Bet you are a laugh on a night out haha..... i do get what you are saying though but think you have to have some sort of enjoyment.
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I set dates that in allowed to make a “pleasure purchase” - so if I want new clothes/makeup etct isn’t a necessity I only allow myself to purchase 1 thing at pay day and then at the month half way point - and I review my bank account at the time to check I can afford. This means that I can’t just go around getting carried away with pleasure purchases without restraint.
I also don’t buy new beauty products that are needed until I have run out of something. So I won’t buy another hair mask until I’ve used all my current one for example.
I also make meal plans and do a big shop every fortnight and then pick up bits of fresh fruit and veg as needed in between.
I also don’t buy new beauty products that are needed until I have run out of something. So I won’t buy another hair mask until I’ve used all my current one for example.
I also make meal plans and do a big shop every fortnight and then pick up bits of fresh fruit and veg as needed in between.
That is why I said make sure you budget to have fun still. I give myself a set amount each month. That is plenty for me to do what I like and want to do. I don't ever deny myself anything really.
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Find out when your local supermarket does the final yellow stickers. It’s a game changer and a life saver. Money is very very tight for me and has been for a while and tbh before this i never even thought about reduced foods just used to buy everything full price.
I hate being one of the “regulars” but I’m respectful of staff and not a pusher or a shover I promise
some of the regulars are a bloody nightmare though! It makes me cringe
It has honestly helped us get by the past 6 months and at least the food is not just being thrown out.
if you have a Morrison near you their reductions are incredible. My local tends to do their final reductions about 6.30-7pm and I pop round 2-3 times a week and manage to get a good variety of stuff to last us. When I say cheap I mean cheap. Their bakery items go to like 10-20p. Fruit is always less than 30p and ready meals and meat generally between 50-70p.
also apps like Shopmium and checkoutsmart are good. You do have to buy the initial product but all you have to do is scan your receipt in and they pay you back the money in a day or so.
when I (rarely) buy clothes I only shop in the charity shops now. My local YMCA is awesome and nothing is over £3
I hate being one of the “regulars” but I’m respectful of staff and not a pusher or a shover I promise
some of the regulars are a bloody nightmare though! It makes me cringe
It has honestly helped us get by the past 6 months and at least the food is not just being thrown out.
if you have a Morrison near you their reductions are incredible. My local tends to do their final reductions about 6.30-7pm and I pop round 2-3 times a week and manage to get a good variety of stuff to last us. When I say cheap I mean cheap. Their bakery items go to like 10-20p. Fruit is always less than 30p and ready meals and meat generally between 50-70p.
also apps like Shopmium and checkoutsmart are good. You do have to buy the initial product but all you have to do is scan your receipt in and they pay you back the money in a day or so.
when I (rarely) buy clothes I only shop in the charity shops now. My local YMCA is awesome and nothing is over £3
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My dad is a yellow sticker fiend! Always dropping us off pastry's and fruits and bits and Bobs that were 10p eachFind out when your local supermarket does the final yellow stickers. It’s a game changer and a life saver. Money is very very tight for me and has been for a while and tbh before this i never even thought about reduced foods just used to buy everything full price.
I hate being one of the “regulars” but I’m respectful of staff and not a pusher or a shover I promise
some of the regulars are a bloody nightmare though! It makes me cringe
It has honestly helped us get by the past 6 months and at least the food is not just being thrown out.
if you have a Morrison near you their reductions are incredible. My local tends to do their final reductions about 6.30-7pm and I pop round 2-3 times a week and manage to get a good variety of stuff to last us. When I say cheap I mean cheap. Their bakery items go to like 10-20p. Fruit is always less than 30p and ready meals and meat generally between 50-70p.
also apps like Shopmium and checkoutsmart are good. You do have to buy the initial product but all you have to do is scan your receipt in and they pay you back the money in a day or so.
when I (rarely) buy clothes I only shop in the charity shops now. My local YMCA is awesome and nothing is over £3
still mega tasty!! I'm going to start going to my local Asda and do some yellow sticker shopping as I think it will save me a fortuneWe do grow a lot of food on our allotment such as spinach, lettuce, rhubarb etc
I use topcash back for most online purchases although I am trying to limit myself nowadays
I purchase all of our soaps from https://www.naturalsoapoffcuts.co.uk/ (not sure the link is allowed?) As I use shampoo bars for my hair nowadays and we use hand soap as we are also trying to be zero waste- each 1.4kg box is under £8 (whereas I was paying about £7 A BAR!)
