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Feeling The Pinch?

Feeling The Pinch?

Old Mar 23rd 2011, 7:58 pm
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Default Feeling The Pinch?

With the ever escalating costs of petrol and food and utilities I wondered if any of you wonderful people have any money saving tips to share?

I thought I'd done a budget shop for 5 of us yesterday only for it to come to $200. Then I got home to find the big bag of dog food is nearly empty, which is about another $80. Then I added up come outstanding bills and they come to nearly $800.

I've started obsessively turning off lights, only run the washing machine maybe 3 times a week. Never use a tumble dryer. Stopped throwing out fruit that was a little past it's best and making crumbles instead. I pad out mince with grated carrot, courgette and/or pumpkin and sometimes add lentils.

Any tips greatly received.
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 8:31 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Take the alcohol off the shopping budget, that would leave around $195 for food next week
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 8:53 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Hi Am loolah.

This sight is supposed to be really good and gives money saving tips.

http://www.simplesavings.co.nz/
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 9:02 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Originally Posted by Psychopandy
Take the alcohol off the shopping budget, that would leave around $195 for food next week
Is that what you spend Even I don't spend that on me self-medication.

I'm thinking of brewing my own.
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 9:25 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

If there's one thing I have learned Loolah, is that saving money is a constant and long old process of chipping away bits here and there. Unfortunately, there's no magic that will instantly save you huge amounts of dollars in one go.

The place where most savings can be made, if you can put in the homework and legwork involved is around the grocery budget. I have managed to keep ours at the same amount over the past three years with constant reading of ideas to frugalise meals, use up deliberate 'leftovers', bulk buying of stuff on special, knowing the price of absolutely everything and knowing if something really is a bargain. Plan your meals, totally avoid any impulse buying and take a list of only the things you need and buy nothing else.

You won't see instant results and you have to always think of alternatives to doing things cheaper: buy only the budget brands of basic things like sugar, flour and milk where it really doesn't matter. Make the most of the seasonal veggies, pumpkins at 99 cents presently makes a nice soup, or risotto. Make a seasonal fruit based dessert to fill up on: apples are cheap as at the moment, we've had apple something or another for the past several weeks.

Try the budget brands of things like, say tinned peaches or whatever things you normally have and see if you like them, see if the dog can downgrade to a cheaper brand of food.

Here's one blog I follow: http://frugalkiwi.co.nz/

You can be as extreme as you need to be; but savings are there to be made if you work at it. Properly switch off your TV, computers and stuff when they're not in use. Not leaving stuff on standby made a huge and almost instant difference to our bills. Boil a kettle for any hot water you need for cooking, e.g. boiling potatoes, pasta or veggies, heat the water in the kettle, it's faster and cheaper. Switch off your oven for the the last few minutes of cooking, put a lid on your saucepans and again switch of the heat for the last five minutes or more. Do these things everyday and you will notice the difference.
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 9:34 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Originally Posted by Am Loolah

I thought I'd done a budget shop for 5 of us yesterday only for it to come to $200. Then I got home to find the big bag of dog food is nearly empty, which is about another $80. Then I added up come outstanding bills and they come to nearly $800.
There does of course come a point when food budgeting is at a stale mate and you can't actually go any lower without compromising your health or your sanity. I think if you are spending $200 for five of you for a week that's pretty good going already.

But really you shouldn't ever be running out of something like dog food, because next time you see it on special you'll buy as many as you can afford and then keep an eye out for when it's on special next time and do the same again. This is where money leaks, because now you have to go to the shops again and will undoubtedly pay full whack for the unplanned dog food and buy something else whilst you are there.

Whatever you do, make it fun, rise to and enjoy the challenge rather than make it a chore.
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 10:57 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

For homework: every Monday New World update their specials, check them out online and make a note of any good offers on things that you buy regularly or anything going extra cheap that you can incorporate into next week's meal plan.

If you register you will get e-mailed a reminder each week with a link to the specials at your local store:

http://www.newworld.co.nz/find-a-store

Pak n Save $5 weeks are a godsend, look or listen out for them, I always stock up a good stash of stuff when these are on 3 to 4 times a year, usually on the shops Birthday / Anniversary as well.

I will think of more!

Last edited by Bo-Jangles; Mar 23rd 2011 at 11:01 pm.
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 11:03 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Originally Posted by Am Loolah
With the ever escalating costs of petrol and food and utilities I wondered if any of you wonderful people have any money saving tips to share?

I thought I'd done a budget shop for 5 of us yesterday only for it to come to $200. Then I got home to find the big bag of dog food is nearly empty, which is about another $80. Then I added up come outstanding bills and they come to nearly $800.

I've started obsessively turning off lights, only run the washing machine maybe 3 times a week. Never use a tumble dryer. Stopped throwing out fruit that was a little past it's best and making crumbles instead. I pad out mince with grated carrot, courgette and/or pumpkin and sometimes add lentils.

Any tips greatly received.
Blimey - your doing well already with all those tips - will try some of these with my bunch.

Reducing the amount you use the car is always one I notice - try to avoid using it for a week, we had a big 'ah-ha' moment a few weeks ago when we'd not used the big family bus for a week - suddenly there's a bill of $130's worth of fuel we didn't have to fork out for.

