Battening down the hatches

Best laid plans etc This week I have had to buy birthday presents for 2 sisters in law, DH, SIL's mum and also hit Waitbury's and our local butcher for the wherewithal for a family lunch tomorrow. Oh and not forgetting a special cake for DH! Ah well, next week!

And me!

Marelli I thought it was about the weather too

I'm so glad I looked at this thread! When I read the title, I thought it was about the weather, so didn't read any of it! It's been so interesting to read other people's ideas and what works for them. I shop at Aldi, catching the bus there (bus pass!) then walking a little distance to the store. I don't buy more than I can carry in two calico bags which will go over my shoulder. Then I walk back over and either catch a bus back or, if I time it right, a train for which the fare is 50p! Odds and ends are bought at places like Home Bargains or Poundland, both of which are very good for branded items.
My clothes I buy from charity shops, mainly. I always seek out good labels and also buy clothes on ebay. I also sell my clothes on ebay!
We got rid of the car a year ago, and certainly haven't missed it - especially the expense of running it! I do use my credit card occasionally, but make myself pay it off by the end of the month. If it's something a bit big, where I can't pay it off in the month, then I arrange my outgoings so that amounts will be paid into the account every week until it is paid off. I do online banking, which is really useful, as it lets me check my finances on a daily basis and helps me keep on top of things.

A little brown sauce, but I love beetroot so I will give it a whirls next time I make corned beef hotpot.

Mmmm....corned beef hash with pickled red cabbage or beetroot. True comfort food

Piccalilli...!

Do you like it with brown sauce, or beetroot slices?

greatnan I love corned beef hot pot its a winter comfort food, and it used to be a cheap meal when the Dc were little.

We have a Netto (cheap) and an Intermarche (less cheap) on the same site. I shop first at Netto, especially for tinned stuff, then go on to the better shop for more choice in yoghurts, cheeses, and cooked meats.
I can get corned beef here now, which makes excellent hash (with my imported gravy granules!) Two meals for about £2.

I only started shopping in Aldi about 1 yr ago but I was astounded on how much my shopping bill has come down, if I go in there first and then go to the bigger supermarkets to finish my shopping I can make a huge saving.

We don't have an Aldi but I find Wilkinsons really cheap for all household stuff and dog food. I buy their paint as well when decorating. Just as good as Dulux and Crown and much cheaper.

I always buy cleaning materials, bin liners and detergents in Aldi, saves a fortune, I don't see the point in pouring money down the toilet. Their loo rolls are good too.

When I was made redundant it took 3 months for the redundancy money to come through. I had my last month's salary in the bank and an income of nearly £50 a week from job seekers allowance. I determined to live on that amount only without touching savings and managed perfectly well, in the end for 6 months, until I found another job. By that time I had depleted the once overstocked freezer and larder and nearly used up my store of cleaning stuff. I quiet enjoyed the challenge for six months but the pleasure was wearing thin by the time I was working again. Still we had no additional debt and the redundancy money went straight into savings.

As to clothes, when the 'must have something new' lust takes over I take myself to the nearby town which has 6 Thrift Shops, with only £20 in my purse. Usually come home with a whole new outfit or at least a couple of items which will spice up my existing wardrobe, new or nearly new and brands that I could not normally afford.

merlot that made me chuckle

merlot 'decked the bloke'

A friend of mine nearly decked the bloke when he wrote a negative comment on her precious certificate. She had two broken tiles in the hearth! DH can't stand the man so I'm going to have to arrange a day when he's out fishing. Why does everything have to be so complicated these days?

Very true merlot.
And you will need a signed thingy every time from now on. ( Yearly? )
It is a pain, but at least you will have covered yourselves.

We need to get our chimney swept professionally (we usually do it ourselves) because we need a new register plate before fitting a new woodburner. If you don't have a signed certificate from a 'chimney operative' (not very Mary Poppins), the insurance company won't pay out if the house burns down. We are trying to get a quote under £60 - for a chimney in a bungalow!

this all sounds so familiar - I usually keep a close eye on my bank balance (thank goodness for online banking) but had to move £400 out of my savings account (next to no interest on that) to pay for a measly 650 litres of heating oil (already spent £100 on some seasoned logs for the woodburner) so feeling quite skint at the moment.
I have started decluttering via e-bay - what some people will buy beggars belief
I have disciplined my shopping by sticking to a food shop list
I bin the glossy catalogues that keep appearing
I am trying to resist the discount special offers on things I don't need
I try and use all the money off offers and vouchers sensibly for something I need.

do I occasionally weaken and treat myself - of course I do and enjoy the feeling

the lurcher dog does not suffer from these privations except for a few fewer treats to compensate for vets bills.

For the last few weeks I've been getting a £6 off a £40 shop at Sainsbury's voucher at their till. I've been taking full advantage of these, as their competitor's might say "every little helps". However, if I don't get another voucher tomorrow I'll be back to Waitrose! Discounts are everywhere these days which is good news for the consumer so I tend to follow the best offers around as long as they don't take me too far off the beaten track. I also got some vouchers through from Tescos £10 off a £30 shop, which is strange because I don't have their club card, I used them anyway and made some pretence at the till about looking for the damn card, but I got the discount anyway as I had adequate proof of identification.

Swop with friends and family. This week I swopped a dish full of home grown cherry tomatoes with my daughter for home made rock cakes made with fresh eggs from her hens. I swop my copy of the Daily Mail with my sister for her copy of the local Echo every week day. I swop magazines ( bought on subscription so cheaper) with a friend.

anno I picked a couple of shrubs up from the pound shop earlier in the year, I did not think for one minute they would come to much but they are coming on lovely. Well worth £1

That's true, bakergran: a bargain is only a bargain if you need it.

Catalogues I have just put in the recycling bin: Landsend, Hotter, Cotton Traders, La Redoute and a bulb catalogue that I've never used but they keep it coming anyway. I find the local pound shop is excellent for bulbs - much cheaper than the garden centres, as long as you don't want something exotic.

Never ever buy anything just because it's cheap. All those "get an extra chocolate bar for 99p" things are such a trick. Buy what you need, and be strict. Good luck!