Little things like I turn all plugs off when not in use, charge my phone up fully and use the battery saver settings to make it last longer, walk where I can instead of taking the car or public transport, putting on an extra layer instead of turning the heating on where possible,
We used reusable nappies for the majority of babe wearing nappies
I do the washing with soap nuts and I'm still on the first big bag I purchased which was well over a year ago now (the bag was £10 ISH from bodykind where I also accumulate points for spending when I buy eco products)
We take picnics rather than eating out although will treat ourselves to an ice cream etc
I make a lot of my own beauty products where possible - body scrubs from sugar mixed with coconut oil, face masks made from bananas etc (haha I sound crackers)
Facebook marketplace can often have quite good bargains and I've found people tend to leave some amazing stuff outside thier houses they no longer want ( I live near a city so may be why) for example I've got a beautiful wooden patio set (a round table and 4 chairs) I have sanded down and just need a lick of paint - they look new and I could leave them as they are but I have a colourful garden
we also got a lot of things for little one such as a ride on bike, scooter, lots of little cars etc ... People chuck away some brilliant stuff!!I can't think of any more right now
I think you’d like an insta account called Simply Living Well - she has loads of recipes and ideas for slow/sustainable living and making her own cleaning and beauty products! Plus her photos are beautifulMy dad is a yellow sticker fiend! Always dropping us off pastry's and fruits and bits and Bobs that were 10p each
We do grow a lot of food on our allotment such as spinach, lettuce, rhubarb etc
I use topcash back for most online purchases although I am trying to limit myself nowadays
I purchase all of our soaps from https://www.naturalsoapoffcuts.co.uk/ (not sure the link is allowed?) As I use shampoo bars for my hair nowadays and we use hand soap as we are also trying to be zero waste- each 1.4kg box is under £8 (whereas I was paying about £7 A BAR!)
Little things like I turn all plugs off when not in use, charge my phone up fully and use the battery saver settings to make it last longer, walk where I can instead of taking the car or public transport, putting on an extra layer instead of turning the heating on where possible,
We used reusable nappies for the majority of babe wearing nappies
I do the washing with soap nuts and I'm still on the first big bag I purchased which was well over a year ago now (the bag was £10 ISH from bodykind where I also accumulate points for spending when I buy eco products)
We take picnics rather than eating out although will treat ourselves to an ice cream etc
I make a lot of my own beauty products where possible - body scrubs from sugar mixed with coconut oil, face masks made from bananas etc (haha I sound crackers)
Facebook marketplace can often have quite good bargains and I've found people tend to leave some amazing stuff outside thier houses they no longer want ( I live near a city so may be why) for example I've got a beautiful wooden patio set (a round table and 4 chairs) I have sanded down and just need a lick of paint - they look new and I could leave them as they are but I have a colourful garden
I can't think of any more right now
We do one big shop at lidl a month.
Freeze everything in the reduced section - of you catch it right you can get things for 90p!
top up at coop - they also do some amazing deals in their reduced section - so always grab and pop in the freezer.
I also shop in charity shops, I always get comments on my clothes at work and everyone ways remarks how good I am at finding things. Primark (and I know their ethical issues - but you buy what you can afford) sale items go for £2/3 and it’s often last season so no one
I have a holiday fund - so money goes out on the first each month into an account I can’t touch for a year.It means I know I have a good chunk of money coming each April - it’s money I assume I don’t have and budget my life around having £200 less each month.
then £50 every Friday into “fun/house (plants haha) /bits and bobs” - on a direct debit.
We move the same amount of money into the joint account to pay for bills/days out/food shop/ fun together - and any major house purchases.
we live to our means, we don’t really do presents - Christmas we usually are on holiday - (hence the holiday fund) and we enjoy our time together at home - we’re very happy in each other’s company.
you don’t have to be restrictive - just think if you really need that purchase, make money go out each month and live knowing that’s how much less you have!
So if you earn £1500 - save £300 and live like you earn £1200. (Or whatever you can physically save) That way you don’t dip into your savings and you’re more likely to keep them and they’ll soon add up
Freeze everything in the reduced section - of you catch it right you can get things for 90p!
top up at coop - they also do some amazing deals in their reduced section - so always grab and pop in the freezer.
