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marilyn
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5007 Posts
Posted -  26/10/2006  :  10:40

I want you all to get your thinking caps on for this one. Life is becoming more and more expensive! Everything is going up and up in price (from petrol to food to household utilities). What do YOU do to make your pound/dollar go further?  What strategies have you woven into your everyday life to make things easier? Share your tactics with us....please! (we may all learn something here that we take on board for the rest of our days....)




get your people to phone my people and we will do lunch...MAZ
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karl
Regular Member


51 Posts
Posted - 28/10/2006 : 00:07

A couple of things we do to save the pennies:

-Run the central heating on a multifuel stove - we mainly burn smokeless fuel and any logs from the allotment - free kinderling from the furniture workshop in Earby or any DIY we/friends/family are doing. It's lovely and toasty warm in the house at the moment. Our heating/fuel bills are 1/4 the cost of our next door neighbours! The only downside is those cold early winter mornings when the stove has fizzled out during the night and it's bloody freezing!

-Grow your own fruit and veg, we're not lucky enough to have a large enough garden to do this but are lucky enough to have an allotment. The other gardners are lovely and often trade/give away their surplus. On top of this, we try and cok everything from scratch with fresh ingredients. It's more time consuming but does save on costs.

-Reduce your carbon footprint and subsequent outgoings. We have a car each but since the start of this academic year, we have been car sharing the commute to and from work. This has been so successful that i'm now selling my car and we are going to go it as a 1 car couple! This should save us nearly £400 a month in car loan payments, petrol, tax, insurance etc..

However, despite all these eco-friendly and money saving strategies we've adopted I can't find an ethical and cheap alternative to fuel our passion for buying records, going to gigs and Marie's penchant for coats! If anyone could advise us a good way around this, then we'd be laughing!



Edited by - karl on 28 October 2006 00:10:30


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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 28/10/2006 : 06:54
My income is £115 a week.....  Don't ask me where all the money went to......  So I should theoretically be hard up against it but now I have got rid of the white shed I am all right thank you.  I always have the cupboards full Belle.  Enough flour, rice and tinned stuff to make sure that whatever happens to the food supply chain I shall starve later than most!  It's a security thing I know but who cares as long as it keeps me happy.  I agree with everything that's been said about buying simple foods and cooking them well.  Energy saving bulbs and turning the thermostat down are common sense and even though I've done it I haven't gone into cardigans yet.  I think the body's thermostat takes over and compensates.  I only have one measure of how well I'm doing financially, everything I pay is on direct debit so all I have to do is look at what's in the bank at the end of each month.  Even though I/m still buying far too many books I'm doing OK.  Getting rid of the white shed was a brilliant move, haven't missed it for a second and Jack and I do about 5 miles a day on various errands and going up to Letcliffe once a day.  Only thing I disagree with is that bulk buying means bulk eating.  Its bulk serving that does that and something like a stew will survive quite happily for a week out of the fridge if you bring it to the boil once a day.  It gets better as time goes on......  Having said that I suppose my body is used to doing something like this as this is how I have lived all of my life.  The bottom line is that everyone can save something and once you get into the habit it is a very satisfying thing to live inside your means.  I watch these programmes about people deep in debt because of uncontrolled shopping and simply cannot understand how anyone could be so stupid.  If ever there was a self-inflicted injury that must be it.


Stanley Challenger Graham




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Cathy
Senior Member


4249 Posts
Posted - 28/10/2006 : 12:55

Marilyn...excellent Topic.  I would love to add a few suggestions, but after going without  for 'well....a while", I have to admit that I am not watching the pennies as close as possibly (depends on whose opinion) I should be.    

I find that just getting thru each day - mentally, physically and emotionally is a challenge at the moment.  I will try to think on.....Watch This Space. 




All thru the fields and meadows gay  ....  Enjoy   
Take Care...Cathy Go to Top of Page
belle
VIP Member


6502 Posts
Posted - 29/10/2006 : 20:42
For those of you growing your own veg, you can save even more money by double digging (John Seymour covers this well in his self sufficiency book), which means you dig down twop spits and so you can plant stuff much closer together, as with nothing to constrain the roots, they go straight down. It has the added advantage of making it very hard for weeds to grow between plants...no weeding..great! It also means you can grow a lot in a small space. We grew enough veg for a family of four in a piece of land about the size of a quarter of an allotment. So you could always find an outlet to sell your extras, if you had a whole allotment.


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marilyn
VIP Member


5007 Posts
Posted - 29/10/2006 : 23:37

I tend to buy some fresh veg in bulk when it is ridiculously cheap....last week it was red capsicums. I slice them and de-seed them....chop them up into a roasting pan with chopped onions and herbs and olive oil (and some chopped black olives)...then roast. I often add other veg, such as Zucchini or anything else that I finad cheap. I store these in containers in the freezer because I make a lot of Pizza type snacks and it is so handy to have this pre-roasted topping to throw on.

I feel it saves money...and it certainly saves time, getting all that messy chopping and cooking over and done with in one hit.

Then, when I make a batch of Pizzas.....I make a BIG batch of Pizzas. It may take all afternoon! Most go back in the freezer and I always hand my son a tower of them for his freezer when he visits. (He rings me now....when he is getting low....and enquires about my next baking day!!)

Bashing that dough about is also very therapeutic! It can take all the aggression you can dish out. I often make pizzas when I need to think because I slip into this repetative action of making bases, placing toppings, in the oven, out the oven, more bases , more topping.....the eyes glaze over....and I find it very satisfying indeed.

I estimated that I made a dozen family sized pizzas on Saturday for the cost of approx 10 pound(Australian $25.)



Edited by - marilyn on 29 October 2006 23:41:20


get your people to phone my people and we will do lunch...MAZ Go to Top of Page
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 30/10/2006 : 05:16
It's definitely the cheapest way Maz and makes best use of the freezer.  Another money saving tip.... buy BJ's new book at cut price!


Stanley Challenger Graham




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marilyn
VIP Member


5007 Posts
Posted - 30/10/2006 : 08:18

I got the wiff of a new book....haven't investigated yet as to what it is about.




get your people to phone my people and we will do lunch...MAZ Go to Top of Page
tripps
Senior Member


1404 Posts
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 14:13
Tesco are currently selling energy saving light bulbs, both screw and bayonet fixing, and several wattages at one pound each or five for 40 pence.  That's not a typo. They last about eight years so a lifetime's supply should not cost too much.  Fill your boots!


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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 16:12
I had four delivered yesterday from British Gas.......  I notice they never give you the 100w equivalent, 2X40 and 2X60.  Never mind.....


Stanley Challenger Graham




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mporter
Regular Member


978 Posts
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 05:16
I go to our local Brumby's bakers after 5.00pm on my way home from work as they do 3 items for $6.00 last week I got 3 sandwich loaves for $6 and 18 rolls for $6.00 I worked out I probably saved $7.20.  I also buy their speciality breads i.e turkish breads that are normally about $5.00 each at $6.00 for 3.  Freeze them and warm them in the oven when we need them and they are lovely.


Margaret Porter
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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 08:11
Mags, have you seen the York Street topic?  Do you know anything about the book?  Glad to see you are watching the pennies.......


Stanley Challenger Graham




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stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
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