I've also cut down on the kids activities (or switch them for more economical one) - if you total these up over the course of a year they are frightening... also our local swimming club allows you to pay by direct debit for a slightly reduced amount - not a massive saving but certainly helps. Then there's the proper ballet school versus the local community centre that has "creative dancing" at a fraction of the price.

Dishwashers are bad too - I've now got my motley crew doing the dishes 'old fashioned style' each night after dinner.

Assuming you have time - Homebaking/making is a good way of saving too - we invested in a breadmaker and although the saving is more long term (we calculated about 6 months before you start making savings) - but one of the favorite dinner's now is homemade pizza bases with "leftovers" on top (really cheap). Home-made pasta and gnocchi too - dead cheap and filling. - I think sometimes you get caught up in the notion that you need to feed children fresh meat EVERY day - when infact they'll be just fine on fresh tom sauce with carbohydrate for a few nights a week.

Loving this thread, I shall be following with interest!
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 11:50 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Living the dream, hey?!

My top tip is washing powder. I still have a bit of guilt about this because in the UK I used eco-brands but I've found you can buy truly massive sacks of persil (front and top loader) from the warehouse very cheaply. If you wait, eventually they put it on special for about $10-15 a bag. Then I buy two and it lasts just under a YEAR! Even if you buy it at full price (about $20-22 iirc) it's still cheap.

Menu plan and shop to the menu. It's so boring but we decide what we're going to cook and eat and then make a list down to the number of carrots etc.
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Old Mar 23rd 2011, 11:53 pm
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

PS for all those newbies having a panic about the spiraling costs of fuel etc- take heart that winter 2008 we were paying $2.20/l in Hawkes Bay, we got through, it'll get easier again.
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Old Mar 24th 2011, 12:10 am
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Thought of another one- I bank online with ASB and they let me open as many online accounts myself for free as I like. I can't do anything with them other than transfer money in and out of them through my current account but the names of the accounts are "car", "Xmas", "rainy day", "school fees" etc, so you can see how I use them!

If it gets really bad withdraw your grocery budget in cash on pay day and commit yourself to that is all there is. Sharpens the focus to have it in a depleting pile of cash.

Also, I over pay the electric by dd on payday. Currently have a surplus of about $500 with them, which will allow us to plug in heaters etc over the winter without worrying. I like to hit August with about $600 surplus to stave off the depression of the WEEKS of grimness.
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Old Mar 24th 2011, 12:14 am
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Originally Posted by Am Loolah
With the ever escalating costs of petrol and food and utilities I wondered if any of you wonderful people have any money saving tips to share?

I thought I'd done a budget shop for 5 of us yesterday only for it to come to $200. Then I got home to find the big bag of dog food is nearly empty, which is about another $80. Then I added up come outstanding bills and they come to nearly $800.

I've started obsessively turning off lights, only run the washing machine maybe 3 times a week. Never use a tumble dryer. Stopped throwing out fruit that was a little past it's best and making crumbles instead. I pad out mince with grated carrot, courgette and/or pumpkin and sometimes add lentils.

Any tips greatly received.
Genesis Electricity. Night rates 11pm - 7am around 12cents a kwhr. We save a fortune using all our appliances during that time. Dog food...Kate was buying Eukanuba..10 bucks a kg. I bought a really good make of woolworths own 'select ' brand about 3 bucks a kg. Don't use conditioner in your w/mach, ruins the machine and what good does it really do to your clothes? Use quality wash powder SPARINGLY . Use less than half the manufacturers recommended amount of dish wash powder.
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Old Mar 24th 2011, 12:15 am
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Sounds like you're living like a kiwi
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Old Mar 24th 2011, 1:17 am
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

Originally Posted by Kiwilass
Sounds like you're living like a kiwi
No, no, scratcha describes how to save the cash like a REAL kiwi:

Cost of living seems to have skyrocketed but income has hardly increased. This is probably old news to everyone. By pretending to have assimilated, I've offset this somewhat by doing what the locals do (working 60 hours a week, 2nd job, paying tradesmen cash, terrible DIY jobs, bartering, maxing out credit card, maxing out other credit card, fortnightly trip to PAK N SAVE, homekills, disconnecting speedo on diesel, burning trash, driving with no rego for the odd month, drinking local home-brew and cheap alcohol although I draw the line at drinking HAAST or Ranfurly beer. I'm considering the other popular Kiwi income stream : claiming WINZ, or making a dodgy ACC claim whilst working on the side. Maybe I should just get into the burglary business as most of the rich farmers leave their places unlocked and to be honest, you'd have to murder someone twice to do gaol time here.
I love this post, it's one of my favourites on BE and I hope it makes it to nominations this year

Everytime I read it I can't resist laughing and by the time I get to the trash burning bit my eyes are watering, HAHAHA

Last edited by bourbon-biscuit; Mar 24th 2011 at 1:18 am. Reason: hehehe, it's got me chortling again .... off to disconnect the speedo
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Old Mar 24th 2011, 2:36 am
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Default Re: Feeling The Pinch?

I got a super deal on Grab one or something similar. $14 for $30 worth of beer at Major Toms. SOLD I will have 8 thats 3 nights out over the next 2 months for me and the missus
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