Help need your money saving tips to help survive - you guessed it - the credit crunch (and can anyone think of another name for the credit crunch while we're at it?)

[JustineMumsnet]

All tips/ ideas very welcome folks - the Sunday Times interested...

move to the middle of nowhere.

no costas, takeaways, restaurants or shops to drop a few quid.

the only shop near here is a Premier attached to the petrol garage, and the publications they usually have on offer are motoring or farming mags and the Scottish Sun.

if you fancy a bevvie, i hope you like lager in a can, FuckBuckfast or cheap whisky .

needless to say, it's easy to keep your money in your pocket.

Expat, I just came on to say ditch the fabric softner! You just don't need it do you?!

I also get my SIL to cut my hair - £40 every 6 weeks saved

Before you buy ANYTHING ask yourself "Do I really need this?" You almost certainly don't.

Even children's birthdays can be done cheaply with some imagination: one year we gave ds homemade cards, which dh had designed to look like Yu Gi Oh cards, and they allowed ds to produce a card to get things like 'an instant bar of chocolate' or 'get out of making your packed lunch' or 'an hour of Playstation' or 'mumsnet banished' - which meant when he produced it I had to get off mumsnet IMMEDIATELY and do something ds wanted me to do. Went down really well as it gave him control over all sorts of nice treats.

His party was a treasure hunt and we made up the clues, designed the map, hid clues all over town and buried chocolate coins at the end of it. After hot dogs and cake they went home and I reckon the whole thing cost about £20, including food, for about 15 boys.

For me it's online grocery shopping. I spend a fortune if we actually have to go into a shop - yes even Aldi or Lidl.
I also bought a few fleecy blankets in primark and have been using them the past few nights to sit under and watch TV, use a hot water bottle if it's really cold
Switch lights off - my Dses are terrible for having every light in the house on at times. I walk back form work- if my health allows it - 2 days a week.
Unfortunately DH needs to take the car for work every day, so we use a lot of petrol

Accept that exchanging christmas presents with other adults is a waste of money and usually results in unwanted goods stored in the attic. Agree with all family/friends that to buy presents for the under 18s only (and set a price limit).

Stop freecycling and sell your stuff on Ebay.

Never buy online without finding a discount code first.

Threaten to leave your mobile phone provider until they offer a better deal.

Buy kids clothes that are a size too big.

Go on a diet.

We have saved loads of money by getting the milk delivered in the mornings- just think of the countless times you nip out for a pint of milk and find yourself returning with £20-£30 worth of stuff you don't really need.

Plus we don't run out of milk anymore!

stop expensive afterschool clubs and do your own thing with the dcs mates
so instead of forking out a fiver a week on footie club get the dh's to take it in turns taking the kids to the park for footie practice

what do u use instead of fabric softner then?

Forget about a sat nav - use a map.

Ditch all delusions about the 'dream home'. As long as it works reasonably well, don't replace it.

Meat should be expensive. Eat vegetables and pulses.

Instead of shopping being your number one past-time, try walking in some of the deserted woods/beaches/hills right next to you.

Number one tip - buy nothing until you have saved the cash.

ok, no tips from me, so here are a few rebranding suggestions, as i too am bored of Credit Crunch...

the Save Wave
the Brassic Age
the No-Dime Time
the Dearer Era

the Dearer Era

Also cut down on the number of nights per week you eat meat- we only have meat meals two or three nights per week and it does save loads of money.

Second all those who say meal plan, too.

Buy Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, presents etc. in the January sales- we never buy crackers and suchlike full price.

I buy generic presents and cards whenever I see them on sale, and I no longer have to rush out and spend £10 on a present for a child's party. Given that there is a party every other weekend when they are little it really saves a lot of money. I saw Barbie dolls for 99p in Sainsbury's the other day and bought three of them as I know they will come in handy for birthday parties.
I have a big present box which I keep all these things in under our bed.

And for petrol- don't fill your tank up fully unless going on a long journey- I never put more than £20 worth in at a time and although I have to fill up more often it serves to save money in two ways- firstly I am more economical with journeys if I know I have not got a full tank, and also if you have a full tank the weight of the fuel actually decreases fuel economy.

We have a nice fleece blanket tucked down by the sofa- if you get cold while watching TV it's easier to pop that on instead of turning heating on.

Also, I believe it is cheaper to have the heating on all the time on a low level than to keep reheating it from cold, say twice a day. But that might only work if you have a combi boiler.

Clean your own oven.

Do your own ironing.

you don't need fabric softener at all.

if you do feel the need for it, put a scoop full (use the scoop from your washing powder) of white vinegar and add a few drops of whatever essential oil you like and put it in fabric softener drawer.

my other tip is hot drinks - instead of turning up the heat. doesn't have to be caffeinated beverages. sipping hot herbal tea warms you up and tops up your fluid intake.

keep non-perishable snacks and juice boxes/pouches in a hard-shelled container in your car instead of nipping into a shop when the kids nag you for snacks or you fancy a quick sugar rush.

i never meal plan, but always keep the cupboards stocked with things to spin a quick, nutritious meal or snack.

about to go and make myself a Nutella toastie before The Restaurant starts.

picnics! leave a plastic box packed with the essentials in your boot or near the door during the summer.

let the kids make their sandwich or filled roll.

Shop for fruit, veg, meat at a market - not the farmers sort, but traditional ones. Often loads cheaper, and you can negotiate.

Buy seasonal veg and freeze it

Bulk cook and freeze - especially things like pulses which take a long time to cook

Avoid needing to buy fast food by freezing little portions of pasta sauce, rice, curry. If you freeze in plastic ziploc bags, you can make them as flat as possible so that they reheat really fast.

Buy childrens books, toys at car boot sales, charity shops, or NCT sales. Nearly new stuff goes for pennies

Do clothes swaps with your friends to exchange stuff you are bored with/don't fit into.

Have a girls night in and exchange manicures, hair colouring, even leg waxing if your're brave !

Join the National Trust (about £70 for a couple, under 5s I think are free) and instead of expensive days at theme parks, go to country houses/parks/coastal paths - take own sandwiches. Most country houses have large parks and gardens where DCs can run around, and the grounds are mostly open in winter even when the houses are shut. We were given NT membership for Christmas last year and when we don't know what to do, we look in the NT book, make some sarnies and a flask of soup and head off.

(I'm going to get flamed by the "But We Took You to Stately Homes" crowd aren't I?)

Another name for the Credit crunch...why don't we call it a loofah?

Ooh expat- nutella toastie! Yum.

i call it by its rightful name myself: recession that just hasn't been announced yet.

i've planted bulbs in a windowsill already.

hopefully they'll bloom in time for Xmas. i got them off Freecycle and plan to put them in pretty vases from IKEA (for about £1.70) and tie them with a pretty tartan ribbon and give as small gifts to neighbours and DD1's carers.

damn, we have no sliced bread, only rolls.

Have thought of another tip though- I make a load of sandwiches and freeze them, then we have no excuse for not taking packed lunches to work.

it's on, Johnny. almost time for 'the restaurant'.

my other tip is to stop buying squashes, flavoured waters and fizzy juice (if you ever did). many are full of nasty artificial sweetners and chemicals as well as being expensive.

tesco sells syrups for about £2 a tin that go a lot further, or try watered down fruit teas and/or slices of citrus in tap water instead.