Thread to share tips and ideas to reduce costs of daily living!! Hard Times are here...

[notnowbernard]

I admit I am not on the poverty line, by a long way...

But money is tight atm (as lots of people are realising )

And I HAVE to make savings, somewhere...

So far:

Not drinking alcohol in the week
DP giving up smoking (hooray!)
£10 pw petrol only (will need to gauge whether this is much too tight or over-generous over the next few weeks)

And, for comedy value: we are making our own mayonnaise

Please add as many more ideas as you can!

don't go out
don't go on hols
second hand clothes for kids
energy bulbs
use all the food you buy

LOL at mayo making!

packed lunches for work
no Starbucks etc
meal planning
batch cooking
making own biccies and cakes (yum)
no alcohol except for weekends
leaving cards at home so no impulse buying
no trash mags
planning journeys so no excessive car use

Great idea here's my conribution:

1. Plan meals, write down meals for each day, do shopping list and stick to it

1. Shop online - you will not be tempted to pick up anything other than whats on yr list. Lots of promo codes knocking aroung for free del, so also saves you petrol

1. I buy all my eg from WI Hut each Thursday - very cheap, fresh and lasts far longer than supermarkets

1. Walk whenever possible rather than using car

1. Take sandwiches/salads to work - do nto buy

1. Hae a good clear out of unwanted items and either Ebay them or do a car boot - easilyh make £50 out of stuff just lying around

1. Invest in a NT card - we go everywhere around the Uk and its free - also take pic nics

1. Make your own household cleaners!!!

terrible spelling sorry meant no. 3 VEG!!!!!

I have given up drinking hot drinks when out and about. They are soooo expensive and I am so fed up with paying £2 for a crap coffee when I have a lovely machine at home.

I am also really thinking about the stuff I buy. Will only buy the kids clothes when they really need them etc, not just because the top is 'cute'.

Some good ideas, great

Have also decided to do online shopping again, to use a list and STICK to it. Will downgrade from some brand-names to the Basics or whatever

I get budget meals at work (£1 for a cooked (tasty) meal) but Dp is going to have to get on the case with sarnie making. No more Builder Breakfasts...

Am going to aim for 3 meat-free days a week (but will have to substitute with fish for dp as he has to have flesh with a meal)

Search on line for car/home ins etc.Martin Lewis website is a good start. Do this at the end of the month - companies chase targets. We saved nearly £400 on car insurance (we have 2 cars - both need them for work). Also check your direct debits - see if you can cancel and to reduce your monthly outgoings. 2x crappy magazine subscriptions = £50.

I object to having no pleasures. I buy wine.

There are loads of free days out to go on daysoutwiththekids.co.uk Take a picnic and TAKE DRINKS.

Dont use tesco vouchers in store, use clubcard deals - Full day at Flamingo Land on Sunday 10am-6.30pm ate loads, drank loads (picnic), didn't spend a penny!

Bugger.

Try this www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/

Thanks Medowflowers

One DirectDebit cancelled this morning. Saving me £5.50 a month

Substituting with fish is not going to be that cheap though is it? We don't actually have that many meat free meals but sometimes you can just use a little meat and bulk it out. Eg on Sunday we had pitta pizzas and I used 2 rashers of bacon between the 4 of us on them. Also I can make 1lb of mince last the 4 of us for 3 meals by cooking something like chilli or shepherd's pie and bulking it out with red lentils, beans or whatever.

Substituting with fish will be cheaper than meat if you use frozen coley fillets

We swopped bank accounts - we went to first direct and they give you £100. They move all your direct cebits. Fantastic. If you dont like them, you can go else where and they will give you another £100. I think you need to keep the account for 12 months though.

I tried spending less on the weekly shop, but I was pissed off at eating like a pauper and DH's comments began with ffs etc. We decided a couple of quid we coud manage extra on the shop and tried to look at saviings else where - car ins etc.

We need to look at utilities next.

You would have to do weeks of huge savings on the food shop to make any real difference. I have cut back, but like I seeem to be twittering on about, its often the other stuff that you forget about, that you can make the bigger savings on.

I will shut up now.

This is good.

"have a look here

Medowflower, you are a star

That's my evening sorted out once they're in bed

Oh God sorry bernard - get a glass of wine while you do it I bet you save loads. I have spent literally hours doing that stuff, I got our house insurance to about half as well. I think we have saved about £1000, if that's any intrest to you. I dont think we are any worse off than pre credit crunch. Just much more careful about where our money goes. Quality of life good. I dont have it in me to make chicken mince carcass last for 14 weeks .

No need to about the coley fillets. Sounds OK to me if it satisfies his "flesh" requirement.

We have 'meat-free' meals about 3-4 days a week, but if dh is in meat-eating mode, I can cook a pack of sausages and use one or two (in pasta or suchlike) and another couple the next night in sausage and mash and another couple next time in a bean-and-sausage dish .... I eat one meal with sausages to his 3. And cooked sausages/bacon/odd bits of meat can be frozen if you don't fancy sausages 3 nights running.Just make sure you heat it through properly when thawed.

Make your own birthday cards and wrapping paper. I buy a pack of A4 white card at WH Smith for around £1.49. Each piece makes two cards which the kids decorate and personalise for their friends birthdays etc. We often also buy plain brown wrapping paper and then they decorate it with felt tips, again personalising them. They look great and it saves a bundle.

I use dd1's 'artwork' (ahem) as cards etc to the relatives, you're right it does save money

I checked out that Martin Lewis website, some very handy tips on there

Am going to try and do a home and car insurance comparison when dp and I next have some time to sit down properly to do it

He is transferring credit card to interest-free deal thingy