying interest if you can possibly help it.

you just order online the o2 simcards

its the pay as you go online package

me, dh and all friends have used these for years - you have to top up 10 a month and get 300 free texts every month. Dead easy

work out your total outgoings a month - have that amount going into a bank account that is used only for those bills to come out of

whatever is left is yours to spend (or save, or pay extra off debt)

remember to budget for once a year purchases (car tax, mot, christmas? etc etc)

P.S. fantastic news about ds2. Had been wondering how you were getting on.

arse
my car tax is due this month

ok. my list is as follows:

get o2 sim cards for me and dh
menu plan
buy basics at cheap shops
change gas and elec over (was astounded by last bill)
get dh turn turn off bloody lights!!!

credit cARD HAS JUST BEEN CHANGED TO 0% - never use it - just paying off old debt

ring tax credits to update change of circumstances
can i defer my student loan? and use that to pay off more credit card for a bit? that would be sensible...

are you paying student loan now?

~Im sure we tried to reduce or defer DHs and they werent having it.

I will email you menu plan now

go on uswitch.com for gas and elec

this month is good month for car tax as we dont pay council tax this month

just ordered some free o2 sims

you can defer your student loan when you earn under a certain amount per year...but you need 3 months of payslips at the reduced amount
meant to do this on maternity leave but didnt

went on uswitch
atlantic is cheapest but bad reports on MN
so think we will go for next cheapest - powergen - they are reputable

freshstart, im very interested in your meal planner too, could you possibly email it to me too?
Thanks x

hmmm
am having a back and forth email with dh at the minute - he is v dubious about the cheap phone thing (primus free evening and weekends) - reckons it is dodgy and they will hit you for something later

guess who he works for grrrr

oh and he suggested brew our own beer hmm

Look at this

Martin Lewis is a godsend when you're trying to cut costs on absolutely everything.
Since using his website we have saved £100's.
He gives advice on how to save money on absolutely everything from shopping, insurances, utility bills, mortgages, phone bills, travel, flights, just about evreything really.
We have just saved £130 a year on breakdwn cover was paying £150 with the AA got the same cover for £32!!!!
My hubby switched his current account and we are saving about £300 a year/ Now have an account that has 0% overdraft and no fees, also saved about £22 per month on our car insurance.
You can sign up tho his free emails to and every few weeks you get a really good email about what deals are around and how to get loads and loads of freebies - Have received free nappies, posh handcream, dog food, whiskey the list is endless!!
He is an independant, and only gives advice in the CONSUMERS interest, unlike the other sites that have sponsored backing.
He's the first place I look if shopping for something, he does the shopping around for you, the chat forums are good too.
Check it out it should give you some ideas.

thanks - funnily enough, I have another window open on that site already

Am interested in who you got cheap breakdown cover with as I am sure mine is coming up for renewal (i get part of it free with my bank accoutn but have to pay for the homestart side of it)

also our bank accounts.....we usually are overdrawn (hmmm) so free overdraft would be good....but would banks transfer an overdraft or would we have to leave the account open and pay it off....

Need to stop thinking of overdraft as acceptable debt..

We are with atlantic for gas and no problems with them as such. Don't think I'll read the mn complaints, it might worry me.

Is now a good time to switch gas though with prices about to soar? It is hard to tell who will be the cheapest when the dust settles. Also the comparison sites may not be working on the latest prices.

ok gas and elec now changed over