Your best frugal tips needed!!

Thrifty tips, ideas, news & experiences on anything around the home to shopping to re-cycling etc.
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boosmummy
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Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by boosmummy »

Mr husband lost his job yesterday :( Ive had to cut my hours down at work from two days to one because of staffing costs and just general illness. So i need your best tips for the next few months! x
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lancashire lass
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by lancashire lass »

{hug} that must be a worry for you. Hopefully your OH will be able to find another job soon.

Losing income needs a complete re-think of finances rather than just frugalness. When I lost my (average earnings) job a few years ago and took on a much lower paid job, I had to change the way I shopped - no more wandering round the stores picking up what I fancied, but went in with a shopping list of essentials only, with a small treat once a week (classed as essential).

Luckily we are moving into summer so no need for winter heating - if it gets a bit chilly, then extra layers suffice. Don't forget those little things - remembering to switch lights off, turning appliances off at the wall (not on standby) - they all add up.

Hope things turn out around for the better soon {hug&kiss}
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LittleBrownFrog
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by LittleBrownFrog »

{hug} Hope there's light at the end of the tunnel for you soon x
I would start with your direct debits list and go through and delete absolutely everything that's a non-essential.
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Linda S
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by Linda S »

Sorry to hear your bad news Debs and i hope another job isnt long in coming your hubbys way {hug} {hug}
There are some great tips on different posts on here i hope they will help you out.
Take care love and thinking of you all {hug} Lindaxx
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Spreckly
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by Spreckly »

Worrying time for you, hope your husband soon finds work.
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HappyBob
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by HappyBob »

Sorry to hear of your husbands news, its suprising on what little you can live on when your backs are against the wall. Good advice from LittleBrownFrog if you dont need it cancel it or get rid of it. Good luck with the future Boosmummy...
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bmpsands
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by bmpsands »

Well, I'm sorry about this change in your lives. If my limited experience of Laners is anything to go by you'll get loads of excellent advice in the coming days. There are a few of us facing sudden dramatic loss of income (me included) and so your thread will benefit loads of other people.

My next job is to go through the DDs, as recommended, which means that regular donations to most of my favourite charities will have to be cancelled. Charity begins at home, my granddad used to say, and until things look up it's money we can't afford to spend.

One of the keys to watching the pennies appears to be planning. Meal planning, shopping trips, car journeys to make one trip do many things . . .

I like the idea of a "treat" every week with the shopping. It seems to me as though this is a way of keeping a positive attitude.

Hope you have some good news soon.
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perchy
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by perchy »

I am also in the same boat at present, having some time to think about the home etc and how we run it, not working at present has given me to time to think, goodness use to call on way home from work for something nice to have for supper etc, not anymore, meal planning is a must, look for seasonal goods, go with what is on a reasonable offer etc, not keen on bogof's, wash on a cooler more economy wash, hang washing out. Check charity shops and freegle etc if you need something, lots of sale and swap in all areas, do you really need it? I tend to think will it help my situation or sit in a cupboard? car boots are great, get a hobby and challenge yourself to do it on the cheap, most of all try not to get too stressed, that won't help your health, and hope hubby soon finds a job )t'

Lots of recipes on line for economy etc
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mrs boodles
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by mrs boodles »

Boosmummy, sending you a mega hug. {hug}

Think menu planning a good idea and stock take of cupboards and freezers to see what you have and can use. Buy own brand stuff, usually just as good as branded. Have a few non meat meals a week.

I do hope things take a turn for the better for you soon, and sure you will get lots of advice and tips on the forum.
Steve valentine
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by Steve valentine »

Start looking at supermarket home brands. We save at least a million quid a week +pinn+

Biscuits 45p for a large packet instead of nearly a quid. Sainsberrys choccy digestives - 50p

Have you seen the price of breakfast cereals? Home brands are just as good for a lot less.

We don't drink alcohol in our house, we have cordial with sparkling water, cordial is around 80p a litre, sparkling water just 17p for 2 litres, a large bottle of fanta was £2.30 last time I looked. Own brand sausages, 56p.

