Completely skint, please help me cut down on 'normal' stuff

[pamplemousse]

Hi dp started new job as taxi driver, theres loads of drivers and the work was very slow for January and February so we are desperatly scraping around every few days to pay some direct debit or another.
So my question ladies is, how to stop yourself from being depressed and permanantly grumpy with your poor dd and dp...
And more importantly what do we NEED and what can we get rid of?
Do I need the Internet for example? Probably not. A mobile? A car? A TV?
Seriously give me on what to get rid of please I am going nuts debating it alone.
TIA

have used soap nuts... LOVE them

i could a free sample (free aka 70p from paypal account to cover postage and paypal charges) from 'in a soapnut shell' .co.uk (google it)

i was SO impressed... i have a whole bottle of detergent to use but when its gone its gone and soap nuts it is for me... i actually felt they washed better than the bio detergent i usually use.

i think you would know if you had a water meter... or if you live in a modern place (ie not that many years old) you are sure to have one... as a rule if there are more bedrooms than people you are likely to save

(btw i spend most of the year looking forward to the summer and summer holidays .... i LOVE spending days on the beach with my charges... hoping to have a few more hot beach days this year!)

also go down 1 level on every food you buy...

ie from brand to shops own / shops own to economy etc... that is supposed to save you alot

whilst you prob wont liek some things other things you wont notice any difference

We buy a lot of Tesco value range, its fantastic and by doing this we can live the lifestyle we got used to when I was working before baby! Also we save £2 pound coins and reward vouchers for christmas or rainy day 'every little helps!' I agree with bulking out food with veg, cheaper and better for you!

Good plans! Will go and google now, thanks you
We have 2 bedrooms and 3 people and a 1900's ish type house, no meter I would think.

S77 we do that with Nectar points, they buy our Christmas shopping although this isn't the best value you can get out of them apparently it works for us.
Vege anyway, will be bulking out my veg with veg. I did see someone saying that beans and pulses did the same thing for any mince eaters out there

pm I totally agree apparently if you use Clubcard points with their deals they're worth 4 times their value,don't know if same with nectar!? just works for us to save for crimbo as not the best savers but totally love crimbo! I agree with beans and pulses we do that with chilli!

Have requested some, I really hope they are as good as they say, 300 washes for £7?!!! I buy Ecover because I am stupid and can't bring myself to be non green, I could save a fortune!
Thank you

s77 yes its about 4 times more, annoying but its lovely to think you get nice crimbo food and drink for 'nothing'

I was depressed for several days after I did that budget spreadsheet - and I'd thought at the time that we were in an ok financial position!

Sounds like you are on top of most things. I think another poster mentioned tax credits.
I can't wholeheartedly recommend them as I found that I was liable to pay some back, even though I'd been scrupulous about telling them of any change in circumstance, but they are nothing like as complicated to claim as benefits, and if you are finding it hard to manage you may well be eligible for them.

If you buy tofu, then you can make your own loads cheaper with soy flour. Tastes nicer too.

Pressure cook big batches of pulses and freeze them so that the cooking time is shorter for the end dishes, and you don't use a tin when in a hurry. Pulses and rice are often cheaper in Asian speciality shops than in supermarkets if there are any around you as you can really buy in bulk. We've also noticed that the agricultural feed merchants around here (Countryside stores) have a lot of household basics in giant packs at really good prices -also pet food.

Do a meal plan for the week, and work out exactly what you need for that, then use that supermarket comparison website that MSE recommends to find out how much it will cost at the different ones.

RA have to tell them about change in dp's wages, not looking forward to it as he's now self employed and complicated.
CD - can you give me more info on how to make tofu, never knew you could do that! And thanks for great ideas for buying in bulk, will have a look around

I can't find the book I used to use (DH refuses to entertain the very thought of tofu), but this link makes it from beans and if you google 'How to make tofu' theres loads of recipes, but all come down to soybeans and coagulant. I know my recipe was soy flour and lemon juice, but these might be better !

We went through something similar cash wise 5 years ago but we are now financially better off. But we made big changes to our budgeting and STILL do and it has really paid off.

1. Write a money diary - you will be amazed what money is wasted on.
2. Always write a shopping list before going to the supermarket. Plan meals in advance.
3. Try and cook from scratch - much cheaper.
4. No newspapers or magazines
5. Keep the computer - I order all prezzies online. Allows me to compare prices so I think (enentually) the computer pays for itself.
6. Get rid of sky and go for Freeview.

If you do the above it can make a big difference to the family finances.

Thank you for tofu ideas, will go a-googling!
WT thanks for tips

Well, depends. Do you rely on a car to get to work and there's no public transport alternative and it's too far to cycle in, then you need to keep a car, but you may be able to sell it if it's a new car and pay outright for an older model and save that way.

DH has a mobile for work, but it's PAYG.