Re: Budgeting........
 

Alcohol and fags sure add up, my sister smokes like a chimney and tries to budget but always buys her fags. - How much are they now for a packet of 20? Must be about 5 pounds now, if you go through 20 fags a day, my god that is a lot of money.:eek:

Re: Budgeting........
 

Buy bulk beef, lamb and chicken
Buy vegetables at the market
When something is really on sale (half-price), buy shitloads of it - toiletpaper, kitchen paper, tinned food, toothpaste, shower gel, soft-drink etc (deodorant was on sale at less than half-price - bought 100 tins and now have enough for 4 years!)
Only buy stuff when it is on sale - if it's not, don't buy
Make your own bread, ice cream, butter, jam, yoghurt etc
Buy wine online, by the case
Only buy spirits in duty-free
Use boozle.com to find the cheapest beer in your area
Use fuelwatch to find the cheapest fuel in your area
Buy a diesel car
Install LED lighting - 12% of the power of incandescent
Install a heat-pump or solar hot water system
Install more insulation
Install a solar power system
Download movies and TV shows and do away with Foxtel and renting DVDs
Go for a VOIP only telephone system and do away with your landline
Buy stuff on Amazon, bookdepository, eBay, M&S
Take cheap holidays to Asia (Air Asia, Tiger) - shop there
Get a credit card with no annual fee
If you need to buy locally, bargain till you are blue in the face
Use price comparison websites
Shop around for mortgages, loans, insurance, credit cards
Get a cinema discount card
Buy the Entertainment Book every year and use it to the max
Use Groupon, LivingSocial, Scoopon etc
Get a higher paying job
Get a job that pays a bonus

Re: Budgeting........
 

[QUOTE=jad n rich;10007488]Not going to quibble over the chicken required but my wife always puts it in with anamount of stew in soups and casseroles....as a default...no need to add 1 kg breasts...

It just adds to the mix it does not even have to be a core component...

Re: Budgeting........
 

Agree with all of that..... Bit worried about your deodorant though.... I reckon the fizz will go out of it in 4 years. Be sure to let us know :p

Re: Budgeting........
 

One and half years in and they are still going strong! I bought 50 bottles of shower gel at the same time and still have plenty left.

Re: Budgeting........
 

We know when the local supermarket marks down its bread, meat, milk. Luckily being only 1klm away, someone is always going past.

Have not paid more than half price for bread for probably 2 years, its all baked there too, fresh, marked down same time every day.

Meat, when they do a big markdown we buy maybe 10 meals and freeze it. Between 30 and 60% off.

Another supermarket , marks down its dairy early morning, just as I pick up the mail:lol: 2l of milk usually $1.20. No probs with the dates, teens skull it before anything expires.

Re: Budgeting........
 

Must have got a few odd looks at the checkout that day :D

Re: Budgeting........
 

I do the bulk buy thing, it really does make sense, but you do have to have the spare cash to do it. If you buy on credit when you can't pay it all back that month, you negate any savings by paying interest.

Insulation, solar, etc aren't suitable if you rent.....

Buy your clothes/shoes from M&S online £15 delivery no matter how much you order.... Here in 10-14 days too.... I think that Next do the same :unsure:

Get your hubby to ask for samples at the doctors..... You won't get ventolin, but you will get the steroid.... They usually contain a weeks worth....

Saving money requires effort, and change, neither of which come easily at first.... But soon become a habit.

Re: Budgeting........
 

Only prob I have with bulk buying is the climate, found a few products have gone off long before the expiry date. We had a whole case of dog food blow up like balloons:eek: The company were very good, refunded it, but warned us with tinned goods its quite common and they can explode:eek:

Re: Budgeting........
 

thanks all, looks like we are paying too much for everything. I know we are completely disorganized when it comes to dinners etc, my excuse is:o I work an average of 35-45 hours per week and travel an hr each way, i work late, early,night and do on-call. On the way home tonight after a 10 hr shift with 2 hr travelling, i could quite happily have a piece of toast and go to bed, but the bloody children are always wanting fed:lol:

Anyway i think husband thinks i am doing this half heartedly, but today i have opened up another bank account and getting my wages paid in there and transferring my half of the budget fortnightly, and advised OH to do the same. I am sick of seeing my hard earned cash and overtime getting squandered away by us all.

I am definately going to try to be more organized with the supermarket shop and planning dinners.

I would love to this time next year be posting we have saved enough for a trip back home.

Re: Budgeting........
 

[

Saving money requires effort, and change, neither of which come easily at first.... But soon become a habit.[/QUOTE]



Heres hoping:fingerscrossed:

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pmsl, i wish you couldve all seen my husbands face when i said ive done a pie chart:lol:

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I'll bring me own sausages then:D

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I go back to work full time next week, to say I am nervous is an understatement. I have told my 14 year old that once we get into a routine she is responsible for dinner 1 day during the week. She will get home from school an hour before me and can having something on the go before I get home. I haven't put this into practice yet so I am only telling you my idea, will keep you informed.

Re: Budgeting........
 

I use the slow cooker a lot, even in summer for large pieces of meat. I leave home for work at 6.45 am and get home about 7 pm twice a week. The left overs do the next days lunch