4 'cornetto' home brands are 75p for 4. You can still have treats if you shop savvy and avoid named brands.

Mobile phone bills we cut last year by going with virgin, 30 day rolling contract, £13.99 a month.

As said, turn off everything electrical if it isn't in use. Drop your tv package down, there's so many things you can do without if necessary.

Good luck, I'm currently on (very) short hours due to my failing health so frugality is high on my priorities.
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Mo
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by Mo »

Steve valentine wrote: 4 'cornetto' home brands are 75p for 4. You can still have treats if you shop savvy and avoid named brands.



When I was a child treats were just that - things you had occassionally. (Some things only at Christmas or parties) Our staple diet was cheap. Pasties were made from the cheap cuts (hand and spring of bacon). You can fill a shopping bag with fruit and veg for what a small joint of meat costs. A loaf is cheaper than rolls. I think you already bake cakes yourself.

Some 'named brands' are worth having, some are not. It's worth testing the cheaper option to see if you can tell the difference. E.g. there are 3 prices for flour. The 'value' is OK for scones but not for pastry (unless it's improved since I tried last). The own brand medium price is OK for everything. The named brands are too dear.
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Meanqueen
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by Meanqueen »

When you are used to a certain standard of living it's hard to cut back. You automatically think of any changes as making sacrifices, or missing out, then you start to feel sorry for yourself and eventually think oh stuff it, I'm going to buy it anyway, whether I have the money or not. A bit like binge eating if you are trying to lose weight. Eventually after a while of cutting back, I began to see having not much money as a freedom from pressure, sounds daft but the less money I had was less to worry about. It certainly makes food shopping much easier, there are whole aisles that I don't go down now.

Go through everything you buy and make a list, what you need and what you want. You will soon see that a lot of what you buy isn't absolutely necessary. My tip is to never buy food out, always make it at home and take it with you. No snacking, no cardboard cups of coffee, no takeaways, no pizza's. Make a pack up. Also consider getting rid of Sky, if you have it. Freeview is free. Another tip, don't take plastic out with you, remove temptation and take cash, just enough for what you need.

Good luck on your journey.
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Stef
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by Stef »

There is just one spend I would recommend - freezer tray thingies. Get them in bulk on Amzn.

Now, once you have got over the price of them - cheap, honest - when you buy your cheap meat, bulk fruit and veg, bulk cook and freeze back.

We have been doing that since Feb (OH is not working) and have saved a lot of money. He has a thing about buying huge pieces of meat and then making 4 or 5 dishes out of it. That means that there are usually 20+ various beef/lamb/pork/chicken meals in the freezer at all times. Usually just meat in sauce so he can add topping etc as he decides at the time.

I do the veggies, bulk bought, blanched and frozen back. I do 1 or 2 different veg each month. By the time we have used something up it is back to the top of the list.

I got a big box of nasty tomatoes last week, all split and lumpy shapes. Bloke was trying to explain they would be good for sauces. I stood and listened as he tried his hardest to persuade a group of young mums. I finished shopping an hour later and, as I passed, I asked him how he had done with them. He sold them to me for a quid. I spent two hours with my big stock pot making a plain, rough passata. It will be the base for all sorts of sauces for the next few months. I froze it back in sandwich bags (also bought in bulk).

I doesn't take long to do once you have the hang of it - an afternoon or 2 per month.

Then again we do have 2 freezers, 1 for meals, 1 for ingredients (or 1 per person :-D ) as we filled the first one up very, very quickly.
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by Homemade »

Good luck from another low income family.
Lists are definitely the key to working on a low budget.
And working together as a team. Don't feel guilty or let OH feel guilty about bringing in little. It is an opportunity to be with the kids for a while.
It is also a chance to learn new skills - I learnt about household repairs, decoration, baking and crafts by being unable to pay others to do the work for me!
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silverback
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Re: Your best frugal tips needed!!

Post by silverback »

Can't add to what's already been said, prioritise everything, hope all gets sorted soon..
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