I also shop in charity shops, I always get comments on my clothes at work and everyone ways remarks how good I am at finding things. Primark (and I know their ethical issues - but you buy what you can afford) sale items go for £2/3 and it’s often last season so no one
I have a holiday fund - so money goes out on the first each month into an account I can’t touch for a year.It means I know I have a good chunk of money coming each April - it’s money I assume I don’t have and budget my life around having £200 less each month.
then £50 every Friday into “fun/house (plants haha) /bits and bobs” - on a direct debit.
We move the same amount of money into the joint account to pay for bills/days out/food shop/ fun together - and any major house purchases.
we live to our means, we don’t really do presents - Christmas we usually are on holiday - (hence the holiday fund) and we enjoy our time together at home - we’re very happy in each other’s company.
you don’t have to be restrictive - just think if you really need that purchase, make money go out each month and live knowing that’s how much less you have!
So if you earn £1500 - save £300 and live like you earn £1200. (Or whatever you can physically save) That way you don’t dip into your savings and you’re more likely to keep them and they’ll soon add up
Martin Lewis said renew your car insurance 23 days before your renewal date.
I have just done that and it is 40% cheaper than last year!
I did it via gocompare and Quidco, so I will also get £35 cash back...
I have just done that and it is 40% cheaper than last year!
I did it via gocompare and Quidco, so I will also get £35 cash back...
Reduced food in the supermarket or local shops is a great way to save money! Sometimes we've got amazing bargains. You can often learn when the best times to go is, or even ask the staff. I got great quality beef burgers.
Online shopping for "big shops" is a good way to make sure you only buy what you need - plan your meals out and look in your freezer/cupboards, use what you already have.
Quidco for when you are buying anything! But especially when doing stuff like changing your internet or insurance providers.
Online shopping for "big shops" is a good way to make sure you only buy what you need - plan your meals out and look in your freezer/cupboards, use what you already have.
Quidco for when you are buying anything! But especially when doing stuff like changing your internet or insurance providers.
I posted this without finishing ah cringe. Haha meant to say I got "burgers for 20p!" the other week and we BBQed them.
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In terms of food shopping for a family what do people find is the cheapest main supermarket or do people find that buying in bulk is cheaper? Really need to tighten our belts as husband is changing jobs and I’m going to university in September and we spend so much money on food.
thanks in advance
thanks in advance
Personally I think Aldi is the cheapest but I still need to go to Tesco (purely because that's the closest supermarket to me) for the few bits that I can't get in Aldi.
You mention food, but are you spending a lot on toiletries? I buy whatever bits I can in Aldi, and then just buy whatever stuff is on offer in Tesco if I have too.
Poundland, B&M etc are definitely the best value for toiletries and household cleaning products.
I have a big Asian supermarket not too far from me and stock up there too. Miles cheaper than buying the branded stuff in Tesco.
The only problem I've ever found with meat, fish etc in Aldi is that it tends to be short dated, but I just freeze it and it's fine.
Fruit and veg doesn't last too long, but that might be a good thing. A friend of mine is a supermarket manager for one of 'the big four' and he said the reason that Aldi f&v doesn't last as long is because it's not treated with as many pesticides and chemicals.
Definitely see if your bank account offers 'save the change'. Made a big difference for me and I don't really notice it's gone.
Car insurance quotes go up closer to renewal, they know you have to sort a policy out .
Me too! I have made everyone put a diary note in to do this
When we have a project planned for the house we do majority of our food shopping at Aldi. It does save a lot of money. We’re a family of 4, 5 including my dog 
. We don’t really budget as such because life is very short and we work hard. but if we do want to do something big like we’ve just Almost completed our loft conversion. Lock down helped because we weren’t taking the children out or going out our selfs but we just did majority of our shopping at aldi. I also use the cash back online that’s a really good one actually. Prices are rising for just about everything these days and I know life can be extremely difficult for families.
. We don’t really budget as such because life is very short and we work hard. but if we do want to do something big like we’ve just Almost completed our loft conversion. Lock down helped because we weren’t taking the children out or going out our selfs but we just did majority of our shopping at aldi. I also use the cash back online that’s a really good one actually. Prices are rising for just about everything these days and I know life can be extremely difficult for families.
Make a shopping list. Saves us a lot of money and you don't forget anything.