luvwelly

I prefer to know its full history and this seems to work reliability wise but yes your method could potentially save even more .

Trouble with the delicious home baking is that you are tempted to eat more of it as it tastes so much better than shop bought.

RobDon

Great minds eh!! We do exactly the same with washing powder. Its on special regularly so we never run out!
Also menu plan and shop accordingly. Works for us.

Am Loolah

Well, I've diluted the cleaning sprays and the washing up liquid - although I have to say it now seems very watery.

I've halved the dose of dishwasher powder and washing machine powder.

I'm on our third meal out of a chicken! I shall freeze that though or the kids might start to complain!

It's actually quite enjoyable at the moment. I'm looking forward to starting to see drops in my utilities bills. If I don't I shall be gutted!

bourbon-biscuit

Well, it will! The real test is whether it works well enough for the HALF+ cost saving you immediately make

Another one- if your family eat a lot of yoghurt switch to making it using those sachets. They've got less crud in them as well as being cheaper than the main brand stuff anyway. I don't make bread- I don't think it saves anything (when you factor in oven etc) and it's too time consuming to be enjoyable, imo.

I don't buy pasta or pizza sauce anymore but make massive batches at a time from a really scrummy recipe I was given that is also cheap as.

Bo-Jangles

I think that's the key; make it fun and set yourself small goals and move in little babysteps. You can try small adjustments to see if they work for you. Somethings you'll not bother with again and some will stick with you and become new habits or your new 'normal'. If you start making huge cutbacks and chopping things out drastically, you'll end up feeling resentful and deprived.

Another small tip I read somewhere, which people were raving about, was to squash the toilet roll a tad, so that it doesn't turn freely on the holder and kids don't reel off huge handfuls.

Mrbiker

If you make a chicken pie with rest, a base of short crust and a top of puff, part bake it for 20 mins, remove and cool down... freeze it and just defrost and bake when you need it... pastry will be as good as if baked once

Genesis

Do you boil the chook carcass with onions and carrots to make a yummy stock that you can then make a soup or risotto with? This too can be frozen and usd later.

Genesis

Re cars, I have owned well over 100..nearer to 120ish in 35 years of driving. Only 2 have been new. All the others were 2nd hand and all of them pretty trouble free. I have never had a lemon..oh other than one of the 2 new ones. Went back over 10 times in under 3 years. New cars are one of life's biggest money pits IMO....unless you need that 'new car feel good factor' buy one that is a one owner with history and a warranty and you are on a winner.

luvwelly

Yeah I think I crave that once every 10 years lol. You know that lovely new car smell. I know I shouldn't but I do. Also if possible always get cars with 5 star NCAP safety ratings - lots seem to have these now - they used to be rare.

Mrbiker

If you like the new car smell without the new car price, then try buying a ex demo.. normally only 3-6mths old and will have all the benefits of a new car and you save quite a bit from new...

P18PPS

are you a crim?

Genesis

The word I used was 'owned'............ not 'borrowed'.: thumbsup:

bourbon-biscuit

100-120 cars in 35 years of driving?! I do not think these cars were lasting you that well! That's 3+ cars a year!

BEVS

Elvis owned a lot of cars.

Persephone

Wowwww are you suggesting that Elvis is alive and well and living in Palmerston North?

'Viva Palmy North' just doesn't have the same sense of sophistication and glamour