Need to go on a huge economy drive...

[notnowbernard]

...so need ideas on how to save money!

So far: dp has committed to give up smoking (as of 1st Sept)

I am not going to drink any alcohol in the week (one weekend night only)

We are going to make our own mayonnaise

lol at the mayonnaise!

How about growing your own veg?

Yes, the mayo was dp's suggestion (we get through loads of the stuff)

We are sharing an allotment from the start of the Autumn

There you go then, you are well on your way.

How about shopping online so you can see how much you are spending and meal plan if you can to the buy one get one free offers?

Cook stuff in larger batches and freeze?

I'd suggest a couple of veggie nights as well each week, brings the cost down a lot.

Also have a look at your mobile phone expenditure. It's amazing how many people think that paying £25 a month for 'free' minutes is a bargain.

have you looked into your phone/internet charges etc. we saved loads going with sky instead of bt.
get your meat on offer at supermarket and freeze. We also do this with bread as we eat loads!

I might start shopping on-line again for that reason (to watch what I spend as I go). Always have a bit of trouble knowing what I need in advance, though.

Am crap at menu planning and have a titch freezer!

Look in your cupboards for things you buy alot of because you think you are running out.

I've just found 6 packets of pasta.

I'm on a pay-as-you-go mobile (will start budgeting on that... wonder if I could do a tenner a month?)

Going veggie twice a week great idea (will need to persuade dp BIGTIME though, don't fancy my chances much)

Depending on your usage - and I mean essential usage as opposed to "I'm bored on the train I'll text a few people" - you might be better off on a cheap contract. I'm on Virgin's 3 for 30 deal so I get phone, t'internet and mobile for 30 quid, the mobile deal is 300 mins and 300 texts a month which is WAY more than I can ever use up, even bearing in mind I have to run my household via text message from work during the day.

Veggie recipes can always be spiced up with a bit of bacon if dp can't manage the whole hog (so to speak!)

Depending on how he finds it, you may need to budget some help for your dp to stop smoking (which, let's be honest, he should do anyway regardless of budgeting). Worth talking to your GP about stopping smoking support so you don't fork out on patches if you don't have to? Some pharmacies have a contract to dispense this stuff I think free of charge.

Various MNers have menu planners that you can cadge to get you started. I am rubbbish at this, I'm not sure why. Should we have a budgeting support thread for all of us who need to tighten our purse strings?

this is a good recipe

I have about 6 tins of chickpeas in my cupboard and at the mo and tesco are doing bogofs on packs of thighs and drumsticks, so we are going to be having plenty of it.

Ooh yes, a support thread sounds great... the last one I was on helped me lose half a stone and stop eating sugar!

Dp has managed to give up before - he goes cold turkey. He's not a heavy smoker, and smokes roll-ups. Too right he needs to give up! DD1 caught him having one in the garden the other day (she is old enough to know what smoking is now) so she is on his case now as well

I'm sad to say that my friend who is probably last of the smokers that I know gave up a number of times and it was only when his sister-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer that he gave up for good So I definitely think your dp needs to see it not as an economy measure but as a necessity. And if it actually costs more to support him stopping than him continuing, it's still worth it.

Okay - support thread sounds like a good idea. Do we have a specific target in mind like the 10/10 club? Maybe 10% off our supermarket spend compared to this month?

Shop online, stops temptation in the aisles which push your spend up.

Use MySupermarket to compare trolley loads at Tesco, Asda etc. It will also make price saving swap suggestions.

When you have chosen the best supermarket option, check for money off vouchers at sites like MyVoucherCodes and Mumsnet threads. Make sure you have a Tesco clubcard to benefit when you shop there.

Incidentally, you also collect ipoints by using MySupermarket, eventually you can save enough for extra treats

I have just checked out Sainsbury's online and checked the Basics range out. There are LOADS of products available so will start downgrading a bit (esp on household/cleaning items etc)

also i noticed that woolworths is great for big variety packs of crisps and chocolate bars all for a £1 - not healthy i know but kids love them every now and then!

i've just started shopping online again - epecially with the free delivery codes from the promo section on here. In week 3 now and pretty sure that we are spending less on food bills!

* Ignorance Alert *

Tell me about these codes!

they give you money off your shopping if you spend over a certain amount(which varies depending on the code) i haven't paid for delivery in a longtime as normally there's one on the mn thread for example I ordered my shopping yesterday, it was delivered today and I used a £12 off code, so not only did I get the delivery cost back I gor about £8 more off the shop! Fantastic

Saintgeorge linked to the Tesco one below, think there are others(all in this savings section) make sure it's on your 'threads i'm watching' page

Main MN thread is the Tesco one, the other big supermarkets don't do codes as much or as often. Always worth checking as the minimum you tend to cover is the delivery cost but often you get more.

Asda do ones for free delivery, usually for shop over £50. Current code (expires 28th) is M3-LL-LP-W5

Thankyou

Now on 'threads I'm watching'